This week has unfortunately not brought any snow but the sun has been shining and temperatures have reached up to +6 in the village. There is, however, still a lot of snow left over from last weeks snowfall so the riding up there on the mountain is still great.

Winter sports travel insurance including repatriation cover for snowboarders and skiers

This week I ventured out of Verbier with my housemates to ski to the 4 Vallees to the edge of the piste map. This is a very long hike. We started with the notoriously rocky and steep mogul field, Tortin. Mogul fields are not designed to suit a boarder so whilst three of us boarders struggled down the other two skiers wizzed past with great pleasure! To make matters worse, a particularly nasty rock took a great chunk out of my board, a lasting souvenir of the run! Throughout the rest of the day we passed through some bizarrely backward, 1970s-looking ski resorts where it seemed chairlifts hadn't been invented, instead there was a confused maze of t-bars and button lifts, also challenging on a board! Our primary intention for the day was to venture off-piste where some powder would remain. Verbier and the surrounding areas is famous for its off-piste.

Riding off-piste is, however, much more risky than piste skiing because of the threat of avalanches. Weather conditions largely dictate the threat of an avalanche. If it has been very cold and then there is a large snowfall, the base of the new snow can be slippery and thus the snow is unsettled and more likely the slide into an avalanche. It is always important to check-up on avalanche risks before going off-piste.

The authorities in all ski-resorts ensure that avalanche-risk boards are put up all over the resort. However, it is worth seeking further advice perhaps from a guide on which off-piste is best in which conditions. As well as this, one must always carry a transceiver so other skiers can detect or be detected in the case of an avalanche. These transceivers are easy to buy at about £100-£150. It is also advisable to carry a shovel. Next week, my work-place has organised an avalanche course for us to teach us about conditions and what to do if an avalanche were to occur.

As a now experienced boarder, off-piste offers something new and exciting other than the pistes that I have been riding for the last seven weeks. Though more dangerous, they present a challenge. Also, in new snowfall, it is an amazing experience to be one of the first to ride an untracked slope. I would encourage anyone to ride off-piste if they were a reasonable skier/boarder as long as all the safety procedures had been followed.