Ok, much to the annoyance of my brother it has taken me a couple of weeks to sit down and write the blog. Sorry Piers!

I arrived on the 27th December after a long solo drive with a stinking cold, a broken CD player and an accidently wiped ipod. French radio just about kept me going on the 15 hour marathon.

The first day I was straight into some snow kiting teaching with a good clean wind to blow the cobwebs from the journey. Then all change. The following week brought one of the largest dumps of snow the Alps has seen over the Christmas/New Year period for a long time. There was thick heavy cloud,  gale force winds and endless days of snowfall. This put a bit of a dampner on any snow kiting tuition, but it did make for some good powder runs, beautiful snow laden trees and winter wonderland tobogann runs. Many of the resorts had to close for a few days due to the sheer quantity of snow with the infrastructure struggling to keep up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the storm broke the sun came out and we were fortunate to have some amazing snow kiting sessions comfortably powered on 9m Ozone Frenzys with fresh untracked snow.  The wind was perfect for powering up cliff faces to smash the wind lips as well as parking the kite to scream up 45 degree slopes. (No looping required) There were a couple of brits visiting one of which was here to take photos, one of which is below.

Since then we have had wall to wall sunshine everyday and as the masses returned to work we were able to find some good off-piste runs at some of our favourite resorts namely Belalp and Rothwald. Pretty much everyday has consisted of either teaching (mainly at weekends) to exploring the Simplon by kite or hitting the resorts for some epic snowboarding with Flora (my fiancee). Every year I come here there is always a new landscape to explore. The snowfalls in different wind strengths and directions mean that the Snow Kiting areas are always different. Exposed cliffs become steep snow covered drop ins, deep gullies drift in different ways creating different shapes and lines to take. Your favourite wind lip from a previous year is bigger or smaller, orientated in a different way or not there at all.  Round the corner though maybe a  new snow curled monster lip with a g-force inducing entry and re-entry. You maybe starting to realise that for me, part of snow kiting is about waveriding on snow. As you might see from below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as exploring cool landscapes below. This year I brought Pip the dog out to Switzerland. It was a bit of a gamble as to how she would cope with the cold. I also was n’t sure how she would fit in to the routine of driving around the mountains, snow kiting and spending time on the pistes. So far so good especially with her jacket and igloo to cwtch up in in the van.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all for now. The end of Jan, Feb and March is going to be busy with lots of guests from the UK.

I’d been looking forward to a return trip to the Simplon since 2009, having been forced to take nearly a year off due to a cracked vertebra and hernia surgery, I ummed and ahhed for a few weeks after Christmas before emailing Oli at the beginning of March only for him to tell me he might be coming home a few weeks early, bummer. Luckily for me he decided to stay on. I arrived at Brig railway station on a Saturday evening, missed all my intended connections between there and St Pancras for one reason or another, Oli was there waiting for me, drove back to the hotel and went straight to the restaurant opposite for a few beers and a catch up.

Next morning we drove to a place called Munster, nice big flat open area, but unfortunately not quite enough wind. After a couple hours of trying to get going on our 13m Frenzys we decided to head up to the Simplon, not enough wind there either. So to avoid completely wasting the day we packed up the kites and hit Rothwald for a couple of runs and a beer or two in the sunshine. Not the best first day for  a snowkiting trip but pleasant enough.

Monday arrived, still no wind, so we went to Belalp for the day and pretty much had it to ourselves, no queues, empty slopes, all in all a good days boarding, for a smallish resort it’s not bad at all.

Tuesday was more like it, we got up to the Simplon, had a coffee (and a brandy in my case) and the wind started to pick up. I’d forgotten how picky the wind is here compared to other places I’ve been snowkiting, up, down, variable terrain, wind shadows etc, luckily I had Oli on hand to yell at me when I made a mess of things. At midday Oli’s mate Paddy arrived from Ireland, straight onto a 13m Frenzy, how good is that the day you arrive?

Wednesday saw us back in the doldrums, bugger all wind, but we did have another good day at Belalp. Was nice to have another boarder along seeing as Oli had buggered up his board and was sticking to skis.

Oli had been looking at the wind forecast and it wasn’t good, a massive high pressure system was sat slap bang over Europe and wasn’t going anywhere fast, lovely blue skies and sunny warm weather but no wind. So we decided to borrow some snowshoes and rent ski poles and hike up a mountain the next day, it turned out to be a brilliant experience, it was bloody tiring make no mistake, three hours up through slushy snow it certainly couldn’t be called relaxing and the sun was intense, but once we’d gained some altitude the views alone were worth the effort. There’s a certain feeling of achievement looking out over a valley and back down the route you’ve just taken, for good measure Oli and Paddy went a bit further to take a peek over the next, er, peak. I stayed behind to rest and take photos, sod it I’d earned it. The descent wasn’t as easy as I’d imagined, the snow was slushy as hell, very easy to get stuck, I buried my board about 3 foot deep at one point, digging it out wasn’t fun, lots of words beginning with F. A 156 park board with a pack on my back wasn’t the best idea. Next time I’ll take something more suitable, lesson learned. The beers (Humpers) at Monte Leone went down very well, we all felt totally knackered and sunburnt but all agreed that it’d been well worth the effort. We had a bit of a blowout at the local restaurant that night to reward ourselves.

