Women's Steep Camp with Kimberly Plake
January 26 - February 1, 2025 (ski days Jan 27-31)
Itinerary/What to Expect
Enjoy the opportunity to learn and play with the support of other women. This camp is about learning steep skiing technique, backcountry skills, mountain safety, and most importantly, HAVING FUN!
Kimberly Plake will be our special guest coach at this years ski camp. She is a PSIA Level 3 ski instructor and has spent all of her adult life traveling around the world skiing. Her teaching specialty is helping skiers expand their skiing experience, transitioning from the on slope groomers within the ski area to more natural skiing terrain; bumps, crud, powder, and steeps. Kimberly's goal is to direct her skiers to ski with ease using technique; "allowing a longer more diverse ski day with less effort, more confidence and enjoyment!" We are happy to welcome Kimberly into our camp for 2024. (Her husband just happens to be Hall of Fame skier Glen Plake.)
There is endless terrain to explore around Chamonix and Verbier. We will primarily focus on downhill steep skiing and powder skiing techniques, but we also have the option to do some ski touring if conditions are right. The highlight of the week will be a heli ski descent on one of the nearby peaks.
Price description for Chamonix
$3950 per person
Cost Inclusions:
•5 days skiing with UIAGM/IFMGA certified guides (maximum 4 skiers with each guide)
•6 nights lodging on a shared basis at the Hotel Pointe Isabelle Chamonix (arriving on Sunday and leaving on Saturday)
•6 days breakfast at Hotel Pointe Isabelle
•2 Dinners with the Team (the welcome dinner on Sunday and a celebration dinner on Friday)
•1 Helicopter lift to access an epic big mountain descent
•5 days lift tickets
•Ground transportation from the hotel in Chamonix to surrounding ski stations including Italy and Switzerland
•Use of avalanche transceiver, climbing harness, shovel, probe, and backpack
•Instruction in a variety of ski techniques, ski mountaineering techniques, safe mountain travel, avalanche awareness and rescue
•Lots of exciting and challenging skiing in spectacular terrain!
Cost Exclusions:
•Round trip airfare to Geneva, Switzerland
•Transfer from Geneva Airport to Chamonix and return
•Dinners in town (except for the 2 previously mentioned)
•Lunches on the Mountain
•Alcoholic Beverages
•Rescue Insurance
•Travel Insurance
•Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
•Any equipment rental or purchase in addition to the equipment provided which is listed above
•Tips for Guides
Private Room Supplement: If you would prefer not to share a room, please request a private room when you sign up. The fee for a private room is $800. Private rooms are subject to availability.
Skiing Level
Am I good enough or am I too good?
Clients range in age from 16 to 75. This trip is for intermediate to advanced female skiers. You should be comfortable skiing black diamond runs in the ski area in any condition (crud, powder, ice, etc). It is very helpful to some backcountry or off-piste skiing experience, but it is not necessary. We will work on the skills needed to feel comfortable in this type of terrain. Our guides can provide plenty of challenges for even the most accomplished skiers.
You will ski with one guide and up to three other skiers whose ability and fitness is similar to yours. We keep the camp ratio low for safety and for your enjoyment of skiing with skiers of similar level.
Travel Information
Chamonix and Verbier are both easily accessed from Geneva.
1. Book a round trip ticket to the Geneva International Airport (GVA), in Switzerland. We suggest arriving on the Sunday of your trip and departing on the Saturday. If you wish to arrive earlier or stay later, let us know and we will try to arrange additional lodging for you.
2. Getting from the Geneva Airport to Chamonix could not be easier. There are a number of shuttle services, which offer door-to-door service. The price is around 40 Euro each way, per person. You will want to book your round trip transfer in advance.
Below are links to some transfer services that we recommend:
To get to Verbier it is possible to take the train from Geneva airport to La Chable (the village below Verbier) then take the gondola lift up to Verbier town and walk to our hotel. To check train timetables for Switzerland use sbb.ch/en you want to enter Geneva Airport as your departure point and La Chable VS gare as your arrival point. Typically there are trains each hour and it takes 2 hours 15 minutes with 1 change in Martigny. Please note that timetables are published about 3 months in advance on the website.
Alternatively, Alpybus offers private and shared airport transfers by road from Geneva airport to Verbier town. You can request a quote and book online directly with them.
Once you book your airline ticket and transfers, please send us your itineraries. If you have questions about getting to Chamonix or Verbier or need assistance, please contact us.
Our equipment list for the steeps camp is available here (click the PDF link to download):