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Verbier – BASI 2 with a view
12/05/2010
After a quick level 1 reassessment, for the three trainees that had previously just missed the grade, all that stood between all 25 trainees and becoming fully-fledged ski/snowboard instructors was the two-week BASI level 2 assessment. Although the trainees were scheduled to take their level 2 examination very late in the season the snow lasted surprisingly well so conditions were in the trainees favour.
Fortunately the trainees were also gifted with three of the best BASI trainers in the business; Hugh Brown, Mo Duffy and Verbier’s very own Rob Norton. All the aforementioned trainers were very charismatic and inspirational and made a massive impact on the progression of the trainees. After two weeks of skiing the vast majority of trainees made massive improvements to their skiing; a special mention must go to Tabby who had struggled with her confidence throughout the course but had made countless changes to her skiing over the 10 weeks. Mo, who had taken Tabby for her level 1 examination back in February, said that he couldn’t even recognise Tabby on the slopes because of the vast improvement she’d made.
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As the sun blazed the trainees worked tirelessly on their technique, skiing and snowboarding; bumps, steeps, variable snow conditions and carving. Within the BASI 2 syllabus trainees are expected to demonstrate and show an understanding of higher-end skiing and snowboarding, which is why these 5 strands are a key focus along with teaching and the central theme. Trainees are also required to show that they are far more adept at teaching a group of people, which is where the 70 hours of shadowing instructors on the hill becomes really useful. All of the trainees showed that they were comfortable teaching a group of people……which meant ensuring the groups safety, keeping the lesson fun and including key information and teaching techniques in teaching sessions.
At the end of the week 100% of the trainees passed the teaching side of their level 2; with 86% of the snowboarders passing the technical aspect of the course and 70% of skiers passing. These numbers obviously don’t take into consideration the huge changes that all the trainees have made to their skiing and snowboarding; a number of trainees had only done a couple of weeks skiing before they came on the course. Hats off to Jo B in particular, who had only started skiing the winter before with just two weeks on snow before arriving in Verbier.
On Thursday afternoon we were all fortunate enough to see the aerial fly-by which was carried-out by the Swiss Airforce's version of the Red Arrows, which takes place annually after the Patrouillle Des Glaciers......have a look at the photos below for an idea of how close they cam to the chalet. Anyway, after the final week of examinations had finished the prizes were awarded and we all headed to the Pergola, Verbier’s finest Pizza and Pasta restaurant, for dinner. Needless to say the next morning wasn’t much fun; Jake was still swigging on a half-drunk bottle of Vodka whilst preaching the benefits of ‘hair of the dog’ to the other trainees. Jez’s whole body shook while he half heatedly tried to cram his worldly belongings into an undersized suitcase and Gustav ended-up sitting in a chair at the front of the chalet with all his worldly belongings for the duration of the day.
Prizes!!!!
Most improved skiers/snowboarder
Matt’s group: Annie
Rob & Dave’s group: Cat
Most promising instructor
Matt’s group: Phil
Rob & Dave’s group: Chris
Best Freestyle skier: George & Jake
Best Freestyle Snowboarder: Tricky Dicky
Most helpful trainee: Dom & Jo B
Course Joker: Jez
Wooden Spoon: Callum
Course Hero: Gustav & Adrian
Verbier – Peak Leaders Spring Session 2010
16/04/2010
In the last blog I mentioned that we'd had a big air contest and picnic to finish off the training. Well, everybody survived due to the soft spring afternoon conditions and below are some of the photos from the event:
(The crowds gathered for the spectacle)
(Steve and Izzy dropped some tasty moves whilst wearing some tasty outfits)
(Tricky Dicky getting all tricky in the afternoon sun)
(George with the biggest air of the day)
(Callum showing us how to ruin a beautiful view)
Nick 'Stiff Leg' Renton proving he can actually bend his knees)
(Local hero and breakfast connisseur Sammy came purely to work on his tan and skull a few beers but ended-up busting the most stylish trick of the day)
(J-Bomb aka Crusher flexing his guns)
(Jake and his new tan line)
(Cat about to get a face full of snow......and Chris loving it!)
(Tricky Dicky with a bs180 method)
(Dave showing the trainees how to backflip)
(Jake's first attempt............fair play!!!)
(George stepped-up to the challenge)
(Chris finally grew a pair and stomped his second ever attempt......he even got a cheeky grab in there!)
In other news; the three trainees that had to retake their BASI level 1 all passed!!!!!! Well done guys!
Tom
Verbier – A few busy weeks
12/04/2010
So it’s been a few weeks since I last submitted a blog, really sorry about the delay. Anyway, enough of my shortcomings, I’m sure you want to know exactly what the guys have been up to so I’ll give it to you straight.
Since I last submitted a blog there isn’t much that the trainees haven’t been up to, over the past four weeks the trainees have completed; their BASI level 1, close to 80 hours of training, they’ve spent time shadowing other qualified instructors, had an introduction to freestyle skiing and a day of off-piste with a brief education on avalanche awareness and how to use a transceiver. Since the last blog the training has taken the trainees from confident recreational skiers/snowboarders to technically proficient instructors. A special mention must go to Tim and Annie who have come-on leaps and bounds since their first few days, where it was clear that they hadn’t spent as much time on skis as some of the others…….I’ve reliably been informed that they’re now up there with the best.
