"k" wrote in :

I have never been on a skiing holiday and I am planning to go 23 March
to Kitzbuhel. I have been to the Snowdome near Birmingham for the day
and xscape, and seem to be picking it up quite quickly. Rough parallel
level.

I have heard far ranging stories about skiing off piste from the good
(Great fun, fresh clean powder snow, great to ski in) to the bad,
(stories of people skiing into rocks, and things they couldnt see
under the snow).

I was thinking about giving it a go toward the end of the week, if I
am feeling more confident. Is there such a thing as begginers Off
Piste? Established off piste routes? or am I aiming too high?

I would appreciate the groups wisdom.

Thx

You may be being a little ambitious here. There are indeed technically
easy off-piste descents (I don't know about Kitzbuhel, but they exist
elsewhere) but there is much more to off-piste skiing than the ski
technique itself. For example, five people in a single group were killed
by an avalanche a couple of years ago on the Tour de Charvet, one of the
easiest classic off-piste runs in Val d'Isere.

That said, technique in natural snow is the first thing you need, and you
can practice this just by going a few metres off the groomed piste.
You'll probably find it more difficult and varied than you expect, and it
should provide you with plenty of challenge and entertainment for a week.

For real off-piste skiing you will need to be able to ski in all types of
snow (it's not always powder, and even powder is difficult until you know
how); you need to be competent at evaluating avalanche risk and equipped
and trained to deal with avalanche accidents; you need to be capable of
navigating in the mountain environment. You will also need companions
with these skills - you do not do this on your own. All of these skills,
and others you may need in special circumstances (glacier safety,
technique on very steep slopes) take time and practice to develop.

If you are going to take lessons (and you probably should) ask your
instructor about off-piste skiing. They will probably encourage you to go
with a guided party when your technique is good enough, which is a great
way to get a taste. And in the meantime read around; books on skiing
technique often have a chapter on off-piste skiing, try googling this
newsgroup, read about avalanche awareness and general mountain safety.

You are right to be interested. Off-piste skiing is the real thing - once
you can leave the pistes you may not want to go back. You see a lot of
people skiing off-piste who are clearly not properly equipped or
experienced; occasionally they die as a result. Don't be one of them.
Take your time and learn to do it properly - it's worth it!

Jeremy