BARILOCHE 2018 – WEEK 6
Another awesome week down in Bariloche for the Peak Leaders team here in Argentina.
The Peak Leaders course in Argentina is unique in many ways but one of the reasons is it has a training week with BASI trainers between the Level 1 and 2 exams. The two trainers, Jas and Tom, who already know everyone in the groups, can use the week to train them to the great heights of Level 2 and get their technical skiing up to scratch so they are as prepared as possible.
This is a massive advantage for all the Peak Leaders and it’s made even better by the fact that they get to ski with Tom and Jas for an extra week who they think are pretty good at skiing!
We were lucky enough that fresh snow fell at just the right time so that the resort once again returned to winter and provided excellent conditions. Going up the Sextuple chairlift from the bottom of the mountain each morning is pretty amazing when the everywhere is covered with a fresh blanket of snow … including all the local Bamboo trees which are indigenous to the area! At Cerro Catedral, they actually use the bamboo to make all the piste pole markers which is a great use of natural local materials.
Sometimes, it is great to get back to basics and hit the beginner slopes so that everyone can perfect smaller and more precise movement patterns, without hurtling down the mountain at speed. This is a hard concept to understand at first but it’s what every skier worth his or her salt does. Remember ‘slow is pro’ as Jas keeps telling us!
Once the Peak Leaders had mastered these moves … it was back up to the big slopes to put their hard work into practice. Each morning Tom and Jas set each person in their groups to work practicing different drills and tasks individual to them to maximise their warm up sessions. Here Tilly is trying out some turns as Tom skies behind her.
As the week came to close, everyone’s thoughts turned towards the BASI Level 2 ski instructor exam starting next Monday. The Peak Leaders course has been building up to this point and now it is time for everyone to put their new instructor skills to the test.
So all that remains is for them to go out and give it everything they have … GOOD LUCK everyone!!!