(Being introduced to using and avalanche transceiver)
Verbier has had so many different weather systems over the last month that the trainees have sunbathing one minute then waste-deep in powder the next. I’m not complaining though, just as we thought the season was over we’ve had a number of resort-saving snowfalls.
Anyway, you’ll be pleased to hear that the vast majority of trainees passed their level 1 exam and although there were a couple trainees that didn’t quite make the grade they were very close. Due to new BASI legislation the aforementioned trainees are sitting their level 1 re-sit today, which is a simple one day reassessment, so I’ll let you know how they’ve done this evening. As mentioned in previous blogs the level 1 is an introduction to BASI, the syllabus is concerned with educating wannabe instructors how to teach the basics of skiing and snowboarding; from introducing the equipment, though the basics of balance and stance, to starting and stopping and finally on to controlling direction and turning. Nevertheless, trainees must be able to demonstrate to the BASI trainer that they can carve proficiently and do short controlled turns down steep slopes. With a BASI level 1 qualification you can teach in some European countries in a mountain environment and you are insured by BASI to teach on indoor slopes and dryslopes across the UK.
After the level 1 examination all of the trainees returned to full training; the focus of the training therefore shifted from being focused on understanding, demonstrating and teaching the basics to being able to show an understanding, demo and teach higher-level skiing and snowboarding. Bumps, variable snow conditions, freestyle and high-level piste performance are all bought into the syllabus at this point in the course. If you’re thinking of taking the course then you shouldn’t worry too much because you’re not expected to ski or snowboard like Candide Thovex or Shaun White. On every course we give the trainee skiers a day with ES Freeski’s head freestyle coach Oli Corkhill who puts the trainees through their paces. For those brave-enough the course normally consists of teaching the trainees; how to jump, how to ski backwards, how to do a 180 and other flatland tricks. As usual there were a few minor casualties but nothing too serious; a few trainees, namely George and Gustav even managed throw a couple of 360’s into the mix.
Later that week the trainees were also introduced to mountain safety and off-piste touring by Martin Burrows-Smith a well-known guide in Chamonix and a BASI Mountain Safety examiner. Aided by his very dry sense of humour, Verbier’s magnificent terrain and a day of beautiful sunshine Martin introduced the trainees to using a transceiver, he gave them a quick education on snow conditions and avalanche awareness and then took the trainees to a couple of well-known off-piste spots, including the legendary ‘Stairway to Heaven’. All of the trainees really enjoyed the day and all agreed that even a days worth of knowledge would prove invaluable. Unfortunately the snow wasn’t great but you can’t have a week of sunshine without the snow suffering a bit!
(Digging a pit and looking at snow profiles)
Back in resort there have been a few notable developments; J-Bomb and Dom’s weekly quiz has become a fiercely fought contest between the great minds of the course. Alex, Adriano and Chris have all made notable contributions…….and Kieran and Gustav think they’ve made valuable contributions to the winning teams but clearly haven’t! In other news; after charming the women of Les Elfes Jezz still hasn’t kissed a girl, despite giving himself a nickname that would falsely encourage anybody to believe he’s a legend with the opposite sex.
Anyway, back to skiing and snowboarding. Following the freestyle training and the brief introduction to mountain safety the training resumed training, followed by 10 days of shadowing where the trainees followed instructors from Les Elfes and European Snowsport around. Shadowing is a mandatory requirement from BASI and is really helpful in building the trainees confidence, getting them comfortable at dealing with beginners in a lesson environment, dealing with difficult kids, and learning the tricks of the trade…….which for most instructors involves carrying a bag of sweets as a bribe! With 70 hours of shadowing signed-off it was back to training for the final week. During this time the trainers (Rob, Sandy and Matt) made a final push to get all the trainees to the level needed to pass their level 2 examination. During this week some Sandy’s group entered European Snowsport’s annual slalom competition. Out of Sandy’s group Jake was the fastest trainee through the course and Jezz was the slowest, which he won’t thank me for mentioning. Needless to say they were all beaten by a 12 year-old local girl who managed to beat half of the experienced instructors that entered!
To end the week we had a picnic and a kicker session up on the mountain, overlooking the Bagnes valley. The trainees, who were all wearing fancy dress, turned-up to the secret location after their final morning of training and the shenanigans began. After being pelted with snowballs for twenty minutes I eventually managed to finish sculpting the two kickers and after throwing a couple of backflips off the bigger of the two kickers the trainees decided the jump was safe and plucked up the courage to give the jumps a go. With the help of the one-legged wonder, Mr Jimbo Brockbanks, I went about taking photos of the trainees as they threw themselves into the abyss. Special mentions must go to George, jake and Chris who all threw backflips off the bigger kicker……Jake, who had been wearing a bra all day had a serious bikini tan, much to the amusement of the other trainees. Other mentions must go to Tricky Dicky, who in the process of doing a very stylish bs180 melon gave himself a bloody nose, and Nick ‘Stiff Leg’ Renton who stacked it more than everybody-else collectively…….in his defence Nick was adamant that he had landed his 180’s but had fallen-over immediately after because his ski’s weren’t twin-tips…….keep telling yourself that mate! Following a sun-kissed afternoon of jumps, beers and backflips we all hit the town for a final night of fun before the BASI trainers arrived. Photo’s of the afternoon will be posted in a couple of days time.
