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Archive for ‘Snow events’
Monster Ski
October 21st, 2011I have a few ski trips planned for next season but I have to say the one I’m most looking forward to is leading the Monster Ski group in Tignes in March.
This will be the 6th season of Monster ski which is a challenge to raise money for the MS Trust. The challenge is to ski 29,029 ft of vertical descent a day. Now this may sound just like a large number but it’s the height of Everest and you have to do this for 3 days. It is a mammoth task and a big challenge but it was so rewarding at the end last time when everyone in the group of which some had been diagnosed with MS achieved the challenge.
The sense of achievement and team spirit was fantastic and just seeing the look on everyone’s faces after the last run was something I’ll keep with me forever. Despite the lean snow year last season Tignes had fantastic piste conditions and was the best in the Alps. So I was really pleased to hear it was going back to the Espace Killy and in particular Tignes as it has such an extensive ski area and you have some seriously long runs especially down to La Daille on the Val d’Isere side.
Participants will be guided so you don’t have to worry about where you are going, so no checking piste maps and asking lifties. All you have to concentrate on is skiing awesome runs, logging up the vertical and of course having a great time (which is compulsory!).
Even though we were tired after every day we all still managed a bit of après ski and the Hotel L’Ecrin du Val Claret was a perfect base to enjoy a few wines before sitting down and enjoying the traditional food that is included in the half board. The hotel also boasts a spa with a pool and Jacuzzis and if the body is really feeling it after skiing the height of Everest then you can always treat yourself to a massage.
If you want to get a serious amount of skiing in a world class area and raise money for a great cause this is the trip for you.
Monster ski is calling!
Monster Ski – 2011.
February 10th, 2011Monster Ski 2011 – Tignes. 3rd February 2011. 90,000 vertical feet in 3 days!
This was one of my favorite trips I’ve taken since I started working at Ski Independence and it was a huge success. I’ve always wanted to lead a Monster ski since it was set up by Mike Laver in 2007. Not only does it raise huge amounts of money for the MS Trust but it is proof that being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis doesn’t mean you can’t go out and do the things you would normally do. Saying that, skiing the vertical of Mount Everest 3 times in 3 days may not be classed as a particularly normal thing to do which made this trip and the challenge all the more exciting.
Tignes and the expanse of the Espace Killy area was our destination and you truly can’t get a better place to get a ton of good skiing in with lots of wide open groomed slopes and 3 – 4 lifts that will give you over 3,000 feet vertical in one run. I have to say as soon as I met the group at Geneva airport I knew everyone was going to gel and we were in for a good trip.
On the trip there was Mike, John, Victoria, Alison, Andy, Robin, Sarah, Louise and Siobhan. There were 10 of us in total and it was really nice to see a mix in genders and ages with 5 girls and 5 guys. 3 members of the group have MS and the rest of us have family members or know people who have been affected.
Blood, Sweat & Tears – Three Ski Resorts in 48 hrs
December 13th, 2010In May 2011, we will be challenging ourselves to summit and cycle between 3 Scottish ski resorts in 48 hours. What started as a casual idea during some after work drinks is now in full swing…
Many of us, who have kids, have needed to visit a children’s hospital at some point. It’s all part of having a family – it comes with the territory. If you live in the Edinburgh area then this hospital is the Royal Hospital for Sick Children – known locally as the ‘Sick Kids’.
Royal Hospital For Sick Children
I personally have been to the Sick Kids a lot – as a kid myself, but more often as a parent with my own accident-prone children. Over the years I’ve taken my two boys to the X-Ray department, the Orthopaedic department and the Physiotherapy unit. They’ve had a CAT-scan, they’ve seen consultants, specialists, nurses and doctors, and undergone three operations. Every time I go, I know that the staff at the Sick Kids will do an awesome job, repair the damage and ensure my boy(s) come out feeling (and looking) better than they went in. It’s a humbling experience.
Last summer one of my colleagues had to take his young son in to the Sick Kids for the first time and was blown away by the first-class service, quality of care and attention that all patients receive. He left with a sense that the care equation was somewhat one-sided. We decided that we’d like to try and give something back to the Sick Kids to balance the equation. With that in mind, we put our heads together to come up with a vehicle to raise funds for the Sick Kids.
After much deliberation and debate we came up with an event – The Tri-Peak Challenge – which was physically tough enough to really challenge the participants, but at the same time was attainable. The challenge is to climb to the summit of 3 Scottish ski resorts (Glenshee, The Lecht and Cairngorm) and bike between them over the course of 48hrs – in total a distance of around 80 miles on a bike, and over 4000ft of ascent. For some of the participants, this will be a tough challenge that will push them both physically and mentally, and will require a fairly rigorous winter training schedule to attain the fitness required to take the challenge on.
Hopefully the snow will have melted by May!
We issued an open invitation to our staff at Osprey Holidays, Ski Independence and Powderbeds (and special guests) and have a team of over 30 people now committed to the event which will take place in late May 2011. We hope to raise £20K to fund a CUSA* machine for the Sick Kids.
