Week 5 of the Verbier 10 week ski instructor course and the group are in their second week of shadowing the instructors from Les Elfes International – an opportunity for further involvement with lessons. Here’s group leader Charlie with the update…

The hands-on approach

Shadowing week 2 (L-R Olivia, Thanos (Les Elfes instructor), Joe)

Similarly to last week, before the trainees are able to begin their BASI level two training and exams, they must first gain experience in shadowing qualified instructors.

Peak Leaders and Element Ski School have teamed up with Les Elfes International for this part of the course.

Les Elfes International is a leader in providing learning and activity holidays for children and teenagers since 1987.

For our group this means invaluable experience and time well spent in the real world of ski teaching with Les Elfes International instructors.

Having gained a certain familiarity with the way lessons are run during their first week of shadowing, the trainees can now take a more ‘hands-on’ role.

While our guys will still be needed to follow groups and pick up (some times literally!) the stragglers, now they are also invited to identify issues with the weaker skiers, suggesting and presenting exercises to rectify these issues under the watchful eyes of the Les Elfes team.

Max doing his best Aladdin impression on the magic carpet at Les Esserts.

They are also able to get more involved with the continuous planning and assessment that goes into delivering a lesson. While responsible for a group of young skiers on the mountain it is essential that our trainees are constantly evaluating an environment that can change in minutes and carefully choosing the terrain most suited to both their clients and the skills they are trying to teach.

Happy New Year!

They are also able to get more involved with the continuous planning and assessment that goes into delivering a lesson. While responsible for a group of young skiers on the mountain it is essential that our trainees are constantly evaluating an environment that can change in minutes and carefully choosing the terrain most suited to both their clients and the skills they are trying to teach.

This has been particularly important over the past two weeks with the increased traffic on the mountain for Christmas and New Year and towards the end of this week when the clouds began to roll in and it (finally!) started to snow.

At the end of the week, it was also time for feedback from Les Elfes International for our trainees, which we are pleased to say was overwhelmingly positive – very good news for those who are looking to work for the Les Elfes team once the course is over and just in time to celebrate with fireworks for New Years Eve!

Fireworks in Place Central

Post festive training and a mammoth dump of snow!

With the second of the two busiest weeks of the year now over, Verbier begins to settle down, just in time for the forecasted mammoth dump of snow and for the training to resume! Next week our guys start their level 2 course, building on the skills they need for their exams but also providing an opportunity to find answers to the questions that two weeks of shadowing have raised.

Finally some snow in the Peak Leaders garden!

Want to get your ski or snowboard ticket?

Morzine (10 week course) 9 Jan-19 Mar @ £8,399

Banff (11 week course) 9 Jan-26 Mar @ £7,799

Bariloche (8/9 week course) 30 Jul-24/29 Sep 2016 @£7,7(9)99

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