 Poster: A snowHead
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Ski School Review: Snoworks race training course
Just returned from a week in Tignes where I did a 'race training' course with the Snoworks ski school. This is the second time I've done this course; the write-up I did of the previous experience can be seen here.
This time there was quite a large group, about 40 people doing race training, and another 12 or so doing general performance courses. This meant that in addition to the skiing, there was lots of opportunities for socialising as we were mostly staying in the same hotel (the Curling in Val Claret). As usual with Snoworks courses, there were a few people I'd previously skied with.
Instructors for the week were:
Emma Carrick-Anderson, recently retired World Cup skier. Britain's top female skier for 10+ years, represented GB at four Winter Olympics.
Phil Smith, director of Snoworks.
Gareth Roberts, BASI Trainer and director of Ski Supreme ski school in Courchevel.
Rupert Goldring, BASI Trainer and director of Mountain Masters ski school in Val d'Isere
Pete Silver, SnowSport England development & perfrmance coach and director of Alpine Coaching ski school at Hintertux
Pete did the general performance courses, with Emma, Phil, Gareth and Rupert taking the race training groups.
The ability range on these courses tends to be intermediate and better, with quite a few BASI-qualified instructors (level 3 and 2) to train for the Eurotest or their next level of certification. There was also a young racer who is coached by Emma C-A. My instructor for the week was Phil, the second time he has taught me, although you occasionally get comments and feedback from the other instructors if you are sharing the course with them (as my class often did with Emma's).
Sunday was free skiing, which was a good opportunity to find ski legs after the summer (and for me to try to get used to my new GS skis), with three hours of instruction on Monday to Friday (although the classes always seemed to run longer than that because of the enthusiasm of both instructors and class). There was an introductory seminar on Sunday evening, which was given by Gareth and covered fundamental techniques for steering skis. Although I'd sat through this seminar on previous occasions, it is helpful to remind you that skiing is essentially a simple activity if you focus on what the ski is doing. The seminar is also helpful to get everyone used to the kind of terminology that Snoworks instructors use when describing skiing. The rest of the week also had evening feedback sessions, reviewing any video of you taken that day and providing an unhurried opportunity to ask questions of your instructor. Other activities during the week included some fitness training with Emma for her Eurotest group, and an ad hoc arrangements for snow-shoeing or Nordic skiing around the lake when Friday's snow meant no skiing on the Grand Motte.
For those that know the Grand Motte at Tignes, all our work took place on either the Champany or Rosolin pistes. Snow conditions were perfect for skiing gates: hardpack snow or ice (although the occasional patches of glacier-ice were a bit scary!) and blue skies from Sunday to Thursday. Each day consisted of about an hour for drills/exercises, followed by a couple of hours doing laps around a course set with GS gates. Although I've done most of these exercises before (eg javelin turns, pushing inside knee into the turning with outside hand, etc) I've never done them at full speed down moderately steep pistes before. We then started skiing the gates, trying to incorporate feedback from your instructor (who generally stands at the bottom of the course and gives personal feedback on each run). On Wednesday and Thursday timing equipment is used to confirm how quick (or in my case, how slow) you are skiing. Although this was fun, it is fairly obvious when you have done a fast, fluid run, and when you have fought your way down the course to a slow time. Another good way to get feedback was to have three or four skiers closely following each other on the course: the fastest skier goes first and the slowest skier goes last, and you get instant feedback on each turn if you are keeping up with or falling behind the better skiers in front. The quality of intruction I had from Phil was the best I'd ever had. Clearly he knows his stuff and is a great communicator. He is incredibly enthusiastic, and every session with him was fast-moving (mentally as well as our speed on skis!). By the end of the week I felt I'd made a lot of progress and was beginning to put in place the feedback he had given me all week. I will more than likley to this course again, not because I have any ambitions (or ability) for racing at any level, but because I feel it is helping me to be a quicker, more controlled and more precise skier on-piste.
Friday normally includes the 'Big Race', although for us this was brought forward to Thursday afternoon because of the snow forecast for Friday. Although this is just for fun, I was very anxious before the race as the competitive nerves started to build up! The whole process, from course inspection, queueing up in the start gate, getting focused for your run, and trying to get a fast time was a lot of fun. Everyone gets three timed runs, with the fastest time counting. Phil Smith is hoping to build up this event, with prizes from his sponsors for the best Pro male, Pro female, Best Amateur Male, Amateur Female and a comedy prize (this year given for worst ski suit  ) This year the prizes included Salomon off-piste skis, ski bags and bottles of champagne.
All in all, thoroughly recommended!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great report Rob. How were the new skis?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| Great report Rob. How were the new skis? |
When I used them properly they were amazing. Terrific grip, even on very icy pistes. Very stable, no matter how quickly I was skiing, and they gave me the confidence to ski faster than I have previously skied. But when I got things wrong (eg, weight too far back, or not enough angulation into a turn) they were fairly brutal, and the results were often not pretty! I gave my crash helmet a bit of a work out on a couple of occasions  Considering the price I paid for them on eBay, I'm really pleased with them.
