 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello there, somebody on Pistonheads said this place was like the white stuff equivalent so I thought I'd have a look....
Anyway, I just booked in for a McNab course on the 13th January so I was wondering if anyone else is going. Judging by his reputation it should be a good week (weather permitting). Looking forward to it 
Need a new board though as my trusty old Gnu CHB is showing it's age so thinking about picking up a Timeless for my Christmas present.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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speed8, Welcome to snowHeads  'tis a bit different to pistonheads, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. As for your question I can't help but someone is bound to be along soon.........................
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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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Hi speed8 - I'm going the week after you!!!!
Can't wait - gym activity has started in preparation. Snow I'm hoping will be excellent in January but probably not much sunshine!!!
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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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I went on one a few years ago - should improve your riding no end. Defiantely glad I did it.
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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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mc nabb rocks, you pay through the nose for it but you wont get better tuition/coaching anywhere in the world
enjoy
(like you wont  )
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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McNab should be great - an avalanche training course is definitely on my must do list.
I have a Timeless and I love it - there's nothing like it for backcountry powder and they are very, very fast. It's not the easiest board to ride on the piste but the performance at speed and in the powder is unequalled IMHO. Some people just do not get on with them so it might be worth seeing if you can borrow/hire one first? They ride almost more like a surfboard in some ways. They are very stiff indeed and you need a bit of time to get used to the turning, and you can't just laze about on it, you need to really ride it! They aren't light, either, mine's a bit of a pig to carry. But once you get going, it's all yeehaaa!!!! - and then it handles brilliantly.
Lousy board for going out with a mixed ability group, brilliant for going fast and off-piste.
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To be honest I can't wait. I've only ever had one 1 hour lesson so I figured it was about time I had some help. I'm happy on reds and give blacks a fair go. My regular group are all skiers but one or two fancy going back country so the plan is for this year to sort out my technique then next year maybe do a back country course and some heli-drops. I'm trying to change from one week a year to maybe three weeks a year on the slopes.
Regarding the Timeless..... my CHB is great for messing around but is a bit slow and loses it's grip on scratchy stuff. It's also no good at all off piste but that might be something to do with it's size, it's only a 156. Castleford Xscape is near me so I was hoping to get a demo board and have a play with a 159 and a 161 to see what feels better. If the shoe doesn't fit I'll try something else so to speak but it's one of the few boards that has consistent results and reviews.
Need to start getting to the gym now so I can cope with all this exercise 
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I noticed on Amazon that a McNab book/dvd instruction book is being published shortly - early November. Has anyone seen it? Would it be helpful to a near beginner?
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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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Pam w,
Neil McNab is one of the most knowledgeable snowboarders in the world and he has been running some of the most highly regarded courses for about a decade. I would be very surprised if it wasn't a very good book. Even if it isn't aimed at beginers (I have no idea if it is or not) there is bound to be a lot of useful stuff in there.
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Just phoned to finalise details and it turns out the 2 of us are the only people on our McNab course next week - how cool is that? (Although I guess they won't be running anymore beginner courses in the future!!!!)
Although theres also an Off piste course the same week which Neil is doing - we are going to have individual attention from one of the other instructors!!!
Can't wait...
Speed8 - you're on your course this week... but hopefully you come back and give a write up of how it went!!!
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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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Speed8
what is the fundamentals of the technique McNab teaches. I am a self taught (after a two hour lesson by a French instructor who could not speak English) beginner with about 26 days of boarding in total. I do however spend quite a bit of time watching other boarders when I am on chair lifts or resting etc. to pick up techniques, stance, posture etc.
What do they do when they take you back to basics? is it so different ? Was your technique so different to what they taught?
Really interested because I think I need a course like this, but I have all my trips already booked up this year. Maybe I will get the book to check it out, because I would hate it if I am doing everything wrong and would end up being taken back to basics at the course.
Any comments will be appreciated/welcomed
Great post though and it sounds like you had a great time too
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Basically they explain that the majority of boarders will not have good technique because they are either self taught or taught by friends or by instructors who teach them to move the hips to turn. By going 'back to basics' it just gets you thinking about how your board works and gets your feet making the board work rather than other parts of your body.
Example... when I started I was told that by moving your upper body in the direction you wanted to turn you would go there (or looking where you wanted to go in a sense). Later I was told that by moving you hips over the board the weight distribution over the edges makes the turn. Weight distribution may help but is not the essence of what makes the board turn.
They get you thinking about the four corners of your board (where people tend to detune the edges) and how they are used in each part of the turn. You will change your stance (width and probably angle), you will change the way you stand on the board (for more stability) and you start looking at the run differently.
There's two main turning techniques and he'll teach you both of them, but essentially each corner of the board has a part to play. He calls it the 'Pressure Control System'.
