 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
lol, sounds about right! good luck
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@summerpudding, I started skiing latish, in my 30s. But it wasn't until my mid 40s that I discovered off piste skiing. I'm not great at it, but I do enjoy it. And with that enjoyment came a bit of a passion to do more. I can't afford that much but I've had specific lessons on blacks/steeps and moguls as well as off-piste and I've been having freestyle lessons on the local dryslope. I'm also slowly being badgered into snowboard lessons  by my daughter. I'm 49.
My point is that you are not too old and if you want the challenge of being an instructor, go for it. Or try out all sorts of skiing and see what you like.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
I'm on my BASI L1 course now ... and I'm 59. I think I'm easily holding my own against the other 20 & 30 year olds on the course. From my standpoint, it's all about what you want to do with the qualification (assuming you pass) and what you want to do next. I've got my eye on L1 Adaptive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@duncan, Good on you, lots of "young uns" fail the L1 as they cannot adapt to their usual "hammer everything" style.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Summerpudding, as other people here have said already 46 is certainly not too old. I have been working as a ski instructor and then a trainer of ski instructors for two different national governing bodies of skiing, Austria and Australia. Plenty of skiers far older than you have successfully passed exams in both countries with the right help and importantly the right attitude.
In light of this I'd like to suggest that you check out www.e3-skiacademy.com/ski-academy/
It is my own company that I started to help train ski instructors towards exams, regardless of the system they choose to pursue. Although the structure is based around the Austrian system seeing as I am based in Kitzbuhel we train people towards almost anything skiing related.
I just had a slightly older chap sign up for a course in November after his son successfully graduated from our program last year and recommended it so highly.
In short, go for it! You are never too old and your age will in fact be an advantage in some instances. Just make sure you are prepared to work hard and put in the unpaid turns and you will sail through the exam. If you like what you see on my website please feel free to get in touch and we can talk some more.
Good luck!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
I'm 44 and have booked on to the L1 run by ICE in Val D'Isere in December - so as far as I'm concerned 46 is definitely not too old. Mind you, I seem to be doing everything later in life than I might have done. The course will be my gap-year-in-a-week having just finished my degree with the OU, 19 years after I started it (and 25 years after I dropped out of university the first time round).
Don't know if I'll ever do anything with it really other than what @cameronphillips2000 suggests.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@acute_angina, good for you but, if you don't mind my saying, what a horrible user name you have! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@gilleski, Good news ref. SSE. I don't suppose you are running any L1 Snowboard Freestyle ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I agree with lots on this page, and certainly you are not too old - go for it otherwise you will always regret not trying, but perhaps you should look outside of BASI.
I would also recommend the Austrian quals, it will be cheaper and if you're looking to do some instructing then it can be easier to pick up work in Austria.
Check out http://siaaustria.com/ski-courses/anwarter-with-job-guaranteed/
I did mine with these guys and it was brilliant. There were loads of 'mature folk' on the course and they enjoyed it. You will probably have to speak to them about adding one of their beginner clinics to the course though if you only have a couple of weeks experience.
Good luck @summerpudding,
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Welcome @summerpudding, A note of caution from someone who's "been there, done that". I tried (and failed) BASI1 a couple of years ago, in my 40s. I went into it with much the same motivation as you and with the knowledge that I might well not pass, but I'd get some to notch instruction for a week. Even with that knowledge, failing took the wind out of my sails and constantly focusing on technique took some of the fun out of skiing.
I'd agree with everyone here that age is not the limiting factor. Experience and hard work are. The other person who failed the course I was on was an 18 year old boy.
Bear in mind that several of the posters here may have started going through BASI/IASI in their 40s but had many years of experience under their belts already. @franzClammer, is the exception and he worked damn hard to improve his technique and had to accept a lot of (generally constructive) criticism on the journey. I hope he'll forgive me for saying this but when we first met I was a better skier than he was. His motivation, hard work and determination to keep up with his son soon changed that!
So, in short, get an assessment from either an examiner or an unbiased instructor that works with BASI candidates; find your nearest practise slope; enjoy your skiing and only then decide if you want to take it any further.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
I don't want to put down anyone's dream but personally I think I'd be a bit pissed off if I found out my teacher started only skiing at age 46. I know experience doesn't necessarily make someone a good teacher, but anyone that starts skiing in adulthood (me included) will never reach the skill level of someone born on skis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Quote: |
but anyone that starts skiing in adulthood (me included) will never reach the skill level of someone born on skis.
|
Speak for yourself, plenty of great skiers who started later in life.. and I have seen loads average skiers who started off early...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@Themasterpiece, I really can't agree.
