Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Recommended ski instructors

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:

Lesson type: Club ski-so quiet ended up with him as private instructor



Yup, That's Atsushi! Total maniac. Usually you end up having a private lesson because by day 3 you're the only survivor!
snow report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Ha! My knees took a beating...
ski holidays
 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?
Resort: aspen/snowmass
School: aspen ski and snowboard school
Instructor name: sue kern
Season: 2007/2008
Level: 7
Lesson type private half days
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
[b]Comments: sue was an ex usa ski team racer, and she had some great tips which have taken me to the next level, i actually like moguls now snowHead
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Resort: Zermatt
School: Summit
Instructor name: Jack H
Season: Jan 2008
Level: Level 5 (but we covered much of Level 6 too)
Lesson type Group
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 4
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Only 3 in group and we got through a lot in 4 lessons of 3 hours each. Adapted the content to our needs and the biggest compliment is that on the last session on bumps/moguls I progressed from being a complete numpty at the start to reasonably competent by the end.
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Resort: Les Deux Alpes
School: Easiski
Instructor name: Charlotte Swift
Season: Dec 07
Level: Intermediate
Lesson type 3x2 hour pivate lessons
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding): 5
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Analysed and discussed areas of improvement in seconds. Charlotte will tell you exactly how it is, warts and all but she was absolutely spot on. Myself and Steve Kirby had 1 to 2 instruction with Easiski and are going back for more! Instructions were clear and concise and have improved us greatly. Just had my first ski trip since the instruction and for the first time in my life felt in control on every run I went on. The wives are booked in for their first Easiski experience later in the season, can't recommend Charlotte highly enough, brilliant.
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
HI,
Off to La Plagne on 2nd March 2008. Had a pretty bad accident back in 03 in this resort, first day and my birthday to boot and I ended up being body bagged down the mountain and helicoptered over another and to the hospital. Torn calf muscle hurt like hell, needless to say I never got to ski La Plagne along with the rest of our friends but got to know the bottom of a few beer glasses very well.
Since the accident my confidence has been at rock bottom, skied quite a few times since including Ski Amade this New Year which was brilliant, however think my other half and my son got way fed up with me crying I can't do that...... I can't possibly ski over packed snow I will fall etc etc
Needless to say got down the mountain including a very easy black and once at the bottom wondered what I had been moaning about. Why is it the head takes over when you know you can do something it tells you you can't!!!!
Looking to conquer my demons this year and having acouple of private lessons, any particular ski school, instructor etc that you can recommend? (Someone who is pretty patient!!!!) snowHead

Lynne
latest report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
- Resort: Tignes
- School: ESF
- Instructor name: Rorie Scott
- Season: 07-08
- Level: Intermediate
- Lesson type Private. 3 people

- Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
- Comments: Well all 5s again. a 3hr private lesson with 3 middle aged duffers all with differing problems. An absolute gem of a bloke tat had the other two sceptics in our group converted to lessons within the hour. Turning, stance, balance, bumps, carving....the lot. I have had some great lessons in the past, but this was rioght up there. He even took us down the Epaule du Charvet black "for expert skiers only" run into Val D' Isere, something non of us would have contemplated without his guidance and tuition. This lesson has been another pivotal one in my strive towards reaching mediocrity. The result is that a fat old duffer like me can now ski all day, every day.

Rorie Scott, remember the name in Espace Killy. Oh and €130 for 3 hrs Very Happy
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Resort: Serre Chevalier (Monetier Les Bains)
School: EurekaSKI
Instructor name: Gavin Crosbie
Season: 2007/08
Level: Good intermediate
Lesson type Small group (three people including myself)
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding): 5
- Communication: Excellent - native English speaker with a good range of analogies
- Accuracy of diagnosis: Spot on - found main areas within 30 minutes
- Effectiveness of treatment: Superb - by end of third 2hr lesson, had learnt to find the front of the boots, and to be centralised
- Fun factor: High - pop those balloons!
Comments: Gavin is a superb instructor whom I would recommend to anyone. Worth the trip across from any of the Serre Che stations but most convenient for Monetier
snow report
 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.
TallTone, but did you squeeze those oranges? wink .
snow conditions
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Helen Beaumont, no squeezing for me, guess I was juiced enough Wink
snow report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Hemel Ski Centre, UK
Brett Roberts
current

I have been taught by im several times and enjoyed all my lessons. I think it is important not only to reccommend instructors abroard but also in the uk as more people have lessons in the uk than actually go away skiing.

