Skids & Skills Week

of Orange Bikes

Ben Moore's Alpine Skills & Skids Week:  24 - 31 July 2021

If you’re reading this, you probably already know quite a bit about Ben Moore. A Swiss-Army-Knife of the MTB world, Ben is part professional athlete, part joker, part social media star, but certainly all-time and all-round gentleman.  Ben has stood on all kinds of podiums all over the world in all manner of disciplines, most notably on the top-spot of the world’s craziest Urban DH races, Mass-Start Enduro events such as the Megavalanche and more recently as a competitor in our very own Enduro2 race.Thesedays Ben is an ambassador for Orange Bikes, and is forever getting involved in new adventures and keeping us all entertained with new media projects on his Facebook & Instagram Channels.

Ben is most definitely a “been there, done it, got the t-shirt (and the trophy, usually” kind of guy although you would absolutely never know it, should you have a chat with him over a beer or go out for a ride.
 

“We’re very excited to be hosting Ben as our special guest in 2021 for this exclusive week…its going to be an absolute blast!”  – Ali

Whilst this is will be a skills and coaching week with Ben at the helm, its not intended to be some kind of adult summer camp.  Much more of a “let’s go shred and have some great times together, lets all make a few mistakes and laugh about it together”. But all the while we will have Ben right there to watch and advise on a very personal and detailed level – and by the end of the week, no doubt we’ll all be going home as much better, more confident, more proficient riders.

Based out of our Chalet in Les Arcs, the coaching side will be led by Ben and supported by trailAddiction’s expert guides…on some of the best Alpine singletrack on the planet.  A maximum of 14 slots are available (split into two smaller groups of 7 max), ensuring tons of personal tuition and attention from the man himself.

“This week with trailAddiction finally gives me a chance to spend some quality time meeting and riding with a handful of my followers (are they called fans?!) this summer in the French Alps.  I met Ali whilst racing their Enduro2 race in Les Arcs. It took only a couple of days and some truly epic singletrack adventures with their guides after the race, to get me hooked.  This place just blew my mind!  – Ben

The package price of only €945 includes

  • Luxury ensuite chalet accommodation (inc. Jacuzzi)
  • Full-board catering & drinks prepared on site by our chef
  • Dedicated onsite workshop
  • Guiding & coaching in small, focused ride groups
  • Minibus uplifts & Emergency support where needed
  • Small group coaching with Ben who will be spending the whole week staying at the chalet with us.
  • An opportunity to review the day’s riding and share stories over dinner, wine and beers each night with one of the UK’s most accomplished multi-discipline riders.
  • Dates: Saturday 24 –  31 July 2021.
  • 14 Riders Maximum (spilt into two riding & coaching groups)

Summary of The Week

  • 5 x 2 hours of small-group tuition with Ben – covering various techniques to get you flowing down the mountain better than ever.
  • 5 x 2 hours of simply shredding trails, with Ben in your group – to hone those skills, or simply just to let it all hang loose if you’d prefer
  • 5 x 4 hours of guided adventures with a senior trailAddiction guide. We’ll ensure you get taken to the best natural and unmarked terrain to put what you’ve learnt into action and carry on improving your skills.  Or, to forget all of the above and just simply have your mind blown by the amazing riding on your doorstep.

Daily Breakdown of 2-hour skills sessions with Ben.

Note that this is only a suggest breakdown of the week. The beauty of having Ben with us all week, including post-ride beers and mealtimes, is that both Ben and your guides will get to know your riding preferences and adjust and tailor both the rides and and skills training, based on  your feedback and what you will enjoy and benefit from the most.

Saturday – Travel / Arrival Day. Evening meal, possibly a chance to warm up on a few local trails depending on what time you arrive. Meet the team, Ben,  and your riding group for the week.

Sunday – Full day of riding with Ben and the TrailAddiction guides. A great way to get the group together, ride some superb trails and gauge each riders skills so we can tailor training to each riders’ level.

Monday – switchback techniques. We’ll look at the different types of switchback and which techniques work best for them, from a simple skid to a rolling endo like the pros. If you nail this and still want more, we’ll move on to Berms!

Tuesday – Reading the terrain. Riding in a big alpine environment you’ll often be riding “blind” on natural terrain. How you read and anticipate the trail makes a massive difference to speed and how smoothly you can flow. Ben’s is the master of smooth and will get your trail vision dialled in. We’ll also look at carrying speed and maintaining momentum. Using the terrain to help build speed, maintain your energy and be as fluid as possible. There is lots of “free speed” available on the trails if you know when to pick up your front wheel and pump or the best way to set up for a corner and minimise braking.

Wednesday – Rest Day (or just make it a day to have your own fun in the bike park).

Thursday – Jumps.  Ben will get you airborne (safely) even if you’ve never let your wheels leave the ground before.  Or if you are already to step up to the next level, you’ll have the jumping Jedi Master at your disposal – so use the Force, Luke, while you can!

Friday – Urban. OK, this is more of a wildcard day but we couldn’t have Ben with us without at least getting him to show us how the launches down insane flights of stairs without a second thought. Its also opportunity to work on anything that you’d like to focus some extra attention on that we missed, or that you’d like to recap.

Saturday – Breakfast, pack up then home.