Back on the blogs

Ok, after a bit of a layoff from the blogging I'm back!

Dreaming of deep fresh turns for 2010!

I'm over in L2Alpes at the moment for the final day of this years Kommunity summer camp. We've unfortunately just had a couple of days off due to high winds but today the weather is perfect and so the team are hard at it.

Uk pros Laura Berry, (X games gold medalist) Jenny Jones, (Young gun) Jack Shackleton, Soul searcher Will Hughes and (junior team coach)Dave Seeley are leading the charge along with Snowboard teacher/guru Tammy Esten (featured in my book 'Go Snowboard') and Dalik-fodda head honcho Ian Ashmore!

After amazing snow conditions at the start of the week (due to fresh snowfall down to nearly the town!) Warm winds have now pretty much stripped the lower glacier back to the ice and conditions are now getting pretty tough up there.

Nice shot from a Mont Blanc week this summer!

I've been pretty busy these last few weeks with Mountain Guiding around Chamonix, doing the brochure and writing articles for various magazines for this coming winter. I've a column type blog for Document coming and a series on tech stuff for the Daily Mail Ski and Snowboard mag along with a few other items here and there.

I've been pretty active on the bike recently. I rode a stage of the Tour de France the other day from Martigny to Bourg St Maurice with GPM10. Felt good on the climbs, think I'm starting to get it a little!

I set myself a new personal best climbing up here (L2Alpes) from the dam knocking 2 mins off my best time from the last camp 2 weeks ago (I'm now down to 35mins) and felt quite strong still at the top. (I know someone who has done it in 27mins but he's really very good and one of those skinny little hill climber types so that's basically cheating!)

My last years best was 47 mins so a bit of improvement there anyway, which is good cos I guess 47mins is pretty bad!

The brochure is looking good, my good friend Tosh@contagiouscreative.co.uk is designing it, all good!

Jenny, Tammy and Will are coming back to Chamonix for a few days tomorrow, Tammy is based in Morzine and Will is in Tignes so not far for them, Jenny is en route for some snow time in NZ at the end of next week so soaking in some extra sunshine before she heads off. She's been busy surfing all summer so far and is looking well.

I've got another Mont Blanc ascent coming up next week, plenty to get on with before then so better get off.

Take it easy!

Neil.

Getting things ready for next winter!

We're really starting to get thing ready for next winter, Mel has pretty much got the calendar sorted out and we're just putting the finishing touches to it and trying to fit everything in.


Another day in the office - Neil McNab.

Its looking like a busy and exciting schedule, Tech clinics and Off piste Clinics at the smaller ratio of 1 to 6. The full BC program with BC Intros and BC Freeride at 1 to 6 and Advanced Freeride courses at ratio 1 - 3. Then there's the specialist BC courses such as the BC summits week and BC Custom courses, both of which are already proving very popular! Of course there's the BC Voyager trips, Kamchatka is on the program again as is Greenland and Norway (Iran is on hold for the moment awaiting political calm!). I also have good contacts now for heli-boarding in Alaska and Canada for Private group trips at a 1 to 4 ratio, more info on demand!

Also looking really interesting is our new seasonaires program designed for all of you out there who fancy doing a season but want to maximize your time on the snow. We have 6 places available on this 12 week program that starts you of on the right foot with our 'Technical Performance Clinic', this is followed by a week of practice and then our 'Off-piste clinic', more practice time before you start out in our Backcountry program with an Intro course followed by a BC Freeride course. You then have the option of joining one of our Chamonix based Specialist BC courses such as an advanced BC Freeride or BC Summits week.

All of this and you get to stay in our new luxury accommodation for the season too. This is basically the best seasons training and riding you'll ever get!

Finally there's our new Snowboard school program for group and private lessons for those that are visiting Chamonix and want some proper instruction or guidance. Our 3 session beginners course will get you up and running and once up and about our Private lessons package offers you the chance to polish your skills or get some expert guidance to help you get the most out of your time on the snow.

I've just spent a great 3 days guiding with a Via ferrata day, a Cosmiques arrete and a traverse of the Aig du Entreves. I now have some time off to get on with next seasons brochure, up date the web site and get things organized for next weeks Kommunity Camp.

Hopefully get out on the bike a bit too!

More news soon and look out for those dates! Availability will be limited this season!!

Neil.

Mont Blanc and Summer Camp madness

Dom Harrington skies out of the pipe at last years KSC

I went over to L2Alpes at the end of last week to catch up with the Kommunity Camp that we had running over there. The RAF and Navy were out for a week of summer madness with KSC Coaches Laura Berry, Dave Seeley, Tosh and Will Hughes. I rode with them on Friday after coming down from Mont Blanc and driving over there for the last day.

The Park is in great condition, nicely re-designed with better rails and boxes, good medium sized kickers and an enormous pipe right besides a kind of fun mini ramps style beginners pipe. There's a Kung Fu panda style kicker to Gong and a couple of massive kickers for the truley gifted or carzily insane.

We had a bit of a fun comp going on on the last day, a Boarder-X and a big bad air comp. Those military guys are pretty gung ho and its amazing what they'll put themselves through for a free belt or a T-shirt.

The best tricks were a massive well styled front flip, a barrel roll, fs 5's and a switch BS 3!

We had some marathon games of beach volley ball and Friday evening turned in to a late one for more than a couple down at the Avalanche.

For those joining us on next weeks camp things are looking pretty good up there.

(Ed Gunn at last years KSC sadly injured at the moment)

It's not too hot at the moment so that's good for the snow, its been pretty icy in the mornings and then softening up at around 11 ish. Dave is back out and running things for the Junior development camp, Laura, Will and Jenny X factor Jones are out plus myself and British team riders Jack Shackelton and Sam Cullum, maybe Tosh again and a few others.

Anyway it should be a great week!

I've been riding my bike a lot, managed to sneak an early morning ride up from the valley to L2Alpes before I left on Saturday but now I'm heading back up Mont Blanc in the morning after a via ferrata day today.

All good here, Mel is putting together the dates for next winter and they should be on line very soon. remember I'm running only one group per week this coming season (see previous blog) so if you're wanting to get out book early to avoid disapointment.

Right got to go pack for the mountains!

Neil.