Looks fantastic nedrapier – toured on the Eastern side of that peninsular (accessed via boat).
A wonderful place – hoping to go back at some point myself!

Lyngen Alps for a week’s touring in early March

are you in a lodge or on a boat nedrapier?

Alpine/Cable ridge/Les Gets isn’t a footpath but that makes it all the more controversial, it’s also piss easy to ride

I think what makes it controversial with other users etc is that it has become rather popular and now features on many peoples ‘to do’ list – consequently traffic has increased, especially at weekends and much of the path is quite narrow (not quite sure where this ’30 foot wide straight line’ bit is although I concede that the last couple of corners have got wider and and wider – you can now see them from the other side of the valley!)

it’s also piss easy to ride

I bow to your god-like riding prowess … ;-)

47s in the video posted by Retro83.

Granted, on closer inspection that does indeed seem to be the very same location … albeit with seemingly less ‘free-standing’ roots and prominent pointy rocks, but I guess that’s the ‘flattening’ effect of the video.
Either way – impressive riding in the video Retro83 posted!

I’ve been very happy with my Petzl Tikka RXP.

Not too heavy and stable when running over rough ground.
Washable strap stops it getting whiffy.
Reactive light and different settings which you can customise with the Petzl software (which also shows charging progress)

The way this person is climbing up Parkin gives a good impression of steepness , which seems completely absent in the videos.

Yeah … I can’t see that section in the video posted on page 2.

On the second video the rider [understandably] picks the bike up and carrys it down this section at 2:41

Hats off to anyone who has genuinely ‘cleaned’ that section but I’ve run up it a fair few times and it’s usually a ‘hands and feet job’ on the way up. Must be touching cloth riding down it!

Any recommendations for family insurance with off piste cover?

Skiing or Snowboarding?

Have a look at DogTag, Snowcard, or BMC if it’s for skiing (BMC have an additional ‘premium’ for snowboarding)

i’d love to go to Iran with a snowboard/ splitboard

So would I … but I can’t see me heading there anytime soon despite recent developments in international diplomacy etc. There are loads of other places that aren’t so politically volatile that I’d rather visit first.

you realise 47 year old bones are much more brittle than 27 year old ones

Not so much the bones, but the tendons and ligaments tend to take a lot more time and effort to heal …

I’m 48 now and use the following rule of thumb for both the bike and the snowboard:

I’ll only hit a jump or drop etc if there is roughly an 80% or more chance of me landing it/riding it out … and if I don’t land it then there is an 80% or more chance of me being able to ‘walk away’ from it.

There isn’t a huge amount over on the Stannington/Loxley side as many of the old pack-horse routes were made into roads rather than bridleways with a few exception which you can link up with longer sections of road.

There’s some good stuff above Bradfield /Agden if you don’t mind longish road sections.

Stannington/Rivelin has a lot more choice as the old pack-horse tracks became bridleways and there are a number of permissive bridleways and unmarked tracks on the south side of the valley that can be linked up to make a cracking ride.

The footpath that follows the River Rivelin is best avoided though unless early morning or late evening as it’s usually very busy with dogs on extendible leads.

The other thing about buying an Orange is that you’ll most likely turn into a total nobber on the internet.

how long have you had yours?

HaHa … I was going to ask ‘thepodge’, the exact same question.

Nothing like reducing someone to a cultural stereotype. :lol:

Suunto Ambit 3 Peak … very versatile, very useful and so far has been very reliable.

+1 for Facewest – I’ve bought loads of backcountry kit from them over the years and never had anything but great service. And as TheDTs mentioned, if you buy your beacon from them, future firmware upgrades are covered.

Enjoyed that! :-)

Thanks for sharing!

@stevomcd – yeah … I knew him from the days when he did some of the Backcountry Intro courses with McNab when Neil was still an aspirant … hadn’t seen him for a couple of years as he was busy with the Heli-Ski outfit in Kamchatka, but you’re right … his name always comes up in stories. A real character … and a really sad loss! :-(

I put 11-32 cassette on my Surly road bike with a 105 rear mech to make it feasible for me to do the Fred Whitton a few years ago.

I liked it so much I left it on … ;-)

Never really missed the closer ratios:

so:

1. Perfect for riding up Lake District hills

2. No … tried it but just left the 11-32 on in the end

3. Yes … but not because of question 2

Hire bikes and ride along the ‘Gardens of Turia’ (the old river bed) to one of the beaches (the further south you ride the quieter the beaches)

It’s easy peddling so suitable for non-cyclists. Bike hire is about 10 euros a day.

Eat paella

Watch the world go by in the ‘plaza de la virgen’

Thankfully Valencia has only recently become popular (since 2013 when the airport was extended) so it’s relative free from the dickhead ‘Brits abroad’ and pick-pockets that have seemingly tainted some peoples experience of Barcelona

Visit the Basilica and Cathedral
Loads of museums etc but I especially like the Archaeological museum behind the basilica
Visit one of the many cool bars in the old city (el carmen)
visit one of the markets
sample the fantastic local food and drink. (esp. the wine and ‘Turia’ beer)

@howsyourdad1 – when you say ‘package’ do you mean a Splitboard/Bindings deal ?

