It’s the ultimate prize for skiers.  Azzure and Fall-line have got together to offer you the chance to win a long weekend skiing in Chamonix, including a full day’s off piste skiing with a mountain guide, a heli-skiing drop and luxury half board accommodation in a traditional Savoyard chalet.

Chamonix is the definition of freeride.  It’s famous for its big faces, fast lines and extreme couloirs.  Now with azzure you and a friend have the opportunity to be dropped by helicopter into the middle of the Mont Blanc Massif for the skiing experience of your life.

Imagine the moment! While just yesterday, you might have been sitting in the office or facing another night in channel hopping from one reality TV show to another, today you’re in the middle of the snow covered alps, waiting for a helicopter to whisk you away for the experience of a lifetime. This is reality! With the clear blue spring skies overhead, your breath making clouds in the crisp morning air, and your adrenalin already starting to pump, you look up.  It’s early morning, and you’re surrounded by the dramatic peaks of the Mont Blanc Massif, overlooked by the dome of Mont Blanc itself. You’re here, waiting for your turn to get into a helicopter for a day you’ll remember forever.

Suddenly you hear the roar of the engines coming in above you, the helicopter getting closer, and the wind from the blades starting to stir the snow up all around.  You pull your goggles down over your eyes and shield your face from the powder that’s howling around you as the copter touches down. And while your guide loads your kit into the racks, you run one by one under the wind from the blades, and jump into the passenger seats, ready to go.

With the awesome power of the helicopter as it takes off, you can’t help but laugh, excitement infecting everyone with a mix of pure adrenalin, a few nerves and the sheer enormity of what you’re about to do.  You look around the cockpit at your fellow passengers, already bonded by the experience, and all with fixed grins on your faces. With the helicopter hugging the mountain side tightly, you look down with a mixture of pure excitement and fear at granite walls with rocky teeth, and fields of untouched powder in between. And as you climb, your breath starts to come harder as the oxygen drops. Finally the chopper comes into land at the top of Mont Fortin.

Everything unloaded and skis on, the helicopter leaves your group behind, leaving you wondering if perhaps this was such a good idea? Your guide checks and double checks your kit. Rucksacks strapped correctly, tranceivers working, bindings clipped in, dins set. He runs through what to expect, what to do, what not to do. Do not under any circumstance stray from his path. Easier said than done!

But once you’re off, you realise you had nothing to worry about, as your spirits soar  and your confidence picks up with every powder turn in this pure virgin snow. This is pure steep and deep 40-45° freeride terrain, perfect for big lines and cruising turns.  Your super fat skis are coming into their own, and as you pick up speed, floating effortlessly through the fine powder, you remember to look around you and take in the enormity of the scenery. This really is the stuff you see in ski movies. You laugh out loud!

For nearly a full hour of pure descent, you traverse from powder bowl to open face, your guide instructing you on where to head. You ride the faces one by one for safety, each leaving your perfect tracks on the mountain while the rest of the group wait in a safe zone below a rock belt. You are experiencing the best that the Mont Blanc ski area has to offer with one of the valley’s most experienced Mountain Guides, who ensures that turn after turn you are skiing superb virgin powder fields and leaving fresh tracks all the way down into the Val Veni.

Knackered, but still buzzing, you get back to the valley, and immediately, your head wants to do it again. But your legs know you’ve hit your limit.  Physically tired, but totally exhilarated, you head to Chamonix for a celebratory beer, while you wait for your lift back to your accommodation.  During the evening, you enjoy a delicious dinner in one of Chamonix’s top boutique chalets, with stunning views overlooking the faces you’ve just ridden.  What more could you ask for?  Precisely.

So what exactly does your prize include?

Where you’ll stay:
The great guys who run Chalet 1802 are going to put you up style from the 23rd to 26th March 2006.  That’s 3 nights half board accommodation in a 200 year old traditional farmhouse chalet.  Newly renovated with no expense spared, you’ll be living in luxury, with some of the best views in the valley. And it’s not just the accommodation that’s top quality; you’ll be eating wonderful food from Chalet 1802’s fully trained chefs too, with afternoon tea and cakes, pre-dinner drinks and canapés and a great 4 course evening meal with complementary beers, wines and soft drinks.  Trust us, when Charlie invites us for dinner we’re on our way before she’s put the phone down.  In the morning you’ll wake up to a continental or cooked breakfast including cereals, yoghurt, fruit, fresh bread and croissants, fresh coffee, tea and fruit juice.  Just what you’ll need for the big day ahead, jumping out of helicopters.

Heli-skiing:
Azzure will pick you up from Chalet1802 and drive you through the Mont Blanc tunnel to the heli pad in Italy, azzure will provide ski lift tickets for the day as well as one of the valley’s very best Mountain Guides.  The Helops boys will then swiftly soar you up to the top of Mont Fortin (or equivalent) with a heli-drop just below 3000m.  It’s a descent with about 900m vertical and will take you about 40 mins to 1 hour to ski down.  (Please note there is a walk at the end and anyone snowboarding should take telescopic poles and snow shoes).  It’s then back up for your second optional heli-drop.  Azzure will provide all return transport to chalet 1802.

Azzure will also provide return transfers between Geneva Airport and Chamonix but you will have to provide your own flights to Geneva.

From a safety perspective it is important that you are a competent off-piste skier.  The Heli-drop is onto exposed steep terrain and Azzure reserves the right to refuse a competition winner the heli-drop if they are not in the view of azzure’s professional ski instructors and mountain guides able to safely complete the descent.