I'm a relative newbie to this site, so I'll introduce myself, I'm James Vernon, the guy behind the camera and the nerd behind the programming of the Ski School series of apps, featuring BASI ski instructor Darren Turner.
We (Elate Media Ltd) launched the Ski School Apps last year and they've been really well received by press and public alike, we relaunched them at the London Ski Show this October, where I met Snowheads admin... and thus comes this post. We know you are all passionate about skiing and ski technique, and we can think of no better place to get feedback.
The Ski School 2.0 apps, as well as the 30-45 minutes of video lessons and the cue cards that were already in each of the paid apps last year, now incorporate a whole host of new features.
There are 4 apps, Ski School Lite, Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced. Ski School Lite is free, has a few video lessons and cue-cards and is designed to give people a taste of the production quality of the rest of the apps, the others (£2.99 GBP/ $4.99USD each) have the following features on the iOS platform:
- 30-45 Minutes of video per app
- Cue Cards (Handy technique reminders for on the hill)
- Video / Photo taking capability (device permitting)
- Split-screen video analysis (compare video you've shot with demos or other videos you've shot, play individually or together, slomo, turn phone on side to draw onscreen, share still frames on social media)
- Notes (we want people to keep diaries and start getting analytical about their skiing)
- Milestones (people can tick off lessons that they feel they have mastered and share certificates on social media)
- Ski History (All photos, videos, notes and milestones can be viewed together chronologically on a timeline)
All of the apps have 4-5 star ratings on the App store, Ski School Advanced was featured in Apple's staff favourites for nearly a month last year and Ski School Intermediate was ranked as one of the few gold starred apps of the Sunday Times' top 500 apps list. The Sunday Times also called Ski School Intermediate "The must-have ski app".
The production team are all skiers. Darren Turner, already well known on the UK ski instructional scene has been teaching skiing for over 20 years and is based in Serre Chevalier. Andrew 'Noddy' Gowans, the Director/Producer and second cameraman is a big mountain skier with world-class results and also an NZ qualified instructor, whilst I'm a former skibum with 11 years in the alps under my belt and was the Salomon International Freeski team cameraman for my last 2 years in the alps (before I moved to London for a career in mainstream broadcast).
Our goal has been to create the kind of apps that we'd like to use, they are NOT designed as a replacement for on-slope instruction with a professional instructor, but are already proving an invaluable tool for skiers of all levels. With the video analysis feature they are now proving popular with instructors too.
So what's the point of this post?
Well there is of course an element of PR (OK a large element - but at least I'm being up front!) but we'd also like to hear about your experiences with our apps, as well any feedback you might have about features you'd like added. Do drop me a line (PM me if you like) and I guarantee we'll listen!
Please excuse me for the lengthy post...
James
P.S. Check out our YouTube channel, there will be lots of ski technique video coming to it over the next couple of weeks, and watch out for new product announcements, we've got some big news coming soon!
Looks very similar to DARTFISH which we use at school to analyse technique & performance
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?
1969jma wrote:
Looks very similar to DARTFISH which we use at school to analyse technique & performance
I'm not familiar with that package, googling it I see it looks pretty full featured - though for PCs, not mobile devices. There are several Golf apps out there with video analysis functionality, some good, some not so good, but we are the first worldwide (as far as we know) in an app designed specifically for ski tuition.
The challenge for us was trying to pack features into an app that still had to be useable (and useful) on a device as small as an iPhone, and then integrate the analysis into the rest of the app so that it became an intrinsic part of the learning process, rather than just an afterthought or add-on.
FYI there's this shizzle the hip kidz are into called FroYo or Ice Cream Sandwich or somesuch;-)
Nice idea, fairly priced. (assuming you've had clearance from the big man). If not it look shiite and you can go to spammer hell
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I think they're great. Bought them all when they were v1 and was impressed with Darren's clarity and presentation style. Not played with v2.0, suspect it's a great idea let down by the limitations of the camera on the iPhone.
FYI there's this shizzle the hip kidz are into called FroYo or Ice Cream Sandwich or somesuch;-)
Nice idea, fairly priced. (assuming you've had clearance from the big man). If not it look shiite and you can go to spammer hell
We do plan to come to Android phones... when the time is right. Although Android phones have left iPhones in their wake in terms of market share, the Android platform lags massively behind iOS in sales of paid apps.
As for the big man... he did say that the water was warm and I shouldn't be afraid to jump in, though did warn that some of the other fish might bite
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
rob@rar wrote:
I think they're great. Bought them all when they were v1 and was impressed with Darren's clarity and presentation style. Not played with v2.0, suspect it's a great idea let down by the limitations of the camera on the iPhone.
Cheers for that Rob, glad you like them. v2.0 is a free update, so download it and see what you think! Sure the iPhone camera has some limitations, though in my experience the best camera is the one you've got with you at the time, and the one camera you're always going to have with you is that on your phone...
