Skiing in the Southern Alps: Provence on Snow

Winding between the slender Larch trees in knee-deep power with just enough space to twist and glide through their spindly path. It’s as if the seedlings were planted with the off-piste skier in mind.  While it feels like the tree-lined skiing of Canada, this is France’s Southern Alps. This article was first published in 2011.…

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Skiing with the Kaiser

The chance to ski with one of the world’s greatest downhill racers is something most keen skiers would jump at – or run a mile from if you’re feeling a little rusty. However, the dream became a reality for me in the handsome Austrian resort of Bad Kleinkirchheim where the legendary Olympic champion, Franz Klammer…

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Adventure Skiing this Winter

It was January and we had less than two weeks to go until a ski touring trip to Bulgaria. And now we had to decide whether or not to cancel the trip. The snow drought wasn’t just affecting the Alps, but the Rila and Pirin Mountains, the two highest ranges in the country. We could…

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“The New Normal” Climate Change and Alpinism in Chamonix

katy dartford France-based journalist

It’s Green Week which this year focuses on the theme of nature and biodiversity, so perhaps an apt time for my article on Climate Change and Alpinism in Chamonix to be out in the US magazine, Rock and Ice. Alpinism is now on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Mont Blanc massif waiting…

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A change of plan

The coronavirus pandemic meant this years ski season was cut short. So, whilst in lockdown and missing the snow, I was inspired to put a little film together about one of the few ski touring trips I managed to get in this year. It was around the time I was writing about climate change in…

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Earning your turns – and your schnapps – in the ‘valley of the mountain huts’

‘Skinning up’ has a whole new meaning in Salzburgerland’s Grossarl Valley. But as I soon found out – you can’t beat some pure Austrian schnapps for powering you up those hills……. READ>> My piece for Skier and Snowboarder magazine on ski touring in Salzburgerland’s Grossarl Valley: How in Grossarl, ski touring, with state-approved mountain guides,…

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The Patrouille des Aiguilles Rouge

I recently took part in the second edition of the Patrouille des Aiguilles Rouge, a ski mountaineering race starting in Arolla and finishing in Evolène in the Valais region of the Swiss alps, known as the Val d’Hérens, between Zermatt and Chamonix. I visited the area two years ago when the race came into existence…

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Murren: A playground for the modern James Bond

  Whilst the world waits with bated breath to find out who the next James Bond will be, I believe I stumbled upon the ideal candidate on a recent trip to Murren: Racing Pedigree. Skier and Snowboarder Magazine The Swiss ski resort  is about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Schilthorn…

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Ski Touring on Senja Island

Skiing on Senja, Norway

 I’ve just returned from Senja, Norway’s second largest island for a few days ski touring from Hamn i Senja, located amidst a beautiful archipelago on the west coast of the island. At a latitude of 69 degrees north, Senja is known as “the fairytale island” (it’s home to the world’s largest troll) with summit to sea skiing all…

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Ski Mountaineering in Chamonix

katy dartford France-based journalist

Skiing will be the death of British Alpinism”, exclaims Andy Kirkpatrick in his book ‘Cold Wars’. In an amusing exchange between himself and British mountain guide and 11 times Everest summiter, Kenton Cool, Kenton suggests “you should try it mate,” but Andy “doesn’t have any time for fun…” He probably hadn’t tried ski mountaineering however,…

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Crevasse drop in the Vallee Blanche…

katy dartford France-based journalist

A few weeks ago, it was a blue sky, powder day in Chamonix and three of my friends decided to ski the Grand Envers route on the Vallee Blanche. All extremely good skiers, I waved them off and thought nothing of it, until another friend phoned me, asking if I knew where they were as…

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SkiTrek- a new site for touring & trekking…

katy dartford France-based journalist

It may not be snowing much in Chamonix at the moment but I still feel pretty lucky to have already had two weekends of pleasant piste skiing with good friends. With regards to writing about skiing however, I’ve decided its time to focus a little more on the adventurous stuff, rather than  “I went to…

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Chamonix: a year on…warts and all

katy dartford France-based journalist

It’s been nearly a year since I packed up my Peugeot 107 and drove off into the Alpine sunset and having had a few people asking me about how it’s been and assuming I’m ‘living the dream…’ I thought I’d write about it for anyone interested. Getting the Balance right: It’s not been easy –…

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Adventure skiing film premiers: Shane McConkey and more….

