 cran
cran
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The lifts close next Sunday and I definitely can't last until December without skiing...
The Warren Smith Saas Fe courses look like a possibility for both some summer skiing and technical improvement...
Anyone done these courses?
Are they good?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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cran, Have never done the course but have been in Saas for 3/4 weeks a summer over the last 5 years.
Usual Warren Smith fair, but with more focus on physical fitness and technique analysis in the afternoon as the glacier closes at 1.
They all stay in the Hotel DU Glacier, pretty decent 4 star accomidation located in the heart of the village and a 40 second walk from the lift. Food can ge ta bit repetitive in the afternoon but plenty of other options in the village.
Any person on the courses I have spoken to have really enjoyed them and the village.
I would look at the last week in July early August as the Glacier is less likley to be shut due to bad weather. Plus from a friend on the ground Saas got fresh snow this weekend,
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cran
cran
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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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Iv'e done it and thoroughly enjoyed it. You are up sharp in the morning - 8.30ish up top and ski for about 4.5 hours. I went with my 14 year old son and he absorbed a fantastic amount from our instructor, Scouser, who like most of the WS guys, is a really nice bloke. Obviously its all on piste and you spend most of the time working on carving technique. Snow conditions were excellent, although it does get a little slushy toward the end of the day. It can be quite busy with ski teams from all over the world training there. There is also a snowpark with a half pipe with some very impressive boarders in particular on display.
The afternoons were spent sunbathing and chilling in Saas Fe, which is a small but cool place.
The biggest danger is bad weather, like high winds, which close the lifts and then your stuck in the gym with Warren. It happened to us one day, but you have one day off on the WS anyway, so it just became the day off.
It depends what level you're at with skiing. I took up skiing in my 40's, my son was maybe 11/12 and we had some catching up to do. I had done the winter WS in Verbier and liked the format. It is more moguls and off piste and I was at the stage where I was better on the Tortin bumps than I was on a steep red/black piste. The week at Saas Fe brought my carving ability on no end and revolutionised that of my son. If however you are a very capable on piste skier, able to carve and have mastered short radius turns there is a limit to how much you could get out of it.
That said you are still skiing, staying in a lovely place, relaxing to get to, train from Geneva then the bus, sunbathing - it's like a ski holiday and summer holiday combined. The rest of the folk are usually decent, singles and couples, mostly 40 and 50 somethings but a good mix. The hotel is very pleasant, food was good, you have a group of student types staying also, doing their BASI with WS, 1 or 2 nights out on the town - all in all, goodfun.
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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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Crans - have you been to 'Tux, Tux, Hintertux'?
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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 can never understand why there is not a course in France?
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Mosha Marc, 
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cran
cran
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Thanks
Fifespud, I've not skied for that long, was still a beginner at the start of the season, but I've skied 3-4 days a week since December.
I think my carving is reasonably good, not perfect but I can attack pisted runs of any colour confidently. Recently I've been staying away from the pistes and it's the off piste, moguls and difficult terrain/conditions that I'm really looking to improve on.
Having said that a week of skiing in the summer is a week of skiing... 
Fifespud, looks interesting, never heard of it before, but looks like it's worth checking out.
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| Cynic wrote: |
| I can never understand why there is not a course in France? |
I may be getting whooshed here but I would imagine it's because few, if any of Warren's guys are qualified to teach in France?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| cran wrote: |
Thanks
Fifespud, I've not skied for that long, was still a beginner at the start of the season, but I've skied 3-4 days a week since December.
I think my carving is reasonably good, not perfect but I can attack pisted runs of any colour confidently. Recently I've been staying away from the pistes and it's the off piste, moguls and difficult terrain/conditions that I'm really looking to improve on.
Having said that a week of skiing in the summer is a week of skiing...
Fifespud, looks interesting, never heard of it before, but looks like it's worth checking out. |
Cran - are you living in Samoens?
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cran
cran
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Fifespud, yes, have been here for the season. Leaving Monday, but hopefully back next year.
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| cran wrote: |
| Fifespud, yes, have been here for the season. Leaving Monday, but hopefully back next year. |
Fantastic. I love Samoens - have you been working? Aspen Bar?
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You know it makes sense.
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cran
cran
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| Fifespud wrote: |
| Fantastic. I love Samoens - have you been working? Aspen Bar? |
Fifespud, Yeah, driving for GoMassif so not much chance to go out drinking (which is probably a good thing for my wallet) but when I did I tended to go to Coveys or Guanacao rather than the Aspen.
| skimottaret wrote: |
| If you cant wait we run a summer a coures in Tignes |
skimottaret, Thanks, looks interesting, might be able to do one or both of them, I think you have the start date wrong on the weekend course...?
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Poster: A snowHead
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cran, thanks for catching that typo, we just had to move the dates forward and a mistake crept in, hope to see you come along any questions feel free to contact myself or Rob through the website.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| cran wrote: |
| ... I think you have the start date wrong on the weekend course...? |
Thanks for pointing that out. Now corrected.
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cran
cran
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FAQ
