 Poster: A snowHead
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Just returned from an interesting and fun week in Chatel with Ski Goddess. As usual it's along 'un from me but hopefully may be of interest!
The concept: Founded by our course instructor Katie in 2010, Ski Goddess provides courses of all levels for women. The idea is that women may learn differently, have different bio mechanics, and sometimes need to step away from their usual ski experience (running around after kids, partners, life in general taking over, or not having people to ski with in a relaxed way). Therefore Ski Goddess courses aim to take you away from all that and provide a supportive environment to focus on skiing! Website is www.skigoddess.co.uk for anyone interested.
Course level: I took a 5 day Venus Silver course. The levels start at Andromeda for novice skiers, through Aphrodite for intermediates, Venus for high intermediates, and Artemis for Advanced skiers. Gradings through each level help you find your spot. Venus Silver folk are described as 'Can ski parallel on most reds and happy to go for it on challenging sections but aware that you may not ski your best on them' with a fear of 'Very bad conditions, most off piste'. Pretty much spot on for me. In addition, my course was a Ski Zen week, so included lots of 'wellness' extras - Katie is trained in sophrology and has a very holistic approach to getting mind and body together.
Pre-course process: You can't book without a long and quite detailed chat with Katie about your skiing and experience. This meant that (give or take a bit) everyone on my course was at broadly the same level. I probably could have gone up one, but it was useful to go back to basics a bit so I reckon it worked. Once booked, you get a series of guided meditations/visualisations and encouraging training videos, all short enough to crobar into a busy day. I meditate anyway and found all this pre-course material really useful, got me in the mood and ready to focus.
Personal goals: for the last couple of seasons I've occasionally questioned why I bother skiing - it sometimes scares me, I wasn't progressing skills-wise, I'd reached a stessy interm-idiot plateau which meant poor ski days were outnumbering good ones. My husband is faster than me and has no fear, so I've been the one holding us up, spending time pooping myself on steep or icy runs, and generally making it less fun for us both. So this course was my way of trying to regain some confidence and move myself along.
Ski Zen format: A bit of a treat this, and a new thing - we were the guinea pigs.  We had two very good yoga sessions, two sound baths, a few hours at the spa, and an extraordinary ayurvedic massage all as part of the package. This alongside 5 hours of tuition a day (except the last day when it stormed) left little time for too much drinking or thinking! The instructors/practitioners for the extra activities were all top notch and fascinating people in their own right. My body didn't feel as dog tired as it would on a normal week of skiing, which I put down in part to the wellness. It's easy to be sceptical about this stuff, and some on the course were, but even they loved it.
Accommodation is chalet style with our own rooms, with an absolutely brilliant private chef (appetisers, 3 courses, wine and fizz on tap), I rated the food extremely highly and was not expecting this level of cooking! We were looked after by a wonderful chalet host who was so sunshiney and just made everything easy and lovely. The team have been with Katie a while and it shows - seamless, relaxed, happy. Really impressive. We ate out one night at a decent restaurant in Chatel - Le Fiacre - and had a good time.
Fellow Goddesses: we were a group of six, and luckily a great group - such interesting women from some quite high powered and international backgrounds. I was worried about the group aspect as I'm not usually one for group activity! But this lot were great, the chat was fascinating, and we all clicked (give or take!). As mentioned the level was relatively consistent in that we could all get down what was put in front of us, and bar a bit of boot and goggle faff and the time one lady just sat down for a rest in the snow, there was no more waiting around than you'd expect on a group lesson anyway. It's fair to say this course isn't cheap so the people reflected that. I didn't feel out of place at all and I'm not made of money (this was a big investment for me and I'd been saving!) and everyone had a different background.
The skiing: A mixed week weather-wise (not used to skiing in the rain!) but had a couple of days of super snow on piste on Tuesday and Wednesday. We stayed around the Pre la Joux/Plaine Dranse areas with a pop over to Avoriaz, which had perfect blues and reds for training, nothing too challenging (though it felt it on Monday in very poor viz!) Skis and if needed boots were brought over to the chalet on arrival day, and Katie kindly took on board my preferences for skis - the Atomic Maverick 83 were spot on for me, I didn't really notice them all week, nice and stable and agile, unlike my skiing.
Tuition was gradual and logical - so different to having a couple of hours here and there with an instructor. As the week progressed we worked through every part of the turn, honing each movement, feeling and flow, backed with exercises and the many, many analogies that Katie keeps in her head, god knows where she gets them but I'm not sure I can even look at a banana again. There was also video of our skiing to discuss each day - though we all managed to do our worst skiing on video runs much to Katie's disgust. Katie's understanding of our psychology and mechanics allows for such an in depth analysis of why we're making movements and having fears - I certainly felt that I made a lot of progress in the five days, and even if it's still not perfect I now understand what feels good and how to achieve it. She also recommended a change in boot flex, and a visit to St James (as he is known to us) at Vertical Horizons was super - came away with some stiffer and well fitting hire boots, and a list of potential boots for future purchase as he didn't have the right ones to sell to me. The stiffer and more closely fitted boots made such a difference!
Most importantly, the tuition was encouraging and kind. I usually have lessons with my partner and I'm the slow, rubbish one while he gets the praise, so I fully appreciated not being that person for a week. My confidence is definitely much higher.