Tom
Verbier – KaPOW!
01/03/2010
February has not only bought a new intake of trainees but the biggest snowfall this season…..50cm in just 48 hours!!
It’s been a couple of weeks since the new trainees arrived and this year arrival day fell on the same day as hoards of British and French families arrived for the dreaded half-term week. Nevertheless, the weather was pretty good and the trainees, who are now quite used to worming their way through a queue of people, all made the most of the great snow and intense training.
The first week, although fairly intense, is seen by the trainers as an opportunity to ‘break the trainees in’ and get them back to match fitness. During this week there isn’t a great deal of feedback or focus on drills and exercises; the focus is more on getting fit and finding your feet. Sandy, Matt and Dave, the ISIA/ISTD trainers that run the course, are all very experienced at generating confidence and enthusiasm throughout the group. They’re also very good at whipping a bit of discipline into the trainees who, as you can imagine, find the temptation of Verbier’s après ski and vast array of expensive nightclubs all too much.
Despite a fairly relaxed first week the majority of trainees spent their first weekend at the mercy of Flora and Richie, our legendary first-aid guru’s who were flown-in especially from the
Anyway, after two days of First-Aid the guys were pretty keen to get back on the slopes and focus on their level 1 examination. As the trainers had been pretty lenient during the first week the second week was a bit of a wake-up call for most. Short-turns, carving and central theme were the main focuses and all of the trainees responded well to all of the exercises and feedback given. It’s amazing to witness the amount of improvement and progression that has happened in just one week! I have to say that after the past two weeks all of the trainees look strong enough to pass their level 1, if they can stay focused!
As a reward for all of their hard work the big man upstairs decided to give us 50cm dump of fresh snow over the weekend, and as you can imagine that meant lots of powder for those trainees that didn’t get too involved on Friday and Saturday night. Needless to say there were a lot of frowns on Saturday morning……but a lot of smiling faces that evening!
The trainees begin their BASI level 1 on Monday so make sure you stay tuned!
Tom
Verbier – Frontflips & Fiestas
17/02/2010
In the last week of the BASI 2 examination all those trainees that were on the threshold of passing and failing made a massive effort. A big shout-out must go to Harry ‘Daffy’ Chapman who dug really deep in the last couple of days and silenced all his critics by acquiring his BASI level 2. Props must also go to Dara who really hadn’t done much skiing before and passed his level 2 teaching qualification. With a 96% pass rate for level 2 among 32 trainees this really has been one of the most successful courses that Peak Leaders have run in Verbier. One group in particular had skied so well for the past two weeks that their BASI trainer, the legendary Duncan Freshwater, took his foot of the gas a little and decided to spend an afternoon teaching his trainees how to frontflip on their ski’s. Although there were a few failed attempts the snow was deep and soft so everybody remained in one piece; I believe Jack, Ted, George O and Ella all stomped a frontflip cleanly and rode away…..much to Duncan’s dismay!
After the last day of training everybody was in very high spirits so we had a small award ceremony, in which myself and the trainers all got very emotional, then headed to Relais De Neige for a hearty meal and enough alcohol to pickle even the hardiest of livers. After a few hundred cocktail shakers and jagerbombs we were all dancing on tables and around poles until the early hours……the course definitely finished-off with one of the best nights the trainees have had in Verbier.
Awards:
Most improved skiers/snowboarders
Matt’s group: Camilla Delamere
Roddy’s group: Harry
Rob & Dave’s group: Sarah & Chloe
Most promising instructors
Matt’s group: Ted Morrison
Roddy’s group: Drew Gibson
Rob & Dave’s group: Oscar Winberg
Best Freestyle skier: Andy Moss
Best Freestyle Snowboarder: Jamie Wise
Most enthusiastic trainees: Liz Brown, Alex Mayfield & Ella Hadsley-Chaplin
Most helpful trainee: Hayden (Spike) Sager
Course Joker: George Magill
Wooden Spoon: Charlie Fleming
Course Hero: Dara Whelan
So ten weeks of intense training and examinations has now finished and the trainees don’t really know what to do with themselves. A surprisingly large number of trainees have gained jobs with ski schools in Zermatt and Verbier and the remainder, that have stayed in resort, are spending their time showing-off their finely tuned skiing skills to the masses that have descended upon Verbier for half-term.
All-in-all this has been the most successful course that I’ve ever run and the trainees have all been a pleasure to live and work with…….the Mt Brule just won’t be the same without them!
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