My wife and I have ridden with Bret Rasmussen and at a separate time one of his employees. They were both great and we progressed in a dramatic fashion vs. trying to learn on our own. It was well worth the time and $$. We will be doing it again this year and am hoping to follow Bret into the trees for more than 30 seconds this time! In the process we made some great friends and contacts. Check out Rasmussen, Mike Duffy and Driven, LLC who are putting on multiple events this year to help snowmobilers improve their backcountry proficiency and safety skill.
Riding Clinics / Thoughts, Experiances ???
- Thread starter FatDogX
- Start date
I think it is also important to mention the fact that there is a difference between a riding clinic and a guide service. the clinic will teach you to be a better rider regardless of your skill level. I guide service will show you where to ride but will offer very little in the area of instruction on how to become a better rider. That is not to say that you cant learn from a guide service. its just geared for people who want to get out an ride in areas they are not familiar with. Obviously any good guide service will provide some instructions with regard to safely riding the back country.
I took one of Amber Holt's private clinics in island park a few year ago unfortunately for me the last few winters i have not been able to practice what i learned because of poor snow and other factors out of my control. I look forward to being able to get back and take another one. Any of the clinics will be well worth the cost and effort to get to them. having someone with a trained eye watch what you are doing and correct you right on the spot is priceless. I would highly recommend Amber's clinic to anyone. Be ready to work. the only side effect that i found was that after you take her clinic you will hear this voice in your head saying " look up you idiot " long after you get back home.
I took one of Amber Holt's private clinics in island park a few year ago unfortunately for me the last few winters i have not been able to practice what i learned because of poor snow and other factors out of my control. I look forward to being able to get back and take another one. Any of the clinics will be well worth the cost and effort to get to them. having someone with a trained eye watch what you are doing and correct you right on the spot is priceless. I would highly recommend Amber's clinic to anyone. Be ready to work. the only side effect that i found was that after you take her clinic you will hear this voice in your head saying " look up you idiot " long after you get back home.
Hi Tony. I saw your post and wanted to share our website with you. MOUNTAIN SKILLZ is gearing up for our third season of operation. We have a variety of options this season as well as preseason registration specials. I don't want to turn the thread into a sales pitch but I am more than happy to answer any questions!
Thanks, Matt
Hey Tim,
I am glad you and Amy got a lot out of Brett's clinic. Also fun riding with you two at Seeley with Caleb.
Heres to another great winter!
Tony
Matt,
Your clinic is definitely on the list of considered rides. I have rode South Fork and loved it. I will probably be talking to you again at Haydays. but unfortunately it wont be at he Thunderstruck show like last year.
What are your thoughts for a good intermediate rider that likely will not be able to get any of his group to go on a clinic with him? My fears are getting into a group that is to diverse in ability causing a scaled back clinic.
Thanks
Tony
I look forward to seeing you at Haydays! We'll have a spot with SnowBigDeal. The way that I book out dates is first come, first serve. I won't mix skill and experience levels between unfamiliar riders. That takes away from the ultimate goal and experience of everyone. I will only combine people/groups if I feel that they are close enough and have similar goals expressed. I have no problem with working 1 on 1. I really enjoy working with groups of people that normally ride together and that seems to benefit everyone as they can continue to work on what they learned and push each other simultaneously. Not to mention heckling your buddies is always fun! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I would be very interested depending on prices. some buddies I ride out west with aren't going this year due to poor grain prices, building houses etc.
-is it possible for me to jump into a group at most clinics or how does that work?
-is it possible for me to jump into a group at most clinics or how does that work?
