 Poster: A snowHead
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Next season I would like to get into some more advanced riding and do some proper off piste. I’m starting from a safety knowledge base line of zero so I need to and want to go on a course.
I’d quite like to do 2 weeks, first week on the course and then a week in the same resort with a guided group. I would probably be going on my own as my friends and boyfriend aren’t up for this kind of thing.
However I know nothing about how to go about arranging this.
Can an one help with recommendations and advice?
Are there snowboarder specific courses?
What kind of course should I be looking to get on?
What country? (I generally ride in Europe so does it make sense to do an avi course in Europe?
What resort?
What time of year is best?
Any recommendations for courses / schools?
Approximate costs?
What equipment will I need to buy? Shovel, probe, receiver as the obvious things but what about one of those snow pulse bags and/or an avi lung?
Finally, what kind of preparation should I do before hand in terms of fitness or knowledge preparation?
Thanks guys!
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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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Are you somewhere near the South where apparently it only takes 3.5 hours to drive to the Alps in your BMW X5 or where flights to Geneva can alternatively be had for £27.39 return ? Or are you somewhere near the cold, grey, North where whippets and haggises fight battles to the death, tearing at each others throats over scraps of deep fried pizzas ?
If the latter, there are loads of single day and weekend courses throughout the season in Scotland; theoretical, practical and a mixture. And the Apartheid thing never really caught on in Scotland so snowboarders and skiers are allowed to mix it up. 
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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OP asked for snowboard-specific courses.
There are fewer options out there for snowboarders. Either check out Neil McNab (www.mcnabsnowboarding.com) or, well, drop me an email! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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kat.ryb, UCPA do Snowboarder off=piste courses - can be booked including travel via Action Outdoors who sometimes advertise on here. Good if you going on your own.
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> Are there snowboarder specific courses?
Not sure, but plenty of guides will take both.
> What kind of course should I be looking to get on?
Obviously up to you, but I suspect that since you bring it up you probably want avalanche training. Typical off piste "courses" do not cover this in much detail beyond use of a trasnceiver. I would *highly* recommend an avalanche specific course such as the AIARE course run by Miles and Liz Smart in Chamonix (administered by ChamEx). This is 3 days of pure avalanche training and only 1 afternoon is spent looking for transceivers - there is far more to it and in my view this course covers it really well.
> What country? (I generally ride in Europe so does it make sense to do an avi course in Europe?
Definitely go for Europe. The Alpine snow pack is very different to the US, and likely different to Scotland or Scandinavia too.
> What resort?
The AIARE course is a US syllabus is actually American, the only place you can do this in Europe (this season at least) is in Chamonix
> What time of year is best?
Anytime they run the course.
Any recommendations for courses / schools?
> See above
> Approximate costs?
The 3 day AIARE course was €270, which is pretty typical of a course run by qualified guides.
> What equipment will I need to buy? Shovel, probe, receiver as the obvious things but what about one of those snow pulse bags and/or an avi lung?
You shouldn't need to buy any for the course as they will lend you the gear, and you will learn on the course what you need to buy. If you want to buy then you need:
. Transceiver (digital, the BCA Tracker is highly rated, the Mamut is good if you have more advanced skills)
. Shovel - metal blade, short handle and make sure if fits inside your pack. If you strap the handle to the outside you'll look like a nobber and it'll fall off anyway.
. Probe - new ones seem to have funky mechanisms for assembling them fast, the K2 one looks nice. Get one with depth indicators on it if you can, this is useful for snowpack analysis if you do take a course.
. Air bag - if you can afford it after you've bought the above then yes.
. Avalung - seem less popular these days, reports show that they work *if* you can get the tube in your mouth in time, in practice this is a very big "if".
Finally, what kind of preparation should I do before hand in terms of fitness or knowledge preparation?
There are some good books you could read (look up Bruce Tremper or Jill Fredston / Doug Fesler on Amazon).
Read avalanche reports for the place(s) you ride. Read them all season long, not just when you are out there to get an idea of the snow pack build up.
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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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Do you have a split board? For an avalanche class there is no real difference between skiing and boarding (after all the snow doesn't care what you're on to some extent) but in terms of ease of access etc you might find it a real pain if you're on snow shoes while every-one else is on powder skis with touring bindings... just in terms of getting to places that are away from the lifts.
I'm in Canada so we have a very clear progressions of courses which are good - AST-1; AST-2, CAA Level 1 etc. I would say though that these are all pure avalanche courses; very simmilar sounding to the one Arno linked to in the review. If you do one like that don't expect much in the way of getting turns; it's all about safety; this is different to an off-piste course that includes some avalanche teaching.
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Wow, thanks for all the detailed replies - lots to think about and read.
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Do you have a split board? For an avalanche class there is no real difference between skiing and boarding (after all the snow doesn't care what you're on to some extent) but in terms of ease of access etc you might find it a real pain if you're on snow shoes while every-one else is on powder skis with touring bindings... just in terms of getting to places that are away from the lifts.
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I just have a normal board and that was my thinking re a snowbaorder specific course - I don't want to be trogging on my own through deep snow while everyone else is on skis! I've never even been on snow shoes.
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UCPA do Snowboarder off piste courses
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I had seeen these but wasn't sure if it was a focus on saftey or on riding, or indeed if they were snowboarder at all? I coudl just see them in the ski section but I could have been misreading the website.
The AIARE course looks great from a saftey perspective. I'd like to get that sorted before I do a course focused on riding. The McNab courses look ideal to follow with after I've sorted saftey out. Looks like next yaer is going to involve a substantial amount of cash! Better start saving...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The AIARE course looks great from a saftey perspective. I'd like to get that sorted before I do a course focused on riding. The McNab courses look ideal to follow with after I've sorted saftey out. Looks like next yaer is going to involve a substantial amount of cash! Better start saving...
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The AIARE course is aimed ad the broadest possible audience, so the on-snow work does not require touring skis/split board/snow shoes. When I did the course there were quite a few boarders, 4 or 5 out of 12 I think. If anything it was an advantage as a lot of the outdoor work was walking around in snow and boarding boots were better than ski boots for this:-)
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