I'm now looking for a factory version of the Rossi 9S...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Excellent stuff! Were you on Champagny all week?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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PG, mostly. We did some of our exercises on the bottom half of the SuperG course when that wasn't being used, and one day the Champagny lift broke down a couple of times so we all had to share a lane on the Rosolin (sp.?). Other than that we were always on Champagny. Phil did threaten us with a day on 35 (which was fearsomely icy), but fortunately that never happened.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rob@rar.org.uk, I waited for over 90 mins on Champagny a couple of weeks back when it 'derailed'. No one bothered to tell us what was happening, eventually we discovered it wasn't going to be fixed that day. Given the money people pay, it's about time they sorted that lift out. I'll be glad when Val D opens up next summer, at least it will mean some competition for Tignes and they won't be able to take themselves quite so seriously...
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PG, yes, it was very frustrating, not least because we had to ski Rosolin which isn't really steep enough for my tastes. But it did give me the opportunity to try to catch Emma C-A when we were skiing in close formation down the Rosolin course, so I suppose there was an advantage to the lift breaking down!
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rob@rar.org.uk, But did you catch her????
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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easiski, no bloody hope!
In the race I was about 9 seconds off her time, on a course which was only 45 seconds from top to bottom for me. I was about 2 seconds off the time of the Eurotest guys and about 10 seconds off the time of the young FIS racer with us. There's a huge difference between very good skiers such as BASI 2s training for the Eurotest and competitive skiers such as Emma.
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rob@rar.org.uk, Yes - really! I think, until you get in the gates it's sometimes hard to realise just how much difference. I got the distinct impression at the EOSB that not many of the Snowheads were able to appreciate just how much better Hannah is than the rest of us (even if I can still do some exercies better than her!) It's a shame she didn't get to run the same course - the comparison would have been interesting.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| easiski wrote: |
| rob@rar.org.uk, Yes - really! I think, until you get in the gates it's sometimes hard to realise just how much difference. I got the distinct impression at the EOSB that not many of the Snowheads were able to appreciate just how much better Hannah is than the rest of us |
Not me - I've seen her ski gates on the Arc 1800 Stade, and she was flying down. Great precision, and she just let the skis rail around the turns. I'll never be able to ski like that 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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rob@rar.org.uk, was that on Feb 6th, a Super G I think? If there'd been any snow flying around that day she would definitely have been in trouble with her trainer!
Peisey's David Poisson foreran that race, the day after his top ten finish in the World Championships, sadly out of the picture for the rest of the season, yet another racer with a ruptured ACL.
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... and on the difference between Eurotest trainees and FIS racers, what struck me the other day taking photos of the FIS Super G up at Tignes was the difference between the average young FIS racers and those at national, or near world class. I was taking photos smack in the middle of the course, quite expecting to be sent - justifiably - to a safer distance - because although I wasn't in the racing line, a mistake by a racer coming round the gate, and I had roughly half a second to react and get out of the way. Anyway the point is that although I felt quite safe with the first 40 or so seeded racers down, after that it was getting distinctly hairy and I decided to call it a day. Just not the same control, even if they weren't going at the same speeds.
A race that was completed in 80.92 secs by the winner (who himself would be maybe 3 seconds behind Bode Miller on the same course). 16 year old first year FIS racers (on 60/70 FIS points in GS) were finishing in around 88 to 90 seconds, ie 15/16% behind what would have been Miller's time.
Thomas Frey, Nov 14th Super G Tignes, 5th in 81.61 secs
Last year, in a GS
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You know it makes sense.
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PG, my word. Look at the body position, angulation, edging, etc. His knuckles are dragging on the ground!! One can hardly believe that there's enough space available for the position he wants to take.
Simply awesome!!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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He must have been going awesomely fast to remain upright.
PG, interesting points - it is a whole other world at that level.
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Poster: A snowHead
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PG, I am quite embarrassed that you have used that picture of me from the EOSB ! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Paul Mason, Sorry, should have asked first I know! It's just a shame that you were moving so fast that the clock failed to stop, and you had to climb up to cross the line again, adding thirty seconds to your time in each run... 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PG, notice how in that last picture of Paul Mason he has rotated his upper body into the gate slightly to squeeze every last bit of turning power from his skis, meanwhile keenly peering down the hill to spot his line into the next couple of gates. Bloody perfect technique!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I dont know who that chubby fellow is ................ 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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easiski will be proud. Compare the two photos. My left leg is straight and my right leg is bending inwards towards the slope. Very similar to the racer.
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rob@rar.org.uk, excellent review, thanks. I should be doing a week on an AT course with them sometime in March, if all goes well. The formula will obviously be different but hopefully the flavour will be similar.
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| slikedges wrote: |
| I should be doing a week on an AT course with them sometime in March |
Which resort? I've done a couple of performance courses with them in Courchevel and had a terrific time. They were very similar to the race training course: high quality instruction; lots of feedback on your performance including evening sessions with video analysis; and a fun atmosphere as most people (including instructors) stay in the same hotel.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Paul Mason, I've been admiring that photo since last Easter - it's on my wall!!!
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rob@rar.org.uk, Any pictures to share?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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easiski, worrying.
Very worrying 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Mouth wrote: |
| rob@rar.org.uk, Any pictures to share? |
Sorry, not this time. It was just a bit too busy to take photos, and I prefer not to have a camera if skiing fast as I don't trust myself not to break it.
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rob@rar.org.uk, the one in Val Claret is most likely, I think. I wanted an all-day rather than half-day course but only hope I'm fit enough to keep up!
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You know it makes sense.
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| slikedges wrote: |
| rob@rar.org.uk, the one in Val Claret is most likely, I think. I wanted an all-day rather than half-day course but only hope I'm fit enough to keep up! |
Excellent - I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
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FAQ
