Skier Catherine Murphy has a Bond moment; Connemara calling
Ski touring in the heart of the mountains enthralled Catherine Murphy, who recalls a trip to magnificent Verbier, during which she had to be winched to safety
Dangling from a helicopter at 3,000m with just a steel cable between me and the ground, I was having an unmistakably Bond moment. A week earlier, I had stopped skiing to watch a snowboarder being winched off the mountain by helicopter. It looked terrifying.
Now it was my turn.
I was at the start of a two-day ski touring experience in the upmarket Swiss resort of Verbier, with a plan to ski some of the resort’s famous lift-accessible freeride terrain, then overnight at the Cabane Mont Fort, before touring the back country.
I was in exceptionally good company, skiing in a group with three-time Freeride World Tour snowboarding champion Xavier De Le Rue who would talk to us about his epic mountain experiences and life in the Valais region.
We were about five minutes into skiing Mont Gelé, a dramatic route that’s reached by cable car. Conditions were variable, the powder was chopped up. It was the sort of
terrain I had skied many times before.
There was no big fall or crash, just an over-stretched stop turn and the sound of my ACL — a major ligament in the knee — popping, a moment-in-time injury that was more linked to my gender, age, fitness level and poor technique than the terrain itself.
It quickly became clear to our guide that to avoid further damage to my knee, the only way off the mountain was by helicopter.
I watched in awe as the pilot skilfully tipped the nose of the chopper into the side of the slope.
On such steep terrain, it was impossible to land the helicopter fully and take me on board. Instead, I was attached to a winch and lifted, alongside a rescue team member.
I had previously taken tandem hang gliding and paragliding flights but this was the most spectacular thing I’ve ever experienced — there was no stretcher so I was simply hanging in mid air, flying close to the mountains, exposed to the elements.
After a few moments, the helicopter landed on flatter ground. I was gently taken on board and flown to a private clinic where a partial ACL tear was diagnosed.
It’s little wonder that my Bond moment cost a cool 5,500 Swiss francs. Thankfully, I had good winter sports cover on my annual travel insurance policy to cover the cost.
The rest of my group had no option but to continue without me. They took a route that passed through stunning terrain to Col de la Chaux (2,940m) and Col de Movin at 3,000m. Having spent the guts of a season skiing Verbier’s off piste a decade before, I knew I had missed an enjoyable tour. Even before the pandemic, ski touring was a growth area in winter sports. Now, thanks to Covid and an increased focus on getting out into wide open spaces, it’s expected to become even more popular. Touring typically means skiing off piste and outside ski resorts. A stop on the classic Haute Route tour between Chamonix and Zermatt, Verbier is the perfect place to tour, with vast amounts of backcountry to explore.
For me, ski touring is the absolute essence of skiing, taking me to the heart of the mountains and away from resorts. It takes me back to the roots of the sport, to a time when locals had to move around the
mountains without the aid of multimillion euro lifts. It takes me to places that are otherwise only accessible by helicopter.
But getting that reward means hard work; touring demands a good level of fitness, endurance and knowledge of the mountains. Every powder turn is well earned. There are many off-piste areas and itineraries (ungroomed ski routes) to enjoy around Verbier and the Four Valleys — Stairway to Heaven, Mont Gelé, Vallon d’Arby, Col des Mines and l’Eteygeon to name a few.
The one that every ardent skier wants to tackle is the back side of Mont Fort. Depending on snow conditions, the start of this route can feature steep moguls in no-fall terrain. It then opens up into a wide open landscape where you can complete day tours.
The hard work of ascending a mountain on skis can be viewed as both penance for transgressions in life and as meditation. It works like this; skis and boots are light to make going up the mountain easier. I carry a backpack with ABS airbag, shovel, probe and transceiver — safety equipment that’s vital in case of avalanche.
Having completed an ISTA safety course in Verbier, I aim to prevent ever getting into an avalanche scenario and tour with a local guide whose in-depth knowledge of the area will help protect me from risk.
To go up the mountain, I attach skins to the base of my skis which give traction and stop me sliding back down. I release the heel on my ski binding, set my boots to walk mode and zigzag up the slope using kick turns to navigate steeper sections. I swear a lot and hope I’ll have enough energy to ski the powder I’ve worked hard to reach.
Skinning has technical elements — I should slide my skis rather than lifting them, to produce an energy-efficient glide. I will need to shift the position of my ski poles on steeper terrain. When it’s time to descend on skis, I’ll fold and store my skins in a particular way. When I get back to Verbier post-Covid, I plan to take a ski touring course to re-learn techniques forgotten over time.
The Warren Smith Ski Academy (WSSA) is where I’ll sign up (the academy plans to run courses next season).
Warren Smith, who’s half Irish, has been running an academy in the resort for 20 years. He’s also well-known as head coach on the TV series The Jump and as an instructor to the stars.
I’ve already had a day’s tuition from one of Smith’s chief instructors, Rob Stanford, and loved his down-to-earth but dynamic style of teaching.
I worked on my powder skiing technique on the slopes of Bruson (below Verbier) and took away some core technique points to work on. But above all, I had lots of fun.
The WSSA also offers courses that educate skiers so that they can help prevent injuries like mine. Smith’s ski technique lab focuses on three elements — flex, range of steering movement and symmetry — to assess skier level and technique gaps that can be worked on using specific exercises.
Through taking a trio of tests, skiers can discover how ankle flex, range of movement and alignment influence ski technique. I already know that I have poor ankle flex but good alignment and range of steering movement. I also know that I need to focus consistently on exercises to strengthen the muscles around my knees.
The academy has a large bank of online tutorials available to view via Facebook or YouTube but nothing beats the real thing.
My next memorable moments in Verbier will hopefully involve lots of blissful ski touring moments without a repeat of the Bond heli-winch at the end.
I carry a pack with ABS airbag, shovel, probe and transreceiver vital in case of avalanche