 Poster: A snowHead
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Full details from iys
Spring and Autumn at Xscape, MK - Summer at Saas Fee
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for that. I've just booked a session at MK (to find out just how bad I really am  )
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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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maggi, pleased it helped someone - I was beginning to think snowHeads had something against the great Warren 
Please let us know how you find the coaching.
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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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Well, how did it go? According to the “blurb” it was for “people looking to work on skill development that would benefit there (sic) skiing on steeper slopes, moguls, powder/slush and performance carving on piste”.
There were quite a few of us in the group. The instructors were Warren himself and Jamie. They both seemed nice guys. After assessing us skiing down one side of the slope (nice and pisted) they put us into 2 groups and I was pleased to find I was with Warren’s group. (For name dropping purposes if nothing else  )
What happened next was that our group was moved onto the side of the piste which had been deliberately left “rough”. The rest of the session was done here and I came badly unstuck! Usually I ski nice, smooth pistes or nice, fresh, fairly shallow powder. I don’t go near crud, porridge, whatever. I put skis on edge, skis turn – no effort. If I need to do short turns to slow down on crowded narrow pistes I can achieve this by swishing skis from side to side – no effort. My skiing style has been described as “like Tinkerbell”. In fact, I am so feeble that a complete stranger, last Saturday, offered to carry my shopping for me 
Now, to achieve slow, short turns on “rough” snow needs, according to Warren “thigh steering”. I could see the theory but just couldn’t do it. He demonstrated exercises for us to practise at home in ski boots. We should work up to 100. I could do 5  It wasn’t the flexibility I couldn’t manage (I have done yoga for years) but the strength to keep my leg in the air in a ski boot. I never knew until that moment what people meant by “thigh burn”!
What else did we do? Get rid of the “A” frame by consciously opening the knees in an “O” frame. Again, great theory that needs much more practice. I know I have to persevere with this (I've been told this before) and it is one thing that I aim to crack. I “A” frame standing still though and am now thinking about getting new boots with canting (any excuse!) but will definitely have to work on my technique.
Once we had cracked the “O” frame (or not in my case) we then had to ski with feet 3 to 4 inches apart which is what you need to do in moguls. One girl said that after learning to ski “old style” she had spend the last few years learning to ski with her feet apart! She picked it up very quickly unlike some of us who learnt the wide stance from the start. In fact, I ended up on my @r$e the first time.
Lastly, we did pole planting. Again, not my strong point. Warren demonstrated a "gay" plant, ie barely touching the snow, (ie like me), which was a zero, then stronger and stronger until he reached a 10. A strong pole plant in difficult conditions is like having a four wheel drive vehicle instead of a two. Again, I was rubbish, achieving only a score of 5, even though I was putting so much effort into it that everything else went to pot 
Conclusion? Was it worth it? Well, cost wise, definitely. It was £69 for 3 hours tuition, however, Warren said to turn up half an hour early, so, after changing, there was 20 minutes free skiing, and, though the lesson finished at 5.00pm we were still going until 5.15. I had to leave (car park time expired at 5.35 and I was worried about getting a fine) but Warren said that the others could still practise. Four hours slope time at MK including 3 hours tuition - bargain!
Skiing wise? Yes. Even though, by the end, I felt like giving up and taking up knitting  on reflection, I realise that you can't, as they say, make an omlette without breaking eggs. I suppose it confirmed what I knew, deep down, already. If I want to be better, (not Philingle , but venturing away from my beloved bar-crawl-on-skis group, I need to do some serious work. Not only on skis but also at home. I'm fit (play league badminton) and flexible (yoga) but have no muscle power. Do I want to join a gym? No. Do I want to train at home? No.
So, all in all, was it all a waste of time. Well, no. I will practise the stuff I learnt but will resign myself to the fact that if I am not as good as I want to be it's because I obviously don't want it enough. And that's a big enough lesson to learn, either about skiing or anything else.
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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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maggi, great report, thanks very much. Will make me look out for the next session your mate Warren is doing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Here is a report I wrote for the Daily Mail Ski Mag, they only used a very, very edited portion of it. The course was in 2003. In 2004 we had private, our family only, full days. I've already booked more of the same for next season.
Warren Smith Ski Academy: A family perspective.
Our starting point: as a family who usually skied a week a year:
Father: 43, skiing since 19. Competent/good on piste. Just about OK (only just) off piste.
Mother: 43, skiing since 23, Decent on piste, afraid of the off piste.
Son: 13, skiing since a tot. Enthusiastic and at the same level as his Dad.
Daughter: 9, skiing as a tot. Not quite as good as her brother.
We (the adults) were firmly entrenched on the dreaded good-intermediates plateau. Lessons didn’t seem to make any difference and were certainly not making sufficient difference to be worth all the “follow me” that they so often entail. The kids were learning more through the doing than the teaching, and the question for all of us was just how do we make the transition to being good all mountain skiers? How do we get past the mental block that turns legs to alien limbs when the mogul field is the only way down, or when the snow is more than ankle deep?
A friend was enthusiastic about an instructor he had met in Verbier, Warren Smith. The friend was not just enthusiastic, he was very enthusiastic. We did some investigation and found that he was running a group course when we were going to be there in the March holidays. Warren Smith does not teach beginners and does not come cheap though. His is a premium product, so the question was about value for money. We had spent plenty on ineffective instruction over the years; surely it would be worth paying a bit more for effective instruction? At least we hoped so when we wrote the cheque.
We began to realise that things were not the usual ski school attitude when we booked. Our strange dates meant that we would have missed the last day, Warren was happy to give us the equivalent time before the course in the form of private family lesson. That different attitude was apparent throughout. How many ski instructors had we ever had (or even seen) who had the pupils stretch and warm up before the lesson? None. Warren does, and the benefits are significant. His teaching technique is very technical, focussing on exact body shape and movements and with an emphasis on flexibility. Some (seemingly) strange exercises like jumping around one hundred and eighty degrees on the uphill ski and, bracage turns (look them up on the web!) made sense once we started to ski in the approved manner. His manner is different too; critiques with never a word of criticism, lots of encouragement, suggestions and demonstrations.
The children were the only ones in the class, and although they did miss some of the fun and making new friends etc that comes with group lessons, they were happy throughout. Everybody was very friendly; perhaps due to the fact that everybody shared a real desire to learn and improve (as evidenced by the cost if nothing else) that a commonality that crossed the age gaps was created.
Well, what were the results? There had been a large fall of snow during the night before the penultimate day of our holiday, and it was a day off from lessons. We spent that day with local friends, exploring their secret spots of steep and deep powder. The change in all our skiing was nothing short of remarkable. The off-piste was available to us, the steep pistes held no fear (though obviously caution and respect are still appropriate). The children could keep up with their friends who ski for the Verbier ski team. Was it worth it? Without question it was , absolutely. We are going back for New Year and have booked up Warren’s time already. Totally, utterly recommended. No reservations at all.
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Steve Sparks, Thanks for your thanks! It was difficult for me to write, highlighting my own shortcomings
rungsp, Glad you all benefited so much. Warren did say that in a whole week course in a resort, rather than 3 hours in a snowdome, that everything would come together for me more. And you're right, he was very encouraging (I forgot to put in that bit!).
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