I know a very, very good skier who also (appears to) teaches very well who started to learn in his 40s - and, errrr, only has one leg.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Does this mean that someone with 2 weeks skiing experience could do this BASI 1 week course, getting fully up to speed with 'safeguarding' and then a 1 week practical teaching course and then be qualified to teach people? Albeit in a snow dome?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
someone with 2 weeks skiing experience could do this BASI 1 week course
|
I guess it would take a pretty exceptional beginner to get to BASI 1 standard in two weeks plus the course. But if they reached the required standard, why not?
Having many weeks/months of experience is no kind of guarantee of skiing standard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
someone with 2 weeks skiing experience could do this BASI 1 week course
|
I guess it would take a pretty exceptional beginner to get to BASI 1 standard in two weeks plus the course. But if they reached the required standard, why not?
|
I'm just thinking that if someone had maybe several times that skiing experience and thought that they might want to go to a snow dome for a refresher lesson and they got someone who had skied twice and then done a BASI course to improve their technique.... thank goodness for ESF and alpine instructors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| emwmarine wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
someone with 2 weeks skiing experience could do this BASI 1 week course
|
I guess it would take a pretty exceptional beginner to get to BASI 1 standard in two weeks plus the course. But if they reached the required standard, why not?
|
I'm just thinking that if someone had maybe several times that skiing experience and thought that they might want to go to a snow dome for a refresher lesson and they got someone who had skied twice and then done a BASI course to improve their technique.... thank goodness for ESF and alpine instructors. |
How many ESF instructors are plying their trade in snowdomes for these abundant refreshers you speak of? If the skier is only at the standard for the L1 syllabus a L1 instructor would be fine. Your constant denigration of all instructors who aren't from indigenous alpine nations is tiresome at best and perhaps speaks more to your ego than any objective level of instructional ability.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@emwmarine, shouldn't bite because I know you love to troll this comment, but how do you avoid the utterly rubbish ESF instructors who give such poor instruction that they turn people away from ski lessons entirely? After all, these guys have grown up on skis, which seems to be the only yardstick that you attach any value to?
As for the experienced skier who wants to get a technical refresher at a snow dome there are a range of options available, so make sure you specify what you are looking for before booking. Pretty much any standard of recreational skier can find something to help their skill development.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| How many ESF instructors are plying their trade in snowdomes for these abundant refreshers you speak of? |
One at Hemel, occasionally. Nice guy, but I don't think he's doing anything that different to the other experienced instructors there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@PaulC1984,
Keep slogging away in the rat run then.....one day you'll possibly make it 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| emwmarine wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
someone with 2 weeks skiing experience could do this BASI 1 week course
|
I guess it would take a pretty exceptional beginner to get to BASI 1 standard in two weeks plus the course. But if they reached the required standard, why not?
|
I'm just thinking that if someone had maybe several times that skiing experience and thought that they might want to go to a snow dome for a refresher lesson and they got someone who had skied twice and then done a BASI course to improve their technique.... thank goodness for ESF and alpine instructors. |
At hemel at least you should get a L2 for that as you'd probably want to do the coaching lesson.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| How many ESF instructors are plying their trade in snowdomes for these abundant refreshers you speak of? |
One at Hemel, occasionally. Nice guy, but I don't think he's doing anything that different to the other experienced instructors there. |
@rob@rar, I was doing my best demo of an ESF snake on Saturday with the kids, I think I might have cracked the ESF way of teaching after my limited time on skis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
And a very lovely snake it was too!
However, to get the perfect ESFness you need to run your line a bit wider so you use the full width of the slope and you needed another 8 kids in your group. Then it would be perfect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
and at least one in a sobbing heap, watching you all disappear into the distance
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
All this talk of ESF....
Over the last ten years Austria have had 15 champion titles. The mighty Americans, only managed 11. The French have had just 4.
If ESF is so good, why have the French not had more champions?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@mayr, this, a good question.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
@mayr, this, a good question.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@mayr,
You are right.
1 Austria - 836
2 Switzerland - 550
3 United States - 285
4 France - 274
5 Italy - 239
France is 4th in the all time league table of FIS World Cup winners. Austria and Switzerland have clearly dominated and there is a big jump down to US and then France who, as you say, should be better than they have been given their resources.
Of course (tongue firmly in cheek) I glanced down the list to see where the UK was, with it's high quality training, and unfortunately the wikipedia list only went up to the 24 most successful nations. Not sure if that means that we have never won a world cup event or we are a bit further down the rankings. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Did you count all those....wow.
UK is probably somewhere between the Vatican and Burundi in the ski medals tables
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Which just goes to show the irrelevance of ski champion statistics. There are plenty of excellent British instructors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| pam w wrote: |
| Which just goes to show the irrelevance of ski champion statistics. There are plenty of excellent British instructors. |
Yes, but when you see the ESF jackets, you go week at the knees - its all about the Jackets remember
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Whatever....either way the Austrians are better! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
