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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.

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 some 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.

We have a strong team coming together for this one, so there'll be a focus on big, adventurous riding.

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 slackcountry potential make for superb riding. We will travel out on Saturday 2nd, arriving in resort on the Sunday. We'll ride for the week, then return to Tbilisi on Saturday 9th, in time for a an evening exploring the Georgian capital before we fly back on Sunday morning.

The plan is for mostly lift and boot-pack accessed freeriding, with the option to drop out of resort and take 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 long weekend of training to develop the skills required for independent backcountry riding.

Skills covered will included avalanche awareness and safe travel, navigation and mountain safety, riding technique and splitboard touring.

The goal will be to spend as much time snowboarding as possible, with coaching sessions on the hill supplemented with evening learning to maximise mountain time.

​Price is course only, plenty of accommodation options are available. We recommend Dragon Lodge. Riding days are Sat, Sun & Mon 2nd - 4th December.

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....

3 days of turbo-charged pre-season shredding with a like-minded crew! A mix of coaching, freeriding, freestyle and just fun, flat-out shredding. Combinable with the Backcountry Prep trip for a full week of riding.

A week of splitboard touring in the incredible Lyngen Alps. Based in a farmhouse on the bank of the Lyngenfjord, tours start right from 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 (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.

A week of Spring splitboard touring throughout the Tarentaise resorts and beyond. Aiming for 5 days of long tours, getting outside the resort boundaries to enjoy the mountains and the big descents.

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.