There are also a number of other good instructors at Hemel, a slope worth visiting
ski holidays
 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.
crocadillapig, very good point.
ski holidays
 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
crocadillapig, Thank you. Very Happy Hemel Cheque's in the post wink


Last edited by 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 on Wed 27-02-08 15:15; edited 1 time in total
snow conditions
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Spyderman, ain't your name Peter Parker? Shocked Wink
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
TallTone, Peter Parker - Spyderman - sometimes, Venom wink
ski holidays
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Resort: Serre Che
School: Connections
Instructor name: Corrine P.
Season: Mar 2008
Level: I like to call myself an advanced beginner!
Lesson type: private
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 4
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Corrine is easy to get with and very knowledgeable. She gave easy to follow instruction and pushed at just the right moment. I went from being a bit awkward on the blues to skiing a black at the end of two private lessons. Really enjoyed my lessons!
latest report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
esort: Saalbach
- School: Skischule Zink
- Instructor name: Wolfgang Zink
- Season: 07-08 (15-22nd March)
- Level: Advanced
- Lesson Type- Guided off piste myself and a boarder mate

- Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 6/5- he was both highly amusing and a comple lunatic!
- Comments

It wasn't particularly easy to find an off piste guide in Saalbach but we came up trumps with this guy. He's the owner of one of the local ski schools, ex olympic team racer and has been skiing the area since the age of 4 (boarded for 20yrs also) and it showed, even in total zero visability and freezing blizzard conditions he was able to route find impeccably and charge some seriously steep faces, all while still wearing a baseball cap and shades and at well the wrong side of 65. We only had him for the day but he took care to explain where to go and what should be safe for the remainder of the week depending on snow/wind directions as a result the only pistes we skiied pretty much all week were the home runs. In terms of instruction he made a number of very useful observations about my powder technique which resulted in some big improvements. All in all our best day on snow ever.
snow report
 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?
Resort: Val d'Isere
School: The Development Centre
Instructor name: Colin Tanner
Season: March'08
Level: Intermediate
Lesson type Development Plus Clinic ( 3 consecutive mornings with a max of 5 other participants).

Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding): 5
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Combined superb technical, intelligent tuition with great skiing. My second morning in this group may have been my most enjoyable 3 hours skiing ever. Colin was very personable and good fun as well as being armed to the teeth with qualifications and skills, -as are all The Development Centre's instructors. Costs are very reasonable indeed and there are lots of options on clinics as well as the private bespoke route. They have expanded into Tignes this season. We had a great time with Ant Swallow from the same outfit last season. We will be back over the years to improve and pick up new skills.
snow conditions
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Any recommendations for instructors or schools in Kaprun/Zee for beginners? thanks
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
awol, I've used several of the ski schools in the area (for school kids), and never had any problems. The Ski schule Zell am See have a few different offices around the town. There are a couple of English instructors (Anthony & Nicola) who have been there a while who are both really good - although I think they both do more advanced levels rather than beginners.

I've also used the ski school based in Bruck (they teach on the same slopes at Zell). They are a smaller ski school who are quite particular about the instructors that they employ.
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Resort: Zermatt
School: Summit SKi School
Instructor name: Ian Mcgrann
Season: Jan 08
Level: Beginner
Lesson type: Group (although there were only 3 in our group)
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: The chap was incredible fun. Spends most of his life on snow, in zermatt for the northern winter and in new zeland for the southern. Great fun, really patient. Can't recommend highly enough.
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Resort: Tignes
School: The Development Centre
Instructor name: James Stewart-Hunter
Season: Nov'08
Level: 2 weeker 4 years ago
Lesson type Private
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: James is good fun and a fantastic instructor - having done a couple of weeks skiing about 4 years ago but had my condfidence destroyed by a maverick ESF lady and since then I'd only gone boarding - I needed a 're-fresh, re-build and confidence build'. It's fair to say that James delivered in spades. We had a great session focusing on reminding me of the correct posture, balance and turning skills and as I improved over the course of the session we then moved onto other more challenging exercises, and picked the pace up. Most importantly he completely re-built my confidence and had me enjoying the skiing rather than feeling challenged by it. If I pop back to tignes in December (as planned) then I'll definitely book with James again.
snow conditions
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
...
latest report
 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.
Resort: - several - main shop is in Santa Monica, Los Angeles CA
School: - Virtual Snow - Ski and Snowboard training
Instructor name: - Bob Salerno
Season: - Year Round at shop and at your resort by apointment
Level: - Beginner to Expert
Lesson type - With Virtual ski trainer and in person - One on one.
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: - 5 -excellent system to communicate what you need to learn
- Accuracy of diagnosis: - 5 - system lets you really get in touch with what you need to fix / improve
- Effectiveness of treatment: - sessions and training program gets you in shape and ready for the mountain
- Fun factor: - Bob is a fun guy and a terrific person to work with.
Comments: - You can ski more in his shop in one session than you can in a whole day on the maintain.
this really gets you trained and ready to carve the turns and get connected to your ski and ski boot in ways you
never thought possible.


www.VirtualSnowLA.com

http://www.youtube.com/virtualsnowla
snow conditions
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Greg Jones, Magic Academy Meribel, English guy who works full time in the 3V's. well worth a request especially for kids or bumps.
ski holidays
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I would recomend the "Ski Masterclass" guys in Alpes D'Huez in France. It's run by two English guys who have both got the highest levels of qualifications a ski instructor can get in the EU.

