Research groups

The latest breakthroughs in cancer, physiology and cardiovascular disease, link to here.

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The best places to ski

In resort

St Anton

In my view the best ski resort on the planet. Great atmosphere, incredible skiing, huge amounts of snow (usually), fantastic infrastructure, and enormous area. The off piste, back country and touring terrain is so varied, that under almost any conditions there's great skiing to be had. Good restaurants, great bars add perfect destination resort. See underneath for favourite couloirs!

Monte Rosa

The Gressoney-Champoluc-Alagna linked ski area provides some of the most wild terrain, awesome views, and steep terrain of anywhere in the Alps, and has a much better infrastructure, food and atmosphere than Chamonix. Also fantastic restaurants and wine bars. It also gives access to Monte Rosa huts - I've never summited it but would love to do some of the ascents.

Zermatt/Cervinia

Skiing in the shadow of the Matterhorn is always a special experience, but with the length of descents, and frequent powder traps, particularly on the Zermatt side, this is a fabulous area to ski. Much cheaper on the italian side but Zermatt has some of the best mountain food in Europe - try Chez Vrony for the best end of day eating anywhere. A nice groomed run home required given the amount of Prosecco required.

Alta/Snowbird

The greatest snow on earth, and probably the greatest runs I've ever had  with six feet plus of champagne powder allowing cliff jumps to be attempted with ease (and sometimes without knowledge). Also the home of some insane couloirs and some great friends.

Verbier

Incredible runs, swish (Swiss) organisation and fantastic touring terrain, but ridiculously expensive to stay there, or eat there. Backside is a truly hair raising lift served run off the cable car, and the size of the ski area, and accessible backcountry is fabulous.

In the Backcountry

The Alpine Arc

From 2012 onwards, I have been part of a group attempting to ski tour across the Alps skiing one week a year from hut to hut (where possible). We started in Ischgl on the Austria/Switzerland border and skied the Swiss part to Trient. In 2016 we crossed into France, then down to Italy in 2018 and reached Bardonecchia, . Since the pandemic we have been skiing the Austrian legs to complete the arc. This incredible adventure is chronicled in the below pages

Part One. Ischgl - Klosters - The Silvretta Tour
Part Two. Klosters-Andermatt - the Thwarted tour
Part Three. Andermatt-Lotschental - The Bernese Oberland Tour
Part Four. Lotschental-Verbier - The Injury Prone Tour
Part Five. Verbier - La Thuile - The Reverse Haute Route
Part Six. La Thuile-Bardonecchia - The Sunny Tour

Part Seven. Zillertal-Otztal, The Independent Tour

Pictures

 Recent skiing pictures

Favourite Couloirs

Links to my favourite couloirs, and ones I want to ski but haven't yet

Europe

Schindlergrat Chutes (St Anton)	Le Giraffe (Andermatt)	Lanserlia Couloir, Parc Vanoise
A series of 7 chutes on the west side, 4 on the west side and two on the south side, these are consistently some of the best lift served couloirs in Europe IMHO. Chute 3 is a wide, relatively easy pitch that is still steep (35° in places) with a rocky entrance. 4, 5 and 6 get steeper and tighter with better snow - at least 1200ft vertical drop. The East chutes give a huge vertical descent - 900m (3000ft) of vertical fall line skiing down into the Steissbachtal (Happy Valley) but with only the first 300ft very steep. On a powder day there is nowhere better to be.	A 800m narrow steep (>45° in places) chute dropping off the back of Andermatt into the Oberalptal reached by a traverse from the Gem stock lift and then a hunt for the entrance to the left after skiing the top of the Giraffe area. Clearly visible if you ski the Oberalptal past the Vermigelhutte. See video here for what it's like to ski. Andermatt is also home to the Gipfel Couloir - another favourite.

Gumpener Rinne (Sölden)	'king Marley's Chute (Stuben)	Törli Couloir (Kapall, St Anton)
Long steep couloir off the Gaislachkogel in Sölden that droips into the Rettenbach. Only safe with good snow conditions - this claimed the lives of Bryce Astle and Ronnie Berlack from the US Ski team in 2015.	This isn't it's official name, but what we call; it  - a beautiful north facing powder trap in Stuben directly accessible from AlbonaII lift (traverse round above the Marois See lake to the entramnce, then straight down towards the Arlberg tunnel ventilation shaft.	This avalanche prone couloir off the Schõngrabern lift is often too dangerous to ski, but in the right conditions is stunning 1000ft+ 37°+drainpipe of a couloir. Ski from Kapall lift into the Schafgilger powderfield on the skiers left of the t bar. Instead of taking the traverse right to Schõngraben ski down the powder field, but bear right 100m before the slope funnels into the usual Torli route. There are three entrances - the best is high above the small tree, which gives a lovely powder entrance - beware slides - a second round the tree to the right hand side, and a third which requires a launch - only to be attempted under exceptionally stable conditions.  You come out to avalanche debris in Schõngraben with chamois often seen up the hill.

North America
Blowhole (Whistler)
Hangman's Hollow (Mammoth Mountain)

Sudain (now Couloir Extreme, Blackcomb)

Pallisades (Alpine Meadows)
KT22 (Squaw)
Scott's Chute (Snowbird)
ENSA couloir (Chamonix)

On my list to do (open to suggestions!)

Malfatta (Alagna)
Marinelli (Monte Rosa)
Baldy Chutes (Alta)
Corbett's Couloir (Jackson)

Mountain guide links

Here are some of the guides I've skied with and would highly recommend
Oscar Cametti (Mountain Experts)
Kathy Murphy
Stefano della Gasparini
Bruce Goodlad (Mountain Adventure)

Skiing videos

Alta Sucks - a couple of days when Alta was at it's worst (i.e. still pretty good!)
Armada TSTs - taking out my Armada's for the first time.
Losing it Big - What happens when Westward Ho is really big at Alta
Family St Anton -  a reminder of what the kids were like when they really were kids.
Le Giraffe - skiing with Jay in March 2022
Gumpener Rinne - skiing with Phil, Marley, Mark and Jay and in 2023

The chutes - Expanding compilation of Schindlergrat videos featuring skiing buddies Mark Bowes and others

My Kit

	Touring	Downhill
Skis	Atomic Backland 175cm, 95mm	Nordica Enforcer 100s 183cm
Bindings	Marker Alpinist	Marker Duke Pro 120s
Boots	Atomic Backland	Nordica Diablo 110s
Poles	Poles - ColdPoles. With Rum or whisky