BARILOCHE 2019 – WEEK 6
Wow! What a great training week! We have had every kind of weather possible.
The first few days were overcast and it was difficult to find windows of visibility to practice. However BASI trainer James Bennet kept the Peak Leaders focused on the task at hand, namely to keep on improving.
And then, after all the snow, the clouds cleared and the team got to enjoy one of the finest powder days of the season!
Cerro Catedral has some spectacular scenery and its varied terrain is perfect for skiing powder snow.
After a couple of days of concentrating on slow skiing (vital for making improvements to high end technical skiing) the Peak Leaders trainees got the chance to show what they could do in the powder. And they loved it!
And of course James led the charge, shredding all the way…
Training in Argentina is unique because the Peak Leaders have the chance to ski with a BASI trainer for four weeks.
This means they have the perfect opportunity to practice the skills that their BASI trainer thinks they need to improve upon.
So everyone on the course gets to know the examiner really well and understand exactly what he or she wants to see from the candidates – in both their technical skiing and teaching.
At the beginning of each day the Peak Leaders trainees discus with James what they are going to try to achieve, then they practice specific exercises that will help them get to this point.
So they get the chance to practice and benefit from individual feedback, focusing on exactly what they need to do to improve.
And so after a week of powder skiing, one-ski-skiing and technical skiing the Peak Leaders are ready to tackle the BASI level 2 exam.
That is, after all, one of the main reasons they are here…
The two week exam is tough and will require each trainee to show off the skills they have developed in the past 6 weeks.
The Peak Leaders trainees will be tested on their piste skiing, off piste skiing (variable snow) and in the bumps along with having to teach high quality lessons to pass the teaching aspect of the exam.
They’ve worked hard for 6 weeks, so now all that remains is to wish them good luck. Smash it everyone!
