Check out this sweet video on our last NASTC Chamonix trip. It’s a big snow year over there and the skiing is going to be awesome. Experience Chamonix at its full potential. NASTC is offering 10% off any trip/course – must sign up before the first snowfall!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnvqMQfojvU&feature=youtu.be
Skiing man-made snow is a far cry from those fluffy powder days that we dream about. But skiing firm man-made conditions can be fun too, especially when it’s the only snow around. In fact, days like these can be some of the best training. Spend some time on your technique now and you’ll reap the rewards when the white stuff does come! The first thing you need is a good tune. Sharp edges and a smooth waxed base go a long way in these conditions. In order to take advantage of those sharp edges you gotta tip those skis over. Tipping action originates in the feet and ankles and then moves up the body to include the knees and hips – in that order. Practice rolling your feet and ankles side to side while standing in place, start mellow with just your feet and ankles, then work your way up the body. Next try gliding and tipping the ski side to side by initiating the movement pattern with the feet and ankles. The next move is to take the hill at a diagonal and practice rolling your feet down hill and back up hill as you go across the hill. Once you get comfortable with this move, try tipping the ski through a complete turn. If you ride the side cut of the ski without offering any guidance to turn shape from the legs, you are in for a very fast ride (depending on the radius of your ski). Tipping of the feet, legs and hips must be done in conjunction with guidance from the legs as to the designated arc path that the skis should follow. Good carving skills will give you more purchase on the slick man made snow surface. And all of this will enable you to have more fun while out there! by Kim Mann, NASTC Good luck!
It is really snowing in Chamonix. We’ve heard a couple different reports and the snowfall for this time of year has blown past records. Long time locals have been saying that, they haven’t seen this much in 30 years! We’ve posted some pictures on facebook taken by our guide in Chamonix. This is going to be Europe’s big season. This is the year to do that European Adventure you have always wanted to do. If watching the snow spray from your powder filled turns while floating past blocks of glacier blue ice is appealing, then jump on the NASTC Chamonix trip in March. Our guide is a Chamonix local and knows the area better than his own kitchen! He will take us to some of the best kept secrets, the locals stashes and epic descents. The Vallee Blanche descent will definitely be on the agenda for the week.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Chamonix, it is the birthplace of alpinism and home to the first Winter Olympics in 1924. It has been a world reknowned winter destination since its early years and has played a strong role in the development of “Le Ski Extreme” a.k.a off-piste skiing. Chamonix is a charming village with a diverse array of architecture that reflects its past and the different economical and cultural roles of its community.
Chamonix will entertain you on and off the mountain. It’s exceptional and abundant terrain will challenge you while stunning you with it awestriking views. The town offers an active apres ski and nightlife scene, great shopping and beautiful historic builidings to enchant you as you stroll through town in the afternoon.
Skiing Chamonix with NASTC is the way to experience this incredible valley and skiing destination to the fullest.
The North American Ski Training Center (NASTC) has partnered with Backcountry Access of Boulder, Colorado to provide their clients and guides with the latest avalanche safety equipment. In the event of a slide, deploy the Float 30™ Avalanche Airbag Pack to add extra buoyancy in the moving snow. This helps to keep the wearer on the snow’s surface to avoid burial and asphyxiation. The Tracker2™ Beacon, the industry’s fastest and most precise triple antennae beacon, pinpoints the location of avalanche victims quickly and accurately. These tools along with probes and the lightest and strongest shovels on the market round out the gear.
Wow! What a warm start to 2012! People are out mtn biking like crazy, running without their shirts on and filling up the parking spots at trailheads. There is still skiing out there. Resorts like Snowbird and Crested Butte have quite a bit of terrain open. In fact Snowbird has 65 runs open! That is a lot of skiing. Conditions like this can be a blessing in disguise for your ski technique. Often we are so drawn by the fresh powder and the exciting terrain that we don’t take the time or put in the effort necessary to focus on specifically on our technique. If we dedicated some of our time on the hill to doing some drills or focusing on a specific skill, we could make substantial and lasting changes in our skiing. Rather than cruising those groomed runs aimlessly, take the feedback you’ve gotten from your NASTC coach and give your runs some focus. Our Snowbird camp coming up will be a perfect venue to do some technically focused skiing.
