This was the Best Snowboard Holiday….ever

Just back from a fabulous two weeks at Auron in the Alps Maritime. And what a great time we all had. It has to be the best snowboard holiday …ever.  Just ‘like old times’ as this was our fifteenth year there. The weather was good to us, fresh snow and some lovely sunny days.

Over the two weeks there were 29 of us. The first week was mostly for beginners, and everyone achieved a great deal with  varying degrees of ease. Finishing the week on a high with black and red pistes under a few belts. Nice to see beginners progress and achieve so much.  Well done you guys! I am sure you are now in the ‘I love Auron’ team.

 

The second week was for the hard core veteran nutters. Luckily it had snowed during the first week and early in the second week so we had plenty of powder and enough to enjoy some good off piste.

However this group seemed to spend a lot of time rolling in the powder and performing strange balancing acts in the evening. This year we were blessed with the lovely Le Face Black Mogul run. Locals heard to cry ‘Mon Dieu’ at the top so needless to say a few heroic tumbles and scary off piste moments to laugh (or cry) over in the evenings.

Highlight of the two weeks has to be the a stunning blue skies enjoyed for at least half our days there. Sun and snow what a combination. And as to Auron I will ‘say no more’ word is starting to get around….and it is ours we guard it for ever. WE LOVE AURON

Best Beginner Snowboard Trip Auron 2018

Beginner Snowboard and Intermediates all welcome 27th Jan – 10th Feb

We have been going to Auron (north of Nice) for over 15 years. Positioned in the Alps Maritime the highest lift is 2,600 metres and there are snow canons on the main pistes. We have had some of our best powder there but of course nothing is certain. But there is always enough snow for beginners and intermediates. BIG advantage of Auron for your Beginner Snowboard Trip are the lift prices. Probably half the price of the well known resorts and special rates for students and debutantes. After all if you are learning it seems crazy to pay for a whole mountain. But if you are a good snowboarder or skier there are 140 km of pistes and plenty of off piste as well.

You are invited to join us for a Beginner Snowboard Trip. You will need to book your flights to Nice either 27th Jan or 3rd Feb to arrive before 16.00 as the 740 Bus goes up to Auron at 16.55 price around 5 euros. There is also a snowbus that goes around midday. We can book accommodation which will cost approximately £150 for shared sleeping and £250 for private room. Local tax payable on arrival around 2 euros a day. Accommodation is basic but clean in the Alpina which also has an indoor swimming pool and cooking facilities in your room.

There will be a great group of guys to make you feel welcome. Some very good and some not so good boarders. We can arrange for lessons and also guiding you round the mountain. Beginner lessons around £40 for two hours, and guiding £20 for two hours. But you can decide on arrival. And also pay a daily rate for your lift pass in case you feel nervous about committing. You can hire kit at the resort and we can pre-book for you at Ziggys (classic cool guy) or you can pre-book online with Ski 2000. Again very reasonable. Or of course bring your own. 

There are plentiful mountain top restaurants and bars and you will be pretty certain of some lovely sunny days at Auron. Socially we normally eat out in the evenings, or meet up in someones apartment or a local bar. We sometimes hit the one and only nightclub…very French and noisy.  The locals are extremely friendly and always seem to be the same faces..like coming home.

Learn to Water Ski in Falmouth, Cornwall

Lester Cruse, founder of Adventure Sports and Activity Holidays has put together some instruction on How to Waterski

How to Waterski

1 – Start Position
Skis at 45º, Arms straight around outside of knees. Legs and skis are shoulder width apart. Tuck up tight with chest to knees and bum pushed towards heels. Get your upper body mass close to the pivot point – your feet

2 – The Initial Pull
Keeping the tuck position, allow the boat to pull you through the water. The angle of the skis should provide a resulting lift and you should begin to rotate over the pivot point (your feet). Do not try to stand or pull yourself up, simply rock forward.

3 – A Stable Crouch
Continue to rock forward until you are in a balanced crouch position, with your bum clear of the water. Keep your arms straight and you should now be skiing in the same tuck position you started in, having rotated over your pivot point (your feet)

4 – Rise Slowly
Don’t be in a hurry to stand. When you feel balanced, come up slowly to a naturally balanced position. Do not lean back and do not use line tension to help with your balance. If you wobble, simply crouch down and regain balance. You won’t fall if you keep your centre of gravity low.

