Winter is around the corner and I am stoked!

I know that for some people there is sadness associated with the cooler nights and the shorter days at this time of year. But for me there is a building excitement. Why? Because I love to ski! Despite almost twenty years of ski guiding for a living and more than fourty five winters on skis and snowboard, I still love it. Sure we still have some beautiful autumn weather coming and rock climbing courses and mountain trips to do, but I am starting to feel the winter stoke none the less.

I am going into this winter with as much enthusiasm as any. I’ve got some great Island and mainland ski touring planned, a bunch of heli skiing as always and I know that we will be as busy as ever training people in avalanche and winter mountain skills.

On the training front I am excited about a couple of new offerings for this winter. Both of these courses come out of clearly demonstrated needs as expressed by our guests, students and staff. Here they are:

_{Life After Avalanche Skills Training}

For many people making the step from their avalanche skills training to actually getting out touring in the back country is a bit daunting. This course is designed just for that. The idea was actually developed by some of our students and the results have been spectacular. Spend a day with a super experienced ski guide as they facilitate a trip planning session followed by a full day of student led, guide facitlitated touring in avalanche terrain and a structured debrief to end the day. Students will gain the confidence to plan and execute their own trips as well as a ton of local knowledge about their touring destinations. We will offer these courses predominantly at Mount Washington and Mount Cain, but we’ll also be happy to do them in more remote backcountry locations either as two day courses or in a single day with helicopter access.

Ski Performance for Backcountry

A lot of people are thinking about getting into the backcountry these days. The numbers on our avalanche courses are a good indication of that! But for many people, the thing that they know they need to work on is their skiing, especially in natural snow conditions. That's why we've developed this program. Three, two and a half hour, low ratio sessions with a high end ski instructor are followed by a day of off-piste backcountry with our certified guides. While natural conditions ski technique is the emphasis, terrain choice, a basic introduction to avalanche safety and many other relevant skills are covered. The goal is to set you up perfectly to succeed in the backcountry.

Check these new offerings as well as a bunch of other cool stuff on our web site and do get in touch if you have any questions or want to book a program.

Stay tuned for snow, but do do let us know if you have some goals in the mountains or on rock yet this autumn!

Jan and the team at Island Alpine Guides