 Poster: A snowHead
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The company: Improve Your Skiing (http://www.improveyourskiing.com/) rose from the ashes of The Ski Company (http://www.theskicompany.co.uk/). It is run by Phil Smith. The other ex-Ski Company director, Sally Edwards, now runs Inspired To Ski (http://www.inspiredtoski.com/). The two new companies market themselves in similar ways, but IYS tends slightly more towards performance/adventure, ITS slightly more towards novice/nervous.
The course: An all-terrain performance course. Ten days in Panorama (resort report: http://snowheads.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=460) and an advertised five half-days tuition with Phil and five half-days with a local instructor/guide (I think we ended up getting a little more than this). Heli-skiing option on two days. Day trip to Kicking Horse. Free skiing the rest of the time.
The tuition: Phil’s teaching philosophy has four distinctive elements:
(1) A simple non-analytical style of teaching, which is more akin to the way a teenager learns to skateboard than the way people are taught to ski in traditional ski schools.
(2) A pronounced focus on what the feet and skis are doing – rather than how the body/arms/poles etc. are positioned.
(3) Concentration on three skills – turning, pushing and edging the skis – and how these should be applied in different terrain.
(4) Developing skills but then pushing skiers to use them (just) outside their comfort zone.
Things you’re likely to hear on the course:
Phil: “Stand wider. Wider. Wider. Yes – even wider.”
Skier: “How should I position my body as I’m making the turn?” Phil: “I don’t care – just turn the skis.”
Phil: “We’re supposed to be all-mountain skiers – not holiday-makers.”
Skier: “Can we stop for a cappuccino.” Phil: “No.”
Phil: “At ski school, everyone skis a run with instructors watching and the instructors put the skiers into groups. What should happen is that all the instructors should ski down – and people should go and join up with whichever one they want to ski like.”
It’s hard to catch the humour though – lots of gags, jokes at the expense of ski instructors, anecdotes etc. The teaching is pretty continual too – whenever you’re on a lift, at lunch, in the bar, Phil is usually gabbing away about how to ski better – or dreaming up new types of skiing adventure (Kazakhstan and Iran were frequently mentioned). It's not hyper-macho either - just direct and energetic.
Feedback: Video feedback is used extensively in the evenings – and Phil has mastered the art of cutting together short videos on his Mac. The 15 minutes videos from the two heli-skiing days were rough, energetic, watchable and quick - and as different from your average corporate video (smooth, dull, boring, and shot over a trillion takes) as the tuition is from average ski school fare.
My take: I’m a hideously-inexperienced but fast-learning intermediate. I had never skied bumps before, but now look almost competent when they’re not too steep. I had never been off-piste, but managed two long days heli-skiing (the second with something approaching style). I’d also never been on anything nearly as challenging as some of Panorama’s more extreme terrain, but learned to survive quite well (even if sometimes it was slow and ugly). I reckon I’m probably twice as good a skier as I was at the beginning of the course and even the best of the other skiers (we were split into two or three groups on most days) seemed to think they’d improved too. I’m ready to book up for other courses (bumps, off-piste, race training?) and will probably go back on the same trip next year (a week in Fernie and a week in Panorama – with heli- and cat-skiing).
Go if you... Enjoy being pushed. Want to learn fast. Are reasonably fit. Don’t want to be burdened with too much theory. Care more about how you ski than what your skiing looks like. Think ski school is boring. Haven't had any teaching for a long time, but suspect you can ski better.
Don’t go if you... Want to take it easy. Have a burning need to analyse every last detail of pole planting. Have one style of skiing and prefer to select the terrain that makes you look best. Have fixed ideas about what is/isn’t good technique. Haven't had any teaching for a long time, but are confident your skiing is more or less perfect.
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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 would say that's a pretty comprehensive report David, and certainly inspirational. Let's have more of this stuff on Snowheads folks! Just one question - how does a teenager learn to skateboard? 
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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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An impressive pair of posts you've put in today, David! Do you write professionally?
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I had never been off-piste, but managed two long days heli-skiing (the second with something approaching style).
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I was interested to read this, I've been ski=ing 5 weeks and I've been mildly off-piste on a couple of days - mainly ski-ing across open fields and down unpisted pistes (we were with an instructor). I assumed that heli-ski-ing was for the pretty expert, which isn't how you've described yourself. My problems with my minor off-pisting were having no idea what I needed to do differently to control speed and direction and falling over and not being able to get back up again. Any comments?
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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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I've actually been on an Inspired to Ski course. as mentioned by David above.
To be honest if I was going to write a report about it, the sentiments and experiences would be identical. Similar philosphy to teaching, similar outcome, different location. (Tignes)
I'll post some more thoughts later, probably in a different thread, definitely with less eloquance...
I'd also be delighted to hear detailed reports of experineces of similar courses, for example the Warren Smith Academy.
We could build this up into an excellent resource for people thinking about this type of holiday.
By the way. does any body know why the Ski Company split?
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ian Hopkinson wrote: |
| I assumed that heli-ski-ing was for the pretty expert, which isn't how you've described yourself. |
We went with RK (http://www.rkheliski.com/) whose strapline is "you don't need to be an expert".
They claim to group skiers according to three levels:
Intermediate - "You are reasonably fit and ski blue runs [equivalent to an easy European red] with confidence. You have little or no off piste (ungroomed) powder or tree skiing experience. You are a long radius parallel skier."
Advanced: "You are physically fit and have some off piste powder and tree skiing experience. You can ski most types of downhill runs at your own pace. You are a short radius parallel skier."
Expert: "You are in top physical shape and have experience skiing off piste in powder and can ski all types of downhill ski runs including trees, moguls and steep pitches with confidence."
However, in my experience, the need to get people into groups of 11 means that each group contains a mix of abilities - with the faster skiers waiting for slower ones to catch up. Most people rent "fat boy" skis which certainly makes tackling powder easier.
| Ian Hopkinson wrote: |
| My problems with my minor off-pisting were having no idea what I needed to do differently to control speed and direction and falling over and not being able to get back up again. Any comments? |
I found the first couple of runs utterly bemusing and was still feeling my way by the end. Here's what I picked up though (NB - these are survival tips from a beginner):
Don't twist the skis because they tend to catch in the powder; move from edge to edge, pressing the skis against the snow that banks up underneath them;
Never let your speed build up beyond a level you're comfortable with, so go from one turn into the next (no hesitation, deviatiation etc);
Take your time when you've fallen over - floundering around in powder is exhausting;
Use your crossed poles flat on the snow for support when in the midst of floundering;
Stick your ski into the snow at an angle, with just the binding and tip protruding when you want to put it on;
Put your downhill ski on first by standing alongside it (often up to your knees in snow) and reaching your downhill leg across your uphill leg and up into the binding, then standing on the ski to get it to catch. And as Phil said, it's best to focus on one thing - keeping turning!
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David, a fantastic report and I'd have to agree with everything you wrote. Phil will even buy a beer in the evening! He was one of our instructors when I did the SCGB Reps' Course in December - an all round top guy.
I've also done a couple of courses with Warren Smith and would also recommend him - like Phil he has a real passion for skiing and loves to pass that one. Again it's about all mountain (or Freeride) skiing. He tends to teach in small groups (8 or less) with at least one other instructor; he gets people to work in even smaller groups for exercises (2 or 3) and give each other feedback, so you get a better appreciation of what you are doing (right or wrong). Video feedback is also a big part of it. Unlkie Phil he's a bit slower to the bar!
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Wonderfully descriptive - I want to go please 
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FAQ
