 Poster: A snowHead
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I am considering doing one of the Warren Smith courses this summer is Saas Fee. I've done one of the half-days at Xscape and found it really useful, but has anyone any experience of the summer courses? I've done a bit of a forum search and found a few posts, but I have a couple of questions.
1. What was the snow like in the summer? How much was open?
2. How were the groups organised? My technique isn't too bad (I don't think!) but I am a big time panicker at any decent speed after a nasty accident a couple of seasons ago left me on crutches for months.
3. I will be going all alone, as my family don't ski, and my friends are more into cruisy ski holidays. Do many people travel alone? Are they generally friendly? Whats the general mix of people like? Students? Families? Couples? I'm pretty easy going, but I don't fancy sitting eating dinner all alone every night!!
4. To those who have been before, would you recommend it? Is it worth the cash?
Thanks guys...I'm pretty sure I want to book this, but I want to be 100% sure before I part with the cash!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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swisssnowbunny, good questions. I don't know the answers, but I'll be interested to read them. From what I've seen of the WS DVDs the emphasis would be more on very accurate technique (eliminating the A frame!) and exercises such as skiing with just one ski, so focussed more on doing things slowly, and correctly, and over and over again on the same slope! Rather than dashing around the mountains in a blur. I did course on my own with one of the other specialist companies several years ago, and found it an ideal formula for a solo skier. It was in Tignes at the very beginning of December - there wasn't a lot open, but far more than we needed. For example, we did the same short stretch of moguls loads of times (all equally badly in my case!).
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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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swisssnowbunny - I went on a Warren Smith course in Saas Fee about 4 years ago.
The snow is fine. It's possible to have powder. But there isn't much terrain - just the glacier, but it really isn't an issue if you're doing exercises.
You need to be up fairly early because the skiing starts early (around 8:00 I think on the glacier) and finishes around 13:00 or 14:00. There's enough time in the afternoon to do other activities, like walking, tennis, swimming - so you can have both a slice of winter and a slice of summer in one go.
There's no need to worry about how the groups are organised - sometimes its done as smaller groups - sometimes stuff is explained in one big group. It all works rather well. The emphasis is on relative improvement, rather than absolute ability - so as long as you're trying then the coaches will encourage and praise you. If you're not trying then they're rather, errrrrr, "blunt" in pointing it out.
I went on my own, as do probably 90% of the group. There were two couples (I think) and a complete range of ages. Everyone got on very well - primarily, I think, because everyone has a love of skiing and a desire to improve - so there's a common bond. 4 years later I'm still in contact with five peole from the course.
I'd highly recommend it.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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easiski, more details please!!  '
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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THE SUMMER SKI....IS A BIT DIFFICULT TO KNOW IN ADVANCE YOU CAN HAVE VERY NICE SNOW LIKE LAST YEAR....LIKE (EASIER) HAVE ICE IN THE MORNING AND SLUSHY SNOW AFTER 11.30......NORMALLY WE SKI JUST IN THE MORNINGS....NORMALLY THERE IS A GOOD AFTER SKI ACTIVITY.....SO A SPORT HOLIDAY......
SAAS FEE IT IS NOT VERY BIG GLACIER.....ASK BEFORE IF THERE ARE (LIKE HERE) SKI TEAM TRAINING .....CAUSE IF THERE ARE....IT IS BETTER YOU CHANGE IDEA.....THEY TAKE THE MOST PART OF THE GLACIER AND YOU SKI JUST IN ONE RUN ALL MORNING.......