5 – The Skiing Position
When balanced and comfortable, keeping your arms straight, move your hips forward and your shoulders back. If you are properly balanced, you should have the feeling that letting go of the line should have no affect other than slowing down. You are now skiing.

To turn you should apply more weight to the inner edge of the opposite ski.
To turn right, push down on the inside edge of the left ski.
To turn left, push down on the inside edge of the right ski.
Similar to beginner snow skiing, plough the right ski to turn left and plough the left ski to turn right.

Common Faults in How to Waterski

Pulling on the line and trying to stand before getting balanced – Make sure you rotate over your pivot point (your feet), before trying to stand.
Pushing out your legs and doing the ‘splits’ – Maintain the tuck position and control your legs. Your legs should not be used until stage 4, when you try to stand.
Throwing your head back in a ‘brace yourself’ fashion – Keep your shoulders forward.
Knees come together like ‘Bambi’, making it difficult to rock forward – Keep everything parallel and shoulder width apart.
Being pulled over the top – that’s just jelly, hold a tight start position tuck until balanced.

 

British Water Ski Federation

This weekend I went Wakeboarding in Falmouth

It is fifteen years since I went Wakeboarding in Falmouth.

Since 2002 I have been wakeboarding in the Gulf of St Tropez so understandably I was rather apprehensive. I need not have worried. The sun was out, the sea was flat, and best of all no super yachts or other craft to chop up the waters. Quiet and with idyllic scenery.

We started the afternoon with lunch at the Pandora Inn with just the best crab sandwich ever.  Then we headed across Falmouth Bay to the Helford River in lovely sunny conditions. Our Jeanneau 7.5 reaching 38knots very happily

We passed Frenchmans Creek and met our friends who had paddled 9 nm to meet us. (They are training for a sea kayak crossing to the Scillies). As the sun was shining and there were no other boats about it was perfect to get in the water.

To be honest I didn’t feel in the slightest cold, and the conditions were great. I persuaded my mate to go in as well. She had a good laugh and really enjoyed the session.

When we finished wakeboarding we took the boat alongside at the Helford Yacht club and enjoyed a sundowner with our friends. Overlooking the Helford river with stunning views. What could be better

And finally we towed our intrepid kayakers back to Falmouth. Think the drinks after the 9nm paddle might have had something to do with it. Anyway a new activity is born..Canadian kayak surfing. A bit hard on the shoulders and knees though.

What a fabulous day and to top it off a beautiful sunset as we powered back in to Falmouth marina at 38knots. What a lovely end to the perfect day.

You too can enjoy wakeboarding in Falmouth. We are based at Premier Marina in Falmouth and offer wakeboarding training and boat charters which can be for half or full day. You can wakeboard as part of your boat charter. It makes such a great day on the water if you can get together with a group of friends and share the cost. For my money just perfect!

 

Wakeboarding in Cornwall

Learn to wakeboard the best way – Behind a Boat

Wakeboarding Cornwall (part of Activity Holidays Cornwall) is based in the Falmouth Estuary therefore, on any given day, we can find calm, sheltered water somewhere out of the wind, at ANY state of tide.
Our boat is a 7.5 metre Jeanneau Cap Camarat with 250 hp. It has a ski and wakeboard arch, a blue tooth sound system and can handle groups of up to six.

BWSF and RYA Qualified Instructors with over 35 years experience. Excellent equipment and the Best Tuition.

£40 per person per set (approx 20 mins) OR
Charter the Boat for the Day (£350 + fuel). Great value for a group of friends.

Unaffected by tide as the boat is moored in Falmouth Marina, ready to go at any time.

Wakeboarding Cornwall

There are not that many places you can wakeboard in Cornwall, and most are Cable Parks based in a lake, reservoir or even a quarry pit. Here at Wakeboarding Cornwall, we specialise in teaching wakeboarding, wakesurfing and waterskiing, using a boat. Lester and Jenny have taught 1000s to wakeboard over a great many years, in different countries (last 15 years spent in St Tropez, France). We are now back in Cornwall where we started 35 years ago as Adventure Sports.

We have a new boat and some great kit including Wakesurfing , Wakeskating and Waterskiing. Wakeboarding Cornwall operate from May until the end of September and we are not dependent on the tide. As the boat is moored at Falmouth Marina we would require booking, and preferably as a group (min 2). Singles might consider booking as a day or weekend client and join with others. Please call Jenny on 01208 821773 or 07710 219465.

We hope to see you during the 2018 season for some real watersports behind a boat.

