 Poster: A snowHead
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A guy I taught in Austria earlier this year has just taken and passed his BASI L1! Wanted to share it as I encouraged him to give it a go, and I'm feeling quite proud. Now he's aiming for his L2. I better make sure I get my L3 finished off before he gets there!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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beanie1,
Well done, I'm sure he appreciates all your help.
You're right to feel proud, you did good
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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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beanie1, After that level of teaching success you'll probably get hordes of people offering to pay to take you to ski somewhere so you can teach them! Well done!
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 19-09-09 13:45; edited 1 time in total
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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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Wayne Thanks!
Iski, I'm open to offers!
I do feel vindicated though - some of you may remember a few months ago I started a thread about how many weeks' experience people had before doing their L1. BASI recommend 16 weeks on snow. This guy had 6 (including time spent at Cas). Around the same time I taught 2 other teenagers who had 10 and 3 weeks respectively who I also thought were up to their L1 exams. The guy with 3 weeks experience was even better than this one who's just passed, and I think would not be far off L2 standard. So I started to think that 16 weeks is actually way in excess of what young people learning now on modern skis need to get to L1 standard. However, when I asked a BASI trainer about it he said that it was pretty unusual for people to get to that level in less than 16 weeks... Hmmm...
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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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beanie1, vindicate or make a complete mockery?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I don't think anyone can say for sure when someone will be ready for their exams. There are so many different factors which can affect a students progress, such as fitness levels, motivation, quality of instruction, sporting background, natural talent to name just a few. I once taught someone from a rugby school in Ireland, who was fit and strong and just took to skiing. After one weeks group lessons his central theme was virtually at instructor level, he was able to carve, ski pretty much any piste I could throw at him. He got the highest award from the ski school for a beginner they had ever given and I am a harsh marker. I would quite happily have pushed him towards his Basi L1 with just another couple of days tuition. My only concern would be that he would not have the allround experience that a skier who has skied more would have. But then I have seen skiers who have skied way more than 15 weeks who wouldn't get anywhere near their L1 qualification.
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beanie1, Bear in mind that being a ski instructor isn't just be about being able to ski to the level required for the cert. People need to have a background and depth of experience in the sport, some understanding of the culture, history etc etc etc. Can you gain all of this in 3 short weeks?
I always try & turn this one around : if I was to go for tennis lessons (or any other sport you'd care to mention) I personally would much rather be taught by someone with a good background in the sport than someone who had picked up a racket for the first time 3 weeks ago but could do all the 'moves'...
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offpisteskiing, for L2 I agree with you, but for L1... I don't think so really. Remember that the qualification is for teaching beginners on an indoor / plastic slope.
Personally, i think the level for L1 is much too low, and agree with exactly what you say above - that a ski instructor should be aspirational and that the personal performance level and experience needed for L2 is absolutely the lowest acceptable. However, there is a market for L1s in the UK, which was why the qualification was introduced.
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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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I'm pretty sure that when I did BASI 3 as was, BASI used to say 16 weeks on snow minimum experience. BASI 3 would now equate to level 2 obviously, so sounds like BASI really haven't changed this 'guidline' and perhaps ought to.
From what I understand level 1 is somewhere above the old HNGB's club instructor award and slightly below the ASSI (or whatever its called now) ,club inst was the first exam I ever took. That exam was quite frankly ridiculously easy (and I'm not blowing my own trumpet there, some of the people who passed couldn't even parallel turn and the faults they had developed would make it unlikely they ever would), but its real aim was to get people involved in teaching and provide instruction for raw beginners only (up to and including plough turns in theory). It really provided enough instructors to provide lessons up and down the country at all the dryslopes during, particularly, peak periods.
If you look at level 1 cynically - and I'm playing devils advocate here - you could say that it is a nice cash generator for BASI and of course creates members (albeit associates) that pay annual subscriptions. It also means BASI can 'mop up' the HNGB's historical market and then filter the more aspirational skiers into the higher level awards, as a business that makes sense and you can't blame them for doing it. But I would say that many paying customers looking at many L1 instructors free skiing (not all obviously as many will move onto l2, l3 and beyond fairly quickly) will not look upon them as at 'instructor' level. This is regardless of the fact that they may be good teachers, but technically rough (then we get onto the 'you've got to be able to do it to teach it' argument, whhich is another can of worms).
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Congrats, Beannie1. I can relate to the satisfaction that comes from helping a student reach a goal. or even attaining a milestone they didn't even realize was within their potential reach. It's so rewarding to witness eyes open to new possibilities.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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FastMan, thanks!
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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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