Are there any resorts where I'd likely to be able to do a back-country course whilst Nat can be getting (basic) tuition elsewhere?I have the potential opportunity to do this soon (i.e. in the next month) but it'd need to cater to both our needs (and that's if we don't go climbing instead, $$$ certainly suggests that's what we SHOULD do).Thanks etc.
Are there any resorts where I'd likely to be able to do a back-country course whilst Nat can be getting (basic) tuition elsewhere?
QuoteAre there any resorts where I'd likely to be able to do a back-country course whilst Nat can be getting (basic) tuition elsewhere?Most, if not all that I've been to. Every resort has a ski school, so no problems for Nat. You just need to check the off-piste, I would imagine you'd be able to do a day tour with some tuition thrown in anywhere.
Quote from: Johnny Brown on March 07, 2014, 08:07:53 pmQuoteAre there any resorts where I'd likely to be able to do a back-country course whilst Nat can be getting (basic) tuition elsewhere?Most, if not all that I've been to. Every resort has a ski school, so no problems for Nat. You just need to check the off-piste, I would imagine you'd be able to do a day tour with some tuition thrown in anywhere.That's a reasonable approach and will give you the most flexibility for sure, just be conscious that you may end up with a guide who just wants to get some mileage in. A proper backcountry avalanche course actually doesn't contain a huge amount of backcountry riding, at least not as much as you might first expect. A lot of time can be spent learning some basic snow science, then looking at route choice, digging and analysing snow pits and doing stability tests etc. This inevitably eats in to downhill time. Thats not to say guides won't do any of this stuff, but I'd go for formal lessons if that is what you are really after.
Proper kit means a modern transciever and a metal shovel btw. Avalanche debris is often hard; I watched my son trying to dig in hard snow with a mate's plastic shovel the other day and it was an eye-opener. Not funny. At all. Metal shovel. Are we clear on this? Good.
Alison Culshaw runs a great off-piste clinic clicky here
If you end up in Cham this season, gimme a shout and I can run you through the basics and/or just show you some fun spots. Chamonix is shit for learning, but my 63 yr old mum had a fun week on the baby slopes, so it is possible.
I think you and Nat's next trip should be to Niseko, Paul. The right kind of expensive for dual-income young professionals like you two, a moderately interesting cultural tick and for the rest of your life you can annoy people when out ski-ing by saying "they wouldn't really call this powder in Hokkaido".Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
22nd of March? We were just over in Les Deux Alpes and the snow base is good.
the feeling of moving fast on fresh powder was amazing.