Can’t say I’ve seen much in the way of package deals as the kit choice tends to be very personal

May I suggest having a wonder over to The Sick and the Wrong:

http://snowboardexperts.co.uk/%5B/url%5D

They have a pretty extensive range of many leading products.

Splitboard gear has undergone a fair amount of development over the past few years, and whilst some of it is big chunk of change, the quality has really improved.

My question would be: ‘what do you want to use it for and where?’

if it’s just casual use to augment your piste riding and mix it up a bit then consider DIY’ing an old board, but if you want performance and features for technical backcountry descents then consider one of the purpose built splitboards from the likes of Jones or Burton.

@jambalaya – yes … very sad indeed! :-(

Without wishing to be too maudlin …

R.I.P. Ralf Tenbrink :(

I’ve got a Delorme InReach. Similar to a SPOT tracker but also means you can send a text via the Iridium Satellite network. One-off setup charge and flexible monthly subscriptions are available depending on desired usage.

Bought mine for an Arctic trip, but it’s proved very handy when bike-packing out of mobile phone coverage.

I bet if you dropped any elite crossfitter into a pro road bunch they wouldn’t have the specialised physical performance to survive for long

I’m not 100% sure exactly what constitutes a ‘Crossfitter’, but quite a large number of High Mountain Guides not only climb, trail run and Ski Mountaineer etc, but also ride road bikes in the summer at a pretty high standard …

Tennis is an interesting one for sure. I was lucky to see the Nadal and Federer Wimbledon final in 2008 when it went to 5 sets … I was exhausted just watching it!

Which is why people are suggesting fighters, soldiers, criss fit enthusiasts etc

Which is why I suggested the likes of Kilian as he is a Ski Mountaineer (SkiMo) and Trail Runner: Combining both of the disciplines to break records up and down mountains.

My twopence would go on Ultra Trail Runners – As Superficial said, Kilian Jornet’s achievements are just bonkers – what him and the likes of Ueli Steck have done just beggars belief.

I’ve seen Kilian training in Chamonix … I’d swear he’s faster up the hills than some of the chairlifts!

Had a pair of Burgtec Mk3 for years and really really like them. Unfortunately I’ve snapped the axle twice and can’t source a replacement (Burgtec’s website has been showing ‘Out of Stock’ for ages.

Have also got a pair Point One podium pedals as they are quite low profile so useful with shorter cranks on a bike with low BB. Got the rebuild kit/spare but they seem to be lasting ok. Sourcing spares in the future might be an issue as they are now made by Gamut and I don’t think the bearings etc are backwards compatible

Hope F20s are the preferred choice at the moment with the longer hollow pins at the front & rear to improve grip. Well built and easy reliable source of spares.

@jambalaya

agreed, the ‘changeover’ with a splitboard is a tad more involved but once you’ve got your routine dialed, clipping the board back together and popping the bindings back on, only takes a couple of minutes max.

The biggest chunk of changeover is removing and folding your skins and that’s pretty much the same whether it’s a splitboard or skis I think (unless you are one of those backcountry dudes who [can] remove their skins whilst still clipped in to their skis!]

IMHO thats one area where skiing still “leads” boarding.

Really?? I’m inclined to think that the development of splitboarding kit over the past few years has done much to level things out abit …

[Not trying to to be confrontational or anything, just highlighting the fact that touring is no longer just for skis]

classic 90’s euro snowboarder, all high stance angles and tucked in back knee

Aye .. that style was still really popular when I had my first lessons at Sheffield Ski Village.

I watched ‘Let it Ride: The Craig Kelly Story’ again recently and that whole dropped/tucked in back knee seems kinda ‘kooky’ now, but it was obviously incredibly effective with the boards they were riding at the time!

Yep – I can definitely recommend the ‘Go Snowboard’ book GrahamS refers to!

or is the idea you solely use pedalling?

Pretty much – when foot steering/pedaling, there is no need for upper body rotation*.

Like I said the idea is to maintain a ‘quiet’ upper body that remains aligned with the board i.e. any excessive upper body movement has potential to throw you off balance and result in skidded turns rather than carved turns in nice arcs.

Some courses (e.g. CASI to the best of my knowledge**) taught whole body rotation as a way of initiating beginner turns, but they then introduce ‘pressure control’ for intermediate carved turns and ‘foot steering’ for advance freeriding and short radius turns.

BASI on the other hand introduce foot pedaling/steering early on – stevomcd should be able to clarify this! :-)

*when advance riding on steep terrain, you use whatever body movement you need in order to initiate and complete a turn

**my knowledge/reference may well be out of date now

Vallee Blanche though – boring as ****

Agreed – The ‘tourist’ route through the Valle Blanche isn’t particularly challenging and a ski pole can help when on a snowboard if the snow is warm and sticky through the flat spots towards the end, but the views are pretty special!

Plus if anyone ever needed proof of ‘climate change’, then just have a look at the accelerated reduction of the Mer de glace since 1980 as you climb the steps up to the Montenvers Railway… :-(

For a more challenging Vallee Blanche, there are a number of variants/options and/or additional classic tours that can be included to mix things up a bit …

Talk to me about foot pedalling.

