 Poster: A snowHead
|
This isn't really equipment but it is a review so here we are...
I recently completed a two-day ski technician course at 'The Skier's Lounge', a ski shop just south of Horsham in West Sussex. It's run by Scott Hargrave who used to run another shop called Edge & Wax. It's a short cycle from Horsham station and is on the A24 in some converted farm buildings. The shop is very smart and has obviously had some good money put into it.
I'd initially wanted to do the course for fun and to learn how to service and maintain my own kit whilst having an insight into how skis are made. There's a lot of marketing and gimmickry in the ski industry so I wanted to know the basics of what to look for when buying a pair of skis.
There is a one-day course for about £200 but I went for the two-day course for £335. At the moment due to C19 these are running with only two participants instead of the usual six.
Scott also instructs on these courses and is very flexible in terms of what he teaches. The other attendee was looking to work in resort and by the time the course started I had abandoned the idea of a self-funded season and was interested in making a few quid on the side doing edge-and-wax services whilst working in a 'proper' resort job. As a result we focussed on the basics of a really decent edge and wax as well as maintenance, basic repairs, correct storage and a simple intro to binding fitting (what a jig is, how to assess the centre of a ski).
The first day covered the construction of a ski as well as its basic components and description e.g. camber, rocker, stringers and so on. We then learned how to clean and prepare skis before choosing the correct waxes and applying them. Repairs using a candle and wax gun were discussed and demonstrated on already damaged and unusable skis. Edging with hand-tools was taught as well as various bits and bobs with little handy hints to make life easier. Scott has been in the industry for years and you can pick up a lot from his stories and asides.
The second day covered similar things to the first but using shop machinery: how to add structure by base grinding and polishing as well as brushing once wax is applied. At the end of the day we had time to tinker with our own skis so I filled some damage on mine, had them base ground then put on a storage wax. Using machines can go horribly wrong as you have to feed them through just so: Scott practices at the start of the season to get his hand in and for the vast majority of us we'll be doing edges etc with hand-tools at home.
All in all: is it particularly cheap? No and the one-day option is better for someone doing basic home work. However you receive close attention from Scott and avoid having to wade through endless and often contradictory Youtube videos. For me I hope to be able to set up my own little cottage industry when (hopefully) on a season and make a few extra quid a week for ski lessons. If you're interested in this sort of thing or want to add to your CV then it's definitely worth a look.
Lastly, if you complete the course and want to buy your own kit there is a 15% discount available on the wide range of Holmenkohl kit that they sell.
https://www.theskierslounge.co.uk/pages/training/
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Thanks - I had looked at one of these when Scott still had Edge & Wax, but they weren't running the course when I wanted to go, and never got around to trying again. Quite fancy the 1-day one, as hands on is always better than You Tube etc. I've been servicing our own kit for a year or so and while the stash in the garage grows year-on-year, its a useful skill to have.
Question: Can you bring your own kit (if you have it) to work with, and your own ski/board to work on during the session?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Yes you can, on the second day there is free time to have a tinker. You practice on knackered kit first in order to build your confidence. I'm sure you could bring your own tools but you'd have to ask him directly as it's his train set.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| boobleblooble wrote: |
This isn't really equipment but it is a review so here we are...
I recently completed a two-day ski technician course at 'The Skier's Lounge', a ski shop just south of Horsham in West Sussex. It's run by Scott Hargrave who used to run another shop called Edge & Wax. It's a short cycle from Horsham station and is on the A24 in some converted farm buildings. The shop is very smart and has obviously had some good money put into it.
I'd initially wanted to do the course for fun and to learn how to service and maintain my own kit whilst having an insight into how skis are made. There's a lot of marketing and gimmickry in the ski industry so I wanted to know the basics of what to look for when buying a pair of skis.
There is a one-day course for about £200 but I went for the two-day course for £335. At the moment due to C19 these are running with only two participants instead of the usual six.
Scott also instructs on these courses and is very flexible in terms of what he teaches. The other attendee was looking to work in resort and by the time the course started I had abandoned the idea of a self-funded season and was interested in making a few quid on the side doing edge-and-wax services whilst working in a 'proper' resort job. As a result we focussed on the basics of a really decent edge and wax as well as maintenance, basic repairs, correct storage and a simple intro to binding fitting (what a jig is, how to assess the centre of a ski).
The first day covered the construction of a ski as well as its basic components and description e.g. camber, rocker, stringers and so on. We then learned how to clean and prepare skis before choosing the correct waxes and applying them. Repairs using a candle and wax gun were discussed and demonstrated on already damaged and unusable skis. Edging with hand-tools was taught as well as various bits and bobs with little handy hints to make life easier. Scott has been in the industry for years and you can pick up a lot from his stories and asides.
The second day covered similar things to the first but using shop machinery: how to add structure by base grinding and polishing as well as brushing once wax is applied. At the end of the day we had time to tinker with our own skis so I filled some damage on mine, had them base ground then put on a storage wax. Using machines can go horribly wrong as you have to feed them through just so: Scott practices at the start of the season to get his hand in and for the vast majority of us we'll be doing edges etc with hand-tools at home.
All in all: is it particularly cheap? No and the one-day option is better for someone doing basic home work. However you receive close attention from Scott and avoid having to wade through endless and often contradictory Youtube videos. For me I hope to be able to set up my own little cottage industry when (hopefully) on a season and make a few extra quid a week for ski lessons. If you're interested in this sort of thing or want to add to your CV then it's definitely worth a look.
Lastly, if you complete the course and want to buy your own kit there is a 15% discount available on the wide range of Holmenkohl kit that they sell.
https://www.theskierslounge.co.uk/pages/training/ |
Thanks for the review. I am glad you found the course useful, and enjoyed it!
ScottyDog
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
Thanks - I had looked at one of these when Scott still had Edge & Wax, but they weren't running the course when I wanted to go, and never got around to trying again. Quite fancy the 1-day one, as hands on is always better than You Tube etc. I've been servicing our own kit for a year or so and while the stash in the garage grows year-on-year, its a useful skill to have.
Question: Can you bring your own kit (if you have it) to work with, and your own ski/board to work on during the session? |
Hi, we encourage you to bring your own skis/board (not too many mind, 1 or 2 is fine!) so you can actually practice some of the steps covered with the reassurance of someone (me) being stood there to help guide and support you.
You can also bring your own tools if you wish, and we will assess them and make any recommendations to use, setup or replacement if they are not up to snuff 
Thanks
ScottyDog
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