Verbier Top Tips

These seven steps to preserve the mountain have been provided by The Ski Club of Great Britain who launched their RESPECT THE MOUNTAIN Campaign during the winter 2005 season.
•	Be aware of your environmental impact as skiers and boarders. Educate yourself about your environmental impact on the mountains, and what you can do to minimise it
•	Do not leave litter on the slopes. When the snow melts at then end of the season, litter left behind by skiers and boarders will still be there. Bin it or take it home with you. Did you know it takes up to two years for an Orange peel skin to be absorbed by the earth; and a cigarette butt takes up to five years!! If you find litter on the slopes, be responsible and do the right thing - pick it up!
•	Do your bit to reduce global warming on holiday and at home. In hotels, re-use your towels each day, and where possible re-cycle your household waste. Many french ski resorts now have excellent recylcing facilities for plastics, cans and paper; glass and other waste. Additionally, if you're not in your chalet or hotel room, switch off electrical appliances when not in use. A TV that is viewed for less than one hour a day can actually use more energy when left on standby than it does during the time is being watched!
•	Encourage tour operators to adopt green policies. Find out if your tour operator offers train travel as an alternative to flying, if they use paper from sustainable forests for their brochures, if they use, for example, low-wattage light bulbs in their chalets and bio-degradable detergents
•	Investigate whether your chosen resort uses environmentally friendly practices. Many resorts now use bio-diesel fuel in piste-bashers, solar panels for heating, hydro-electricity/wind energy for power and a host of other initiatives. Some resorts use the International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14001 as a mark of their environmental credentials
•	Reduce CO2 emissions. By flying fewer miles, or switching from air to rail, you can help reduce the volume of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. When possible, use your bike instead of your car
•	Respect the natural habitat of mountain animals and plants. If you ski through trees, you can damage them by knocking off branches and killing young shoots under the snow. Take care. Many areas are out of bounds to protect the natural habitat of animals and plants - not just safety reasons

You can show your love of the mountains and how you care about their future by supporting their cause, and purchasing a RESPECT THE MOUNTAIN green wristband. Each of the wristbands costs £2, and can be purchased by visiting Ski Club of Great Britain. (All profits raised from the sale of the wristbands goes straight towards their tree planting scheme and research project.)

Tips for riding your mountain bike on all terrain

Climbing Hills

Traction is the key to successfully climbing hills on a mountain bike, this can be hard to achieve on loose rocks, roots and mud as is common place in most mountain biking areas. The biggest problem to overcome is the rear wheel spinning and slipping as you climb, or the front wheel lifting and you ending up doing an unforced wheelie. To get the right traction, you just need to learn how to distribute your weight evenly across the bike whilst feeding power to the right areas of the bike; oh yeah whilst picking the best line, pedalling at the right time and in the right gear. Piece of cake eh?! Shift your weight slightly to the back of your seat and lean your upper body forward - Remain seated. Learning how far to slide back and how much to lean is where the finesse of hill climbing becomes a real skill. It takes practice to learn how simple variations in forward and backwards movements of your body can help you get over obstacles and up steep hills. Drop your elbows and keep them close to your side, lowering the centre of gravity - as you become more expert you can start to shift your weight slightly further forward which should additionally help with the front wheel lifting. Keep your head up to pick your line - we all do it, we all look at the next dangerous obstacle and panic about how we're going to negotiate round it. For beginner riders this invariably means that you tend head straight for it. Turning the handlebars to avoid an obstacle can more often than not upset your balance rather than just going over it. Where it's not possible to power on over, you should see the obstacle and focus your attention immediately on the best route around it. Keep your focus on this point of reference and you will usually successfully navigate the tricky obstacle. Get in the right gear - When approaching a hill a common problem is to flick into the lowest gear (aka 'the granny ring') and attack the hill. Instead, select the gear that's just low enough that doesn't mean you have to stand on the pedals. Keep your pedalling motion constant and rhythmic.

