Banff F.T.T.P & Q.R.S & AST1 !!
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 4:11 am

This week the Peak Leaders Banff trainees have been honing their technique & teaching skills.  For the skiers it has been F.T.T.P (fast track to parallel) and for the snowboarders it has been  Q.R.S (quick ride system).

Working on posture – “Am I in centred on my skis?”

Snowploughs as far as the eye can see…..
With both the Level 1 ski and snowboard exams starting next Tuesday everyone is on top of their game and all the hours of training are about to pay off!

Kenji using Andrea to demonstrate on the need to have a strong body position

On Saturday and Sunday the guys on the Big Banff programme had AST1 (avalanche safety training) after a day of theory the Sunday was all about transceiver and probe training and how to dig a snow pit and test the snow structure for stability.

Transceiver search
We have had new snow almost every day and to ski and ride fresh powder has been amazing.

Cameron riding in the powder

Billy J “twinkle in his eyes”  and Andy “anyone coming for a drink” have been this weeks leaders on the Banff apres ski tour. Come to think of it Andy is always the leader of the apres ski tour!
Not only known for their nocturnal habits Andy and Billy J can also ski and ride with style and nothing phases them….. as you can see from them dropping in on the Eagles Gully trail.

Bring on the Level 1!!

Banff 2012 week 1
Posted on January 16, 2012 at 5:13 am

The Peak Leaders Banff 2012 group arrived to find Banff and Alberta having a mini heat wave…… day time temperatures in Banff were above freezing….unheard of for January.

Banff 2012 crew

This seasons base is the Rundlestone Lodge Hotel with its huge rooms, swimming pool and hot tub and breakfasts and dinners of Canadian size portions. No slumming it for the Peak Leaders trainees!

The group is made up of people from all over the UK and Andrea our USA import (she is getting to grips with the Glaswegian and West Country accents!)

The legend that is Sunshine Village Ski Trainer Kenji is training the Peak Leaders ski instructor trainees again this season and has been working his magic, already transforming some ‘interesting’ skiing styles.

Kenji wearing his new Zaini beanie

Rob was having some equipment issues on the 1st day….(Kenji thought it was down to ‘operator error’) but Rob has now mastered the art of skiing with a ski attached to each boot.

Grace has fallen in love with moguls….. not!

The snowboard trainees are in rotating each week for the first 4 weeks with different trainers. Each trainer will be working on different aspects of riding.

Umm….. what was that the trainer wanted us to do?   Cameron loved riding black diamonds switch all afternoon.

Billy J dropping in

The snow has been either been powder or groomed light & grippy snow…. perfect to get the body back into either skiing or riding mode.

On the apres ski front Andy has been leading the charge to the Dancing Sasquath. Throwing down some very bizarre moves on the dance floor (please see below)

“Look at my guns”

This season the guys who signed up for Peak Leaders Big Banff get the Big 3 lift pass which includes Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Norquay ski areas.

Sunshine Village living up to its name

So this week we had a tour around…. Thursday Sunshine, Friday Lake Louise and Saturday Norquay….. variety is the spice of life!

Perfect snow

The temperature is dropping and more snow is forecast, bring on week 2.

Peak Leaders St Anton … the powder days.
Posted on December 20, 2011 at 9:22 am

After the successful results from the Austrian Anwarter Ski Instructor Exam (celebrated by going big on the trampolines) the St Anton group had a well earned day off.
However, with so much snow falling and fresh powder all over St Anton everyone on the course was looking forward to 3 days of skiing with Alberg Ski School Mountain Guides.

We were not to be disappointed…….. 3 of the most epic days of powder skiing anyone will ever have.

On day one Guide Harry took us on a tour of all of the St Anton ski area. Which was great for the trainees who have secured jobs with the Alberg Ski School either for the whole or for part of the season. He showed the group where Ski School meets, the best slopes for all the different lesson levels, where to take the groups for lunch and all the other information that will ensure that the Peak Leaders newly qualified instructors have a seamless start to their season with the Alberg Ski School.