Learn Wakesurfing

Learn Wakesurfing and Wakeboarding in Cornwall

Wakesurfing is the sport where Surfing and Wake boarding get together. It is possible to ride an endless wave created from the wake of a powerboat.  And the bigger the wake the bigger the wave. In this sport the handle becomes less important, except when getting out of the water – shown below in the five stages. When you learn wakesurfing, getting on to the board is slightly more difficult because, unlike wakeboarding, there are no bindings and timing and balance are needed, plus of course a good boat driver!  Once the board is planing the feeling is very similar to surfing.You need to concentrate on balancing without tension on the line and being more fluid in the knees and ankles to control the wake surf.

Great fun and challenging, we all enjoy this sport at Activity Holidays in Cornwall, it is one of our favourites along with wakeboarding which we can’t get enough of.

Here’s how to do it….

1. First position the board horizontally in front. Place your heels over the board, nearside of centre line so that when standing, your feet will assume a surfing stance, centrally on board. The offset heel placement will dip the nearside and raise the front edge of the board so that when the power is applied, the resistance will push the board to your feet and the grip deck will keep it positioned.
2. Keep tension in the line while sculling with one hand, tucking body close to the board, keeping pressure on the heels.
3. Place both hands on handle and when the power comes on keep knees tucked close to chest and pull your body over the board keeping knees bent, weight even.
4. Immediately stand, moving weight slightly to back foot and knees bent in surfing stance. Feet should be on centreline with front foot about 45 degrees.
5. Release back hand and give a little toe edge to follow boat. Keep knees bent and focus on balance….you’re wakesurfing – Happy Boarding!

The technique is virtually the same as Wake Skating but the board is obviously much bigger and less manageable. Using the heels to initiate the tilt is the key.

Great for practicing your surfing skills on wave less days!

The ultimate intention in Wakesurfing is to jack up the boat wake to peak just behind the boat by increasing weight to back of boat and engine tilt, so that you can ride the standing wave WITHOUT THE HANDLE.
This puts you dangerously near the prop, should you wipe out and to be frank, unless you can generate a BIG wake, is pretty boring. You can’t do much or get very far from the wake as you drop off, and get left behind.
To see a boat load of “dudes” all hanging at the back of the boat, watching some rider wick wacking, up and down a pissy little wake, is NOT cool.

Wakesurfing without the handle needs – Big boat, big engine, big weight, big wake – OK, but watch he prop! If you fall, fall clear.

If you want to carve like on big waves, it’s better to stay back, on the handle and shred the wake.

Here is a video of the worlds Best performing and are far from Boring. Notice how good the wake is and how the boat has been weight biased to increase the wake on the left or right side, to favour ‘natural’ (left foot forward) and ‘goofy’ (right foot forward) riders.

Have Fun.

Activity Holidays Cornwall

Lester and Jenny Cruse have returned to their roots in Cornwall to provide activity holidays Cornwall .
With over 35 years of experience in Adventure Activities, we are now offering holidays and weekends back in Cornwall. Activity Holidays Cornwall will also be providing Wellness Weekends, Hen Weekends, Specialist Wakeboarding Sessions and Boat Charters.

We founded and operated Adventure Sports back in 1982 and after 20 years we moved the operation to St Tropez in France. We sold Adventure St.Tropez after the 2016 season to a friend who will continue running it in his own style. The website www.adventure-sports.co.uk still features all our clients, activities and reviews so you can get a good idea of our operating methods, philosophy and spirit. The  content has changed very little and the Trip Advisor reviews are all about us, Lester and Jenny over the latter years..

Having spent the last 15 years moving our lives to France each season, we now feel we can take the best from all our experiences and share the magic of Cornwall to bring you more unforgettable activity holidays.

Activity holidays Cornwall also include Wakeboarding. Waterskiing. Wake surfing, Kayaking. Mountain Biking. Surfing. Climbing and Abseiling. Power Boating. Wakesurfing, Kneeboarding. Trekking. Fitness, Yoga and Wellness Coaching. Hen Weekends. Boat Charters. BBQs, Hot Tub & FUN. We cater for Family activity holidays. Women only groups. Getaways for Couples and Singles. Fitness breaks and Yoga weekends. We use multiple locations to ensure we operate in the best conditions and because we meet on site, you have the fullest options regarding accommodation. Our boat is berthed in Falmouth so all boat related activities are centered there, but the weather affects most activities and is why we use different locations.

Call Jenny on 01208 821773 or 07710 219465 to discuss your getaway.