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BASI - they do a great job!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Been a BASI member since 2001, and I honestly think they do a great job.
IMHO there is far too much negative internet publicity recently about BASI.

- Every BASI course & refresher I have been on has been excellent. Courses fairly assessed to defined criteria.
- New manual is superb. Big improvement.
- Progressive systems of levels (L1-L4) depending on your aspirations and commitment.
- Common theory is a logical path from snow plough -> parallel
- BASI system is very focused on teaching, rather than pure technical ability.
- Members discounts on equipment are great
- BASI trainers I have encountered have all been professional and superb skiers / teachers
- Qualification are well respected globally. L2 can be used in every country worldwide (even France with TT)
- Variety of venues for courses (snow domes, Scotland, Alps) and disciplines (ski, board, tele, adaptive)
- Office quick and prompt to respond to any question I have had.

Far too many people forget that BASI is a small association with limited budget and small number of full time staff.
For a non alpine nation I think they do a great job ?

Anyone else agree ?


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 10-11-14 18:26; edited 2 times in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
No argument here but I have just read the very nice expensive glossy annual report which shows a big loss and there is only a few words on the fact it exists with no explanation or plan for next year - in 20pages of info.
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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?
Haggis_Trap wrote:
Anyone else agree ?
Sure, although that doesn't mean I'm 100% happy with everything they have done or are doing. Unfortunately the debate has become quite polarised with supporters and critics taking diametrically opposed positions on the association. As ever, the truth is somewhere down the middle.

Jake43 wrote:
no explanation or plan for next year...
There's a bit more info on the BASI website, but it doesn't answer every question I have about the finances.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
I think they do a good job. I wouldn't quite put BASI in the great category.

Courses have always been good. I've come away with something I didn't have from every course. That's down to trainers and others on the course.

Teaching over technical? At what level? L1 teaching content is poor. L2 probably has a better mix of both. L3 and L4 are split. Coaching is a mix of both.

Members discounts are good - not great. Many members go directly to suppliers as they are not available through BASI. I'm sure you know why.

Never had a bad encounter with a trainer.

Qualifications with are accepted and the situation is improving. Other than France, Andorra ask for additional training at L2, a 2nd discipline is acceptable. AVMS has been dropped in Aosta and opportunities have improved. That's not down to BASI.

Office staff are helpful, as you would expect.

There are many positives but there is room for improvement.

Probably give them 8/10.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
^ 8 / 10 seems a reasonable score ?
For sure - they aren't perfect and there is always room for improvement.
I honestly believe much of the flak aimed at BASI is unjustified ?

Quote:
Courses have always been good. I've come away with something I didn't have from every course. That's down to trainers and others on the course.

^ To be fair BASI selects the trainers, provides them with a syllabus, and maintains the standards.
So they can take credit for this. I have never been on a bad BASI course.

Quote:
Teaching over technical?

Generally speaking the alpine nations, especially France & Italy, only allow the best technical skiers to be instructors.
The english language nations, including BASI are perhaps more focused on teaching skills ?
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Quote:

Generally speaking the alpine nations, especially France & Italy, only allow the best technical skiers to be instructors.
The english language nations, including BASI are perhaps more focused on teaching skills ?


This comes up a lot and I'm not convinced it's being fair to the French (etc). Sure, you have to be a very good skier just to get onto their courses, but that doesn't mean that they don't then have at least as much teaching input to their courses as BASI.

I haven't done any kind of detailed comparison to be sure, but, from chatting to friends who qualified through ENSA, they certainly do plenty of teaching training.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I've been very impressed in all my dealings especially since it is a small not for profit organisation. It compares very well with much larger profit based organisations. Not saying everything is perfect but never is with any organisation and it is much easier in life to criticise than it is to do. Especially given all the politics inherent it is impossible to please everyone. I've a choice to pay my membership fee and I'm happy to do so even though I don't use it much at the moment.
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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!
My pet hobby horse is the very low language requirements. I saw that ISIA requirement is actually being able to teach in a second language. I wonder how many can actually do that. It's more a general British issue than a basi issue per though.
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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.
@TTT, I don't think the language test is a give-away. Hard for me to tell as I'm fluent in French, so I've no idea if my test was representative or if we were more or less just having a chat once my level was apparent, but it would have been tricky for someone less fluent, especially over the phone (which is always harder than face-to-face).
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@stevomcd, I know it is not adequate - I have to translate and deal with accidents for instructors. Don't really think the ISIA requirement to give a lesson is necessary but it should be taken more seriously as I know they can not deal with an incident and can only just about manage such essentials as ordering a beer.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
The language test has been made harder in recent years.
I did french at uni as outside course and it wasn't a gimmee
Though I agree it could be more in depth than short phone call

Fair point re teaching and ensa.
I guess the great thing about BASI is their pathway has room for someone who is 50 years old.
They might be great with kids and superb teacher but never going to pass a ET or TT
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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.
Getting off track though. At least it has bumped another thread off the front page so that is positive. Some people tend to take themselves too seriously but most are fine and I've met a lot of good people to ski as a result of basi which is a definite positive about the organisation.
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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
Since starting back skiing in May properly all the BASI members be them those who have just passed L1 ski or snowboard upto the BASI L4 / trainers I have met have been a fantastic group of people and would not hear a bad word about any of them.


My only issue is with how BASI head office conduct some parts of the business.

@TTT, ssshhhh!! or someone may bump it right back up wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
As an outsider just looking in i only hear good stuff about the basi folks on the front line. However there do appear to be questions around the management of the organisation. Accounting transparency and management procedures, if recent threads are to be believed are two examples.

Whilst there are almost always two sides to every story, being open and completely transparent leaves little room for criticism on that point, though it does obviously come with risks in terms of what may be disclosed.

As for the "not for profit" status, I am always sceptical as that just implies that profits are not distributed in terms of dividends (simplistic statement i know). A company structure could pay it's employees all its income (subject to the relevant taxes) but these could be inappropriate to the role and effort they are providing, though I am not suggesting that this is the case in terms of the basi accounting practices.
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