The last 2 days of the course we had the return of Fossi the Mountain Guide and Ski & Snowboard Trainer who had taken the pre Anwarter training with the group.
Fossi took us on a tour of his secret powder stashes…… continues thigh to wait deep powder. Fresh lines every time. With over a metre of snow falling in 48 hours it was simply an unforgettable experience for the group.

Tired and thirsty bodies were replenished with trips to the famous Krazy Kangaroo apres ski bar!

Trainees, Rob, Oliver and Carl are already teaching for the Alberg Ski School. Jes and Arnout have jobs with Ski Schools in other Austrian Resorts and other trainees are returning to St Anton later in the season to work as instructors.

It has been a very busy 4 week course. Skiing in Ischgl, Fiss and then St Anton.Thanks to Eva for the German Lessons. Richard and Birgit for being fantastic hosts at the beautiful Hotel Thonihaus. Thanks to the amazing Fossi for his brilliant teaching and guiding. Thanks to trainee Glyn for driving his car everyday to Fiss. Thanks to Oliver and Craig for making room 103 the best pre dinner and post dinner apres ski bar!

And most of all thanks to all the Peak Leaders St Anton 2011 trainees who have made this course hugely enjoyable and successful.

Tony
Peak Leaders St Anton.

St Anton 2011 Anwarter Ski Instructor Exam Day…
Posted on December 14, 2011 at 4:29 pm

The St Anton 2011 crew in a minibus and a car (cheers Glyn) rolled out of St Anton in the dark yesterday for the exam day of the Anwarter Ski Instructor  Course. It was a 07.45 start in Fiss for the theory exam followed by 3 different practical ski exams.

The guys were all numbered up with “Aussie” Craig the first to go of the Peak Leaders  entries in the total of 130 taking the exams. Last of the Peak Leaders crew to go was “where is” Rob who drew number 13 vest (numbers went down in the running order) it was lucky 13 for him!

Once all the 3 exams were completed it was a long wait until the results were announced.
100% PASS RATE on the 3 practical exams for the Peak Leaders Trainees.

Then followed the usual celebratory Austrian Apres scene….. disco dancing  in ski boots at  4 pm in the afternoon …… along with trampolining (once the guys had cleared the fresh powder off).

Today, those who were wishing to work as Instructors in St Anton took their newly gained Instructor Certificate to the Arlberg Ski Schule where they successfully gained Instructor jobs.

For the next 3 days the group are skiing with mountain guides and fresh snow is forecast…. excellent!

Carl in the funnel exam

Arnout styling it

Johannes working those skis

Oli trying to impress the watching examinors

Jes going up or down?

Party party party

“put your hand up in the air”

Well done guys.

Tony

Peak Leaders St Anton 2011
Posted on December 7, 2011 at 8:56 pm

The Peak Leaders St Anton 2011 Group are half way through their Austrian Anwarter Ski Instructor Exam. Having had pre exam German Language lessons with Eva and then five days of ski training with the legendary Fossi (mountain guide, world cup snowboarder and ski and snowboard trainer). The group are putting the training to good use during the Anwarter having to be able to teach ski lessons in German and demonstrate their skiing technique to the watching trainers.

With hardly any snow in Europe we were lucky as the nearby resort of Ischgl had great snow for the ski training. The Anwarter is taking place in the resort of Fiss. Which means early starts and silence (due to everyone sleeping) in the minibus both on the way to and on the way back from Fiss!

The last 48 hours the snow has not stopped falling……  today we had thigh deep powder off piste and ankle deep on piste.

Thanks to Oli and Craig room 103 in the hotel has become the central social place. The door is always open for a beer, a movie or even some German revision.

Everyone enjoyed Krampus Festival with the exemption of Amy who we used as a shield /  sacrificial lamb against the whipping devils!

It is still snowing in St Anton and Fiss and it is looking good for the rest of the course.

Tony

Welcome to Saas Fee
Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:39 pm

The September start for the Peak Leaders course in Saas Fee  But the timing of this course gives the trainees the best chance of going on to find a job for the coming winter.

For the first two weeks of the Peak Leaders course it still felt very much like summer. In the town temperatures reach mid twenties by the afternoon, which means there’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy all the summer activities available in mountains. The mini golf seems to be the favourite at the moment, which brings out everyone’s competitive streak!

