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An Introduction to Backcountry Snowboarding run in collaboration with Jenny Jones. Backcountry skills and local knowledge from me, world-class coaching from Jenny, restorative yoga sessions and mindset-coaching to get you used to the big-mountain environment. For further details or to book, please see Jenny's site at https://www.workshopbyjennyjones.com/intro-to-backcountry

A week-long trip with 5 days of guided riding in the mini freeride mecca of Sainte Foy Tarentaise. This has been my home resort since 2007 and I'm on first-name terms with every rock, tree and couloir on the mountain. Sainte Foy is rightly famous for great terrain, with easy access from the lifts and minimal crowds. Snow conditions are usually excellent in January, especially as the sheltered location protects the snow from the wind in the January storms which can turn the likes of Tignes and Val d'Isere to boiler-plate overnight. There is great tree-riding if the weather is bad and long, big-mountain lines with plenty of steeps if the sun shines. We can access everything with short or medium-length hikes (1hr max up to the Fogliettaz) and there are local buses which bring us back from the more adventurous lines. We're aiming to ride as many great powder-line as possible, it's all about the fun riding rather than hiking for the sake of hiking, but if there's a snow-drought on then we'll hike to find the goods.

While we usually find the best snow in Sainte Foy, we also have Tignes and Val d'Isere on our doorstep should we feel the need to go to higher altitude as well as Les Arcs just across the valley.

Grimentz is located in the Valais region of Switzerland, not too far from Verbier. The valley holds several small resorts, all covered by the same pass. The separate nature of the resorts gives plenty of easy-access backcountry runs between resorts, with easy tours or valley buses back to base.

Grimentz itself has rad freeride terrain, both in and out of bounds. The lifts go from well below the treeline all the way to 3000m and give access to most aspects so it's almost always possible to find good snow, especially as it's very quiet and rarely tracked-out.

The resort village is really authentic, with the original old town still preserved and in-use. By Swiss standards, it's also pretty affordable.

An adventurous week of lift-accessed freeriding in the Georgian resort of Gudauri. Modern lifts mixed with cold, dry snow, minimal crowds and plenty of long, long, slackcountry runs make for superb riding.

The plan is for mostly lift and boot-pack accessed freeriding, with lots of big lines dropping out of resort and taking shuttles back, but depending on the group there are also superb splitboard and touring possibilities.

A week (5 days, Mon-Fri) of guided backcountry riding and coaching in Sainte Foy. Our BC Intro weeks are aimed at riders who are experienced snowboarders, but have little or no experience outside the marked runs. The week will include extra coaching on both snowboard technique and backcountry safety in order to help you comfortably make the transition from on-piste to off-piste rider.

The focus will still be very strongly on doing as much riding as possible, with coaching mixed-in as required depending on the weather, conditions and the level of the group.

Sainte Foy is a legendary freeride paradise - a great snow record and superb lift-accessed terrain are combined with quiet slopes where the fresh snow lies untouched much longer than in the mega-resorts. Tignes, Val d'Isere and Les Arcs are also right on the doorstep, giving a huge choice of terrain around the valley.

A new concept for this winter! Working on the basis that it's always snowing somewhere, this week has no fixed destination! Travel to Geneva airport where I'll meet you with my minibus and we'll head to whichever part of the Western Alps (or beyond if need be!) has the best fresh snow conditions. Whether this is a big-name resort like Tignes or Verbier, a micro-destination like Sainte Foy or Areches-Beaufort or lesser-known freeride destination like Monterosa or Val d'Anniviers. We'll make the decision just a few days in advance based on the latest snowfalls and weather forecasts. Guaranteed powder is a strong statement, but this is probably about the best chance!

A super-early season week of freeriding and skill-building. Tignes has an outrageous record for early-season snow, with December often seeing some of the best turns of the season. We'll ride the best snow and terrain available, with the focus on shredding pow if conditions are good or on developing skills for the backcountry if they're less favourable. Everything from carving and steep turns to avalanche safety, navigation and splitboard skills.

​Price is course only, plenty of accommodation options are available. We recommend Dragon Lodge. Riding days are Mon-Fri 2nd - 6th December.

A week of splitboard touring in the incredible Lyngen Alps. Lyngen has alpine-scale mountains rising directly from the sea, with a huge variety of terrain and easy means to switch location and aspect to catch the best conditions. Based in a farmhouse on the bank of the Lyngenfjord, our tours will start and finish right at the beach and the combination of mountains and sea is truly breathtaking. Catch the northern lights in the evening. One of earth's special places.

A week of splitboard touring in Finnmark, arctic Norway. Based in comfortable, traditional huts right by the sea, with touring starting right from the door. Finnmark is the most northerly point of continental Europe and holds snow very late into the season - the only major landmass further north is the island of Svalbard, even Iceland lies well to the south. The terrain is similar to Lofoten, with mid-sized, spectacular mountains rising straight from the sea. We will also use boats to cross the fjord on some days to reach new terrain.

A week (5 days, Mon-Fri) of guided backcountry riding and coaching in the little-known resort of Areches-Beaufort. January is a great time to ride - quiet lifts, empty slopes and usually great snow. This week is a splitboard freeride week, meaning that we will ride splits most days, but always with the aim of riding the best snow. If there's powder next to the piste, that's what we'll ride! Some days will involve big tours, others mostly short skins / hikes to get as many fresh lines as possible.

Areches was my favourite riding destination before I moved to the Alps permanently. It has the same perfect combination of great terrain and minimal crowds as Sainte Foy, with the bonus of a bigger lift system and the legendary Beaufortain micro-climate. One of the first mountain ranges encountered by westerly storms, the weather systems slow as they hit the nearby bulk of Mont Blanc and dump huge amounts of snow in the Beaufortain - often twice as much as in the Tarentaise or the Portes du Soleil.

Half-board Hotel accommodation included.

3 days of splitboard touring at high altitude in Tignes. The aim is for long tours in T-shirt weather with spring snow descents and a chance of lingering powder in high, north-facing hollows. The reality seems to be that every year we just get hit with a big, late snowfall and we go and shred freshies for 3 days, but I can't promise that'll keep happening....

A week targeting steep lines throughout the Tarentaise. We'll aim to seek out the lines in best condition throughout the valley. Getting steep lines in pristine conditions usually means splitboarding or hiking for access, but we'll try to keep our eyes on the steep prize and keep the hikes as short as we can to keep our legs fresh.

A big group can be awkward or even risky when riding steeper terrain, so this course has a maximum of 4 clients to keep things flowing safely. As a result, the course price is slightly higher.