Mountain Movement

July 15th to 18th, 2010
Will Gadd, Gravsports Inc.

Goal: To meaningfully improve a participant's ability to move confidently, securely and quickly in non-technical mountain terrain.

Summary: Moving well in the mountains can be both an art form when done well and a circus stunt gone wrong when done poorly. Watch an experienced mountain athlete moving across talus (blocks of rock) and it looks easy, fluid and smooth. Watch someone who hasn't crossed much talus before and it's painful. It's even more painful if you're the less-than-fluid person trying to follow others across the talus. In the last 30 years of life in the mountains I've taught a lot of people how to climb, kayak, paraglide, ski and do other mountain sports. But, no matter who I'm working with, I always spend a good chunk of the class or coaching session simply working with people on how to get to the climb, river, or down the trail. This course will revolve around four main areas: Movement Skill, Training, Terrain Analysis, and Headspace. All of these things work together to move well across that talus field, and we hope to improve each participant's level of ability in each area.

A good part of this course will take place in the "Playground," which is a series of skill-developing stations... I don't want to give too much away, but these stations are active, fun, and very, very good at developing better mountain movement patterns. Think logs over rivers, rock hopping, sliding on steep trails, but all organized into a replicable, fun and reasonably safe environment.

Each participant will also receive a copy of the completed chapters and notes for "Mountain Movement," a new book by Will Gadd.

More info here.

View Larger Map