However, each time you go up in the lift it is like jumping forward a few months to winter. September seems to be the tipping point in the mountains here, as the freeze/thaw cycle of the summer gradually gets buried under fresh snow.

The ski training first concentrates on creating good foundations, from which to build up to the more high performance skiing – the goal for the end of the course. Because the group has a wide range of abilities and experience, everything needs to get stripped back to basics. It can sometimes be hard to unlearn bad habits but it’s a process which soon shows signs of paying off.

Next week the trainees will be undertaking the BASI level one exams. This is a standalone qualification for teaching in the indoor and dry slopes in theUKhowever most people (and certainly our guys) are using it as a stepping-stone to the level 2, which is widely recognised throughout theAlpsand the rest of the world.

They will be asked to demonstrate their teaching skills on the basic progression needing to guide first time skiers up to parallel turning. New snow this week has made conditions on the perfect and we are hoping for a clean sweep!

Life in Canada after leaving the RAF
Posted on August 19, 2011 at 3:14 pm

Andy Garnham took an active resettlement course with Peak Leaders in Banff,  Canada, training to become a ski instructor. Here is his story..

 I served for just over 20 years in the RAF as a logistics officer.  During my time in the RAF, I was fortunate enough to have 3 years as a liaison officer with the Italians, based near Milan and an hour or so from a ski resort in theAostaValley….

 Can you outline why you considered taking a 3-month ski instructor training course in Canada for your resettlement?

 My wife had lived in Canada before I met her.  We had always planned to move to Canadawhen I retired from the RAF, but the immigration offer came earlier than we expected.  We had about 8 months to organise retirement, pack up in theUK, find jobs and somewhere to live in Canada. Fortunately, we’d already done a lot of recce work and knew we wanted to live inSun Peaks, British Columbia and we had looked at the job market in Kamloops, the nearest city.

 I’d skied for over 20 years and was hooked.  Our plan forCanadawas to live and work in a ski area.  We found Sun Peaks almost by accident at the London Ski Show.  A lady called Nancy Greene told us Sun Peaks was a 4 Season resort and the perfect place to live.  She should know, as she lived in Sun Peaks and was a former Olympic Champion.

 A ski instructor course in Banff fitted perfectly and gave me 3 months in Canada to do job hunting and complete the immigration processes.  At least that’s what I told my wife!  Three months skiing for someone who’s always wanted to be a ski bum, was too good an opportunity to turn down.

 And why did you choose Peak Leaders in Banff in particular?

Peak Leaders was registered for Enhanced Learning Credits, so I could use these to cover some of the course costs.  They also had an excellent reputation and understood the processes associated with resettlement from the armed forces. 

You’ve finished the course successfully, could you outline the qualifications you got, the experiences you had, and maybe some of the highlights of your time in Banff?

The final week of the course was the CSIA Level 2 ski instructor assessment, which I passed.  The training leading up to the assessment was outstanding and all delivered through the ski school atSunshineVillage. 

It was interesting being a 45 year old on a course largely drawn from pre or post university gap year .  They were very inclusive and great fun to be with.  I never felt left out.  The highlight had to be a day at Kicking Horse – you get the measure of the place from the sign at the top of the gondola that simply says “Warning Cliff.”  No fence, no out of bounds.  Ski it if you can!

You have moved out to Canada full-time now, could you tell us your plans for the future?

 We’ve just bought a house in SunPeaks– it’s not quite ski-in ski-out, we have to walk about 50 metres.  It’s a great ski area, with loads of glade skiing and whole areas that are just left natural.  I had my first day on the slopes the Sunday after we finished the course and last Saturday we woke up to 40cm of fresh powder.  Suffice to say I fell out of bed and onto my skis.  

 My wife and I both work inKamloops, about 40 minutes away – I got a post as an analyst with the British Columbia Lottery, based on my experience in the RAF. I still commute to work, but 40 minutes down the valley dodging the wildlife, beats the 7.35am from Wandsworth toWaterloo.  Next season I plan to ski instruct part-time and make the most of my resettlement qualification.