katy dartford France-based journalist

With anticipation building  for the coming ski season  ( I’ve just bought my Mont Blanc Unlimited season pass!) there are several new films being released this month in London to whet our appetites even more…. Tonight I’m off to the premier of the Red Bull and Matchstick Productions biopic of one of the most famous…

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March madness…

March has been an incredibly busy month with me whizzing from resorts in Austria to Switzerland to Austria again and back to France and Chamonix. My first port of call was Saalbach, where I had the former GB ski racer and Ski Sunday presenter, Graham Bell as my guide to the resort, and who also…

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Skiing the Gliere Bowl

My latest blog for the Ski Club of Great Britain can now be read HERE :  The guide  book said the ‘Col de la Gliere’ wasn’t too far off the beaten track, with the hike up from the Col Cornu chairlift taking about 15 minutes if the path had already been broken.,… ….that wasn’t really…

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Avalanche Awareness in the Chamonix Valley

  Living in the ‘off-piste’ mecca that is Chamonix,  I thought it would be a good idea to refresh my knowledge of avalanches and how to avoid them or deal with them if they happen. So I signed up to a course run by the Avalanche Academy and found out much more about conditions in…

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Langlauf and Powder in the Chamonix Valley

I’ve been in Chamonix for nearly three weeks now and it feels like it’s been snowing for almost an eternity. Apart from Wednesday the weather has been pretty bleak, despite the powder being pretty phenomenal. Infact, Wednesday was the first day I actually managed to see much beyond the end of my ski pole….. and…

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A December day in Courmayeur

Well, I’ve been out in Chamonix for almost two weeks now and have managed to ski twice as there has been loads of snow. Below is a link to my first blog for the Ski Club of Great Britain as their ” Chamonix correspondent”;-) I’ve great memories of Courmayeur- not least the Ski the World…

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Only Girls Aloud….

Sometimes we most definitely need to get away from the boys… So here’s my list of  Top Ten Girlie Skiing Getaways  for Snow Femme magazine. Enjoy!

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Erna Low celebrates its 80th birthday

Last night the winter ski holiday company, Erna Low celebrated its 80th birthday by launching a biography of the pioneering woman herself. ‘Aiming High: The Life of Ski and Travel Pioneer Erna Low’ was written by author and ski writer Mark Frary. The book is to be published on 1 January 2013, available for pre…

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Skiing in the Catalan Pyrenees

The French ski resorts of Font Romeu and Les Angles offer an unusual mix of family friendly, sunshine skiing, history and culture, and a passion for food all in the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees. Read more about it here: Font Romeu and Les Angles for Eurodestinations

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Skiing the World…..

I’ve just taken part in the inaugural Ski the World challenge in the Italian resort of Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley, raising money for the Make a Wish Foundation. read more about it at Sport Sister magazine ….and here’s some photos of what went on: Ski the World

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Exploring the ski resort of Font -Romeu

I’m off to the Pyrénées next week to visit the Font – Romeu ski resort… After a bit of downhill and cross country skiing, I’ll be exploring the Terroir, Unesco World Heritage sites and indulging in the hot springs of Llo and Dorres. Then it’s off to the Les Angles Ski Resort and the les Angles…

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Winter Youth Olympic Games

In January 2012 I will be reporting from the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck for Planet Ski. Here are some articles about the YOG: Winter Youth Olympic Games Youth Olympic games on track. I’ll then be stopping off in Kuehtai to brush up on my off-piste skiing and avalanche awareness skills.

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Spa and Ski with Franz Klammer

Skiing in Bad Kleinkirchheim with the Kaiser, Franz Klammer requires some serious spa action afterwards if one is to function the next day. Read all about my experience at Spa Review Magazine: Skiing with Franz Klammer

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Skiing with Franz Klammer

I’m off to sample the skiing in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria for a few days- and I’ll have an excellent guide in former champion alpine ski racer, Franz Klammer. Articles to come……

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Bienvenue dans les Alpes du Sud

I’m very excited to soon be heading off on my next ski trip to the relatively unknown Southern Alps.  We’ll be exploring  Les Orres, Praloup and Vars.  Look out for articles on that in mid januray….

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The ski season is here….

I’m currently reading the news at BBC Radio Kent this week before they merge with BBC Sussex and Surrey at Drivetime. Then I’m off to the launch of another terrific ski season for Ischgl, in Austria and I’m told the slopes are in great shape. I think the highlight of the trip will be The…

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