A weekend spent skiing or snowboarding in the high resort of Cervinia, Italy on 16/17th November provided some great early season powder. The views of the Matterhorn in Cervinia are super cool too, the Italian face is not its most spectacular aspect but still great to see. After an initial trip on the Saturday the snow was so good that after a drink that evening in Chamonix it was decided to return on the Sunday. At 90mins from Chamonix, through the tunnel, it’s not a bad journey. The weekend was not a bad start to the season, two days riding in mid November can’t be sniffed at! You have to love Italian skiing, cheap great coffee and awesome food on the hill.
The weekend of the 22nd November it was a trip to Courchevel to take advantage of the free ski preview weekend. Huge queues meant only 4 runs, but 40cm of powder in the obvious couloirs under Saulire lift made it well worth the effort. On the 23rd we attempted our first ski tour back in Chamonix valley at the appropriately named Le Tour. The wind had transformed the snow sadly and it was battering us in the face. Combined with a steep icy skin track and low visibility higher up it was good to stretch the legs but not the best day ever on the snow!!