 Poster: A snowHead
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Having recently come back from a couple of trips to Saas Fee to train with JJC I thought I would write a bit of a trip report.
Background...JJC mainly train BASI 2 and ISIA level instructors with a view to their Eurotest. I am BASI 0.0 though on a comparable scale I would say about a BASI 1.5 in terms of ability. I ski a lot, and really should be so much better than I am. I am seriously determined to make a transformative jump to a higher level.
I contacted JJC and asked if they would take a "punter" like me. Of course was their reply. With some nervousness I booked.
The whole thing was 100% excellent, except the weather.
The coaching was excellent. N.B. Coaching is not the same as Instruction, it puts a lot more responsibility on the "pupil" to understand, and act upon, what they are told. Their communication stills, and observational skills, could hardly have been better. All the coaches worked to a common thread, and all of them identified key aspects of my skiing that needed fixing, and how to fix them.
The incidentals were also 100% good. The apartments were spacious, clean and comfortable...and very reasonably priced. About 25 pounds per night for a single room in a shared flat. There were good, well themed, fitness sessions, demonstrations of ski tuning, sports psychology group talks and 1 to 1 sessions offered at no extra cost.
Everybody was very welcoming, not one of the qualified fellow trainees seemed to mind me, a mere punter, being there. Quite the reverse, all were very encouraging. Obviously I was fixing things that most of them were well beyond, and the coaches were telling me different things to the Eurotesters, but that never seemed to matter.
I did run the gates a couple of times, and believe me....NOBODY could have skied it faster, I gave it the max. Sadly JJC's timing equipment was obviously faulty as I said I was the slowest by a long way! 
The net result for me was a significant change in my skiing...it is now feels much more connected to the snow. No more up/down movements in turn initiation. Edges engaged much, much earlier in the turn, comfortable at speeds that would have made me nervous in the past, much more dynamic in general.
I had a great time, I will certainly go back in the future.
However this is not like generic ski instruction. It is not a holiday. Do not go unless you are properly motivated to get better and speed up. It is not meant to be fun...but it was great fun
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Training with people of a higher level is a great way to progress if you are at that stage I think, good on you for booking up in the first place though.
Also god point on it being coaching and not teaching, definitely a big difference there especially mental attitude 
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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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Rungsp I concur 100%
Two of these JJC guys are current Eurotest openers.
You know every day how good you have to get.
Some of the good skiers in my group put in passing times.
The trouble is- for the ET proper you only get two runs, not 4 hours of attempts. 
I'm 100% supportive of the ET and the training for it, because simply, it pushes your skiing competence level way up, even if you don't pass.
Being in control at higher speeds is something that most ordinary skiers never experience.
Most of these skiers have to ski with the brakes on all the time or they lose control.
With training you learn to separate speed and line in order to stay in control.
Also, most ordinary skiers have poorly prepared skis. No wonder they struggle.
So: Go for it! Learn to ski and then sail through the BASI exams as far as possible, then ramp it up. And ramp it up again.
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