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Basecamp vs Snowskool short instructor course

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hello,

Basecamp is charging £1950 and Snowskool £1595 for a 2 week BASI level 1 course, both in Meribel (and same dates as it happens). Does anyone know which of these is better?

Grateful for any and all information!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi @lily79, the actual BASI course is delivered by a BASI trainer so should be comparable in both cases. But the actual BASI course is only 5 days (and only £430) - so what else are they bundling?
Why do you feel you need to do more than just the BASI course itself?
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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?
The first week is training to pass the exam which is in the second week as I understand it. Which I desperately need given that last season ended far too long ago and it will be my first week on skis this season.. Having said that, there is even a 3 week course - just to get BASI level 1. I was worried I'd need to be super fit but it does sound potentially doable..?
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Well, the exam week is training to pass the exam Wink
You don't need to be super-fit at for the exam week. My personal experience was that the L1 week (I did mine in Avoriaz last season) was more demanding in terms of concentration than physically. The performance skiing is only a part of the course, and much of the time is spent on central theme and teaching - which involves quite a bit of standing still / moving slowly in snowplough.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hi @lily79. What are your goals with this course/qualification. I only ask because it might result in more relevant advice, and it's good to get on a pathway that is suited to your goals. E.g. there are other qualification pathways such as IASI or SSE to consider. And there is always another course to do!

A lot of people opt to do the BASI L1 in the UK, either in a snow dome (e.g. Hemel Hempstead would probably be your most convenient) or at a dry slope.

The 1 week BASI course is a combination of training and continuous assessment. Anything the others add on to that will be additional training, accommodation, etc. which depending on your circumstances may be money well spent or a complete waste of time, and only you can judge which of those packages is better value for you. If they are both running in Meribel on the same dates there is a good chance that the second week with the BASI trainer will be the same group.

Fitness should not be an issue for L1 as long as you are a reasonably active person. You will be expected to be on skis for most of the day, but as @tubaski says there is a mix of activity levels. I would say at least half of the L1 course is spent on teaching and central theme.

If you want to get some idea of where you are with respect to the standard required there are plenty of higher level instructors offering training to aspiring instructors in the UK. I had a good experience with @ski_mottaret from Inside Out in the lead up to my BASI L1 and L2 and would be happy to recommend them.

Once you've got your L1 course completed and want to get some shadowing hours so you can obtain your licence then I could help put you in touch with the relevant people at The Snow Centre.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Thanks a million @tubaski! Not sure I fancy standing still/moving slowly - but I might be grateful for it come week 2. In a perfect world I would tell my boss to shove it, rent out my flat, wee wee off to the Alps and never come back. snowHead I might be slowly working towards this. Sort of an early onset mid life crisis. Have lots of holiday built up that I need to take before end of year and was thinking I could not only ski for two blissful weeks but get a qualification at the end of it. Explore whether it's for me and whether to go for Level 2..
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Excellent advice from @kieranm above. I'd second his recommendation for Inside Out, in my case @rob@rar from Inside Out deserves a big piece of the credit for my L1 pass.
I'd also say I thoroughly enjoyed my shadowing at The Snow Centre - which I think is when you really get to decide whether it's for you (It's not uncommon for people who just did L1 to improve their skiing to discover they love teaching skiing and go on to teach part time).
When I mentioned standing around and moving slowly I didn't mean to imply 'bored' Very Happy Standing around taking instruction, participating in and delivering mock lessons and learning to make slow precise movements, breaking things down to their constituent parts can be fascinating and revealing!
On the subject of inside vs. outside, I did L1 outdoors as I'd been predominently a fridge skiier, was fairly confident I could pass in a fridge so wanted an extra challenge. Also all the local Hemel based courses were full, so if I needed to pay for a hotel it may as well be one in the Alps snowHead I accept that's not going to be the right choice for everyone.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@kieranm thank you very much for your reply, I think the week of training will be money well spent. I've been with Inside Out, skivo, skivolution, snoworks - it's time for me to get on and do it I think! As it turns out, one of them was fully booked already so that made my decision easy. I'm already eyeing up L2 courses for next year.. @Tubaski, @kieranm your input has been invaluable. Very much appreciated! Very Happy
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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.
@lily79, Hope you enjoy the course and good luck with it ! If you are on the SnowSkool one perhaps will see you on the hill on the first week of the course.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Tubaski wrote:
Excellent advice from @kieranm above. I'd second his recommendation for Inside Out, in my case @rob@rar from Inside Out deserves a big piece of the credit for my L1 pass.
Thanks for that, but all we can do is point you in the right direction, it's you who does the hard work...
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@skimottaret snowskool was full, so I've booked onto the basecamp one. It was a case of.. If I don't press a button now, it's never going to happen. Never know, we may yet see each other on that hill..

Hugely appreciate everyone's time on here, gave me the nudge I needed! snowHead
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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.
Good luck @lily79, enjoy the course. Instructing can be addictive - there is always just one more course to do - but a great way to improve and give your skiing more purpose. If you can get a copy of the BASI manual before you go (available as a PDF from the members area of the website now, once you are a member) you could do worse than reading some of the stuff on central theme and the teaching progression BASI use, so that stuff you're being told on the hill makes a little more sense.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@kieranm brilliant advice as usual! Big thank you! Very Happy
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@lily79, Doing instructor courses and training can sometimes seem a bit daunting and stressful when your on the hill, but remember..... you will ski lots better with a smile on your face. Good luck and enjoy.
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