Roc des Alpes – La Clusaz

Ski+board Deputy Editor Rosie Barcroft heads to Lake Annecy to succumb to gravity and discover downhill mountain biking.

I’ll start this blog with a well-known joke. What’s brown and sticky? The correct answer is a stick. However, the most appropriate answer on 16 June was my trainer. I had just managed to submerge it in a bog while taking part in the Rando Roc Gourmande (a cross-country and downhill mountain bike race with the added bonus of food).

I had imagined the Roc Gourmande, part of the brand new Roc des Alpes festival in La Clusaz, France would be a leisurely potter around the mountain sampling some delicious cheese (mostly Reblochon), crusty bread and refreshing wine. I was 50 per cent right. The food was superb, but it wasn’t leisurely.

Ironman Woman

Guest blogger, photographer and Ski Club Leader Anna Henly is taking on the gruelling Ironman Austria on June 30. Anna tells us how and why she is taking on this huge personal challenge…

Somehow I found myself caught up in the frenzy of entering mad events at midnight – trying to beat the predictable, agonizing crash of the Ironman Austria 2013 website. Over 2000 triathletes were all simultaneously registering to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a marathon. Unbelievable that this was a year ago…

Have you read your copy of Elevation magazine yet?

Ski Club staff are an active bunch. At least half of us cycle to work. A quarter play tennis. Some play football. Many surf. A few play netball. One even rows. And now we’ve cottoned on to the fact there’s beach volleyball down the road in Wimbledon Park…

Ski review: Whitedot Preacher

Whitedot Preacher

The annual SIGB Ski Test gives UK retailers and snowsports media the opportunity to test kit from a huge range of brands, however the boom in recent years of independent or ’boutique’ ski manufacturers means that it’s impossible to cover every make and model out there. With the improved availability of many smaller brands online, the discerning skier has a huge number of options when it comes to purchasing new kit. Some smaller brands have built up a cult following too, especially in the freeride market, through creative ski design, innovative shapes and alternative materials.

Gearing up for Summer Parties

With the 2012-13 season all but wrapped up and the last Ski Club Freshtracks holidays done and dusted, it’s time to start looking forward to the summer. Or to be more precise, the Ski Club’s summer parties. That’s right – parties. Plural. The Summer Party has multiplied this year, with Manchester hosting the northern edition on Friday 19 July.

Just scratching the Serfaus…

The final day of the season (at least for me) always brings mixed emotions. Excitement at the prospect of summer months spent hiking and exploring the mountains on a bike, tempered by the fact that skis will be waxed and packed away until next winter. Of course it’s always nice to end the winter on a high, with perfect spring snow and sunny weather, but it’s slightly bittersweet when you’re forced to take the last turns of the season in soft knee-deep powder. It just doesn’t seem right.

Katy’s Blog: Vallee Blanche… finally!

It would be almost a crime to live in Chamonix and not ski the Vallée Blanche. I was beginning to despair that this would be a crime I was about to commit… but I’ve now managed to ski three different routes this April. I held back from attempting it previously as you really want to a sunny day to enjoy the spectacular views and I didn’t want to pay for a guide as the skiing isn’t that hard – but you need to avoid the crevasses and know how to rescue someone from one. The bit most people fear is the descent from the top of the Aiguille de Midi though, though this didn’t really worry me too much having done plenty of climbing.