P
PowderProject
Well-known member
Carly Davis and I will be heading to Whistler to do a camp with Geoff Kyle on Feb 20-22! We always have a blast and we love to shred and we love to teach!! Hope everyone is doing their snow dances because it is time!!!!
http://geoffkylesfreeride.com/book-...nts-service=7&nts-time=1424487600&nts-seats=1
http://geoffkylesfreeride.com/book-...nts-service=7&nts-time=1424487600&nts-seats=1
S
snowrdr
Well-known member
What a great thread! So I have had the chance to ride with Chris on 2 different occasions and guys I can honestly tell you, it is an experience beyond belief. He really pushes you to levels you never thought possible and his on snow instruction with my visits was amazing. Was supposed to make a 3rd trip last season but was sidelined because of a snowmobile preseason training accident.
I have also been able to ride with Dan and the crew at Next Level on a couple different occasions as well and OMG what a great group of guys and super instruction on the snow in all situations. Just incredible guys and amazing personal challenges put out there and yes they make you better riders. I will be seeing these awesome guys again at Pink Ribbon Riders in Wyoming!
Brett, amazing instruction and made my wife a huge fan of his after he threw her on the front of his sled and did everything you see on the videos, with her loving every minute of sliding down the hill on a turbo sled. His on snow instruction is like the above mentioned guys and I cannot wait to have him come out to the Sierra in February!!!!
Really good point brought up by Matt M about conditioning. I am really impressed to read his training routine and I cannot help but support his conditioning program. I have been cycling all off season and logged 1000 miles on a road bike and 600 miles on a mountain bike with well over 100,000 vertical feet of climbing combined. While not cycling I do intense Boot Camp conditioning programs 3-4 times per week and at times have cycled to those classes, done the classes and ridden home after. Conditioning is HUGE and will change the way you ride with you and your buddy's as well, lets just say breaks become fewer for you while they need to gasp for air
.
Ambers class I have heard and read only the best, while I have not experienced her instruction I have met her on different occasions and she is a rockstar of a person and I can only imagine what her classes are all about!
Again really cool thread and very informative to read others experiences. Amazing to read others conditioning routines and enjoy everyone as all the above make you think different about terrain and challenge you to become a better more technical rider.
Its also an option to pick up a fat bike this winter to ride 5-10 miles before going out and riding sleds just to get the juices flowing!
I have also been able to ride with Dan and the crew at Next Level on a couple different occasions as well and OMG what a great group of guys and super instruction on the snow in all situations. Just incredible guys and amazing personal challenges put out there and yes they make you better riders. I will be seeing these awesome guys again at Pink Ribbon Riders in Wyoming!
Brett, amazing instruction and made my wife a huge fan of his after he threw her on the front of his sled and did everything you see on the videos, with her loving every minute of sliding down the hill on a turbo sled. His on snow instruction is like the above mentioned guys and I cannot wait to have him come out to the Sierra in February!!!!
Really good point brought up by Matt M about conditioning. I am really impressed to read his training routine and I cannot help but support his conditioning program. I have been cycling all off season and logged 1000 miles on a road bike and 600 miles on a mountain bike with well over 100,000 vertical feet of climbing combined. While not cycling I do intense Boot Camp conditioning programs 3-4 times per week and at times have cycled to those classes, done the classes and ridden home after. Conditioning is HUGE and will change the way you ride with you and your buddy's as well, lets just say breaks become fewer for you while they need to gasp for air
. Ambers class I have heard and read only the best, while I have not experienced her instruction I have met her on different occasions and she is a rockstar of a person and I can only imagine what her classes are all about!
Again really cool thread and very informative to read others experiences. Amazing to read others conditioning routines and enjoy everyone as all the above make you think different about terrain and challenge you to become a better more technical rider.
Its also an option to pick up a fat bike this winter to ride 5-10 miles before going out and riding sleds just to get the juices flowing!
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P
PowderProject
Well-known member
What a great thread! So I have had the chance to ride with Chris on 2 different occasions and guys I can honestly tell you, it is an experience beyond belief. He really pushes you to levels you never thought possible and his on snow instruction with my visits was amazing. Was supposed to make a 3rd trip last season but was sidelined because of a snowmobile preseason training accident.