Riding Downhill

Downhill mountain bike riding has to be one of the most exhilarating, adrenaline pumping activities you can do on a mountain bike. It's also one of the most dangerous, where wipe outs are all too common. Before heading out to do some serious downhill mountain biking you should make sure you have all the correct safety equipment. Full face helmet, relevant limb protection and suitable back and torso protection. It's pretty obvious, but make sure that your brakes are in full working order too, you don't want to spend several days licking your wounds!! Place your weight over the rear of the bike - Keep your rear end as far back as you can without losing control of the front of the bike. Stay Low, holding the front of your body as close to the bike as possible - On steep sections, place your belly on the saddle. Keep your legs and arms relaxed and flexible - Even though you may be riding a full suspension downhill mountain bike, your arms and legs are the most effective shock absorbers you have, and flexibility in your legs is key when riding over humps and bumps. When riding over the bumps, get your weight back over the rear wheel, and either grip the saddle with your thighs, or place your belly on the saddle keeping your knees bent and relaxed. Your elbows should also be slightly bent. Keep your feet in line with the ground - Unless negotiating sharp tight switchbacks or corners your feet should be in a 'platform' position at roughly 3 and 9 o'clock. If you start to loose control it's easy for you to just jump off the back of the bike. Trying to dismount over the top of the bike is not always the most practical on the steep stuff. Break evenly using both the front and back break - Sure, you'll want to rip down the trail at high speed but control your speed in case of unknown obstacles, there could be another rider or leisurely hiker that's lurking around the corner. Some people prefer to use the back break to stop them being thrown over the front handlebars, but theoretically, if you weight is correctly positioned across the bike then there is no problem using both. Additionally, if you overuse one or other break it could potentially overheat and fail. Pick a line and stick to it - As you descend, look ahead 15 to 20 feet. The route you choose and your brake control contribute to a fluid descent as well.

Switchback Riding

Tight switchback turns are tricky enough for even the most competent of riders. Tight, steep trails taking you up or down the mountain mean that switchbacks are commonplace in the Alps. It is not a good idea to skid round a switchback not only does it rip up the track, but you end up with less control and run the risk of falling off. If you're not an expert at bunny hopping, then you'll need to slow right down. Stay on the uphill side of the trail as you approach the switchback this will allow you to make the widest circle possible and avoid any obstacles lurking in the inside of the corner. Place your weight over the rear wheel and put your outside pedal forward (that's the pedal closest to the corner!). This is important to ensure that you remain flexible to move the bike and rotate your upper body. Pick your line - As you approach the corner, ensure your weight is on your outside pedal and slightly back on the saddle. Put your wheel to the outside of the corner and lean your the opposite direction until you are almost falling to the inside. Ease off the brakes and let the your bike roll under yourself. Remember to look at the exit of where you want to go, try to avoid looking at the drop off! When you have passed the tightest point of the inside corner and are beginning to come out of the corner, let off the brakes and start accelerating away. Some riders will naturally favour one foot over another and therefore find switchbacks to the right (left foot forward) easier than switchbacks to the left (right foot forward).

WARREN SMITH SKI ACADEMY ONLINE SKI COACHING

All the technique clips are in Quicktime format. If you can't see the clip then you will need to get Quicktime


FREERIDE / POWDER

When skiing powder or freeskiing off piste terrains its important to realise, especially if you haven’t had too much experience in this type of environment, that certain things you may do on piste naturally might not work so well here.


Shoulders
A common problem for many skiers moving from piste to off piste is there upper body management, directly relating to their shoulders. When you ski on piste and are trying to make dynamic turns you tend to stand with rounded shoulders. This usually aids a dynamic stance.

If your shoulders are rounded like so in powder or off piste terrains you may find them putting you out of balance. The main reason for this is that when your freeskiing you tend to find yourself trying to absorb large pressure shocks from the ever-changing terrain. If your shoulders are forwards when you’re in the process of trying to take the absorption you’ll find that no matter how much you try to take the shock by absorbing with the legs the shoulders will cause the whole body to be hurled forwards with a huge break at the waist. This almost always results in eating snow. Try to think about managing your shoulders for a while. Again, at first on piste, then when you feel you’ve got the hang of it try it in the off piste environment. A little bit of modification here can save a whole lot of time putting your skis back on in the powder just after that front flip that you didn’t want to do. (Clip ‘Powder – Shoulders’)

Wind Effected Snow
There’s a major difference between light powder snow and new snow that’s been affected by high winds. When snow falls with high winds it gets compacted together and rather than having a soft forgiving feel to it, it actually becomes quite firm and not so easy to absorb into.

