February half term is nearly here. For thousands of
But whether you’re heading to the slopes for your annual snow fix or living in resort, here are some time tested tips on how to not only get through one of the most chaotic weeks of the season – but enjoy it too.
For the family heading out to the hills
Firstly, choose Morzine, Avoriaz or Les Gets! Not only are they fantastic family resorts, with brilliant terrain, but they’re insanely close to Geneva airport. This means transfer times are well under the 2 hour mark. When you have kids in the party, this can make all the difference.
Organise as much as you can in advance
The great thing about school holidays is that you know when they are, way in advance. This means you can plan your annual trip with plenty of time to spare, and avoid the inevitable ‘fully booked’ email responses.
Transfers, ski and snowboard rental, ski passes. Your chalet company, or your tour operator will often be able to arrange these so they are ready for you when you arrive, saving time and hassle once you’re in resort.
Our friends at Doorstep Skis will deliver your kit to your door, and take it back from your accommodation at the end of the week – no more trudging through resort with heavy snowboards or skis, and no more smelly ski basements trying on boots.
Most importantly, book your snowboard lessons in advance. School holidays are always busy and lessons are in high demand. Make sure you get the lessons you want by booking them as early as possible.
Packing Essentials
Family packing can be chaos. Try our ‘toes-up’ method for each person you’re packing for to make sure you get to resort with everything you and your family need.
It’s simple: start with your feet, and work your way up until you’re fully dressed with the kit you plan to take.
- Snowboard socks – we can’t stress how important the right socks are
- Boots – of the snowboarding kind but don’t forget boots for walking around the resort
- Thermal base layers
- Salopettes
- Tee shirts to use as under-layers
- Hoodie or riding shirt as a mid-layer for cold days
- Snowboard jacket
- Gloves or mitts
- Neck warmer or face mask
- Goggles – check out the latest Dragon goggles available this season for the best eyewear on the hill
- Sunglasses for apres action – always protect your eyes, snow blindness is no fun
- Beanie
- Helmet
- High SPF suncream and lip balm
Get up early, head to the edge of resort, and bring your lunch
The closer the slopes are to the nearest resort lifts, the busier they’ll be. Our advice is to get up early and head to the outer reaches of the resort where the crowds venture least.
Consider taking an early lunch and enjoy slightly quieter half term pistes while everyone else is sat eating their €20 spag bol. If you have your own picnic, find an awesome view, and stop when you want! You can also look for the green ‘salle hors sac’ icons on the piste map. These are sheltered picnic spots dotted around the resort.
Take a break
Yes, you’re on holiday to go skiing but there’s plenty of other things to see and do around Morzine. Swimming pools, skating rinks and bowling alleys are great for indoor fun. There’s also sledging, paragliding and a whole host of events running throughout the winter. Have a look at the Tourist Information site to see what’s on while you’re here.
For the seasonnaires
The lifts are going to have queues like Disney Land, your favourite bars will be full to the brim, and you’re going to trip over kids in the street.
Our advice? Get some rest. Between extra busy work shifts, half term week is the perfect time to give your body a break, so you’re ready to shred when the crowds die down. Catch up on sleep and hustle for your guests to make a little extra money. Above all, enjoy the down time without feeling the FOMO on the hill.
Heading out over half term? Book your snowboarding lessons with REAL Snowboarding and learn to snowboard the REAL way. Get in touch hello@realsnowboarding.co.uk
Photo credit: @samuelmcahon
Spring is the perfect time to progress your park laps. Warmer weather, forgiving snow conditions – it’s ideal. Learning freestyle though is something you can do throughout the winter. It’s also a great idea when there’s not been new snow for a while or you just want a new challenge. Give yourself the best chance at nailing your tricks safely, and stylishly with a freestyle snowboard lesson from REAL Snowboarding.
What can you learn in a freestyle lesson?
Freestyle snowboard lessons can teach you how to ride rails, kickers, flatland tricks, side-hits…the possibilities are endless!
Many people are surprised to find that freestyle lessons don’t always involve the park. You can learn the basic movements and skills needed for freestyle tricks on the slopes, away from the features you’re trying to hit.
This gets you prepped and confident so that when you approach a feature you’re confident in your ability and are able to just focus on nailing the trick.
Freestyle doesn’t always have to be about the park either. Once you start looking you’ll notice there are plenty of side hits on the pistes that you can play around on. A lesson can help you perfect the moves and then identify hits around the mountain.
It’s all about giving you the right tools to approach the trick, then building your confidence until you stomp it.
There’s still a lot to learn, regardless of your level
From learning the best way to take off on a kicker, to how to prep for a boardslide, it’s rarely as simple as just ‘giving it a go’.
YouTube and IGTV videos might break tricks down but nothing is as valuable as getting feedback and input from a qualified freestyle coach.
They can spot exactly what is holding you back and give you honest feedback. Sometimes what you think you’re doing doesn’t match the reality so using tools like video analysis can really help with your progression.
Why REAL Snowboarding?
One of REAL Snowboarding’s founding principles is to teach stylish snowboarding and help snowboarders to express themselves creatively. Freestyle plays a huge part in achieving creative snowboarding and we pride ourselves on delivering the most fun, and progressive freestyle snowboard lessons in Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets.
The REAL Snowboarding team have over 40 years combined instructing experience and have coached current GB Freestyle Team athletes. Dave and Barry both currently coach the RAF and British Army freestyle teams respectively, so you’re in good hands.
Whether it’s your first foray into the kicker line, or you’re looking for some professional help to stomp your spins some REAL freestyle snowboarding lessons will get you there.
Simple instruction. Stylish snowboarding.
Book your freestyle lessons today: hello@realsnowboarding.co.uk
Photo credit: @samuelmcahon
There are few things sweeter than a quick snack on your favourite chairlift. We’re all fond of oat bars for the essential shred energy, but sometimes, we just want a warm, pocket squashed pain au chocolat.
What kind of chairlift snacker are you?
The sweet tooth
Everyone’s best friend on the chairlift, you’ve always got a bag of Haribo stashed somewhere in your jacket to dish out. Smurfs one day, Star Mix the next.
The cereal survivalist
You never leave the house without a cereal bar. Just in case. For you it’s somewhere between a healthy snack and a chocolate bar, the substance you crave to keep hunger at bay between shreds. These’ll last for weeks, so no worry of overstocking your pockets.
The chalet sneak-thief
What’s in your pocket today? Whatever was for breakfast at the chalet, obvs. For most of you, this just means a croissant wrapped in cling-film, but for truly ambitious snackers this can be anything from salopette-scrambled eggs to last night’s tartiflette in a baguette.
The hasty pastry
Danish, croissant, pain au chocolat, apple turnover. It’s all good. Scoffing down a tasty pastry from the boulangerie on the chairlift is your favourite, and best of all, you can quickly brush off the evidence before you get to the top. So why not have two?
The protein pro
SKI. LIFT. SNACK. GYM. EAT. SLEEP. REPEAT. Ever conscious of the delicate balance of protein your body craves, you always make sure to top up with your favourite protein bar on the hill.
The bag-o-baguettes
Overzealous snowboard shop assistants will bore you with technical jargon and the latest trendy
Whatever you munch on the mountain, book your beginner, improver, intermediate, or private lessons with REAL Snowboarding on your next winter holiday to Morzine, Avoriaz, and Les Gets, and learn to ride (and snack) the REAL way.
Simple instruction. Stylish snowboarding.
Book your snowboarding lessons today: hello@realsnowboarding.co.uk
