 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey There,
Im looking to do some off piste snowboard courses and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations. Ideally i would like it to cover the technique for riding deep powder but also how to use different avi/safety equipment and how to recognise potentialy dangerour terains/ conditions etc.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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thanks for the links
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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snow_badger, I've done two weeks with UCPA (booked through Action Outdoors), one off-piste snowboarding course in ValT and another Off-Piste week in Serre Chevalier and I'm booked to go back again Jan 2014. I can highly recomend them - amazing value. If I had unlimited money, I would book McNab probably. However I think you would be lucky to get a week in at under £2k with Mcnab (course £1k then you need to pay for everything else!) where as you can do a week at UCPA for £1k. The tuition has been good, the groups fun and instructors have good english. Accomodation is nice as long as you are OK sharing. Food is amazing. General atmosphere is great. I have travelled on my own both times and people were friendly to me.
You spend half a day on the use of avi equipment and doing practice searches. There is an avi saftey talk in the evening and the instructor points stuff out obviously as you go along.
In terms of riding technique, if you haven't got loads of deep powder it will be hard to get you riding in it  but for example on my last trip we did instruction sessions on steep, deep and tight in the trees in amoungst just riding around. Obviously on the harder sections the instructor is more ocncerned with keeping the group safe rather than watching your technique, but there is enough instruction as well as guiding I found.
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thanks you for the info. Is there level that I should be with my riding before going on one of these courses ?
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My friends who did Nicks course are both competant ridgers but I don't think either would consider themselves as Experts. Fitness on the other hand is a very useful thing to have as you will be hiking through heavy snow into areas, so be honest with whoever you choose as your instructor about your capabilities as a snowboarder and work on your fitness, and you'll be fine.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snow_badger, yes you need to be a fairly good rider but UCPA offer some courses suited to level 4 and 5 (advanced and expert), and some suited to level 5 (expert) with previous off-piste experience. Check out the UCPA Snow Off Piste courses rather than UCPA Snow Off Piste - High Mountain for example.
Level 4 is basically being a competent piste rider, maybe some attempts to ride in powder and OK to deal with steeper, icy pistes or in a bit of crud.
I second Richard_Sideways in saying you need to be reasonably fit. You may have hikes to the start or hikes out. If you fall in an inconveneinet place you may have a long way to get out of deep pow which is really energy sapping. You might also have long traverses and stong legs are an advantage, as is being able to ride switch.
There was one guy on my course last year who was a bit poo-poo. He was unfit which was the major problem - he fell at the base of the slope, before the flat run out if there was one EVERY BL00DY TIME which meant he had a long way to walk, he got tired, because he was tired he fell more, had to walk more, got more tired etc. Then when we stopped he would light up a fag. Cos that is really going to help.... I don't think he EVER made one of the long trverses without falling either. I had to do some realativly agressive 'I'm going first after the instructor' shot-guns as it was a pain to get stuck behind him.
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"Grouping" is key with any deep powder stuff - some people just never get it, and you don't want to be riding with them if you're a bit more athletic. On the plus side you'll find few smokers or unfit people in the back country, in my experience.
It all depends what you want. I think cat boarding (in which I have some commercial interest) is a great way to learn quickly, because you get to ride a large amount of untracked powder and with a couple of guides who're also qualified instructors. Most people pick it up pretty quickly.
If you there is a cigarette addict in your group, then he can sit out a few runs in the cat (but he can't smoke there, or within breathing distance of anyone else of course).
You'll be provided with all the safety gear and training on how to use it, and they'll let you dig a snow pit or two if you're really keen. You won't get experience in crud, ice, or any of that stuff though; it's just untracked powder.
Beginners who haven't worked out how to turn properly on piste will find that what they're doing falls apart in powder. You need to be able to basically ride to have fun.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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stevomcd, that looks good. I'll keep that in mind for 2015 (already booked for 2014).
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You know it makes sense.
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flangesax, I couldn't get any info re dates and prices up from blue tomato on the website. Does it work for you?
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