Off-Piste Weekend

Off-piste Weekend, Vals. Situated deep in the Surselva region of Switzerland, Vals is most famous for its thermal spa. The world-renowned spa facilities designed by the architect Peter Zumthor features layered stone built in harmony with the surrounding mountains and featuring 60000 quartz pieces from the local mountains.

However, the spa is not the only attraction in this scenic Graubunden village. The ski area goes from 1270m to almost 3000m and features some amazing terrain for both freeriding and ski touring. This area was a secret tip from one of our longest serving mountain guides. When you get inside local knowledge like this… you have to act on it. For this reason, in winter 2021 we are taking our first trip to Vals.

Who is this weekend for?
Anyone who is comfortable skiing or snowboarding in an off-piste environment and would like to try out freeriding or for those who already ride off-piste but feel more comfortable when accompanied by a qualified mountain guide. You will also need to be fit enough to do some altitude gain under your own power on each of the days. (Snowshoes or touring skis and skins). Please Note: If you sign up for this weekend and the guides see you are unable to ski in this environment they will have no choice but to send you back to the piste, this means you will quite possibly spend the weekend skiing/boarding alone. It is your responsibility to accurately assess your own ability before the weekend.

If you would like to attend this weekend, but are unsure of your skiing ability why not check out our off-piste skills weekend.

Weekend Plan
The weekend will be run based on the conditions in the resort at the time of the weekend. If the weather is good and there is fresh snow then it will most likely be a pure freeride weekend with all altitude gain done using the lifts. If the weather is not great or it hasn’t snowed in a long time then the likelihood is we will be doing some ski touring with up to somewhere in the region of 1000m of ascent using our own strength. (anything in between is also possible. i.e. using lifts and then climbing a shorter distance)

Touring/Freeride Skis with skins or Splitboards/Snowshoes will be required for you to remain flexible for the weekend.

Max No. of Participants:
16 People (8 per group)

Location:
Vals.

Weekend Cost:
495CHF

Payment:
Payment is due at the time of registration. You will receive an email with payment details shortly after registering for this event. 

Refund Policy:
As we have taken a firm booking on the number of attendees the weekend fee is non-refundable. However, your place on the course is interchangeable. If for some reason you can’t attend the course we will offer your place to the next person on the waiting list. Once this person has confirmed their place and paid their deposit we will return your fee. We can only return the fee if your place on the course is filled by another participant.

What is included:

• Mountain Guides
• Overnight accommodation (Saturday night)
• Evening meal and Breakfast

NB: In the event of the weather or avalanche risk being too bad in the planned area the weekend may be moved to a different resort. This may result in a small increased cost for the difference between the overnight in the hut and the overnight in a hotel.

What is not included:

• Transport to and from Vals
• Lift Tickets
• Ski equipment

Required Equipment:

• Touring/Freeride/All Mountain Skis or Snowboard (Skins or Snowshoes required)
• Avalanche safety equipment (Transceiver, Shovel and Probe)

The equipment required for this weekend can be rented from Ski Rental Zurich in Zurich. Please tell them that Walter and Dave from Swiss Alpine Adventure sent you.