*(CUSA (cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator) machine allows surgeons to perform ultrasonic aspiration (suction) of brain tumors.)
Day 1 – Friday 26 May 2011
Start at the Spittal of Glenshee and bike to Glenshee ski centre carpark. Climb to the summit of the highest peak at Glenshee ski centre. Climb back down. Bike from Glenshee ski centre carpark to the Lecht ski centre carpark, via Braemar, Balmoral, Glen Gairn, Corgarff and Cock Bridge. Climb to the summit of the highest peak at the Lecht ski centre. Climb back down. Bike from the Lecht ski centre carpark to Tomintoul. Overnight in Tomintoul.
Day 2 – Saturday 27 May 2011
Start at Tomintoul. There are two options for participants on their bikes today – a longer road section via Nethybridge and Coylumbridge, or a shorter, but technically more difficult off-road route from Tomintoul through the Cairngorms. Both routes meet up at Loch Morlich, before biking up to Cairngorm ski centre car park. Climb to the summit of Cairngorm – at over 4000 ft one of Scotland’s biggest mountains. Climb back down. Epic downhill bike to the finish at Glen More campsite on the shore of Loch Morlich.
Phew – I’m tired just thinking about it!
If you would like to support the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and donate towards the Tri Peak Challenge, you can via Just Giving – Tri Peak Challenge.
We’ll keep you up to date on our progress throughout the winter.
Adventure Film Festival 2010
September 27th, 2010As temperatures plummeted over the weekend here in the UK and snow is falling on both sides of the Atlantic, minds are now firmly set on the winter ahead and what better way to help you get even more in the mood than a good dose of extreme films at the Adventure Film Festival 2010!
The Adventure Film Festival kicks off on 4th October and runs throughout the month at participating cinemas nationwide and once again all tickets are free but make sure you pre-register online as places will fill up fast!
The festival, as always, will screen the very best adventure sports films for audiences to enjoy on the big screen and will be showcasing a mix of dare devil feats and awe-inspiring demonstrations of physical and mental endurance. New for this year is a series of personal appearances and live Q&As by South African adventurer Riaan Manser at six screenings around the country.
2009/10 Photo competition – entries so far…
March 22nd, 2010Thank you for all your entries so far for our 2009/10 photo competition. There have been some excellent submissions from resorts all over Europe & North America. Here are the entries so far:
There is still plenty of time to send in your entries to be in with a chance to win a custom made beanie thanks to Grannies, Inc.
Just send in your best photos & films from your 2009/10 ski holiday as an e-mail attachment along with your name, address, telephone number and age if under 18 yrs to philli@ski-i.com.
It would be great if you could also include a note the location of the photograph and include a short caption to best describe the photo.
Terms & conditions: Ski Independence will not be held responsible for any injury or accidents that occur as a result of attempting dangerous tricks or stunts. The winner will be selected by a panel of judges. The judges’ decision is final. Ski Independence has the right to use and publish any photo entered into the competition. Entries must be received on or before 1st May 2010.
Not quite the Whistler Dave Murray downhill course
February 16th, 2010Hillend may not be on the same level as the Dave Murray Olympic downhill course of Whistler, but it is Europe’s longest and most challenging artificial ski slope. Located on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Hillend is home to just as many memories as the Olympic downhill course so when the Scotsman newspaper announced last week that Hillend is facing possible closure within weeks under a major cost-cutting drive by its local authority owners, we and some previous GB Olympic stars were immediately reminiscing on past times.
Martin Bell: Ex British ski team member & Olympian
Martin Bell - ex Olympian
“I remember going to the Thursday night race training sessions, and stopping for a haggis supper in Corstorphine on the way home. There were many mass start “Chinese downhill” races “around the bend”, cutting the corner over the wet grass.
We must have done thousands of “short swings”, always with Hans Kuwall shouting at us to do more. In the winter we would ski Thursdays on plastic and weekends on snow (up North), so we had to adjust to different surfaces every week, which was great practice for becoming a better skier.
I remember many races, Davee Mercer (ex-British ski team member and Olympian) had some padded jeans made (flared jeans were the only “cool” attire for skiing at Hillend in the late 70s) so I had to ask my mum to make some for me too – I must have been about 12 at the time.
Off Piste in Scotland?
December 7th, 2009Not often do the words off piste & Scotland fall into the same sentence, however we are delighted to be partnering one of Edinburgh’s hottest venues, Hawke & Hunter, for Off Piste ’09 – an alternative Christmas celebration.
Off Piste ’09 is a recreation of an Alpine village inside an Edinburgh Georgian townhouse, complete with individual ski chalets (all named after our favourite resorts), snow-covered trees, and a star-lit sky. Off Piste ’09 is all things to all party-goers – it’s food as theatre, live music in performance, a party in the street, and mulled wine which will bring memories of the slopes flooding back!
The event launched last week, here are some photos from the launch party:
If you fancy heading along to get in the festive spirit then quote Ski Independence at the time of booking to receive £5 off per person on lunch or dinner. More info
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