BETTER A CLINIC WITH EASYSKI.....I DON'T KNOW FASTMAN......BUT IF EASYSKI SUGGEST IT IS GOOD......A PART THAT HE HAVE TO BE FAST WITH THE CAR........DOESN'T EXIST ENGLISH SKIER WHO ARE FAST........AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
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| lungostyle wrote: |
| DOESN'T EXIST ENGLISH SKIER WHO ARE FAST........AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH |
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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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HUMOUR GUYS HUMOUR GUYS.......I'm italian and normally they tell me we are mafia ......was not that offensive say that in the winter sport you are not that strong.......a part eddie the eagle we don't remember any other famous british skier......buxter.....but he have a little problem with dopping......also if I think it was not true.......but they cannot permit to a scottish to win a medal to the olimpic games........IS LIKE THE ITALIAN WIN THE 6TH NATION
I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU START TO THINK I HATE THE BRITISH .....NO IT IS NOT THAT.......AND ROB RAR I' M ONLY SOMEONE WHO SAY WHAT HE THINK WITHOUT REMEMBER THAT I'M WRITING ON A BRITISH WEB SITE.......I'M MARRIED WITH A BRITISH.......SHE'S THE MUM OF MY 2 CHILD......AND SURELY IF THEY WILL SKI THEY WILL SKI FOR GREAT BRITAIN NOT FOR ITALY........I LOVE ENGLAND.......BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE REALITY......BASI SYSTEM IS CRAB.......CREATE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DAMMAGE THE IMMAGINE OF THE SKI TEACHING.....
SO TRY TO ANSWER IN ANOTHER WAY TO MY QUESTION.....NOT SAYING ME THAT I HATE ENGLAND CAUSE IS NOT......IF YOU ARE CONVINCTED TO BE RIGHT TELL ME WHY ALL THIS PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TEST TECNIQUE(THAT IS ALSO VERY VERY EASY!!!!) I NEVER LISTEN A FRENCH COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE HAVE TO TRAIN A LOT FOR PASS IT........WHY THE BRITISH COMPLAIN????? IMMAGINE IF YOU HAVE TO DO EVERY EXAMINATION THAT THE FRENCH HAVE TO PASS?????
SO I REPEAT STOP TO COMPLAIN AND TRAIN........
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| lungostyle wrote: |
| DOESN'T EXIST ENGLISH SKIER WHO ARE FAST........AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH |
I think Fastman is American!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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lungostyle, I'm not complaining about the Test Technique and I've defended the use of the Eurotest (with some modification) on this forum. But I think you are wrong to criticise the entire BASI system, and to me it sounds like you do not know enough about it to make a rational judgement. You talk about BASI qualified people damaging the image of ski teaching. That's just a stupid thing to say when you look at the rubbish being taught by some instructors qualified in other systems. Just on this forum the ESF frequently get a very bad reputation which is entirely deserved because some ESF instructors are just hopeless. A fully qualified ISTD from BASI (like easiski for example) can more than hold their own in teaching recreational skiing with any other qualification in the world, and will have the advantage for British clients of speaking in their native tongue.
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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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| lungostyle wrote: |
| DOESN'T EXIST ENGLISH SKIER WHO ARE FAST........AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH |
One of my British instructors competed in five Olympic games, including three top 20 placings. Sounds pretty fast to me...
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| Quote: |
have the advantage for British clients of speaking in their native tongue
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And not writing in capital letters?
swisssnowbunny, the courses are great, the snow is fine and there is more than enough open to make it worthwhile. The social side of things is good, and going on your own is not a problem. With regard to lungostyle's comments on ski racers taking up the glacier - I can assure you that Mr Smith can more than hold his own when it comes to discussing who can ski where. It's also good to be able to watch proper skiers training alongside you to get an idea of what it's really all about - although I noticed that Noel Baxter was paying close attention to my technique last August, probably to incorporate a couple of things into his own skiing for this season 
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You know it makes sense.
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MAIBE ROB RAR....YOPU DON'T READ EVERY MESSAGE......ME I'M VERY NEGATIVE ON THE BASI SYSTEM CAUSE THE INTERMEDIATE POSITION YOU HAVE.......ARE THE HALF QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR THAT I CANNOT SEE WEEL......AND THAT HAPPEN ALSO IN THE ESF.......YOU MUST THINK THAT IN THE ESF THE HALF OF THEM ARE NOT FULL QULIFIED.........AND FOR ME IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM......THE CLIENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO PAY FOR SOMEONE FULL QULIFIED......OR BEFORE WE ASK TO THE CLIENT: DO YOU PREFERE 45 EUROS FOR A FULL QUALIFIED......OR 25 FOR AN HALF QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR???? IF IT IS IN THIS WAY I ACCEPT.....BUT TILL THE CLIENTS HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE INSTRUCTOR HAVE JUST 3 WEEKS OF TEACHING EXPEIERNCE AND HE IS LEARNING WITH HIM........
I WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTER CAUSE THE "I" IS EASIER CAUSE I'M NOT ENGLISH AND WRITE WITHOUT PUT THE CAPITAL FOR THE "I" IT IS EASIER USE IT ALL THE TIME........CAUSE i HAVE A NORMAL CLAVIER.....WITH THE LETTER THAN ALL THE PLANETE USE....NOT WITH THE ENGLISH CARACTER.........
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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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lungostyle, that's a fair point about paying full rate for a partly qualified instructor. But that is NOT BASI's fault. That is the 'fault' of the regulatory authorities in the Alpine resorts and the 'fault' of the ski schools who do not offer reduced rates for partly qualified instructors. You don't call the French system of qualification crap because their ski schools use Stagieres? Or the Swiss system of qualification crap because their ski schools use partly (or even un-) qualified instructors. So why come to a largely British forum and call the BASI system crap?
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Poster: A snowHead
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NO NO IF YOU READ WELL MY INTERVENCTION I CALL THE SAME THE FRENCH USING THE STAGIAIRES.........
i CALL CRAP ALL THE SYSTEM PERMITTING THE CLIENTS PAY THE FULL QULIFIED LIKE ANOT FULL QULIFIED.........AND LIKE I WRITE MORE THAN 10 TIMES IT IS ONLY THAT MY PROBLEM.....AND WHEN I SAY THAT IT IS A DAMAGE TO OUR IMMAGINE IS JUST THINKING TO THIS PEOPLE.......
ON THE BRITISH I DON'T LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY COMPLAIN WITHOUT UNDERSTAND THAT IS NOT CORRECT TEACH WITHOUT FINISH OUR FORMATION.......AND AT THE PLACE TO TRAIN THEY TRY TO FIND A WAY FOR DON'T DO THE EXAMINATION......
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lungostyle, maybe you could go and write on a French forum how you think the French system is crap then, because you're getting very boring here at the moment...
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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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sorry....but I think you don't understand my poor english....I wiil never try again.......
(te set propre ùbigol)
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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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Any chance of hearing a bit more about the fast 'n easy clinics?
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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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pam w, Oh - I like that name!! Brilliant Pam. Fastman is coming over for the last week of June and the first week of July (21st - 4th), and we will be running skills clinics for those two weeks. Clearly you could come for either one week or two.... At the moment the format is not 100% set, although I'm working on it, and we'll let you know as soon as we do. By doing it early I'm hoping that we'll still be able to ski down to 2,600m
Re: what Luca said about racers - yes there are lots of racers training on the glacier in summer (but at least we have the biggest one in europe), but it's wonderful to see all those very good skiers - so inspiring. I've said it before and I'll say it again ... in winter; 80% of the skiers you see on the mountain are pretty poor... in summer; 80% are really good. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
it's wonderful to see all those very good skiers
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it is. I really enjoyed that aspect of the Tignes trip in October. I recall one group flashing effortlessly past us as we made our way down a slightly icy and "difficult" bit, towards the (blue) slope on which we did all our lessons with Kev, from Evolution II. They were like Beings from Another World. And I loved watching the kids on one ski, not to mention trying to shove each other off the T bar.
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easiski, I checked out your website, and it looks perfect for me, especially with the prospect of the fast n easy clinics....but unfortunately I am fully committed (I'm a nanny in the summer) until mid august, so was looking at skiing in the last week of aug/september. Any chance of a repeat fast n easy week then???
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FAQ
Don't know about the overall slowness of the English on skis, I'm a Yank, but I can guarantee any English types who spend some time with me will end up faster than they were. 