In summary, it was a great experience, and has left me feeling excited for next season rather than slightly dreading it. I would absolutely recommend the Ski Goddess route to any woman who is feeling plateaued, less than confident, or stressed about how to deal with the skiing on the next holiday - I know there are some of you on here!  You get what you pay for, and I feel that I've made an investment in my future enjoyment of skiing - and that of people I ski with as I might be less of a dawdling wreck. I've also come out of it with a couple of new mates who I'll probably ski with again which is brilliant. I plan to return to Katie for a December refresher to make next season the one where I can cover the mountain with confidence and some level of style. 
Happy to answer any questions if anyone out there feels the course could help them and wants more detail.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Love this, @ElzP! I hope your new-found confidence carries over to next season 
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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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@Hurtle, thank you for the link, should have thought of that.
If I'm totally honest I didn't think this would be my thing either, but needed SOMETHING different to happen to get out the negative mindset. It's definitely not for everyone though. I did have to take myself off for alone time occasionally as I really don't usually do groups.
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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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@denfinella, whoop whoop! Thank you!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@ElzP, great report, thanks - I'm off to investigate sophrology sounds like something to add to my yoga!
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@ElzP, absolutely not my thing at all but great report and it sounds like it was perfect for you
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@homphomp, @holidayloverxx, cheers both!
Should make it clearer maybe that the extracurricular stuff doesn't happen on every course - and the advanced courses sound relatively gnarly - so the normal courses might be more to some people's tastes.
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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.
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Just resurrecting to add that the 23/24 season course dates are on the website already, in case this has caught anyone's interest. I'm eying a refresher course in December!
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Great read
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Don’t think I’m sold on sophrology. But getting equipments dialed in as part of a ski instruction week is an excellent idea. It takes an instructor who is also equipment expert, or an equipment expert working in close coordination with the instructor.
I had one such week some years ago. It totally transformed my skiing.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Mon 1-05-23 16:48; edited 1 time in total
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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.
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@ElzP, thanks for your report which I enjoyed when you posted it. I’ve been on Ski Goddess courses before and always had a great time and feel it warms up my skiing for the season ahead. The female instructors and the team are always fantastic and there is generally a lovely supportive crowd in the chalet. I’m eyeing the new dates as well!
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Thanks for the report.
I've done a couple of Katie's courses and the instruction was excellent. So was the food, an amazing chef, and general atmosphere. There seem to be quite a few women who 'get left behind' or end up as 'the slow one' and these courses really work to boost confidence with actual methods for improving. The boot expert removed all the extras I'd been sold at Profeet, heel lifts, foot beds, bits around my ankle and it transformed my skiing. No longer in the back seat to compensate for the heel lifts or in pain from foot beds pressing against my arch. I'm hoping to do an early December course this year. It is expensive but well worth the money. 
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You know it makes sense.
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I’ve seen the “Goddesses” frequently around Chatel. The cars are often parked up outside a chalet on the road to Petit Chatel. When I’ve seen them on the hill, on lifts or at restaurants they always seem to be having a great time. Can’t comment on the coaching but it seems a good set up (if you qualify and are looking for that sort of set up).
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Good to catch up with this. It sounds very intense but whilst I heartily dislike the "wellness" which means sitting round in steam-filled rooms sweating buckets and swilling round in other people's bodily fluids there is a great deal of sound scientific evidence about the effectiveness of mindfulness/meditation if led by someone skilled. The food sounds great too!! A few (quite a few) years ago I'd have been v interested in something similar, but too old now.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Just another update as I've just returned from my second Ski Goddess course, this time a three day season primer. Course level was a step up for me (was billed as 'Venus Gold/advanced', so upper intermediate to more advanced) and certainly zipped along at a fair old pace. We were on first lifts each morning, and skied til 2pm lunch, with a mid morning coffee stop. The weather and conditions were ridiculously good, and though busy on Saturday and Sunday parts of Chatel and Super Morzine were still not horrific - Avoriaz was heaving.
Day 1 was all about rhythm and flow and getting the legs back, and I'd definitely improved in feeling as a result of the March course. Still have a bit of an iffy left side but getting better. End of day bumps proved a challenge to me but got down, albiet shaking, and learned some tricks to help - most of the nerves were other people related, there were a lot of hooners about.
Day 2 was spent on really flat pistes getting a feel for edges/beginning carving - a lot of time in tuck, legs screaming. Was a great session of slowing everything down a concentrating on small improvements and feel. Heavy on the brain!
Day 3 we did started with leg positions, different types of turns, and ways to maintain control. I'd stupidly said I wanted to try something steep, mainly to remind myself that I could - Linga top to bottom was Katie's answer to that. The drop in at the top would usually be more than enough to freak me out, but felt in control with a mantra of 'shin, hands, forward' on each turn (also it was really quiet and not icey...). Result! What a run that is, was absolutely done by the end.
As usual, food and chalet excellent, company lovely, and in general a brilliant way to start the season. Again, I'd recommend to anyone needing this type of course. As an aside - one of the ladies on the course for the first time has spent the last 4 years doing Warren Smith courses. She felt she got a very different but equally valuable experience with ski goddess, and didn't cry, which must have been nice! 
I'm going to spend the day in the bath recovering!
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