Cian Moriarty
Founder and lead guide. 12 seasons in the Alps. ISIA certified. Specialises in off-piste technique and backcountry touring. Based in Limerick year-round.
Skiing & Snow Sports: our story
Alpine Edge started in 2016 when Cian Moriarty, a Limerick native who had spent eight winters instructing in the Austrian Tirol, came home and realised there was no Irish company connecting Irish skiers with qualified, English-speaking guides at European resorts. The travel agents sold flights and hotels. The ski schools at the resorts were enormous, impersonal operations where you might get a different instructor every day. Nobody was bridging the gap.
Cian recruited two friends from his instructor days and began offering small-group weeks in St. Anton. The first season, they taught 47 clients. Word spread quickly through ski clubs in Dublin, Cork and Galway. By the third winter the team had grown to six guides operating across three countries.
Today Alpine Edge employs nine full-time guides and two office staff. We run programmes in twelve resorts, from Chamonix and Verbier to Kitzbühel and Lech. The company is still based in Limerick, still privately owned by Cian, and still small enough that every client gets a personal response when they call or email.
What drives us
Honest assessment
We tell you where you actually are as a skier, not where you'd like to be. That honesty is the fastest route to improvement. If your parallel turns need work, we say so. If you're ready for off-piste, we won't hold you back on blue runs.
Time on snow, not in queues
We know the resorts. We know which lifts are empty at 10:15, which runs get tracked out first, and where to find fresh snow three days after a storm. That local knowledge translates directly into more skiing per day for you.
Safety without theatre
Every guide carries a transceiver, probe and shovel. We check avalanche bulletins before breakfast. But we don't wave around safety equipment for show; we use it when it matters, and we cancel sessions when conditions demand it.
No hidden costs
The quote we send you is the price you pay. We list what's included and what isn't. Lift passes, equipment hire and meals are always separate, and we tell you that upfront so you can budget properly before you leave Ireland.
Meet the team
Our guides hold ISIA (International Ski Instructors Association) or equivalent national qualifications. Each one has spent at least five full seasons instructing before joining Alpine Edge. Here are the people you'll ski with.
Aoife Dunne
Senior instructor. 8 seasons. Austrian state ski instructor diploma. Runs most of our group courses and has a gift for teaching nervous beginners.
Tomás Ó Riain
Snowboard specialist. 7 seasons. CASI Level 3. Leads our snowboard clinics and park sessions. Competed in national freestyle events before turning to coaching.
Niamh Cahill
Backcountry guide. 10 seasons. Swiss Mountain Guide Association aspirant. Holds an avalanche safety Level 2 certification and leads our full-day touring programmes.
Our timeline
2016
Cian Moriarty founds Alpine Edge with two fellow instructors. First season: 47 clients in St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria. All bookings managed by email and a shared spreadsheet.
2017
Expansion to Chamonix, France. Team grows to four guides. First family packages offered after demand from parents who wanted lessons for themselves and their children during the same week.
2019
Partnership agreements signed with six resorts across Austria, France and Switzerland, securing lift-pass discounts for clients. Snowboard clinics added to the programme after Tomás joins the team.
2021
After a difficult two winters disrupted by travel restrictions, Alpine Edge relaunches with a refreshed website and a dedicated office in Limerick. Backcountry touring programme introduced.
2024
Nine guides now operate across twelve resorts. Over 1,200 clients served since founding. Video analysis introduced as a standard part of private lessons.
If you want to know more about how we work or discuss a trip idea, get in touch. We're happy to answer questions over the phone or by email, with no obligation to book.