For several years I have been arranging off-piste steep and deep holidays with a guide for a group of friends. As the group expanded this grew from one holiday to 2 and this year to 3. This is partly because we ski at Ski-Club-of-GB Gold standard and the Ski Club no longer does pure Gold standard holidays (and the Gold / Purple mixed ones tend not to be challenging enough).

A month ago I thought these holidays were all fixed but someone has had to withdraw and then two people wanted to change to a different holiday. Meanwhile those who had asked to be on the reserve list have committed to SCGB repping or holiday leading or other things.

Consequently I am left with a place to fill and wondered if anyone out there who is Gold standard might be interested. I would imagine most people are fixed up by now but if you could suggest anyone to try (or, of course, if it might interest you) I would be pleased to hear from you. It is so hard to tell standards from what people say. I would characterise our standard as able to ski any snow at a fair speed (including breakable crust) and any off piste route where guides sometimes take their clients.. You should expect to climb a bit sometimes to find the best routes, but not ski mountaineering.

We go out early on Friday 18th January and ski 2 1/2 days on our own, then 6 days with Zeb, returning late on Saturday 26th (ie total of 8 1/2 days skiing). Total about £840 all in, excluding lunches and drinks.

The holiday was originally the first filled and is with our most established and favourite guide: Zeb Roche .
It is based in Montgenevre, skiing the Milky way area in Italy/France and probably other nearby resorts such as Serre Chevalier and perhaps even La Grave(Zeb has a minibus).

Zeb is an inspirational and exciting guide rather like Phillipe Andre and Remy Lecluse. He also teaches paragliding (he used to be in the French team and his wife was twice world champion: he spent his honeymoon climbing Everest with his wife and they then paraglided off the top). His own home area is the Haute Maurienne but he knows several other areas well (he has also guided us in Verbier - where he has lived - and the Dolomites) and suggested Montgenevre as a base.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50606&highlight=Dolomites is a witty account with good photos, by Cedric (Horizon) of our Dolomites holiday with Zeb.

Best wishes
David (Johnson) = snowball

The Dolomite trip report was great, loved the photos and there are some superb lines.

I think the ski grade question is important. You don’t want to be held back and it sounds like you ski at a good level. I would imagine that someone who is not concerned about skiing the whole mountain and has a good fitness level would keep up.

PS If you are a bit under gold standard it would be OK - but you need to be close:  able to ski any snow at a good speed and to be happy on a 45º slope.  I’m assuming you’ve skied mostly off piste for a while and have your own avalanche transciever, shovel and probe.  We don’t all own skins but if you have them it might be a good idea to bring them.

Sounds like a good trip snowball. Have you got anything else planned later in the season. Would love to join you.

Yes, we are going to base a holiday in Bourg St Maurice, with guide, skiing Les Arcs, La Plagne, St Foy, Val d’Isere/Tignes etc 22 Feb - 2 March, and another to Engelberg 14-23 March with Fredi Krummenacher - but all 6 places are taken for both these, I’m afraid.
I take it you can’t do the January dates?

I’m still looking, by the way,

Andy of the exclamations - I’m assuming this isn’t a jokey way of saying you are interested?

Your planned trip looks very interesting. Have you managed to fill the free slot yet because if not I might be interested?

Actually we still have a space, though I cancelled the room so I would have to see if I could get another.
The hardest rhing, without seeing you ski, is to gauge if you are the right standard.  So, does the Ski Club of great Britain “Gold” standard mean anything to you? 
I’ll send you the details of the holiday tomorrow.