I have also been able to ride with Dan and the crew at Next Level on a couple different occasions as well and OMG what a great group of guys and super instruction on the snow in all situations. Just incredible guys and amazing personal challenges put out there and yes they make you better riders. I will be seeing these awesome guys again at Pink Ribbon Riders in Wyoming!
Brett, amazing instruction and made my wife a huge fan of his after he threw her on the front of his sled and did everything you see on the videos, with her loving every minute of sliding down the hill on a turbo sled. His on snow instruction is like the above mentioned guys and I cannot wait to have him come out to the Sierra in February!!!!
Really good point brought up by Matt M about conditioning. I am really impressed to read his training routine and I cannot help but support his conditioning program. I have been cycling all off season and logged 1000 miles on a road bike and 600 miles on a mountain bike with well over 100,000 vertical feet of climbing combined. While not cycling I do intense Boot Camp conditioning programs 3-4 times per week and at times have cycled to those classes, done the classes and ridden home after. Conditioning is HUGE and will change the way you ride with you and your buddy's as well, lets just say breaks become fewer for you while they need to gasp for air
Ambers class I have heard and read only the best, while I have not experienced her instruction I have met her on different occasions and she is a rockstar of a person and I can only imagine what her classes are all about!
Again really cool thread and very informative to read others experiences. Amazing to read others conditioning routines and enjoy everyone as all the above make you think different about terrain and challenge you to become a better more technical rider.
Its also an option to pick up a fat bike this winter to ride 5-10 miles before going out and riding sleds just to get the juices flowing!
You should be training us on conditioning! You sound like a machine! Radness!!
V
volcano buster
Well-known member
I attended an Amber Holt clinic at 7 Devils Lodge in Idaho 2 years ago. I picked up a lot of things to make my riding style smoother even though this would not have been considered an advanced class, I think everyone there learned a lot. I also appreciated the Avalanche training session that we likely don't get enough practice at. I upgraded my beacon and probe since then as the old analog beacon no longer impressed me.
Well back from the Next Level Clinic with Dan Adams and all I can say is, if you ever thought about attending a clinic............DO IT!!!!
We went with a group of five and had an absolute great time!!!
Hats off to Dan, Levi, Jason and Irina as they all made us feel welcome while providing excellent instruction, tips and of course encouragement!!!
They push you, and provide instant feedback when then things don't go quite right as well as showing new techniques to improve your riding.
If and when you go, just be prepared to work!! learn and of course you'll have a great time!!
We went with a group of five and had an absolute great time!!!
Hats off to Dan, Levi, Jason and Irina as they all made us feel welcome while providing excellent instruction, tips and of course encouragement!!!
They push you, and provide instant feedback when then things don't go quite right as well as showing new techniques to improve your riding.
If and when you go, just be prepared to work!! learn and of course you'll have a great time!!
It been a while since this thread had a post and plenty of time for these classes to change.
I'm going to book a class this winter. I want the instructional type learning experience and on the mountain training and instruction.
What are the current recommend ones to go to?
I'm going to book a class this winter. I want the instructional type learning experience and on the mountain training and instruction.
What are the current recommend ones to go to?
I took a basic 1 day clinic in Island Park a few years ago with Amber Holt of Backcountry Basics. The snow conditions were terrible, but Amber was a great instructor and we made the best of it and came away with some good fundamentals. It seems Amber had some frustrations with the snowmobiling industry and has gotten out of the business. It's a shame, I think she was a huge asset to riders of all skill levels as she was a great teacher and in the short time I got to know her, she seemed like an awesome person in general.
Last year I did a 3 day workshop on Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado with http://www.mountainskillz.com/ with Matt Entz.
We could not have asked for better riding conditions for late December. We probed an 8' base with several new feet of powder that dumped on us during the first 2 days and a bluebird third day.
I was not able to convince any of my riding buddies to join me on the trip so in the time leading up to the scheduled dates, Matt was great at communicating to establish the schedule, and gather info about my riding skills and what type of goals I had and which skills I wanted to work on while riding. He was able to pair the riders up with people of similar skillsets so that we could help and push each other as we rode.
