Snowboarding

Please note that parties booking a trip which comprises either all Snowboarders or mixed skiers and snowboarders will require an extra instructor at an extra charge in addition to the £35 (29-05-2008) per person snowboarder supplement. The cost of both will automatically be added to your invoice.

WHAT IS SNOWBOARDING?

There are 2 types of snowboarding: -
    * Alpine snowboarding
      More or less the equivalent of carving skis on the piste for which an "Alpine board" and ski boots are used. Used at the Olympics for the slalom competition.
    * Freestyle snowboarding
      A wider free-ride board with soft boots designed for jumping and tricks, used in half-pipes and off-piste but also used on the piste. Used at the Olympics for the half-pipe competition.

In reality, the ideal board for most students "riding" (as snowboarders say) on the piste is an Alpine board but in practice as snowboarding is a "life-style" concept, most students want freestyle boards come what may!

WHY IS SNOWBOARDING MORE EXPENSIVE?
    * Snowboards are not mass-produced for hire and are very expensive to purchase and thus to hire
    * Most suppliers stock only a limited number of boards and cannot cope with immense high season pressure. Extra boards must often be hired from elsewhere at higher prices
    * Specialised snowboard instructors are in relatively short supply and cost more
    * Snowboard groups require an instruction ratio of 1:8, and mixed snowboard/ski groups create particular grouping problems (see below)

WHAT PITFALLS ARE THERE?
    * Most ski schools have a limited number of qualified snowboard instructors.
    * If there is a group of mixed skiers and snowboarders, the practicalities of organising instruction covering various standards of both skiers and snowboarders based on group rates can be difficult. Particularly bear in mind that ski schools insist on a ratio of 1:8 for snowboarders (as they need more individual attention). You will need at least one extra instructor, the cost of which will be automatically added to your invoice. You may even need to order and pay for more additional instructors.
    * Numbers of snowboarders and skiers can and do fluctuate which can, in turn, have a marked effect on organisation and price calculations. Please monitor this carefully.

WHAT CANNOT BE DONE?
We cannot arrange for any one person to both snowboard and ski

WHAT IS AVAILABLE?
We can arrange for snowboard equipment and instruction on the following basis: -

    * Fully supervised 6 x 4 + 1 lessons (must be the same for skiers and snowboarders).
    * A fixed additional charge of £35 (29-05-2008) is paid for the hire of snowboard equipment (instead of ski equipment) and the use of a snowboard instructor, and an extra charge also applies for an extra instructor.