After all it is free
After all it is free
I'm a new skier, just learning to perfect my parallel turn. After reading this post i decided to download the intermediate version of the app to aid me in my efforts.
The app looks great, the GUI is slick and well laid out and the navigation is simple. The video quality is excellent as is the video content. His coaching methods seem to me to be clear and easily understandable. I like the split screen comparison function as well as the other small features, like the cue cards and notes section.
My criticisms are; the actual content in the app is very sparse, you appear to have stretched out this series over 3 apps when maybe you could have put it into 2 and maybe even one. And being priced at £3 i didn't think this was the best of value. Another criticism i have is the way in which the videos seem to be cut/edited. For example in lesson 3.2 'Skiing Parallel' the video begins as the instructor is in mid sentence. Would it of not been less confusing for him to quickly introduce each section?
Over all i was happy though.
Oh and my main comparison for this app was the plethora of golf coaching apps i have.
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.
tomb wrote:
I'm a new skier, just learning to perfect my parallel turn. After reading this post i decided to download the intermediate version of the app to aid me in my efforts.
The app looks great, the GUI is slick and well laid out and the navigation is simple. The video quality is excellent as is the video content. His coaching methods seem to me to be clear and easily understandable. I like the split screen comparison function as well as the other small features, like the cue cards and notes section.
My criticisms are; the actual content in the app is very sparse, you appear to have stretched out this series over 3 apps when maybe you could have put it into 2 and maybe even one. And being priced at £3 i didn't think this was the best of value. Another criticism i have is the way in which the videos seem to be cut/edited. For example in lesson 3.2 'Skiing Parallel' the video begins as the instructor is in mid sentence. Would it of not been less confusing for him to quickly introduce each section?
Over all i was happy though.
Oh and my main comparison for this app was the plethora of golf coaching apps i have.
Hi tomb,
Thanks for your post, I'm glad you like the GUI, Darren's coaching, split screen function and the rest.
Regarding perceived value and editorial decisions, I take your comments on board. When we set out to do this our target was to create something specifically designed for an app and the decision was made to break things into bite-sized, easily-digested chunks. Video that people could dip into and tips that they could retain from glimpsing on the bus to the slopes or between stops on the tube. Our apps don't just offer videos, they also have all sorts of other bits (that you've mentioned) that add to the learning experience, so video is only one part of the equation.
I know that one shouldn't compare apples to oranges but a £16 ski tuition DVD would be unlikely to have over 5 times the content of one of our apps! As for the golf comparison - fair enough, it's their decision as to how they price their work, though it should be noted that production costs (in time, equipment and travel) are far higher filming skiing in a foreign country rather than Golf at a local course, and that skiing, having a smaller market, thus demands higher prices to recoup costs. Note that the apps each cost about the price of an alpine pint, not a big stretch to even the most cash-strapped skier.
All that said, the great thing about apps is that they can be updated with new functionality or content (as we've done twice since Ski School Intermediate release), we are committed to giving our customers the best possible experience and do have new lessons scheduled for filming this winter that will be added to the apps (for free I might add).
Thanks once again for your feedback, enjoy your skiing this winter and do give me a shout if you have any more suggestions.
James
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Hi James
I bought the ski school advanced app last year (good app btw). Can I upgrade or do I need to buy the new one?
Bob
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
boabski wrote:
Hi James
I bought the ski school advanced app last year (good app btw). Can I upgrade or do I need to buy the new one?
Bob
Thanks Bob, glad you like the app.
The update is free - that's one of the advantages of apps over more traditional means of delivering content.
Have fun with it and drop me a line to say how you get on with it if you have a chance.
James
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.
Just noticed that I have already updated. New features look excellent. Will try out at xscape.
Thanks for the prompt response
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
boabski wrote:
Just noticed that I have already updated. New features look excellent. Will try out at xscape.
Thanks for the prompt response
No worries boabski. Hope you find it useful.
James
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
See you've uploaded some nice new vids to your YouTube channel to give people a good taster of what Darren's doing - still think this is one of the best tuition products out there.........
Makes my old Ali Ross courses seem very old school - how about this as a blast from the past
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Weathercam wrote:
See you've uploaded some nice new vids to your YouTube channel to give people a good taster of what Darren's doing - still think this is one of the best tuition products out there.........
Hopefully you'll be on an Android platform soon!
Makes my old Ali Ross courses seem very old school - how about this as a blast from the past
Thanks Weathercam, yep, we'll be posting quite a lot of videos to YouTube over the next couple of weeks, some from the apps, some not.
We do plan to come to Android, we have just released the Ski School v1.0 apps on the Nokia Symbian platform (OVI store) Windows Phone 7 apps for Nokia are on their way too...
Love the old school shot! Met Mr Ross a few times when I used to live in Tignes. Very nice chap indeed.
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