Even though there is no snow in the greater part of snow country, the resorts are still open, lifts are spinning and there is skiing to be had out there! We’ve been out to the local resorts and are pretty impressed with the quality of the snow surfaces – props to all the snowmaking teams out there for giving us the opportunity to get out there and slide around.
The MOST SNOW and BEST SNOW in the country right now is at Snowbird, UT!!! There are still a couple of spots open on the NASTC Snowbird Performance Skiing Camp in January (19-23). You can register now by going to the NASTC website and fill out the registration form or you can call the NASTC office directly 530-582-4772. www.skiNASTC.com
Our guide in Chamonix sent us a message saying that it is dumping over there and the mountains are looking good. Reserve your spot now for the NASTC-Chamonix, Adventure in the Alps course, March 23-31.
Here is a link to Chris Fellows’ webinar that was broadcasted last week. If you missed the broadcast or would like to hear it again, just click on the link and it will take you directly to a recording of the webinar. Lots of valuable information on what you need to do in order to perform your best and maximize your improvement.
http://www.humankinetics.com/hk-webinars/hk-webinars/watch-now-total-skiing-conditioning-for-the-slopes?clearcache=1
If you need last minute gift ideas……a copy of Total Skiing or a NASTC gift certificate is sure to make that special skier VERY happy!
NASTC is offering 2 AIARE certified Avalanche Level 1 courses this season. This is an essential curriculum that every skier should take before heading out into the backcountry unguided. Dates are: January 19-23 and February 11-13.
Remember if none of our posted calendar dates fit your schedule, we can arrange a special event for private groups, please contact the NASTC office for details.
The NASTC office will be closed December 24-January 1st. We will be checking email and voicemail periodically through the holiday week. [email protected]/530-582-4772.
We wish you a wonderful holiday filled with love and happiness and surrounded by good friends and family. We look forward to seeing you in 2012! – Chris & Jenny Fellows and the NASTC Team.
Skiing man-made snow is a far cry from those fluffy powder days that we dream about. But skiing firm man-made conditions can be fun too, especially when it’s the only snow around. The first thing you need is a good tune. Sharp edges and a smooth waxed base go a long way in these conditions. In order to take advantage of those sharp edges you gotta tip those skis over. Tipping action originates in the feet and ankles and then moves up the body to include the knees and hips – in that order. Practice rolling your feet and ankles side to side while standing in place, start mellow with just your feet and ankles, then work your way up the body. Next try gliding and tipping the ski side to side by initiating the movement pattern with the feet and ankles. The next move is to take the hill at a diagonal and practice rolling your feet down hill and back up hill as you go across the hill. Once you get comfortable with this move, try tipping the ski through a complete turn. If you ride the side cut of the ski without offering any guidance to turn shape from the legs, you are in for a very fast ride (depending on the radius of your ski). Tipping of the feet, legs and hips must be done in conjunction with guidance from the legs as to the designated arc path that the skis should follow. Good carving skills will give you more purchase on the slick man made snow surface.
If you missed Chris Fellow’s webinar on “Conditioning for the Slopes” last week, click on the link below to hear a complete recording of the broadcast. Copies of Total Skiing are still available and can be ordered directly through our website in our Pro-Shop or you can call NASTC directly to order 530.582.4772.
Looking out the window here in Truckee, it is hard to believe that Snowbird already has 88″ of snow and it just got dumped on again. Alas it’s the truth. Seems like Crested Butte and Snowbird are the two resorts that are getting dumped on right now. Though this is good news because NASTC will be running a camp at Snowbird, January 19-23, so conditions should be pretty sweet. We are also running a course in Crested Butte in March, so conditions over there are going to be primo also, unless there is some sort of weird warm spell that hits. Yikes! Out here in the Sierras, we just have to keep our faith. The snow will come.
Chris Fellows’ webinar was a hit! We will have the whole feed available shortly for those of you that missed. Tune back in before the end of the week and we should it up for your viewing pleasure by then.