 Poster: A snowHead
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| TTT wrote: |
| @JamesHJ, certainly worth training indoors. Completely disagree that all British providers provide a good product. A lot have a very poor reputation within the industry. Rightly IME. Best to discuss with people who have skied with different providers and try different providers yourself. |
If there were major problems with British providers of training then I think that it would be all over social media. Those we have tried have been very good, and have provided highly complimentary training to the local stuff. Where questions have been raised about particular market segments (e.g. gap year stuff), it is easy to find online...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm afraid it is not available on social media. The best instructors like the best places to ski are not widely advertised on social media as people keep the information to themselves. I have been with many different providers and there is a substantial difference between the nature and quality of the service provided in particular the quality of the instruction. A lot of it is poor quality and poor value in terms of instruction and some of the advice that is given is just wrong. Personally I have wasted some time and money on poor quality instruction trying out different organisations before I was recommended someone who really knew what they were doing. In terms of instruction I would recommend the less well known organisations with BASI trainer involvement and avoid the mass market products and beware of marketing.
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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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@rossyl, you can definitely progress in the UK, even at small artificial venues. I ski with young racers and instructors who ski very well even though their time abroad is limited. Many young skiers push their skills through freestyle. The trick is regular structured practise and expert feedback. For my own progress I took up indoor slalom skiing, something to push my performance on limited terrain, and train for an hour or so most weeks.
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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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| TTT wrote: |
| I'm afraid it is not available on social media. The best instructors like the best places to ski are not widely advertised on social media as people keep the information to themselves. I have been with many different providers and there is a substantial difference between the nature and quality of the service provided in particular the quality of the instruction. A lot of it is poor quality and poor value in terms of instruction and some of the advice that is given is just wrong. Personally I have wasted some time and money on poor quality instruction trying out different organisations before I was recommended someone who really knew what they were doing. In terms of instruction I would recommend the less well known organisations with BASI trainer involvement and avoid the mass market products and beware of marketing. |
I understand if you don't want to mention those who you disliked, but I am curious who you would recommend?
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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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It's not dislike so much as it is generally fine as a holiday ski experience otherwise would not be so popular just didn't see it did much for people's skiing. It is difficult to recommend as depends on people's personal preferences and personalities. And the best don't always market themselves as the business is based on word of mouth and relationships as they are not mass market products. It all comes from talking to people who have experience and know you and what is suitable for you so can only give a general steer. Social media is not the place for finding out about great places to ski which only a few people know about or great instructors with limited availability.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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lynseyf, PhotoShop job! No seriously, I'm keen to give Scotland a go, though we had Scotland-like conditions in Chamonix during January (so I was told by other sHs who have skied Scotland), so I reckon I need a bit more practise before I ski Scotland.
RobW, you can have instruction until the cows come home but you really need to practice a shitload in addition to the instruction. The same is true for something like learning a martial art or learning a musical instrument, doesn't matter how many lessons you have, you can't master the art unless you practice over and over and over again.
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from experience with my daughter you can improve your technique far more on a dry slope than you can indoors, get down to your local dry slope and see what sessions they offer.
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I ski three times a week during the season and twice a week off season. I signed up to an annual membership on a dry slope ( this is the only way to afford skiing 2 to 3 times a week). I attend a slalom training session once a week. When my cash is not as tight, i also use the snow dome in tamworth, hemel hempstead and skiplex. By far, the skiplex has the most difficult surface. Hemel has the best snow quality but like the snow dome, it is expensive and i live 2.5 hrs away from it (5 hrs return). Go for a dry slope, it is inexpensive and it is there. Found one near your home and the dendix is good training surface when u had some quality coaching.
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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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Skiing in Scotland - u will ski like a man. Cairngorm is famous for gale force wind, blizzard condition and total whiteout. This separates a man from a boy or a woman from a girl. Man up n ski in Scotland.
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@TTT, you really specialise in being cagey, don't you? At length.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I don't want to publicly criticise certain operations. They are OK to an extent and serve a purpose and if people are happy with what they are getting that is fine. On the other hand if people are serious about getting better I would rather they did not waste their time and money as I have done to some extent. So would like to give a steer. I also can't publicly recommend others as that is not the way they do their business. Just like anything else shop around, check qualifications and experience, take advice from those with more experience. Specialist operations often offer better quality and value than mass market products.
