Began life on a Hemel Hempstead council estate ... and now "nets almost £1 million per year" ... instructing "Laurence Delaglio, teenage girl god James Blunt and former teenage girl god Ronan Keating, diirector Matthew Vaughn and wife Claudia Schiffer."
The extraordinary Warren Smith is profiled by Simona Sikimic of LondonLovesBusiness.com ...
I did a week-long course with Warren Smith's Academy couple seasons back and will be doing it again this season. It's a great course and well worth the money. 400 pounds for a week is a good price.
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?
Met him once in Niseko Hirafu, Hokkaido.
Very nice guy, very passionate about teaching & skiing, customers love his product. Not difficult to see why he's successful.
From the article,
if "Laurence Delaglio" is half the player Lawrence Dallaglio was then he's bloody good.
And this :
"...and he also is the only people to have off-piste skiing rights in Niseko Japan..."
is both grammatically and factually incorrect Simona Sikimic.
Why can't 'journalists' either listen to the interviewee or do some basic fact checking these days?
I wonder if he told her he's the only one to "... have off-piste skiing rights in Niseko ..." ? !
I don't believe so, for if Warren Smith did then he's sadly mistaken.
What I think he said to Simona Sikimic is that he has an arrangement with the Furano Ski Area in central Hokkaido whereby he and his group can ski the closed off-piste terrain when accompanied by a member of the Furano ski patrol.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Mike Pow, the glaring factual error is the idea that Warren was a graffiti artist teenager when the dry slope was built. By my reckoning he'd have been a very small baby.
Quote:
"nets almost £1 million per year"
also intended to make you think he pulls in that much personally. I'd imagine his company might have a turnover approaching that but he has a business to run and people and bills to pay.
There are a lot of people in the instructor game who are envious of Warren and don't always say nice things, but he's the one that's put himself about and promoted to the max.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Mike Pow, clearly Simona Sikimic should have an opportunity to clear up that point, so I've emailed her via the editor of londonlovesbusiness.com .
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.
Fair enough.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Interesting that Warren Smith has left a comment on the page.
Wonder if he read the copy?
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
There should be a book about 'How to become a celebrity ski instructor, teaching the rich and famous'. My BASI trainer Ali Ross has done very nicely out of this game, over the decades!
What is the magic formula? [I will say this - Ali had/has an extremely clever and simple way of communicating the basic principles of skiing, which still get to me 37 years later, in a typing chair]
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.
Warren is very good at the PR game, and very good at making the most of celebrities etc, he is also a very very good instructor and his method is extremely effective at getting substantial improvements in higher intermediate and advanced skiers. That's why so many people return year after year not all the PR stuff.
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
Why can't we have lessons from Warren in France? (OK living up to my name again)
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Cynic, roflol
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Cynic wrote:
Why can't we have lessons from Warren in France? (OK living up to my name again)
I think you already know the answer to your question
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Cynic, qualifications. Keep an eye out though.
I've been on trips with the ginger one to Japan, Verbier and Castleford. He is very good at marketing and "packages" the teaching system slightly differently to other schools.
I go with them because they're good teachers, they get me to ski just on the outside my comfort zone a lot of the time and its a great crack.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
stewart woodward wrote:
Cynic wrote:
Why can't we have lessons from Warren in France? (OK living up to my name again)
I think you already know the answer to your question
Correct for now ....but I believe there may be plans afoot for a soiree into France soon...results and personnel dependent...
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?
stewart woodward,
Quote:
I think you already know the answer to your question
Hemel - is in North London? Simone may need to check her geography here too, it's a fair way away from London...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Comedy Goldsmith wrote:
What is the magic formula?
As a Warren customer I think the formula is quite simple.
At a time where probably no one else other than Phil Smith had a "bloody clue" that there was a whole body of frustrated intermediates who wanted to get substantially better than they were he provided a product that addressed their needs. He provided DVDs (initially videos with PSG) that broke down technique into achievable chunks that could be practiced in isolation. The DVDs had high production values; slow motion and graphics. (Even now the BASI offerings are positively shabby in comparison.)
