Snowsafe Blog

Be Brave – Adventure Beyond The Pistes

Introduction:

Thereʼs nothing like leaving the best off-piste powder tracks in virgin snow. Skierʼs dream of it. Itʼs truly life changing!

Youʼre feeling pumped up, striking each turn with punch and finesse and grinning from ear to ear.

Unfortunately, most skiers struggle off-piste. As humans, we think weʼre rational but we arenʼt.

Ski Mckay:

My name is Martin Mckay and for over 25 years Iʼve showed skierʼs the right way to master the off-piste. Thereʼs a right way and a wrong way, and of course there’s a space in between to express yourself but donʼt right off the art of off-piste skiing.

First things first, always make sure youʼre prepared and have an avalanche transceiver, safety rucksack and relevant gear. Invest in the best gear.

Above, a skier way off-piste with Martin in Val dʼIsere.

If you have never skied off-piste and want to learn or if you have skied off-piste a little bit but want to improve then youʼre in the right place.

Every ski season skierʼs rush to the Mountains in hope of skiing some lovely fresh snow.

Fresh snow isnʼt always in abundance if that’s the case then be creative. There are always slopes that hold sheltered snow to allow you to make some nice fresh tracks.

Timing is key:

Adventure around the mountain. The best time is the first thing. Aim to be the very first on the lifts. This may sound obvious but skierʼs miss the benefits of this. If there hasenʼt been much fresh snow of late, any medium or light strength winds from the night before can blow snow, refilling tracks and wide open slopes, ready for another set of fresh tracks. Most skiers get out and about from 10 am – 11.00 am. That first hour from 08.45 am is the time to get out and make the most of this opportunity. Donʼt follows the crowd, be first.

If the heavens open in the night and the snow charges down then donʼt be in such a rush to be on the first lift. Iʼve seen skiers and even pros rush to be the first on big far away off-piste slopes only to get into serious trouble.

Snow needs time to stabilise. This is a time to stand back and ski fresh powder on the pistes which youʼll find if youʼre first out after a fresh snow storm. So again, be the first one on the lifts and be creative. As the following days unfold, go that little bit further and adventure, safely.

Lastly, be a selfless skier and leave nice tracks. Donʼt leaves wreckless tracks all over the place, other skierʼs want to profit from the powder rush too.

Stay safe and be brave, go and Adventure!

Martin MckaySnow Safe Partner Ski Instructor and Coach

Head over to skimckay.com for more information on how to ski off-piste and claim the following discounts for snowsafe.co.uk :

10% off all products (Avalanche Kits, Transceivers, Shovels, Probes, Backpacks, Ski and Snowboard Luggage and More) (This excludes Airbags)

5% off all Avalanche Airbags including Scott Electronic Airbags, Jetforce, ABS Avalanche Airbags, Ortovox Avabag and More.

Downloads

Download Martinʼs FREE Powder Skiing Tips here

Go to > skimckay.com/powder

Canʼt wait and want to crack the off-piste powder skiing code?

Then Grab Martinʼs Ultimate Powder Skiing System, learn more…

Go to > skimckay.com/learntoskipowder

Val dʼIsere and Online

Do you want to learn how to ski powder snow or improve your off-piste skiing?

Snowsafe Blogs:

It’s important to stay safe and have the correct training when skiing or snowboarding off-piste please check out further blogs below :

If you would like to feature a blog about your organisation or experience in the snow please feel free to contact us on info@snowsafe.co.uk or 01273 737676. We are happy to take Guest blogs linking back to your website.