If you have been watching people from chairlifts then chances are you are watching a different technique. After the first couple of days you start to watch people more and you can see what he says makes a lot of sense. Most boarders tend to use the back foot a lot to move the board around, what you see as skidding the back of the board in the turn (I did the same although it felt ok). A lot also twist their hips and shoulders to face down the hill which results in the board trying to turn.
The method he teaches you will result in all your turns being carved. Just a single smooth line in the snow except for where you make the edge change. You can then take this technique all over the mountain. I thought I would come out of the course being faster but instead I came out slower but being more in control and much smoother and understanding more about what I am actually doing. Faster will come with practice.
I won't say I'm cured of all my bad habits now but at least I know what I'm doing wrong and have fixed a lot of it. I also know how to fix the bad habits that I haven't broken yet. I'll be practicing over the next couple of weeks and again in March. Hopefully by the end of the season I'll have got rid of most of my problems.
Have a read of his book. I had a quick look at it before I went out and thought that I was probably doing a lot of it anyway but I definately wasn't. Borders had copies so you can have a read over a coffee in there.
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You know it makes sense.
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speed8,
thanks for that, had the same advice about the board wanting to go the same direction as your shoulder is pointing and quite often watch that silly snake of learner boarders tagging behind and instructor with his arm pointing out, I am sure it helps but it looks so silly.
I also skid in to turns on may heel but carve on my toe, which is something I am working on
I think I will get the book and try to think about implementing some of the points becasue I can not get on to the course this year.
At the end of the day I enjoy myself boarding even if I look a bit ungainly to the purists, so I will just have to try my best !
cheers
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Just got back from the course - and WOW!!!!!!!
This is the best £800 I've ever spent on a holiday....
Speed8 has very accurately summarised the techniques... we were taken right back to the beginning and started from new and the improvements over the week were dramatic - now have so much more confidence on the board and actually understand more about how things are happening in the turn.
We bought the book (and accompanying DVD) on the last night - and its really clear and simple to follow.
Two of us had the undivided attention of Keith for the week and we got to see lots of the Chamonix area - I think we skied all of them including a trip over to Courmayeur in Italy. The first 3 days were spent on the piste as we relearnt our technique. Then on Tuesday night it really snowed and I had my first ventures into off-piste and powder on Wednesday and Thursday - those were the 2 best days on snow I've had and I think I am now fully converted to boarding from my skis!
Am going back for an Intermediate Technique course next, and then hopefully do the Intro to Off-piste...
If I can sort things out for this year that would be great - but realistically may have to wait till next year  !!!!
Haven't got time to write up the whole thing - but any specific questions from anyone then fire away!!!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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bought the book and DVD and is quite useful, I am in L2A and trying out what the DVD says, getting me on my from foot more rather than skidding the rear around. Makes it all less tiring too !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If anyone fancies something different, have a look here: http://www.bandofboarders.net
Francky and Tina Moranval will show you different techniques (the boards are a bit different: big, long swallowtails), but they work! They are both very quick, Francky used to race in the World Cup and Tina has won the Derby de la Meije 3 times - also competed in alaska king of the hill & verbier extreme)
Riding a 187 swallowtail on wide open powder faces is incredible, but even working it down bumpy, rollercoastery forest tracks and tree runs can be enormous fun once you've been shown the way.
Awesome place, awesome terrain, beautiful boards, lovely people and eye opening tuition/guiding. Go with Francky if you like long runs! Tina runs girls only weeks if there are any laydees reading.
caveat: you could have a miserable time if you're not at a decent standard. If hour long runs and no pistes sounds a bit much, have a chat/email with Tina or Francky first.
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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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nedrapier
Is that a swellpanic, sorry if the spelling is wrong. A friend of mine used to ride one.
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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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Swell Panik, yup.
Did you have a go?
So nice to ride, I will have one one day! Tina is married to Kafi, who makes each one by hand.
Hence why BandofBoarders is the test centre for Swell Panik.
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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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No didn't have a go but nearly bought one in Tignes a few years ago. Bazoom in Val Claret had a 175 for sale was tempted at the time should have bought it. So same here maybe one day.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Resurrecting this thread because i've just come back from my Intermediate McNab course and it was fantastic.
Not an experienced boarder - and so found it pretty tough - always last in the group - but my riding has come on amazingly.
Most turns are now carved (except for when legs are tired at end of the day!) and i'm reading the mountain more - to pick the best line to ride...
Need a few holidays now to practice and make the technique automatic...
All i can say is that the course may b expensive - but for what you get its great value... Accomodation, food except lunch, full Mont Blanc lift pass, bused to different hills each day and a full day of top class instruction for 6 days...
Now where's that EOSB thread...!!!!!
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