Senior Instructor and Mountain Guide Martin Chester gives his views on why, when and where mountaineers should 'strap planks to their feet'

Ten years ago, Tim Neill and I set off from Argentiére la Bessé to go ice climbing. We drove as far up the Fressinieres valley as our beat up old van could get, and started to walk.
At 6’6”, Tim is something of a giant and, pretty soon, even he was up to his nuts in snow. After an hour we had travelled less than a kilometre – as two lycra-clad Italians skied past us. Reluctantly, we shuffled back to the car.

Being “proper climbers”, and a little slow on the uptake, we failed to learn from our mistake. Setting off from Courmayeur to go ice climbing, we drove the beat up old van as far as we could get up the Val Veny . . . . . ...........

So pretty soon it occurred to us that we had a choice – limit our winter climbing, with the masses, to short walks - or learn to ski. (Hmmm – short walks sounds alright). So next thing you know, you will have shelled out the best part of €30 in order to look like Bambi on ice for the day, as Tarquin and his mates swoop past you. This is all part of the ritual humiliation – stick with it.

There’s a reason why Tarquin looks like he knows what to do with his planks, and it’s not genetic. He’s spent a lot of time doing it.

So here is the first piece of unsolicited advice: Whilst some people learn quicker than others, there is no real short cut to learning to ski. Whether you choose to do a little – spread over a few years; or a lot – packed into a few weeks; what you need is mileage!

When you start off, hanging out of the back of your boots in fear, your thighs are going to kill you (ironic – swapping fear of crashing for a far worse fate -  death by thigh burn). After two runs, you realise that you are going to really struggle to ski for a whole day. The good news is that you can fit your skiing around your climbing. Get up early, bag a route ahead of the crowds, and then make the most of the reduced price tickets in the afternoon.

La Grave – sleepy village North of the Ecrins. Excellent ice climbing, and access to Les Deux Alpes and Serre Chevalier. Local lift at La Meije is fantastic, but big and serious and all off piste!

Ceillac – quiet little village, South of Briancon, with roadside ice and a cheap and cheerful lift system

Pitztal – in Austria. Has funicular access to a glacial bowl with wide open cruising pistes. The ice is guaranteed with a glacial cave giving routes as steep as you can handle, and steeper than you thought possible. (good slides available)

Alpe D’Huez. A ski resort with some icefalls right next to the piste. These rely on snow melt to form. That means just enough snow, just enough sun to melt it, but not so much sun that it all melts!

Chamonix – legendary! Anything from first ice routes at the cremerie to the lines you’ve always dreamt of. The skiing is really varied if a little disjointed. Chamonix comes with a warning – it’s not an off piste capital of the world for nothing. Some bits are better than others for learning to ski, and some routes will be incredibly busy.

You’re a climber right? And a mountaineer! So surely you’ll be able to throw yourself down those black runs straight away. Unlikely! Like many who went before you, there is a huge temptation for your ego to write cheques that your body can’t yet cash. Skiing is not all about balls – it is about balance. I have seen many friends – determined to ski off-piste or bust – continue to bang their heads against their lack of technique until finally they learn to do it properly. So here are some more top tips:

• Don’t go too steep too soon! Too much speed means you are likely to shy away from the point of balance, sitting back on your skis, and will have little time to react. Ski somewhere with wide cruisy runs.
• Pitztal, Les Diablerets, The glacier above La Grave (linked with Deux alpes) etc are ideal intro resorts on and off piste with wide open spaces and fewer people. If you do want to go to Chamonix, ski at Le Tour to begin with.

Okay, so you’re enjoying learning to ski, but this still doesn’t help us get to the routes. We need to ski on touring kit. It’s time to skin up – and if you want to know more, about skinning click here.