SpotCheck | Freeriding in St.Luc/ Chandolin

We're lucky: we live in Switzerland, where ski resorts and accommodation are open. We book an individual freeride camp via the Snowacademy and as owner Jochen Reiser knows the region inside out, he makes this request a matter for the boss. Due to the corona situation, we decide on a charming vacation apartment in Chandolin to minimize unnecessary contacts.

Calling in a guide quickly proves to be quite clever, because shortly before our arrival there is a "powder alert" and this catapults the danger level of the avalanche bulletin upwards. Our dream of couloir skiing dies instantly.

But a booking is a booking, so we set off anyway. Even the journey to Val d'Annivier is spectacular. A narrow and steep road winds its way through rock faces. In the evening, we meet our guide and are curious as to whether we will be able to do anything at all the next day in these tricky conditions. But Jochen is optimistic - as long as the funicular in St. Luc is open, we will find suitable terrain. After a very extensive nightcap and an even more extensive breakfast, we set off the next morning.

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View over Chandolin and the Rhone valley — View over Chandolin and the Rhone Valley

We drive to St. Luc and take the Tignousa funicular. Once we reach the top, our guide immediately pays off, because it's "white-out": heavy snowfall and wind make visibility impossible. Flying blind, our "contrast point" maneuvers us through flat terrain towards the forest and its countless aisles. Jochen knows the area like the back of his hand and so we brush one ridge line after another into the forest. We use small sections of the slope for technique training. We finish the first day completely soaked but very happy.

The next day unfortunately doesn't promise any improvement, the warm temperatures make the avalanche situation even worse and so the funicular in St. Luc will be our best friend the following day too. Nevertheless, it doesn't get boring, the snowfall and wind keep blurring our tracks and so we have a lot of fun in the forest and every descent feels like "fresh".

Day three is a little more favorable for us, because the Tsapé Express chairlift in Chandolin opens. We can't ski any alpine variations from there either (goodbye Couloirs of the Liaison), but even if we were to skin up somewhere: Avalanche level four makes us stay defensive. We "graze" the Petit Paradis, although it should also be mentioned here that we probably wouldn't have found any of the runs without a local guide. Jochen saved a special "treat" for the home run. We traverse out of the area right at the Illhorn lift and ski through a beautiful, open forest directly to Chandolin.

On the last day, Peter gives us great weather and we see the incredible panorama and the surrounding four-thousand-metre peaks for the first time. Almost all the lifts are running, so we can explore the potential of both resorts. We start in Chandolin, track the last open areas of the Petit Paradis (it's Sunday and much busier) and marvel at the liaison of the new connecting lift "Rotzé". The poor snow cover and the warm temperatures allow us to get a taste of the couloir air, but it's just a matter of "popping in". Nevertheless, we spend a wonderful, packed freeride day without walking a single meter. Wonderful!

Conclusion

Our guide Jochen was worth his weight in gold! We would hardly have found a descent without him. In addition to the great company, it's also very pleasant to be able to concentrate fully on skiing and leave the route selection to him. Nevertheless, technique training, line selection and safety topics were not neglected.

In summary, St. Luc and Chandolin offer everything a freerider's heart desires and don't have to hide behind the well-known freeride Eldorado of Verbier.

The two resorts offer countless flat variations close to the piste, even in difficult conditions, and those who like to ski in the forest will get their money's worth here. The couloirs of the Liaison are still on our to-do list, even if they are to be enjoyed with caution, because if you don't know your way around, you can quickly end up in terrain that could cause you to fall. We'll definitely be back!