Each day began bright and early with Matt picking me, my sled and gear up at the http://thewolfcreekskilodge.com/ located at the base of the pass. After a short ride up the hill we would link up with the other riders at the parking area. We would go over our gear, do a beacon check, and then Matt would go over the avy report for the day and answer any questions that we had regarding the conditions or terrain.
From there we would head out to the riding area Matt had in mind. On the first morning Matt walked us through some very basic sled handling techniques to see how we handled the sled. After a short time and some pointers and demonstrations from Matt, even the newest rider was able to maneuver the sled and make it go where he needed to, so we moved on to some better terrain.
There was a good mix of terrain, a more open meadow with scattered islands of trees bordered by steeper densely treed hillsides. Matt pointed out some basic boundaries and asked that we stay within the area and we just rode as we pleased. We were told if(when) we got a bad stuck, not to exert ourselves trying to dig ourselves or fellow riders out, but to wait for him to come and get us out. He did not want us wearing ourselves out digging so we could better focus on riding and working on technique. The thing that was really great about the areas Matt picked was since there was a mix of skill levels the more experienced guys could be working on steeper terrain picking though the trees, and the lesser skilled riders could work on powder turns and carving in the more open spots and the mid range guys could choose to ride a mix of the two. This way no one gets bored, but no one is overly intimidated by the terrain.
I found the stucks very educational as Matt would come up to help and each time we could discuss what I should have done different in that particular situation and Matt would show different techniques for getting unstuck using the terrain and gravity to do most of the work. After about the 5 th stuck of the morning and watching Matt dig out the 3 or 4 other riders as many times, the cost of the workshop began to seem like a major bargain!
The day went on with Matt giving individual lines to try, him following us, assessing and giving pointers and demonstrations, and having us (try) to follow him and observe techniques. Once an area would get tracked up, we'd move on to and area with fresh terrain and zero tracks and new challenges.
For several of us in the workshop, this was our first ride of the season so rest breaks were definitely needed and while we would catch our breath, Matt would tear it up and put on a show. For me, these were some of the highlights, getting to watch a rider of that caliber playing and shredding the hillsides.
I definitely got a lot out of Mountain Skillz. My riding progressed alot in the three days I worked with Matt. I saw some amazing terrain and Matt absolutely encouraged and push me to new levels.
This was not a closed course clinic, and was definitely not a " try to keep up and maybe I'll give you some pointers" type of experience. Matt is a great teacher, extremely hard working, patient and just plain fun to ride with.
I have another three day workshop booked with Mountain Skillz to kick off my season this December, and can't wait to get to ride the Wolf Creek Pass area again.... this time on BOOST!
Last year I did a 3 day workshop on Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado with http://www.mountainskillz.com/ with Matt Entz.
We could not have asked for better riding conditions for late December. We probed an 8' base with several new feet of powder that dumped on us during the first 2 days and a bluebird third day.
I was not able to convince any of my riding buddies to join me on the trip so in the time leading up to the scheduled dates, Matt was great at communicating to establish the schedule, and gather info about my riding skills and what type of goals I had and which skills I wanted to work on while riding. He was able to pair the riders up with people of similar skillsets so that we could help and push each other as we rode.
Each day began bright and early with Matt picking me, my sled and gear up at the http://thewolfcreekskilodge.com/ located at the base of the pass. After a short ride up the hill we would link up with the other riders at the parking area. We would go over our gear, do a beacon check, and then Matt would go over the avy report for the day and answer any questions that we had regarding the conditions or terrain.
From there we would head out to the riding area Matt had in mind. On the first morning Matt walked us through some very basic sled handling techniques to see how we handled the sled. After a short time and some pointers and demonstrations from Matt, even the newest rider was able to maneuver the sled and make it go where he needed to, so we moved on to some better terrain.