He set up week long courses where frustrated intermediates could meet like-minded people. Ran one day indoor clinics. Provided young, keen instructors of whom he demanded a lot. Told the punters about dryland training.
Most of all, he offered honest feedback - "that's rubbish, you're not trying" is one of his milder forms of feedback. And those frustrated intermediates loved having honest feedback because they wanted to be better.
Even now, Phil Smith and Neil McNab (snowboarding) probably have the only equivalent products.
I find it somewhat amusing that I've heard tales of BASI Trainers sitting watching his DVDs at Trainer's Conferences and taking the wee wee out of his skiing. At a time when not one of them had the guts to try something similar themselves. They may be "better skiers", but the world rewards them that stump up - not the ones that talk a good game. Warren stumped up.
Personally, I admire that he has succeeded in spite of the system. And in spite of people who consider that he shouldn't succeed because they are "better skiers".
Is he the best skier on the mountain? No. Is his technique "flawless"? No.
But the BASI people who criticise him miss the point that most people learning something like physics would prefer learning from an inspirational (but maybe ultimately limited) teacher than a university professor.
While BASI quietly only values the professors, Warren has quietly gone about influencing the skiing of more British recreational skiers than any other living ski instructor through his DVDs, clinics and courses. All power to his elbow.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Interesting. Phil and Warren both products of dry ski slopes on the northern outskirts of London.
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.
They may also be products of a parent called Smith on the northern outskirts of London.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
It's been a big weekend in Warren's home resort of Verbier for schmoozing et boozing at 2700m. The opening of a new mountain restaurant called La Vache at Attelas. Shareholders include rockstar James Blunt, rugby ace Lawrence Dallaglio and world superbike champion Carl Fogarty.
Warren Smith is succesful because he marketted intermediate ski lessons and gap courses as 'extremo freeride coaching'.
Clearly he is very good at marketting, works hard and has a good business head.
Warren Smith vs. BASI rants are dumb - even though he clearly has a slightly different technical approach / philosphy. (probably because he qualified via the Austrain system as ISIA before getting his Swiss patent). When I worked in Verbier the most common complaint from people on his courses is that they weren't coached by the man himself - its a really big operation these days.
Fairplay to him : growing up in London council estate to eventually running a high profile Swiss ski school deserves respect.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Its very simple,
Wazza has enough qualifications to teach in most ski nations & will soon have enough to allow him to operate in France.
I love the way people will knock the French for their silly rules and then Knock Warren for not meeting them
He and his crew deliver an excellent product both summer and winter; their clients see real improvements and feel good about themselves and their skiing after availing of his services. Add to that he knows how to sell himself and promote his product.
Most of the badness aimed at him tends to stem form Jealousy on the part his competition who cannot match his popularity and success. Fair play to him and if there were more like him skiing would be the better for it.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Looks about comparable prices compared to other mountain restaurants in Verbier. Doesn't look like they are going for the upper end of the market like marmottes, marlenaz or danys.
I'll have to give it a go when passing with a group. It looks an improvement on what was there previously and I'm sure they will have got rid of the awful euro techno rap that often used to get played there. Perhaps they'll be playing a lot of james blunt?
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?
Quote:
Fairplay to him : growing up in London council estate to eventually running a high profile Swiss ski school deserves respect.
FlyingStantoni, exactly right. I think Warren has done well for himself, but he's also done well for the ski instruction industry generally by creating awareness among a lot of keen recreational skiers that good instruction can make a big difference to the enjoyment of your chosen sport/recreation/holiday.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
She specialises in sycophantic journalism - she did a piece on my mate the other week - littered with errors and love bombing.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Did anybody have the videos Warren did with Pete Silver? I liked them and still use some of the exercises today!
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.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
....but I believe there may be plans afoot for a soiree into France soon...results and personnel dependent...