Friday was yet another no-wind day. I’d started to think that the snowkiting was done for. Oli organised for a local paragliding Instructor, Raoul Geiger to meet up with us at Belalp so Paddy and myself could take a tandem flight with him. Paddy went first while we watched from far below. It looked insane but there was no way I was gonna back out. Once Paddy had landed and I’d gone up to the launch point with Raoul I was excited rather than nervous, couldn’t quite believe I was about to fly around the mountains on something that looked no different to my kites. The launch was the most hair-raising bit, I had to keep my snowboard straight and head off into…..well, nothing….before I knew it were airbourne, it was unbelievably exhilarating, we circled around a nearby ridge a few times catching the updraughts, then headed down and buzzed the restaurant where we’d left the others before flying low over the ski area and out over the valley towards Brig. Raoul let me fly for a bit, only two lines to pull, it didn’t take long to get the hang of it, we then made a very gentle landing in a field next to his house, he got me a beer and I waited for the others to drive back and meet me. What a brilliant experience, I’d wanted to try it for ages; it’d be hard to imagine a better place for it, a beautiful sunny day, the snow, the valley, the Matterhorn in the distance.

By this time the snow on the piste was in a pretty sorry state, thin in places and slushy as soon as the sun had got to it, we were wondering what to do for the last two days. Luckily the wind gods answered our prayers, Saturday came and the wind blew pretty much all day long, I was knackered after a few hours on my 13m Frenzy. Ditto for Sunday, started on the Frenzy but the wind picked up so I spent the rest of the day on my 10m Access.

Considering it hadn’t been the best season for snowfall, I had a really great time; the wind-free days were fully occupied with alternative activities, the paragliding being the obvious highlight. We didn’t make it to Grimsel, which I had hoped for, but that still leaves something new for 2012.

Thanks Stuart. That is all for this year from the mountains. I am already back in Pembrokeshire and have started running our summer courses and adventures. Check out www.thebigblueexperience.com for details of what we have on offer. Feel free to contact me on info@bigbluekitesurfing.com for more information. I will updating this blog more frequently with photos and information from the beach.

The details for next years Winter Holidays will be on the website by June.

The last two weeks have flown by. There have been lots of guests and a wide range of activities undertaken. Firstly though, we have had some snow! February has seen a break in the spring like weather of January. Pretty much every three days for the last week and a half has brought snow. The snowline is high meaning that the ski outs from the resorts have been closed, which more than anything has meant we have had no toboganning since the second week in January.

Up high on the pistes and passes the snow has been great. Each time the clouds have rolled in there has been between 10 and 30cm of new snow. The free riding paradise of Rothwald has finally delivered some great conditions. When the sun has shone the wind has also been good. We have taught some first timers to snow kite and guided some advanced riders high up the mountains over looking Simplon. There have also been some non-skiers who we have taken snow shoeing through the forest. A couple of the guests did a tandem paraglide, check out the videos below. You can’t beat that for diversity.

This week we also met the Bridges. www.edgewatersports.com Steph and Eric brought the Bridglets (3 little rippers) for a no holds barred adventure to Switzerland. The weather was perfect with a bit of everything, snow, sun and wind. The whole family are great skiers, snowboarders and kiters, in fact there does nt seem to be much they can’t do. It was really impressive to see the Bridglets kiting. There were 30ft jumps and unhooked flat 3s off a kicker (from the youngest!) along with fearless free riding in fresh snow through the forests. They have certainly got a promising future ahead of them. Check this out!

Finally, the Hotel has dropped it’s prices for March so there is a good deal to be had.

Single Room £220 (7 nights not including breakfast)

Double Room £460 (7 nights incl breakfast)

4 person Apartment (7 nights not incl Breakfast)

Plus £150 for daily transfers and guiding. Snowkite tuition and hire is extra based on requirements.

All you have to do is arrange flights to Geneva/Milan and a train to Brig then we will do the rest. The conditions are great at the moment.

Reduced room prices for March on our Big Blue Winter and Snow kiting holidays.

Single room £220 (7 nights not including Breakfast)
Double Room £460 (7 nights incl Breakfast)
4 person Apartment £600 (7 nights not incl Breakfast)

The weather recently has been glorious, really warm with blazing blue skies. It has been like this for 4 weeks. The sun cream has been applied liberally and I am trying to avoid Panda eyes by wearing sunglasses rather than goggles.

