Snowboard camp

Smutty007

Alright folks,

So I'm looking to further my riding, particularly in park.
Does anyone know of any good camps in Europe during the winter season, seems alot of camps are run during the summer on the glaciers.
Any info would be greatly appreciated!

stephencaso

Would forget camps. go to any resort with popular park and you will meet lots of snowboards who will give you tips.

Mayrhofen is the most popular park in Austria,

Fattes

The Vans park in Mayrhofen is epic! Plus it is right beside one of the best Pizza places in the world! THe only problem with learning of other boarders is that you also learn their bad habbits:D

Definition have a pretty good rep and run camps in the snow dome in the uk as well

http://www.definitioncamps.com/

stephencaso

How much does a camp cost, would luv to pick up any of the bad habits those guys in vans park have.

Anybody I now thats good in a park has never done a camp, what they have done is spend a hell of a lot of times lapping the park in the winter and skate boarding in the summer.

I do agree with your food advice. It is pretty good up there,

Fattes

stephencaso THe key to your sentance is spend a season! Allot of people dont get the time and need more focused and intense learning curve. Plus bad habbits lead to big hospital bills

The guys in the park have broken allot of eggs to make their omlets and camps allow people to learn quickly and in a controled enviroment

I am a two plank guy but I will give you a list of injuries from a sponsored rider from one season in Mayrhofen

Broken Hands * 3

Broken Ribs *4

Dislocated Shoulder * 1

Lacerations * Lost count

one Years supply of arnica lasting 3 weeks

Broken Arm * 1 Thankfully in the last week of the season.

stephencaso

Hey

"THe key to your sentance is spend a season!"

Who said anything about spending a season.

So this sponsored rider your talking about, are you saying that these injures could of been avoided if he had completed a camp.

Everybody has bad habits and this is no different from people teaching you in the camps.

How much is a weeks course with the company you are promoting/advising to use. Did you do a course with them.

My point is there is only one way to get good in the park , lots of practice

Fattes

Not doubting that practice improves performance, but the point is practice makes permanent so if you are practicing the wrong thing it is only going to impede or retard your performance. The impression the OP is giving is he does not know to much about park riding.


I am working on the presumption that the OP will not get allot of time to practice in the park over the season. A day or two with some Pro's who are used to teaching can go along way to improving your skiing and is more efficent than faffing about and being not sure about what you are doing.

Never done a camp with the guys at definition as I am a two planks rider, they have a huge reputation in the industry both in the UK and Europe and some top pro guys working for them. Have meet them and seen them in action while in a snowdome in the UK and the feedback I got from a boarder about them is why I am pointing the op in their direction

So this sponsored rider your talking about, are you saying that these injures could of been avoided if he had completed a camp.

No but if a Sponsored rider gets it wrong that often season the inference is that someone who does not know what they are doing could end up in a bad way getting it wrong more often. Oh and the athlete in question finished 4th in the European slopestyle 2 years ago.

Everybody has bad habits and this is no different from people teaching you in the camps..

Trainers and instructors tend not to have as many bad habits as normal riders/skiers due to the requirements to pass their assessments and keep their license valid. I am not saying they don’t have any but they tend to be less noticeable and be the type of habits that have less of an impact on the performance.

How much is a weeks course with the company you are promoting/advising to use. Did you do a course with them.

No idea on the cost and I think you will find that I am neither promoting nor advising the OP to use them. From my experience in the industry the guys at Definition have a great rep and I merely pointed the op in the direction as part of his research! At no point did I say use them / they are the best or it is the only way to do it.

stephencaso If you check the forum you will see I have declared any interest or products that I promote quite clearly and always do remind people if I am involved. Also being an instructor who is actively working in the snowsports industry with a huge snowsports co in both Ireland, the UK and Europe you get an idea of what works.

