Valloires, The french alps

[JACKTARD]

anyone ever been?

im going in february with school snowboarding.

i dnt know what to expect, i go on holiday places hot each year, ive never been somewhere like this.

[efq]

I have been to the French Alps and its a wonderful place, nice food too! I was used to hot places but the cold shouldn't come as a big shock. Just a little basic info on what you could be doing

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My mate is a Ski/Snowboard Instructor at Lungae in Austria for schools mostly, (From Febuary-April) and sometimes I go with him and because I ski with him as he teaches the schools so this is what he does.

I've been Skiing and Snowboarding, and trust me, you'll love it. You know by the environment and all the snow that it's going to be cold... when you get going your going to feel on fire. I have gone in a thin, short sleeved t-shirt because it gets boiling. This doesn't mean bring factor 50 suncream.

With a school... erm I would probably think they will take you to a nursery thing at the bottom of the slopes, show you how to start, stop, turn. They will then probably split you into groups 'Rubbish' 'Ok' 'Good' (Depending on how large the amount of people are going)

You will then go with your leader to the slopes, start going etc. Start on small ones then by then end of the trip you will be snowboarding on the very big slopes. I've been with my mate with the experts, ok and rubbish groups and even the rubbish group is at the second to largest slope by the end of the trip, which is above the clouds!

You will also after a few days snowboard down from the top of the mountain all the way down a few times.

Like I said, I know this because I go with my mate who is the head ski instructor at Lungae in Austria. He is the biggest show off ski instructor and all the girls love him :/

So I will assume your going for a week and will plan it for you as if what me and my mate would do in Austria;

• First day, sort your sizes and stuff for the boards and take you to the bottom of the slope. (This is artificial snow, you arn't actually on the mountain properly.) They will teach you how to put the snowboard on and off. How to turn, move forward a bit, slow down etc. Then go down a little slope (again not on the mountain, the grass is around the snow) - Then the will split you into groups, according to skill. You will then be taught (if needed) how to use the ski lifts etc. Once up you will just do a little blue slope on learning how to snowboard. At lunchtime you'll stop for lunch and drink and then go back.
• Second day, You will go to the nursery slope up on the moutains again all day and get used to it.
• Third day, depending on group. If you are new to it and first time you will go to the nursery slope again and probably taught how to use the T bar (A little lift thing that you stand up and hold onto that pulls you back to the begiinning of the nursery slope)
• Fourth Day, me and my mate would probably start slowly taking you down the mountain, it lasts about 2 hours but gets you used to it. You then get to the bottom, back on the lift up then go on the nursery slope, have lunch then down the mountain again, back up and down again and go back to your hotel or whatever.
• Fifth day, you go on steeper and bigger slopes etc and down mountain again.
• Sixth Day, again bigger slopes, new areas etc and down the mountain probably again.
• Last day, biggest slope that the instructor thinks the group can handle a few times and down the mountain.

It is a lot of fun and hope you enjoy it.