Over the weekend we had some guests staying. None of them were here to snow kite so we had some varied days out. A couple of days were spent on the pistes at Belalp. The lack of new snow in the last months is starting to show in places. The snow blowers have been working hard and the Pisten Bullies have started moving snow from drifts to replenish the pistes.

One of the group celebrated his birthday by booking a Tandem Paraglide Flight from the top of the ski area all the way back to the Hotel. This involved a descent of about 3000m and distance of 10 miles.

The following day we drove to the Simplon pass to embark on a snow shoe walk up a mountain for a picnic. Snow shoes are amazing, not just in deep new snow but also in warm sticky snow. You can really walk up anything, float over deep snow in the dips and walk down steep slopes in total control. Although lung busting walking up, the views are worth it and the descent requires an effortless space walking technique reminiscent of Mr Soft. Suprisingly good fun.

Happy days in the sun. Fortunately the forecast is promising 3 days of snow from Sunday. Fingers crossed.

 

The Grimsel Pass is one hell of a day out. A remote mountain pass at 2136m tucked away at the Eastern end of the Goms region, at the very head of the River Rhone.

Recently we have been suffering from a slight lack of new snow. There is a good base and it is holding well in the recent cold weather. The wind has been pretty constant and we have had plenty of snow kiting on the Simplon Pass. The pistes are being well maintained and a day in a resort is still fun. But the Grimsel Pass has been something different altogether.

When the wind forecast is looking good and we have a few adventurous souls in our midst the decision is made the night before to head to the Grimsel. This involves packing as many different sized kites in to as few bags as possible, loading the van and getting an early night.

An early rise, a coffee, a Schoggi Gipfel (Pain au Chocolat) on the move and a 45 minute drive to Oberwald later and we find ourselves loading kites, snow shoes, skis, snowboards and some provisions onto to the ski-doo.  The ski-doo tows two trailers, one for the luggage and one with six seats for the passengers. The driver and another passenger ride pillion and the first part of the journey begins. The track starts as a snow covered main road before narrowing to a forest track winding through the woodland as it climbs the mountain. The snow here lies thick on the trees and the effect is truly spectacular. After 15 minutes we emerge from the tree line to incredible mountain views of the surrounding peaks and Oberwald deep below. At this point passengers and luggage are transferred to a huge snow cat. Its not 5 star transport (blankets are available for those who want them) but it definately gets you up some serious inclines.

The snow cat delivers everyone to the Grimsel Blick Hotel. This outpost of hospitality is nestled in a bowl, all alone high up in one of the most snow prone parts of Switzerland. An espresso later and a short stroll to the middle of the pass and we  find ourselves surrounded by a vast area of untouched snow. A snow kiting heaven, flat areas, powdery lumps and bumps, steep open slopes, soft ridges and smooth gullies.

I have been here four times now and each time has offered different experiences. We have always had wind although on one occassion it was frustratingly light with the odd 10 minute pulses of solid wind. We have always had fresh snow. We have had most wind directions offering different ways in which to exploit the landscape. It has always been sunny.

At the end of the day when legs are aching and arms feel like jelly everything is packed up and the journey home begins. The first part is a go slow stroll along the pisted track, carrying equipment, head bowed, plod, plod, plod (thank god for snoe shoes!). Once a certain point of the path is reached it is then downhill all the way. The first part offers open high mountain slopes of fresh powder for 2km, the second part a cruising slide along the forest track back to where we started maybe with a beer stop in a small woodland hotel near the bottom.

A trip to Grimsel on a good forecast can be a gamble but one worth taking. Nothing beats the exhausted silence of a van load of people, each thinking about what a great day it has been.

 

It is a dark, dark day when a week goes by in the heart of winter in Switzerland and not one little snowflake has fallen. Sigh…. However! Snow is forecast for Thursday and you will be pleased to hear that with true British grit we have sought out the best snow-kiting terrain in the area and kept our Big Blue punters very happy and sleeping soundly at the end of the day.  Luckily, the various snow-kiting areas are very high up the mountains so the snow is still in good condition, bad news for those families in the resorts who have booked a weeks holiday and were hoping to spend all day, everyday on the slopes, icy and painful!

At the moment we have a gentleman called Andrew out with us for three weeks. He came out last year when we were renting a chalet up in a little hamlet called Hasel and is now getting used to staying in the hotel. When we met for a drink on the first evening of his arrival downstairs, he stated that he may have to move rooms due to there being a lifesize monkey painted onto his cupboard door and it was already freaking him out somewhat. Ah, the Hawaiian room! Now moved into one of the more recently refurbished rooms, he can sleep easier at night.