From the sound of your posts you are under the impression that instruction is not required to improve? But I am sure you know everything about snowboarding there is to know

Oh and the top 5 at the Brits in Laxx this year are all regular participants in freestyle camps, 3 of the top 5 in the mens and womens at the European Open where regulars at freestyle camps.

Just look up the list of success stories from the Salomon Grom Camps

stephencaso

hey Fattes

I'm not trying to argue with you, nor do I (or ever did) claim to no everything there is to know about snowboarding.

"But I am sure you know everything about snowboarding there is to know"

Reminds me of been back in school, as you well know there is very few people in the world that will know everything there is to know about a certain subject,

All I am doing is giving my opinion and thats all it is, look the reason why he posted the question here is he wants peoples opinion, not just your opinion. And of course people will have different opinions , which is good but there is not need for the childish assumptions.

And my opinion is that a camp is not worth the money. They are very costly.

"Also being an instructor who is actively working in the snowsports industry with a huge snowsports co in both Ireland"

Do you not think this is a little bit of a conflict of interests. The more people that do camps or get lessons the bigger the winter sports industry will be and as your employed in this industry I am guessing you want to see it do well so of course you have an interest in it.

Static M.e.

Good debate guys.

On a personal note I have only recently started getting training (after 5 years boarding) and if you can afford it, I highly recommend it.

The problem is the cost, if things are tight and you only get one week a season away, then its very difficult to justify the extra couple of hundred to do lessons.

On saying that, I did learn a lot when I went for lessons. My general style improved, I can ride better switch and I know how to basic slides in the park.. although I still can't do them very well..

Going back this year, I definetly plan on getting lessons again. Its kinda fun in a way because if you have a good instructor he can bring you to remote places on the mountain which you normally wouldnt find on your own.

I think a combination of lessons with practice is a good mix.

Camps are also very handy if you are boarding on your own, you get to spend the day with people with the same interest as you

Anyway, back to the OPs Question. I'm afraid I dont know of any specific camps at the moment but if I get some time later I'll check a couple of sites for you.

Mmmm_Lemony

On a personal note I have only recently started getting training (after 5 years boarding) and if you can afford it, I highly recommend it.

Entirely agree. I improved so much last year with just a week of lessons from an experienced instructor. Expensive as it was, it was well worth the money. I'm currently planning a trip in january and will definitely be looking for , if not the whole week, at least 3 days lessons.

On saying that, I did learn a lot when I went for lessons. My general style improved, I can ride better switch and I know how to basic slides in the park.. although I still can't do them very well..

I probably wouldn't even practise switch if it wasnt for those lessons too. And I am so glad i did.

Mmmm_Lemony

stephencaso wrote: »

And my opinion is that a camp is not worth the money. They are very costly.

I would also agree with this though. I have looked at some prices for camps and they seem very pricey compared to a week of lessons. But I can imagine you would progress at a really fast pace at a camp.

Fattes

Grom Freestyle Camp = £30 / €50 ( I do have an intrest here)

Burton Board Camps = £40

Westbach board camps £25 for a 3 hour camp

Both run for about 4 hours

You need to know what to practice and how to practice it properly, if you put the above in context its €20 -25 Euro for a lesson at the Ski Club of Ireland.

Obviously there are much more expensive options out there but you tend to pay for what you get in most cases.

davmol

Ive been boarding for many years now and have never done a freestyle school/camp and I can do some decent tricks.I thought my self tricks in the park but ive also had some close encounters...with injuries.I wear body protection and i cant speak highly enough of it esp a helmet.So if you do decide to gothe solo route ,pad up!!
In saying the above if i had the cash and time(im a bit of s freespirit on the slopes and like to do my own thing without the structure of a class) i would like to test out a camp.

Ive seen some camps while boarding and if you can up your standard without them then do it.Even better join a camp at a higher level and save cash and advance even more.
I like in camps the comradery and the one upmanship -if a fellow group memeber hits a trick theres good competitive spirit for u to do it too id say and keep up with the standard.The flip side is u want to be the first to pull off a trick in a group for braggin rights......