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NEW VIDEO EDIT & 2019/20 NEWS…

NEW VIDEO EDIT & 2019/20 NEWS…

Check out this NEW video edit to help get you fired up for the coming winter season.

A quick clip run through of past events with music by the incredibly talented Edward Thomas (Facebook @ guitargoverness).

I’m busy running through next seasons calendar which will include both new and established courses running in Chamonix, Courmayeur, the Spanish and French Pyrenees, St Foy, Tignes, Zinal, Lofoten and Greenland.

Like seasons gone by, I’ll be sharing the Guiding with my long time riding buddy and fellow Chamonix Guide, Lars, who many of you already know from past courses (and trips such as Greenland etc).

We’re very pleased to have Lars on ‘board’ as a member of the McNab Guiding team where, along side myself, he will be sharing his knowledge of both Snowboarding and staying safe in the high mountains whilst leading the majority of the Chamonix based Backcountry program.

So here’s a little insight as to whats to come next winter!

As usual, we’ll kick things off early with the ‘Pre season Freeride Shred’ course in mid December. If like me you’re itching for that feeling of carving turns, flowing through powder and maybe even looking to start the winter with a quick Split or two, then come join me in Tignes and we’ll get the season started the right way.

Then, once the season has kicked off, we have a calendar full of Slackcountry and Backcountry delicacies, some new developments and some well established classics.

Amongst the New additions, will be my new ‘Ride Philosophy’ – Slackcountry Freeride courses running in the amazingly fun Spanish resort of Baqueira.

The aim of these courses is to run through the philosophy behind how I ride and how I view and ride the mountain.

little Alaska face 1st descent Greenland 2011

We will look at how I try to use my board, riding with subtle movements of my feet and body to create a line that flows with the terrain and conditions that the mountain provides. We will work both inbound, enjoying the amazingly massive perfectly groomed pistes of Baqueira, as well as venturing out of bounds to put theory into practice amongst the endless Slackcountry terrain that hovers just beyond the resort boundaries.

I have to say I’m very excited about this New course and really looking forwards to sharing ideas and discussing my philosophy of the ‘Fine Art of riding Mountains’, blending technical tuition with Slackcountry Guiding.

Then, New last season, the St Foy ‘Free the Ride’ camp will be back on the calendar in early January.

This is an anything goes ‘Freeride camp’ where we all stay together to share the incredibly addictive ‘Freeride’ vibe, both on and off the snow. Think back to the ‘Kommunity Camps’, but now we’ve all grown up and look after ourselves a little better than we maybe did back then. I’ll be doing my daily Yoga/Stretching and you’re welcome to join and contribute.

St Foy is well known as a Freeride and powder mecca and last years Camp, run by Lars, had rave reviews. I’ve still never ridden in St Foy and its my turn to go, so I’m really looking forwards to this one.

We will have our classic Backcountry Splitboard courses running both in Chamonix and the French Pyrenees at Luz St Saveur. You’ll find the Backcountry Intro course for experienced riders that are new to Splitboarding and Backcountry riding and then the Backcountry Freeride course for those that have prior experience of both and want to take it to the next level.

We’re also bringing back the popular Backcountry ‘High Mountain Skills’ course this winter.

Along with Splitboarding and Freeriding, the ‘High Mountain Skills’ course includes Avalanche safety and rescue, Snowpack study, Avalanche terrain assessment and Glacier rope work such as safe rope travel and crevasse rescue techniques.

BC-Steep-and-deep-advanced-snowboarding

This course is a ‘must’ next step for anyone that is serious about developing their personal Freeriding and Backcountry safety skills with the aim of maybe planning and executing their own personal Backcountry Missions ‘sans Guide’ in the future or of course, those that simply wish to learn more and want to educate themselves.

The popular classic ‘Slackcountry Freeride courses’ will be running throughout the winter in Chamonix, the Pyrenees and once again revisiting the secret (ssshh) Freeride mecca of Zinal hidden in the Swiss Valais.

The Slackcountry Freeride courses concentrate on ‘lift accessed out of bounds Freeriding’, designed for those that want to ‘maximize’ their untracked descent mileage whilst ‘minimizing’ the upward effort.

Sounds perfect!

In the 2nd half of the season I’ll be running my regular Backcountry Splitboard trip to Lofoten.

This is one of my all time favorite places to visit, hike and ride and we also have an amazing Yoga studio at our disposal, overlooking the incredible Fjords and mountains.

For me the connection of riding mountains and being surrounded by nature is at its strongest in Lofoten and I welcome you to come and enjoy the full experience of endless peaks, incredible descents and the amazing calming influence of a full on nature immersion like no other.

And finally, to finish of a very exciting looking winter calendar, we will be heading back once again to the beautiful and isolated East coast of Greenland for a very, very special Backcountry ‘Voyager’ expedition.

On this trip we will be revisiting the tiny innuit village of Kulusuk to explore the Mountain peaks, Glaciers and frozen fjords hidden away on the summit laden peninsula known to the local Innuits as the Tunu.

I last visited this region some 10 years ago and I’m very excited to be heading back.

We will start this journey from the New Nanoq ski lodge, first spending a couple of days of Splitboarding exploration in the mountains located within a quick Skidoo tow from the village.

Following this initiation, we’ll then venture further afield with traditional Dog Sled to access the first of our Winter camp locations.

After a few days of Splitboard and exploring the area we will head over the mountains and ride down to the sea ice to rendezvous with a boat that will take us deeper into the Mountains and fjords before a final Split from the icy shores takes us up to our final Camp location surrounded by glaciers, high peaks and unridden lines.

This promises to be a very special trip to a very special part of the World that is being dramatically threatened by Climate change.  As the local communities of Greenland struggle to cope with their changing climate, trips like this, working with the local communities are helping bring finance and industry to the villages, whilst helping them to maintain their traditional use of Dog sleds, an art that is in danger of being lost to ‘progress’. We will follow a strict ‘leave no trace’ policy as always.

 

 

 

 

 

 


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