There is a snow kiting area just above a town called Visp, around half an hour from Brig. We headed there at the end of last week with the hope of making the most of a particular wind direction that doesn’t work so well up on the Simplon Pass ( our local spot ). After a chair lift, a t-bar (don’t make the mistake (I won’t name names) of letting go of the t-bar half way up thinking that you have reached the top, blonde!), and a short snowboard / ski you arrive at this huge open plain that sits right on top of the mountain and is absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately the wind refused to blow so after a couple of hours of enjoying the view we headed back to Simplon for the afternoon.

We had a fantastic day yesterday up at Simplon. A steady wind blew all day allowing Andrew and ourselves to enjoy the terrain on 9 – 11 metre kites. Pascal (Swiss Snowkiting) let us borrow some deckchairs so as you can see from the photo all we are missing is three beers and the image would have been perfect! We all felt pretty tired after spending the whole day in the sunshine but we stopped and had a drink at the new restaurant that has opened just across from the hotel. Stunning views over the entire valley, amazing local red wine (Dole) and raclette (melted cheese, potatoes and a small side of tomatoes, onion and gerkin) for only 7 francs (£3.50)! Very dangerous. Goodbye New Year Resolutions 2011!

Special Offer of Half Price Rooms for January still applies so get in touch!

Switzerland so far has been incredible. Our clients for the past week have been Leo Dugdale, Henry Tuggey and Stephanie Harlow, all competent skiers / boarders and looking to further their basic snowkiting experiences. For the first couple of days the Simplon Pass was choked in a thick fog reducing visibility down to around 20 metres so we headed over to Bel-Alp on the other side of the valley for fun times on the slopes. We haven’t had a fresh dump of snow for over a week now but the piesting machines have kept the slopes in good nick.

Another day found us taking on a mountain (on foot) in order to reach the coffee bar at the top. Some may ask why we didn’t catch the t-bar to the top and ski to it and I would have agreed with these people when my lungs and calves were burning. However the coffee was well earnt and the walk down the mountain was great fun as we realised that we could cut out sections of the winding lane out by throwing ourselves through the deep untouched snow in the middle. Essentially rolling down the hill!

With very strong winds now whistling through the Simplon, we spent a couple of days braving the elements and pushing ourselves on the snowkiting front. Sadly the local cafe has shut for January which is good for the waistline because they serve around 5 different fruit pies in rather large portions. We have thought ahead and have cooking facilities in the van to provide fresh coffee a la Big Blue. Also can anyone tell me why bread rolls with the simplest of fillings, usually without butter taste soo good when you are away on holiday or really really cold and standing on top of a mountain?

On Thursday evening we caught an early cable car up to one of the restaurants where we had booked a meat fondue. Amazing!! Strangely, the Swiss serve the meal with tinned pineapple, peach and a cherry. Not to mention about 12 different sauces, chips and rice. Washed down with plenty of soft drink we hit the 45 minute toboggan run down the ski-out. I have tobogganed this track many a time before but this time was pretty fast. Lack of fresh snow, high day time temperatures followed by low night time temperatures meant only one thing…hard, compact, slightly frozen and very very fast. Of course you can go as fast as you like but with Stephanie proving a speed demon on the toboggan (I think she had waxed her runners) the race was on all the way back to the door of the hotel.

We have snow forecast for the weekend and a few people turning up next week so if you fancy coming to join us have a look at the website www.thebigblueexperience.com or give Oli a call on 07816 169359.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR JANUARY ONLY!!!!  HALF PRICE ROOMS!!!!!

I arrived in Switzerland after a mammoth 18 hour journey to be met by a freash dump of snow. The first day was cloudy with poor visibility so we decided to have a leisurly start with some tobogann runs to savour being in the mountians. The following day the sun was out so we picked up the serviced kit and broke in the snow legs. We spent the day at a small ski area called Rothwald. It only has two t-bars and 4 pistes but it has access to some great freeriding in amongst the trees.

On the third day we drove to Visperterminen, 20 minutes away. Again a small area, more extensive than Rothwald but still rarely busy. I have been there before but although we had great snow there was n’t enough low down. This time however it was great to be able to explore through the trees lower down, which on there day will offer some great freeriding.

In preperation for New Years Eve, we headed to Rosswald with the toboganns. A bottle of champagne later and we were hurtling down the mountain in hysterics.

A late start on New Years Day and the sun was shining. We headed up to the Simplon Pass and were greeted with a steady 12 knts. We snowboarded down to the bottom of the pass to set the kites up. We had a great 2 hour session with patches of untouched snow. The wind was solid and in a great direction for climbing over the nearest hill and bombing back down. At the end of the session I fortunately managed to climb back to the van, very nearly shredding the kite on a tree as I squeezed it into a tight landing spot. Close.

Here are some pictures from New Years day along with a shot of the hotel. Not a bad way to start the year.

Check out:

The latest Big Blue Experience Brochure