Winter 2017 is coming!!!

Chamonix, Courmayeur, Gressoney, Lofoten, Riksgransen, Iceland…the winter is coming, lets get ready to Ride!

It’s been ages since I last wrote a blog, my everyday story and activities can now mostly be found through my instagram account neilmcnab_snowboarding, but I’m also back on the blog and getting prepped and excited about the coming winter?

As usual, the local weather guru is predicting a big one!, he’s the guy that the teams on Everest consult with to get their weather window updates, so he should really know what he’s talking about…I think?

Last winter started early in November, I had some great Snowsurf days and then a great few days Splitting for powder in Tignes on my Pre Season shred course and then the snow dissapeared for Christmas and NewYear, but came back just in time (actually, the day before!) my courses started again in January!

I think last season was a good one, never loads of snow low down (which made digging out the van easier) but always enough up high and the snowfall was pretty constant. I think I could still count the bluebird days on both hands by the end of March (but I love those storm days, so I was more than happy!) and then in April I was away on my BC Voyager trips, ‘Lofoten Split & Surf’ and my ‘Greenland expedition’ both which were amazing!

I’ve spent the summer mixing up working on my Bike and working in the Mountains with some trail running thrown in for down time activity. I love mixing the Cycling and the Mountain Guiding, but my body is always in a state of change as I adapt for the different activites, by the time I being to excel at one, its time to change to the other, big legs for cycling, fast and lightweight for the mountains…

Through all of this Yoga is my constant and keeps me healthy and flowing and I am finally feeling some good progression through my spine. It’s taken me 40+ years to stiffen it up, so releasing and opening the vertebra is an ongoing daily process. The benefits are enormous though, my joints are pain free, my core feels stronger than ever, I’m super mobile and I haven’t taken any supplements for 2 years now and I’m fully looking forward to the winter ahead at full power.

They are predicting snow down to 2000m this weekend, so things are moving quickly out here! Of course it will disappear again, but its always nice to see the mountains cloaked in their first coat of white silk and it’s like a reminder to get things prepped around the house for the long season ahead.

First of course we have the Autumn. Autumn is amazing out here and a great time for Cycling, Climbing and Surf trips.

I have a second cycling trip to Norway coming up next week, I was in Monaco last week cycling in 37C heat and the week before I was in Norway cycling in the rain for a week with temps as low as 4C…but it was still amazing.

So thinking on to this winter then!

I can’t hardly wait to make my first deep powder turns!! Can you??

I have changed the format of a few courses to bring in a lower price range and allow you to take less time off work with some 4 day weekend sessions for the Freeride courses.

The BC courses have pretty much stayed the same, I love the current formula, and I have added a ‘4 day High Mountain Skills course’ to the calendar, designed for those that ride a lot and feel confident enough to get out there on their own, but would like to arm themselves with some safety and rescue type knowledge and techniques.

With the exception of my annual Italian Gressoney Split & Ride trip in Feb, the BC Voyager program is concentrated in the Arctic regions again this winter.

Early April kicks off with another Lofoten ‘Split & Surf’ trip, this was amazing last year!

I’m following this up with a NEW Arctic Split & Heli trip to Northern Sweden, 4 day of Heli mixed with 3 days of Slackcountry freeriding and Splitting.

I’ll then finish of the winter in Iceland with a NEW Split & Ride trip to the Northern Fjords of the Troll peninsula. A  region I’ve often passed through on route to Greenland, but never ridden in. It looks amazing and so I’m really looking forward to exploring its treasures.

Seems strange to already be planing the end of the winter, but these trips are so exciting and the build up and planing is all part of the journey.

There were loads of things I couldn’t fit into the calendar this season, but that just means I can already start planing exciting things for 2018!

But first, lets enjoy the Autumn, hopefully we’ll get in some early season fresh turns on the Snow Surf and also head off to sunny climes and catch some waves, before this winter comes in Steep and Deep.

Hope you like the New Course Calendar, we’ll be manning the office from now on in, so if you have any questions mail myself or Ruth and we’ll get back to you asap…just so long as the weather is to bad for cycling, there is no Snow in the mountains or the Ocean is flat we’ll be there!

Winter is coming, get fit and get ready and #LIVEBETTERSNOWBOARDING