Couldn’t fit a holiday in this winter? Or did, but still jonesing for more? If that sounds like you, then it’s well worth considering a summer camp. Sore resorts are open year-round, all of them ripe for good times. Maybe even the best of times; as William Shakespeare put it, “summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” And that was without ever knowing the joys of doing park laps in a T-shirt.
The undisputed daddy of European glacier riding is Les Deux Alpes in France, and during June and July Onyx Snowboarding (onyxsnowboarding.com) are out in force. Now in their 6th year, they’re running week-long sessions designed to make the most out of the epic features and forgiving conditions and as you can see from the video above, they have a lot of fun doing so.
Mornings are spent on the mountain, brushing up on all aspects of freestyle riding from jibbing to halfpipe. In a group of no more than six riders of similar ability, you’ll be put through the paces by some of Europe’s top coaches, with progression the order of the day.
Once the lifts shut, your afternoons are free for taking it easy by the famous outdoor pool – or you can always get involved with one of several off-hill activites: trampolining, skateboarding, volleyball, mountain-biking and even golf are on offer, as well as plenty of places to wet your whistle. Prices start from £569 for 7 night’s accommodation, a 6-day lift pass and 6 days of coaching, alongside several extra perks such as video analysis sessions and snowboard maintenance demonstration. If you still need convincing, Chris Moran’s thoughts on the summer shred in the latest mag should have you filling your boardbag with suncream faster than you can say Factor 50.
