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ESF Etoile d'Or

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Is there anyone who has had a child complete and obtain their Etoile d'Or badge with ESF. I wondered how difficult is it to complete? I have a son who completed his 3eme Etoile last year, but has skied most weeks since we returned last April at a ski club. Advice would be greatly received!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
My son did the Etoile d'Or last year but was quite a way above the required standard. I taught him to ski btw, we just rolled up to the ESF for the tests. It is subjective so depends on the "examiner/instructor" but you have to do a small slalom with parallel turns without too much smearing, skidding and no stemming. My son (7) was skiing pisted blacks competently and fast at the time but if your son is skiing reds with parallel turns he should be ok. No need to have done any specific slalom training before, the slalom is just to check they can make proper parallel turns when needed.

Have a look on YouTube, there are videos of kids doing their Etoile. They've added an Etoile de Bronze for holiday skiers who can't make the jump to Or in a single year.
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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?
Thank you for this! He can ski reds and blacks so hopefully should be okay!
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SnowSnow, One thing to be aware of is local ringers like davidof,s son wink The race is timed and everyone has to be within a certain percentage of the winner. When my daughter did it first time her instructor mentioned in passing that his younger sister was in it. Of course she set a storming time and the others all struggled. That was in a small local resort, she did it a few weeks later in L2A where they were all holiday skiers like her. I've a video of that somewhere but I don't think it's on youtube, I'll see if I can upload it.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Interesting Claude. I thought just the Fleche/Chamois were timed?
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davidof, My daughter's were timed, 1st was in St Sorlin D'Arves, 2nd in L2A. It was in 2007 though it might have changed I guess.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Here's the L2A test. The St Sorlin one was far more robustly timed from memory. All the kids were lined up after and their names and times called out followed by a oui or non. Quite brutal really.


http://youtube.com/v/9QjN8i2G2jE
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:

Quite brutal really.

The kids from the family next door to me all went through the ESF system (they live in Geneva, French mother, Canadian father) and I well remember one of them weeping one day because she'd just missed the time for one of the tests, and couldn't try again for a while. But she wasn't the only one - I guess they get used to it. Maybe we molly-coddle our kids too much?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
pam w, Perhaps! In our case I arranged another trip about 6 weeks later so she could do it again (I didn't need much persuading). She's actually done very little with the ESF, none before or since. So she has Etoile Bronze and D'Or and none of the others.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
My son is used to being timed and at his Ski club once a month. Thanks for all your posts. Fingers crossed we have success.
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SnowSnow,

I completed mine last year (age 15)

The ESF instructors can either be strict or laid-back. I am a ski racer and passed it without hassle. I am pretty sure your son will have no problem provided he is at a good intermediate level. The advantages of obtaining the award mean you are eligible to be entered into any ESF races or training programmes. Hope this has helped Smile
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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.
My daughter did it a few years ago at Flaine. She was very lucky as only one other kid in the class so got lots of good instruction. I recall that she was really pushed in the days leading up to the test - I saw the instructor have them both in a racing tuck down a tough red, later she showed me where they were taken down a closed unpisted black and so on.

So she was taught a lot and then I think best of all it meant she could do then move on to the classes at competition level which took her skiing up a level again. Personally unlike many on Snowheads we were really pleased with the ESF system and instruction once at and above 3 star.
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 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
Looking at my daughter, who was only 11 at the time in the video above, it struck me that only 5 years later she passed her BASI Level 1 Instructor course. I wish I could progress as well as her Embarassed
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