When the fresh snow gets like this you need to take a different approach to skiing through it. The firmness of the snow means that you’ve got to work a lot harder to ski it. You need to adopt a way of skiing where your ‘powering’ through you your turns.

Power Turning Power Turning can be achieved by really forcing your legs out underneath you and keeping a constant pressure against and into the snow. As you start your turn allow yourself to rise above the snow as it will be difficult to turn in. As you come above the snow get prepared to start driving your skis back in it again to round your turn off. The amount of power needed to push the skis back in the firm surface of the snow is twice as much as you would normally need. It’s a bit like going in the gym and stacking up a couple of extra blocks for your leg extensions. If your working your legs with this degree of power you’ll find yourself powering through the firmly packed wind blow snow and actually enjoying what would have been a nightmare run. (Clip ‘Powder – Power Turning’)

The Warren Smith Ski Academy brings together some of the sports top professionals to create the ultimate coaching team guaranteeing ski technique solutions. Success is achieved by evolving traditional methods of coaching and focusing on the enjoyment and adrenaline factor. Skier Confidence is increased as levels of skill are developed. Awareness of new ski technology is raised at the Academy, showing skiers how to get greater sensations and more from their equipment. The courses cater for intermediate, advanced and expert skiers. The concept of the courses is building the individual's skill and confidence to enable them to ski the whole mountain and not be restricted by the terrain. The ski clips shown here are taken from Warren's Ski Academy DVDs (£16.99 each + p&p), which give further solutions for Carving / Steeps / Moguls / Freeskiing, with 3 lessons now available progressively building upon each other. If you would like to mail order a DVD please email for more info. Mail order is sent out by Royal Mail and is approx a 2 day delivery from order; alternatively visit Warren's website for details.

Warren Smith is one of Britain leading professional freeskiers and an Internationally Certified Performance Coach. He has spent many years teaching recreational skiers, developing ski instructors and coaching racers all over Europe. As the person who created Britain's first official Freeride Championships in association with the IFSA (International Free Ski Association) and X-Games, the Verbier Ride in 1999, he has since developed the Saas-Fee Ride (European Summer Freeski Championships) and the London Ride. Warren is one of the most innovative instructors working in the Alps today and has earned a name for himself for getting results with his students. Here Warren and Verbinet.com have teamed up to give you the chance to pick up on some of those tips and tricks for yourselves, to help you prepare that technique for all that Verbier can throw at you!

Some useful tips for safe skiing

•	If renting from a local hire shop, ensure the boots and bindings have been set, adjusted and maintained to a good, reasonable standard
•	Check binding settings are appropriate to weight and height
•	Wear a helmet at all times, and make sure that it fits correctly. Some head injuries could be prevented or reduced in severity if a properly fitted helmet is worn
•	Stay in control of your skis/board at all times. Ski within your abilities noting the colour of the poles at the side of the run indicating the difficulty level
•	Warm up before starting the day’s skiing, and rest when tired. Most ski injuries tend to involve tears or strains at the beginning or end of the day
•	Stay on piste on the marked trails unless suitably experienced or with a fully trained mountain guide
•	Avoid potential avalanche areas which may have a higher risk at certain times of the year and after heavy snowfalls. Read the regular avalanche bulletins provided by the Météo France, or Henry’s Avalanche talk and listen to their advice
•	Ski with a partner of group of friends, and never go off piste alone. If going off piste, always tell somebody where you are intending to go. See our Backcountry Safety code below.

If your skis or snowboard are stolen here's a list of things you should do:

•	Double-check the area where you left them, just in case. It is possible they have fallen over, and / or have been put back in a different location.
•	Report the theft to the police as soon as possible. Don’t be fobbed off by the lack of interest by the local police force. They see this type of incident all the time, and are therefore not always the most helpful. Be persistent, this is necessary and required by all insurance companies.
•	If applicable, tell your resort representative. If they were rental skis, you'll probably have to deal with the shop, and they may be able to provide some assistance. When hiring the skis, some rental shops will offer additional insurance to protect you against theft. If you choose not to take this option, or the rental shop doesn’t provide this service, you will probably have to pay for the skis (to the replacement cost value) and then claim on your insurance.
•	Theft tends to happen when you least expect it. Speaking from personal experience, even placing your skis directly behind you as you sit in a café or bar can be a mistake…- BE AWARE!!