There was a good mix of terrain, a more open meadow with scattered islands of trees bordered by steeper densely treed hillsides. Matt pointed out some basic boundaries and asked that we stay within the area and we just rode as we pleased. We were told if(when) we got a bad stuck, not to exert ourselves trying to dig ourselves or fellow riders out, but to wait for him to come and get us out. He did not want us wearing ourselves out digging so we could better focus on riding and working on technique. The thing that was really great about the areas Matt picked was since there was a mix of skill levels the more experienced guys could be working on steeper terrain picking though the trees, and the lesser skilled riders could work on powder turns and carving in the more open spots and the mid range guys could choose to ride a mix of the two. This way no one gets bored, but no one is overly intimidated by the terrain.
I found the stucks very educational as Matt would come up to help and each time we could discuss what I should have done different in that particular situation and Matt would show different techniques for getting unstuck using the terrain and gravity to do most of the work. After about the 5 th stuck of the morning and watching Matt dig out the 3 or 4 other riders as many times, the cost of the workshop began to seem like a major bargain!
The day went on with Matt giving individual lines to try, him following us, assessing and giving pointers and demonstrations, and having us (try) to follow him and observe techniques. Once an area would get tracked up, we'd move on to and area with fresh terrain and zero tracks and new challenges.
For several of us in the workshop, this was our first ride of the season so rest breaks were definitely needed and while we would catch our breath, Matt would tear it up and put on a show. For me, these were some of the highlights, getting to watch a rider of that caliber playing and shredding the hillsides.
I definitely got a lot out of Mountain Skillz. My riding progressed alot in the three days I worked with Matt. I saw some amazing terrain and Matt absolutely encouraged and push me to new levels.
This was not a closed course clinic, and was definitely not a " try to keep up and maybe I'll give you some pointers" type of experience. Matt is a great teacher, extremely hard working, patient and just plain fun to ride with.
I have another three day workshop booked with Mountain Skillz to kick off my season this December, and can't wait to get to ride the Wolf Creek Pass area again.... this time on BOOST!
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Matt Entz's Mountain Skillz is an awesome way to go. Matt is a top notch rider and also an incredible instructor. He is great at explaining stuff and will teach you what YOU want to learn. If you want to get better at riding trees, he's your man, if you want to get better at doing drops and jumps, he can do that too. Can't recommend him highly enough. He's also not too far from you, just over in Colorado
I have to echo what's been said. My first clinic was with Amber Holt. Great closes course drills-based instruction for beginning riders. But her advanced class is just a stretched out version of the beginner stuff.
Matt Entz was awesome, and everything described by others! He focused on letting you ride in an area, following you for a bit, giving tips and one-on-one instruction. Once mastered, new terrain with new challenges. I was tested more and improved moreso as a rider with him than with anyone to date, including Bret Rasmussen. Definitely my top pick!
Bret is everything you've seen in the Schooled videos and more. His skill and grace are unmatched, and the Driven crew that coordinated of class did a great job of logistics. They put us in very intense terrain and challenged us all day. But Bret is a "follow me and I'll circle back when you're stuck. Maybe." kind of instructor. We had to specifically seek out his support riders for instruction and suggestions or just flounder. Thanks to Cameron Chimenti for the time he gave me, as I did learn from riding with him. Just not as much as Matt.
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Matt Entz was awesome, and everything described by others! He focused on letting you ride in an area, following you for a bit, giving tips and one-on-one instruction. Once mastered, new terrain with new challenges. I was tested more and improved moreso as a rider with him than with anyone to date, including Bret Rasmussen. Definitely my top pick!
Bret is everything you've seen in the Schooled videos and more. His skill and grace are unmatched, and the Driven crew that coordinated of class did a great job of logistics. They put us in very intense terrain and challenged us all day. But Bret is a "follow me and I'll circle back when you're stuck. Maybe." kind of instructor. We had to specifically seek out his support riders for instruction and suggestions or just flounder. Thanks to Cameron Chimenti for the time he gave me, as I did learn from riding with him. Just not as much as Matt.
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