For several years, I have been specializing in off-trail skiing and spreading my passion with as many initiates as possible! Trained by the best school in Canada (Hors-piste Québec), and a trainer myself for several years, I quickly understood how crucial it is to be accompanied by the best in order to enjoy this exhilarating sport. Off-trail: learn from the pros!
Today, as the owner of Destination Monts-Valin in the magnificent Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, I make my living from my passion and I make it my duty to inform my clients as well as possible so that they too can achieve perfection in their techniques. This year, after nearly 10 years in the world of off-trail snowmobiling, Destination Monts-Valin has decided to take over from Off-trail Quebec and will now be its only certified trainer in Quebec!
Some may think I’m preaching to the choir, but honestly, learning from a professional makes all the difference! But why?
Did you know that more than 80% of new riders try to practice the sport with a snowmobile not adjusted for their weight, experience or terrain? And believe me, this very important element is the basis of the practice because :
- If the rear SAG is too high, the transfer effect will be too great and your machine will tend to stall and it will not be able to get on the snow to start the flotation;
- If the rear SAG is non-existent, you will have a lot of ease in climbing because there will be almost no transfer, on the other hand, you will have a submarine effect during your descents, which is not necessarily the goal to reach!
What is a SAG? (static ride height): it’s the full adjustment of the suspension for compression when in the regular riding position (more of a comfort position than an attack position), to allow for better stability based on weight and height. It puts the rider and the machine in perfect symbiosis so that they can engage on the trails to be done.
An experienced trainer will be able to calculate your sag and adjust it with you, which will save you a lot of time and energy while learning. Because let’s face it, what needs to work is the machine and not you! When a snowmobile is perfectly adjusted, all you have to do is give it the direction to go and the work is done by itself, believe me!
You learned alone…
After years of pushing like crazy on the skis of my machine or digging, I got tired of it! So I turned to the pros to learn and I really don’t regret it! So I understand how important it is to be supervised in the right way from the start.
Yes, you will have reflexes to break, movements to relearn and probably many preconceived ideas to forget! It must be said that off-piste practice has evolved a lot over the last few years, and if you were to watch videos of professionals at work just 3 years ago, you will quickly realize that certain elements no longer exist. Like, the risers. With today’s techniques and especially with the power and efficiency of today’s snowmobiles, this type of element is no longer necessary.
Accessories to customize your machine are numerous on the internet but honestly, they are often useless when you know how to use the mechanics properly and especially when you have learned the right techniques with certified professionals.
Off-trail: learn from the pros! Don’t force
The first thing to understand when you decide to train with us is to let the snowmobile work. You must not force it. Be sure, no professional could spend a day off-trail if he had to physically force the machine to do the basic maneuvers. You have to understand engine inertia and momentum, manage throttle, brakes, clutch and especially foot position. Often moving a foot a few inches will result in a maneuver you’ve been working on for weeks.
Off-trail technique is like a choreography of movements and steps to follow and adapt to the ground conditions and environment. When mastered, these basic techniques will allow you to climb mountains!
For example, learning the side hill (going from edge to edge on a surface at more or less 45 degrees), or staying on the edge (balance point, riding on the tip of the track), could take you a season to master alone or with friends. As enthusiasts, we like to help each other and give each other tips, but nothing beats a technique learned professionally the first time! No bad folds to correct and much more efficiency in a very short time. Are you used to having your skis pulled when you go into the snow? With a training with us, you will never have this reflex again because you will be able to untangle yourself and most of the time, without even getting off your snowmobile…
Off-trail: learn from the pros! Be prepared to sweat
Of course, learning is not done without being very hot! A 4-hour theoretical course in class, to learn the basic techniques and especially the management of the machine, followed by a day and a half of practical training to develop your reflexes, will allow you to become an excellent rider.
Two and a half short days to learn what it would honestly take you several seasons to master on your own is well worth it. Especially since the length of the seasons in the last few years: you’ll have more time to enjoy your new skills!
A passion for off-trail
As you know, sometimes certain activities get a bad press, but for the past 10 years I have been trying to change the general opinion of this sport that I love. When it is practiced the right way, in authorized and safe places, by well-trained people, it really changes the way we see and experience it. Discovering virgin landscapes immaculate with snow, going to inaccessible places and going on expeditions with the feeling of literally floating on the snow are sensations impossible to live otherwise.
The advantage of dealing with pros is that they will make you discover legally the beautiful spots, and will teach you to respect the basic rules so that you can quickly become a pro and propagate this passion in your entourage!