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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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@TTT, the point I'm making is that this really doesn't tell us anything meaningful at all.
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Back to the OP. If you are nearer a a dryslope --- join their Race Club.
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You know it makes sense.
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this really doesn't tell us anything meaningful at all.
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+1 you could say all that about just about any produce or service you can think of.
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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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Hi guys
So it sounds like a Snow Dome and dry slopes are the way forward for me. My nearest being Hemel and Gosling respectively. I will get in touch with Rob about Hemel. I know little about dry slopes but have read that for adults it provides a less real experience. But dry slopes are a LOT cheaper and that is of importance.
Any other thoughts do let me know.
Cheers
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Poster: A snowHead
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@rossyl,
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it provides a less real experience
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There is no way a dryslope can replicate the mountains.. but the skills you use are exactly the same. Putting a set of gates in the way adds to the interest. It's also way cheaper than indoor snow.
http://www.goslingsports.co.uk/sports/ski.php --- look at the details for race training.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 2-03-15 11:11; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@rossyl, get to hemel if you can, gosling is ok for the odd run, but I rapidly grew out of it
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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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| rossyl wrote: |
Hi
So, how can I progress in the UK outside these one-week annual trips?
The Snow Domes seem to be far too small and not steep enough to progress on.
Are there any other options?
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If by "progress" you mean skiing steeper & faster then your options are limited.
If by "progress" you mean improving your technique, understanding & developing quality in what you're doing then snowdomes are perfect.
At wk3 it is easy to disregard the simplicity of the instruction that we need & the time required in practising, we often rush to progress onto steeper n faster. I did.
99% of problems/faults or blockages to improvement are due to fundamental issues overlooked in the first few weeks of learning.
If you can recall anything from your previous lesson/s then it's probly still relevant. If you can't then take some notes next time.
Good luck
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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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@Pedantica, It would not be right to name names publicly but should be clear to those familiar with the ski instructing world. I have also seen some cryptic comments from IOS which I fully agree with. I have tried though to give a process which I found helpful.
@franzClammer, generally agree with that.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@TTT,
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It would not be right to name names publicly
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I don't necessarily disagree with that.
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should be clear to those familiar with the ski instructing world
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The OP plainly isn't, otherwise he/she would not have raised the question.
Your posts here, and elsewhere, imply an in-depth knowledge but one which you are not prepared to share. I therefore don't see the point of them. As pam w implies, your 'advice' above is no more than common sense at best, and simplistic at worst.
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I don't want to criticise instructors on here. Others don't want to be mentioned on here as work on word of mouth which I respect. Yes it is very general. I think it is worth shopping around given the amount of hard earned and precious free time involved. I have found my best recommendations have come from talking to people I've skied with who are better skiers than me and have more experience of skiing with different instructors. I get some great specific knowledge on here but not for instructors. Generally safe to go with BASI trainers/ISTDs or local equivalent but even then the product varies and it depends on the personal fit so it is best to talk to people. It is also about the fellow participants as well. The clientele varies with instructors. I take your point though and have provided more specific thoughts privately.
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I went to Hemel yesterday for the off-piste day with Scott, not really expecting much.
Worth every penny!
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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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@TTT,
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take your point though and have provided more specific thoughts privately.
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Thanks
@allanm, excellent, another recruit to Inside Out. (I have no shares!)
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@allanm, excellent!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| SteinEriksen wrote: |
| Skiing in Scotland - u will ski like a man. Cairngorm is famous for gale force wind, blizzard condition and total whiteout. This separates a man from a boy or a woman from a girl. Man up n ski in Scotland. |
Skiing is not that bad in Scotland yeah the conditions can be pretty harsh but at the end of the day if you love skiing you'll enjoy it anyway, I learned to ski at Cairngorm when I wis what? 7 in pretty harsh conditions and I loved it. If a 7 yr old wee girl can do it anyone can.
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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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Also the conditions can be great too sometimes, there were folk skiing in t shirts one year at Cairngorm 
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Holy bump batman
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