Week 8 of the Verbier 10 week ski instructor course and the final week at that!  The group will do their BASI Level 2 exams, but not without some epic events thrown in for good measure!  Here’s group leader Charlie with the update…

What a week it’s been!

On Monday, our future ski instructors headed off at the crack of dawn to hop on Verbier Transport’s mini-bus, excited…clutching skis and backpacks full of warm clothes and snacks to keep them going – today our future ski instructors head to  Vallee Blanche in Chamonix, one of the most famous powder runs in the Alps! The legend of off-piste in Chamonix, needs no introduction! Their arrival sees them sorting out lift passes and meeting their guides, Will and Phil, who take our team through their paces on a few tree runs before setting off on today’s main event.

Phil & Will on the legendary Vallee Blanche!

A cable car and a traverse and then the guys can really get their teeth into some powder skiing…yeow! Even allowing for the stunning views and the amazing skiing, it is still very cold and a lot of hard work and by the time our team reach the end they’re definitely ready for a vin chaud and a well earned rest!

All tied up! (L-R Max, Chloe, Ed, Phil, Will, Olivia)

As if Monday wasn’t enough to blow the trainees socks off, a week full of treats was had with Chloe, Olivia, Max and Will joining Element Ski School‘s Marco for some epic freestyle coaching around Verbier. A better day couldn’t have been asked for either, with blue skies and soft snow – unfortunately for Will, not soft enough and an awkward fall resulted in a dislocated shoulder.

Max’s cheeky ‘Japan’ grab while training with Marco

With the Chamonix trip on Monday and the freestyle day on Thursday, our guys only had three days left of training with Emma. Giving them the opportunity to put the final polish to their skills and teaching techniques before the Level 2 exams and also gives them time for a lunch with Emma at Dahu on the final day! In even better news, that afternoon gives everyone another reason to celebrate – Joe, who has been re-sitting his Level 1 exam has come out with a pass and as of Monday morning’s time of writing, hasn’t stopped smiling – strong work!

Lunch with Emma (L-R Max, Fran, Chloe, Charlie, Emma, Will)

Learning from the best

Over the weekend the guys also have fantastic opportunity to ski with a pro – Faction’s  Laurent Gauthier – one of the many unique experiences offered by the Peak Leaders program. This gives our team great chance to learn from the best and also offers a slightly different perspective from the instructor side! 

What’s ahead of our future ski instructors?

Come Sunday, the reality of next week’s exam and the impending end of the course hits home. Most of our team spend the day taking a rest day, spending their time working through job applications and tweaking C.V.s before finally meeting Jon Ahlsen, their examiner for the Level 2 exams starting tomorrow – good luck guys!

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