CLINICS AND OTHER GUIDED EXPERIENCES, MY THOUGHTS AND SOME LINKS.

We have been getting some pretty good riding in over the last couple of days. A few more storms and we'll be starting our workshop season earlier than expected. We have a variety of brand new 2016 Polaris AXYS PRO RMKs available as rentals also. Pretty impressed with the time we've spent breaking them in this week! We have our calendar available as well as workshop information at www.mountainskillz.com Please don't hesitate to pm me here or email matt@mountainskillz.com with any questions. THANKS!!!

Our reservation system is live: http://www.snowrideadventures.com/reservations/

The snow is piling up, this is shaping up to be a great year to check out Whistler!!!

In the spirit of this silly Black Friday and Cyber Monday stuff, we are running special pricing through 12:00 am on December 1st. Standard 1, 2, and 3 day workshops will all be discounted $50, our avalanche safety courses are discounted $25, and sled rentals are dicounted $50. We are off to a good start to the season regarding snow and have already started our workshops. We have also been putting a lot of time on the new 2016 Polaris AXYS and really excited about them in all aspects. We have a few different setups on them for our rental sleds. To check availability, register, or with any questions please call me 719-849-3168 or email matt@mountainskillz.com . You can also find more information on our website at www.mountainskillz.com

THANKS!!!

I did a 3 day workshop at Mountain Skillz with Matt Entz this past January. I was without a sled at the time so I rented his 163" with the boondocker Side Kick turbo. (this sled was awesome!) I just have to say from the very beginning (Booking the trip) to the very end Matt was AWESOME to deal with!! Matt has a way to make you feel like your just riding buddies out for a fun day. Matt is a phenomenal teacher. On learning a controlled descent he will literally walk along side you to make sure you are in the right position, and ask you questions, "wheres your line," "what are you thinking,?" "you can do this." The sled was set up perfectly for me every day. Matt and his helper James Finsterwald were there to help you the second you had troubles. I have been going out West for 9 years but after the first day it felt like my first day on a sled. They helped correct a lot of bad habits, It's amazing how moving your foot just 3-4" can make or break a line! I have nothing but praise for Matt and his workshops he offers! The area you ride in is amazing and can be as technical and challenging as you want Matt to show you. Congratulations to Matt on his new permit and area, I will defiantly be back to ride with Matt many more times!! The new area looks awesome, can't wait to ride it!! So in closing yes, taking the Mountain Skillz class was a memory I will never forget, it was truly an awesome experience and I HIGHLY recommend Moutain Skillz with Matt Entz!!!

mountainhorse said:

I break the "Camps/Clinics/Adventures/Experiences" into two different categories.

1) True Clinics that have as their sole focus to teach you sled skills that improve your experience. The best of them will evaluate your current riding level, strengths & weaknesses and teach you skills that will improve your enjoyment of the sport. Also of importance to these sessions and their operators is Avalanche safety and education (huge in my book)

2) Guided high end Tours or Adventures...
Although you will of course learn things when you ride with these camps and the guides are always helpful in developing skills... the focus is more about pushing your limits on an all day ride with other riders that are, most often, grouped together by ability.

Now, I'm not going to tell you which one is which.... You must decide which one you want from your time spent with the session you choose.

First you must be TRULY honest with yourself to determine your riding ability. Most riders over-estimate their true riding ability simply because they are the best in their group. Better to underestimate, be humble and let the experts do their job at guiding you or teaching.

One of the worst case scenarios is to think that you are a great rider... spend lots of money on a session, transport, time off work/vacation-time...and get to a session where everyone else but you has amazing skills and you are the "anchor" that drags the group down. Not fun for the rest of the group who has paid dearly for their session as well...and definitely not fun for you being the "red headed step child" of the group.

The last thing an instructor/coach/guide that has a group of riders that can ride at a truly high level needs... is a rider that holds them back or ruins the experience for the group. IMO, Don't be that person!!

Second, Decide what you are looking for... A clinic that is focused on teaching you skills with specific drills, lessons, and class goals...with probably less throttle time... OR... an Experience that has as it's focus guiding you and pushing you on a ride that is challenging without the drills/class/practice sessions.

Third, Email or call the Session owner/operator and be clear what you expect and ask them if the particular session you are considering is a good fit for you and your abilities/expectations.

Lots of good ways to go out there... have fun and SHRED SOM POW this season!! :face-icon-small-ton


Here is a list of some of the programs out there. I'm sure I missed some.

NOTE: As of press time here... Many of the Web-sites have not yet updated for the 2014/15 season.

• Dan Adams, NextLevel Clinics http://www.nextlevelclinics.com/
• Matt Entz, Mountain Skillz clinics http://www.mountainskillz.com/
• Nadine Overwater ,Great Canadian Snowmobile adventure http://laninasledcamp.ca/
• Amber Holt, BackCountry Basics, http://backcountrybasics.com/
• Julie Ann Chapman, She Shreds Adventures http://www.sheshreds.ca/
• Great Canadian Snomobile, http://www.riderevelstoke.ca/
• Rob Hoff, Sick-Day Adventures, www.facebook.com/pages/Sick-Day-Adventures/203931963013597
• Brent Rasmussen, RideRasmussenStyle, http://www.riderasmussenstyle.com/
• Jorli Ricker, Snow Ride Adventures, http://www.snowrideadventures.com/
• Chris Brown, Ride with Chris Brown, http://ridewithchrisbrown.com/
• Chris Burandt/Sahen Skinner, BBCA, http://www.burandtsbackcountryadventure.com/
• Geoff Kyle, Freeride Adventures, http://geoffkylesfreeride.com/
• Carl Kuster, Carl Kuster's Mountain Park, http://www.carlkuster.com/

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Thanks for taking the time to share this info!

I’ve taken my boys to Dan Adams clinics multiple time. We went the first time when they were 15-16 at the end of our first season. He has sped up our learning curve immensely and all of us our very well prepared and conscious of the Avy danger. I was surprised how serious my boys took to the Avy training and I know it was the way Dan presented it. I will always be thankful to him for that. He’s also a great riding instructor. It’s one thing to be a great rider, quite another to know why that is and to be able to TEACH those skills to others.

I took the She Shreds beginner clinic with Julie Ann earlier this month and she is an absolutely amazing teacher!! We were a pretty varied group of riders experience wise and everyone left feeling way more confident. I know I really did as I really got the hang of carving and side hilling with her! I'm definitely taking the intermediate clinic with Julie Ann next season!

3 fathers with 3 teenage sons just attended Next Level Clinic with Dan Adams. Worth every penny. We all picked up a few techniques to improve our riding that we need to work on this season and we ALL realized that we were underprepared in the event of an avalanche even with the proper gear. I thought my 14 year old son would get more out of the class than me...I was wrong!