Although relatively expensive in one, two hour session I was taught and then perfected race turns and pole planting, and there was a little time at the end where we went of piste for a bit.

Both of them are fun and can teach you anything, you pay for their time and not per person so groups will like it a bit more economically.

To find their website just google "d'Huez Masterclass" and you should find the website, it's just run by two guys Stu and Mel, although it is skiing only now their boarder left.
ski holidays
 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.
Quote:

Resort: Zell am See
School: Outdo
Instructor name: Michael aka Danski
Season: 2009
Level: Capable of skiing most 'things' with my own unique style!
Lesson type 4 x 2 hour Private lessons
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding): 5+++++
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Easily the best instructor i have ever encountered! will be recommend him to EVERYONE snowHead
snow conditions
 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
Resort: Tignes
School: Snocool
Instructor name: Marco
Season: 2009
Level: Errr, off piste with basic route strategy stuff.
Lesson type private
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: erm, read below
- Effectiveness of treatment: the rash has gone
- Fun factor: 11
Comments: I block booked Marco for most of the week for our group, as we've used him before. We split into singles, doubles etc and use him on a shift basis. He works well with kids and nervous beginners through to everyone else. He's now also qualified as a mountain guide.

It was my first time with him and had booked a couple of two hour slots for private lessons. One of the ladies told him I had my shovel/probe/beep with me, so he turned up with his! First question, do I want a lesson - or two hours of fun. I chose fun, he grinned and off we went. I must confess , my style was hardly commented on, but both sessions got stretched into three and a bit hours quite easily.

It was a blast, great sense of humour, like skiing with your mates - only one who could point out how to find the best snow on a pitch, explain basic safety strategy when planning a line and has lived in resort all his life.

It made my holiday, and everyone in the group who used him rated him just as highly.
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
- Resort: Tignes / VdeI
- School: www.snoworks.co.uk
- Instructor name: Lee Townend
- Season: 09
- Level: ISIA
- Lesson type Pre BASI course

- Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5 (10 really)
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5 (another 10)
- Fun factor: 5 Ecellent, it's all good Very Happy

- Comments: Prior to my last 2 BASI courses had some training with Lee. Spent a week on piste, bumps, etc. My knees were shagged at the end of each day, but I could see I was actually getting better. On the course (tech) I passed what else can I say other than I wouldn’t have (being honest) without Lee’s tuition & training. Been teaching skiing now for over 15 yars and was getting bit rusty. Last week passed my teach, again thanks to some pre-course training with Lee. It’s good that he is able to spot the subtle errors that are required at this level and give feedback (very honest feedback by the way so if you're looking for a blagger, don't go or you’ll get upset) that proved very accurate and right to the point.
I would recommend going on a snoworks course prior to any sort of assessment at instructor level or even just for laugh if you’re looking for something different from the normal TO ski school.

Oh yeah and if Louise is reading this, stop it girl. Get back on the next tech course you'll whizz it Madeye-Smiley
snow conditions
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
And, at the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious.... Phil Smith is a genius.

Resort: Tignes
School: snoworks
Instructor name: Phil Smith
Season: Nov 08
Level: er, dunno -- used to straightline every piste, regardless of grading, and avoid everything off-piste, now...
Lesson type: 10min flyby
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 6. No really -- I've had a fair bit of instruction, and discussed with many mates their lessons, and this was off the scale.
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 6. Ditto.
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments:

Was doing race training (not really stretching myself -- see "Level" above) with another snoworks group, and cos we'd had a big dump, we were off in the powder one AM, having a whale of a time. At least, the others were having a whale of a time, I was doing "one turn, fall, repeat"...

Phil Smith passes by, on his way somewhere else, takes one look at me, shouts about 2 sentences of instruction at me "don't bounce, push with inside leg, push, don't bounce, ... etc", then rides the lift back up with me, talks through my problem. At the top of the lift, one quick demo of what he means by "push, don't bounce" for the rest of the group, and he's off.