Foot pedaling:

In simple terms it’s applying ‘pressure’ to the toe, heel and outside edges of your feet in order to ‘steer’ the board in an ‘arc’ – transitioning from a toe-side turn to a heel-side turn etc

Naturally there are numerous variants in teaching and pedagogy, but the aims are pretty much the same: Using your feet* you ‘steer’ the board from one edge to the other whilst being able to safely maintain and control speed

*as performance is added to turns other body parts/techniques are utilised, but the core of the idea is that you keep a quiet, stacked, and balanced upper body whilst steering/pedaling with the feet.

These days I ride directional duck (if that exists) more angle on the front than back and adding to 27 degrees – any more and I feel it in my knees.

As Stevomcd said, the optimal/personal preference ‘angle’ for most folks is down to biomechanics. i.e. the natural slightly ‘splayed’ foot position that you make when you squat down and you knee cap ‘tracks’ over your feet/2nd toe.

too wide an angle when ‘squatting’ and your knees might ‘track’ in between your feet, possibly putting strain on the medial knee ligaments etc – too narrow an angle and your knees might ‘track’ to the outside of your feet, possibly putting strain on the lateral knee ligaments etc.

The key for me was playing around with the angle and the stance width to try and find a natural, balanced and stable position that allowed me to ‘foot peddle’ …

I’m still tinkering! ;-)

Is my only realistic option to buy some boots and have them fitted properly?

Yes, Having your own [snowboard] boots is imperative.

If so does anybody have any experience with Ellis Brigham/TSA

EB/TSA will be able to sort you out for sure. Like buying a decent pair of walking boots, just take your time and try on as many as you can. Forget about pretty designs and colours – fit and function is the key.

…or get in touch with Lars

aye – I think Lars is in Switzerland (Zinal) with the McNab crew at the moment!

Most of the organised guided snowboard weeks book up well in advance however you could always chance it and see if they have a cancellation.

If you definitely don’t want private then the Guides Office (Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix) should be able to sort you out with a group – but it will probably be skier biased

Ralf Tenbrink, Seb Montaz and Simon Abrahams are all Chamonix based ‘high mountain guides’ IFMGA/UIAGM who snowboard, but they are often super busy / booked up well in advance

James Stentiford does some Chamonix based backcountry snowboard courses (and some in St Foy! :lol: ) but again they tend to fill up well in advance.

An interesting article by a very good coach (I’ve had tuition with Chris) about the use of high backs or more the dependence on them and using your toes to make a heelside turn

That article makes some interesting points. I note it was written a few years ago when there was a bit of a trend away from highbacks for a more surf/skate inspires feel. Some manufacturers were making softer highbacks and some riders were removing them altogether – which felt quite liberating in powder.

However I found the lack of a highback or a soft highback led to a loss of control/edging on steep/icy/technical terrain so whilst it was interesting to experiment, I went back to a stiff highback with forward lean.

If I forget to put my forward lean back on when transitioning from skinning to riding on the splitboard, I tend to notice pretty quick – especially if it’s something like a entry to a couloir and I have to be on my heels rather than my toes

With a forward stance, it becomes hard to ride in a low position without rotating/breaking at the waist. This tends to mean a more active upper body and dropping the hip in to get edge angle on the board. It’s also harder to twist/pedal the board

Yeah stevomcd – but you said it much more eloquently! :-)

It’s the ‘breaking at the waist’ for sure.

Is there still a benefit from ducked stance in a front-foot-forward turn?

Good question! My first thoughts are that it probably depends!

From my own perspective I ride +21 / -6. I will often tweak +/- 3 on the rear as a season progresses depending on where/what I’m riding and any muscle aches/pains/niggles.

In theory if I were to amend my angles to say +27 / 0 then this should just open up my downhill view more (as I’m looking over my shoulder less).
However what happens is I end up twisting my body, bringing my right (rear) arm round more and I can no longer carve/finish turns properly as my body isn’t aligned with the board.

If I return to ‘duck’ (with the same 27 degree difference) I can ride properly again.

So I would say yes, for me – there is still a benefit from ducked stance in a front-foot-forward turn, although that’s possibly more to do with learned behaviour /muscle memory than much else

How did I miss that stance thread?

I know .. I know … I can’t believe I missed it either … do you reckon there’s any mileage left in resurrecting it – purely for the comedy value? ;-)

And yeah – I can also confirm that Neil McNab rides ‘duck’ – having borrowed his boards on a few occasions I’ve had to swap the bindings from his goofy stance to my regular stance … although I ride with a wide(ish) stance, it’s not as wide as Neil’s!

No, I really am +21 +6. I’ve tried duck but didn’t get on with it last time I tried

Well if it works for you and you are having fun! (that does explain some of your reluctance to ride switch btw – as it can be quite tricky when riding with positive angles)

Got to sort out a problem with heel lift in my old boots first though.

Try popping another insole in – this should reduce the ‘volume’ in your liners and remove the heel lift