Performance backcountry snowboarding course

The given itinerary is an example of what we can do with good weather and good mountain conditions. Your instructor may tailor the program to suit the needs of the group and the condition of the weather/snow…

The week begins with an evening briefing in our office in Chamonix. Your instructor will explain the week’s program and answer your questions.

There is a lot to cover on the first day, and the forests, couloirs and open basins in Le Tour are an ideal starting point. The varied terrain allows the instructor to check everyone’s general abilities (no stress!), while riding some of the better lower altitude backcountry in the valley. After a few runs in the forests and couloirs on the Swiss side, the instructor will set up a companion rescue exercise, and you can (re)familiarise yourself with your beacon, shovel, probe and the methods inherent to their proper use.

Le Brévent and La Flégère are the two south-facing resorts in Chamonix, linked by a cable car or a long traverse; when the riding here is good we can get a full appreciation for “steep and deep” and “fun and sun.” The amazing panorama is a bonus. In the right conditions the lower, forested couloirs of the Brevent offer the best riding in Chamonix, with tight turns and tree skiing – a bit of forest slalom technique is a must! The day presents many opportunities for your instructor to give hints and tips to improve your glade riding, and also present a first look at snow transformation on southern, sunny aspects. Possible descents: Pentes de l’Hotel, la Glière basin, la Floria basin, and if conditions are great, the “Poste à Payot”, or the “golf couloir”.

The celebrated riding in the Grands Montets – Chamonix’s freeride temple… Many classic runs start from here – the Lognan couloirs, Lavancher bowl, Chapeau couloir, Poubelles (Garbage) couloir, among others. Here a vast area stretches out before us requiring an excellent physical ondition, the runs are long…

A day to apply everything learned in the previous week and to evaluate the progress you’ve made. No trip to the Mont Blanc range is complete without a visit to our neighbours in the Italian Val d’Aoste. The Courmayeur resort sits just on the other side of the Mont Blanc tunnel, a half hour drive. With tons of shady, north-facing riding the Val Veny in Courmayeur houses superb couloirs, steep glades, and wide open bowls easily accessed from the groomed runs.

For our last day, we can propose some fun options such as:

• Go back to your favorite spot of the week for one final blast
• Hunt out the best snow and deepen your knowledge of the winter terrain
• Rent a splitboard and learn to ride where the lifts don’t reach…

If you need help to find a place to stay in Chamonix, don’t hesitate to let us know! We work with a network of excellent chalets, hotels, gites and B&Bs offering Chamonix accommodation to suit all tastes and all budgets.

CHAMONIX LIFT PASSES – FREE BOOKING & COLLECTION SERVICE

You can easily avoid the morning queue for the lift tickets – order your lift passes with us and then just pick them up the day before! We’ll collect your lift passes and have them ready for you, free of charge.

If you have booked a course or a private trip with us, your guide will bring your lift passes along for you. There are two types of lift passes in Chamonix – Mont Blanc Unlimited and Chamonix Le Pass – please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out which lift pass will be the best for you.

For this course you will need the 5 days Mont Blanc Unlimited lift pass, please contact us for further details.

We highly recommend that you book any equipment with us at least 2 weeks in advance as the hire shops can have limited availability in the busy season.

You can collect your equipment the evening before the start of the course and return it in the evening at the end of your course. We work with the following Chamonix ski hire and mountain shop:

• Concept Pro Shop which is conveniently located directly next door from our office. Open 7/7 08:00-19:00

We don’t include mountain rescue insurance in any of our courses but we strongly recommend that you have it. Mountain rescue may be very expensive, particularly if helicopters are involved. Check with your travel insurance provider if you are covered for the specific activity you are going to do with us.

However, we can organise the mountain rescue insurance for you. Details of the insurance cover are different for EU and non-EU residents; please contact us for more information.