Archive For February 4, 2014

Our intention was to ski in Bulgaria but that was not to be.  No snow. The Dolomites however were having a bumper season so after a call to Francesco and considerable time spent trying to find suitable last-minute accommodation in Corvara, we had a plan.

Our efforts paid off as we enjoyed a week on excellent, stable snow and with near-perfect weather.  Six days of five-star Dolomiti ski touring; Sas dai Ciamorces, Val di Mesdi, Sas Ciampac, Monte Pelmo N, Forcella Grande, Pra de Ciamena and Corno Alto.

A big thank you to Francesco whose incredible knowledge of the Dolomites helped me choose the best option for each day.  Francesco also knows the restaurants so this week was also made memorable by the quality of the dinners and accompanying wine!

The south side of Yotei gives some wonderful tree skiing. We set of at the same time as a Japanese team that put in the usual Japan style track.  Straight up.  Most amusing. They were our only competition for the day and after their first run they headed for home.  The locals don’t hang around unless the powder is perfect. It wasn’t 100% for them so off they went though we thought it sensational!

A few days later and we were back.  High winds had closed the lifts and bad visibility further reduced our options.  I was breaking trail on the way up when a local Japanese guide accosted me.  I didn’t understand a word of what he was saying but I knew he was chastising me for putting in a ‘Western style’ skinning track. He was doing the usual ‘direttissima’ and didn’t like my zig zags.  I let Hiro deal with this diplomatic incident.