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Andermatt is located in central Switzerland, in one of the snowiest parts of the Alps. The resort is part of a string of villages spread along the valley, connected both by the lifts and by the incredible Glacier Express train, which runs throughout the winter despite reaching well over 2000m. The lifts link Andermatt to the resorts of Sedrun in the centre of the valley and Disentis at the far end, both of which are mini freeride-meccas in their own right.

Andermatt itself has a stunning, high-altitude cable car giving access to steep, in-bounds terrain and incredible backcountry terrain, on a scale comparable to the Aiguille de Midi or La Grave cable cars. Sedrun and Disentis give access to lots of quiet corners giving great freeride adventures, especially if the weather is challenging up on the top, most of it accessed by short hikes or splits with easy returns to resort via the train.

Our accommodation is in Sedrun, which is centrally located, giving easy access both to the big lifts in Andermatt and to the quieter lines around Disentis and Sedrun itself.

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.

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.

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, warm fisherman's cabins 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 stunning, with spectacular 1,000m mountains rising straight from the sea. We also have the option to use boats to cross the fjord on some days to reach new terrain. Most importantly, this is a mostly un-discovered area with very few touring groups. On last year's trip, we only saw a handful of other skiers, all from a distance, and didn't cross another track all week. A uniquely adventurous week in an incredible location.

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. Early February is generally the sweet spot of cold snow, deep base and getting in before the half-term crowds so conditions should be perfect. There is great tree-riding if the weather is bad and long, big-mountain lines with plenty of steeps if the sun shines.

This trip will mix lift and bootpack-accessed freeriding with splitboard days and some steep lines, whatever it takes to ride the best lines and best snow.

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.