black long parka jacket mens:TRESPASS GETS INTO SNOWBOARDING
Never letting a good winter go to waste, Trespass recently took to the slopes of Nevis Range just outside of Fort William in the Highlands of Scotland for a day of snowboarding. Our group covered a wide range of skill levels ranging from beginners to experienced boarders with a couple of skiers joining us for the day. Arriving early to a thankfully sunny morning, the team were tired from an early start but all were eager to get started.
Greeted by the fantastic staff at the gondola station, we got fitted for boards and boots and made sure our passes were at hand before taking to the gondola for the scenic trip up the mountain. At the upper station the conditions were fantastic, the snow was great and the slopes were already busy with skiers and snowboarders looking to make the most of it. Splitting into groups, the beginners went to practice their skills while the more experienced boarders headed for the runs.
Nevis Range Snowboarding
As a beginner snowboarder, you need to get used to the snow. You’ll spend lots of time sitting in it getting awkward bindings to fit, lying in it as you struggle to get your balance and stuck in it as you start building speed. Though it may be a sunny day, experienced boarders will tell you that it’s best to stay well layered up as you’ll spend so much of your time down in the powder. Getting started is all about board control and it’s essential to learn your basics.
Side slipping is a staple for all boarders and involves controlling your speed and allowing you to stop as needed; this is a technique you’ll be using at any level. Working on your heel side (facing down the mountain) and your toe side (facing up the mountain) you get a feel for moving over the snow and controlling your board as you do so. As you begin to pick up the basics you start to get more comfortable and pick up speed. This is as much terrifying as it is exhilarating and that first taste will more often than not end with some more time slumped in the snow. While it may not be the end goal, falling is the easiest way to come to a stop if you feel you’re losing control.
As you learn to side slip, move across the snow and return to a stop, you begin to gain the skills you need to navigate at a basic level. This technique of “falling leaf” is the easiest way to get down a run and allows you to maintain control. One tip for beginners I would offer is to make sure you’ve been working on your legs at the gym. Side slipping can be murder on your thighs and takes some getting used to when using it on longer runs. At this point the team went on to work on better handling at speed with controlled stops (more falling over).
Nevis Range Quad Chair
Once you have these basic skills comfortably under your belt you can start to look at turns. This will likely come after a couple lessons when you begin getting more comfortable on the board. Mastering turns is difficult and even experienced boarders have to put in the practice to get them right. Turning involves passing through your “fall line”; this is the point at which you’ll be pointing straight down the hill and will pick up speed quickly. This can be unnerving at first but over time you start to understand the movements you need to make the board do the work and move you where you want to go.
From here practice makes perfect; you’ll have a set of skills that you can combine as needed to face each new run. Linking turns can be tough but comes with time and if you reach a section you’re unsure of you can sideslip until you feel more comfortable. Nevis Range makes the perfect spot for learners thanks to its range of runs for different skill levels. Once the beginners got more confident they could try out the simple beginner runs, practicing each technique they picked up. With new runs though comes lifts, themselves proving challenging to beginners and yes, your first time will likely result in failure (falling will be a recurring theme for early sessions) but don’t fear as the friendly instructors are always on hand to help you get over any teething problems. More experienced boarders will be able to enjoy the T-bars and chair lifts that make navigating the mountain much less exhausting.
As the day came to a close some of us headed for the Quad chair, leading on to fantastic runs allowing more confident boarders to build on their skills. Though we were hoping for a fantastic view of the surrounding hills, we were instead treated to a sudden patch of thick fog that made visibility tough. Navigating in these conditions requires using a combination of skills including basic side slipping through to effective turning, showing just how important it is to remember those first lessons. Once in the clear though, you can enjoy the fantastic views, open snow and the rush as you weave your way across the piste.
Nevis Range slopes
Snowboarding is a fantastic way to get outdoors and keep fit all through winter and getting started is as easy as booking a lesson. Nevis range has a dedicated team of instructors who are eager to help you enjoy the snow and help you stay safe on your board or your skis. The slopes aren’t just for the grownups either, kids love snowboarding and in many cases will take to it better than adults!
Don’t forget though that ski season is still under way but won’t last forever. We chatted to Heather at Nevis Range who told us about the great conditions they’ve had in the past couple months and that they’re expecting it to continue for some time. So now is the perfect time to try out Snowboarding or skiing for the first time. You can check out Nevis Range on Facebook for regular updates. So we suggest you pull on your gear, lace up your boots and hit the slopes this winter for long days of thrills and spills aplenty.