Problem solved, I'm now laying down sick lines (I'm sure that's what I'm doing Madeye-Smiley ) in every back bowl I can find; no more piste for me...
snow report
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Resort: Tignes
School: Alliance Snowboarding
Instructor name: Ben Kinnear
Season: 08
Level: Intermediate / Advanced
Lesson type: 5 x3 hrs - 5th lesson in the park
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding): 5
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5

All high 5s for Ben - he was an absolutely great guy and an outstanding snowboard teacher. Ben has an infectious love for the sport and it showed in the lessons, making sure that everyone had fun whilst pushing their riding abilities. An all round superb guy and instructor. If you're in Tignes and want to give snowboarding a go or simply improve what you already know give Alliance and more particularly Ben a shout !!
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Resort: 3 Valleys
School: Snowarea
Instructor name: Claude Decagny
Season: 2009-2010
Level: advanced
Lesson type: Genral technique
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):5
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Some of you may know Claude from eosb's. I had 5 great mornings instruction with Claude, my skiing has improved enormously, his instruction is easy to understand and effetive. He also works out of all the resorts in the 3V. One of the best weeks skiing i've had.
snow report
 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?
Resort: Tignes
School: TDC (The Development Centre)
Instructor name: James Stewart-Hunter
Season: Dec '09
Level: Intermediate (the course was called a 'development' level clinic)
Lesson type: Group (but as it was so early in the season me and my GF where the only ones it the class)
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: As far as instruction goes, this was a bit of a relevation ... was such a good/fun experience. The sessions seemed very much tailor-made to our needs and James took a genuine interest in helping us move to the next level. A+
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Resort: Serfaus
School: Serfaus ski school (the only one in town)
Instructor name: Fred (Fredrich)
Season: Jan 2010
Level: One adult begginer (female), One 5 year old begginer, One advanced skier (male)
Lesson type: private, 5X2hours for the adult begginer, 4X1 for the 5 year old, 1X1 for the advanced skier
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 4
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Fred is a very good instructor, who cares about his clients. He was very patient, and constantly provided feedback. He adapted very easily to a child that wanted to play and "ski like a Power Ranger" and to a nervous female first timer. I've taken an hour with him while my wife needed a break, and after half a run he told me i was flexing too fast into short turns. He was right, and now I can do short turn on steep slopes without gathering too much speed (before I had to do a few wider turns after a few short turns on steeps). He's a really nice guy, and i was impressed by the way he helped three completedly different skiers (my son can link snow plough turns, and my wife enjoyed a red run by the end of the week - not survived, enjoyed).
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Resort: Courchevel 1850
School: Inspired to Ski (which operates in various resorts)
Instructor name: Tim Jackson
Season: Jan 2010
Level: Started the week at 4/5 and allegedly ended at 5 according to this scale though whether I'll be able to maintain that level is debatable.
Lesson type: five half days of lessons, in a class of four people
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5. Very good at dreaming up non-skiing analogies. Technical, yet perfectly comprehensible to a non-scientist.
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5. Spotted problems of stance instantly and then proceeded to cure them pretty quickly.
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5. Astonishing progress shown by all his pupils, including ones I saw from other classes.
- Fun factor: 5, or actually off the scale. Even in a morning which started with a few technical drills, and with quite a few stops for analysis, many miles of variable terrain found and covered, with maximum enjoyment.
Comments: a charming person and a gifted teacher. He has an exceptional ability to judge that fine line between pushing someone on to the next challenge and yet not spooking him/her. He's based in Les Gets, so people visiting the Portes du Soleil can arrange lessons with him. PM me if you want his e-mail address or telephone number. I hugely enjoyed my tuition with Angus Meldrum on an Inspired to Ski course last year, but Tim was just as good and not as abrasive as Angus (not that that bothered me, I liked Angus's dour humour too.)
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Here's a mention for Keith Marshall of Momentum Snowsports who taught us in Courchevel 1850.
A great teacher who helped us gain confidence in our technique in these early days of skiiing. Thourough explanations, patiently delivered and with good humour. Very Happy
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Resort: Tignes
School: Alliance Snowboarding
Instructor name: Renelle
Season: January 2010
Level: 3/4 - low intermediate
Lesson type: group - £145 for 12 hours over 4 days
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: off the scale
Comments: Our group had so much fun on these lessons. We all had a variety of objectives, from learning to ride off-piste/powder, riding switch, learning how to do stuff in the park and to just improve our general riding technique. My personal objective was to learn to ride switch properly and to do the last bit of the Trolles (black) run into Le Lac instead of wussing out and riding around to come down via the learner slope.

Renelle made it seem easy to achieve our objectives and then helped us to achieve even more by taking us down the Hidden Valley (a well-known off-piste itinerary) and through some natural hits in amazing powder stashes where we mostly fell over, but had so much fun doing it, we all just laughed and continued riding once we'd fought our way out of the knee-deep powder. Her 12 years of instructor experience showed through, with Renelle just generally being so good at her teaching that we lost count of the number of times we all said we weren't even thinking about the slope we were on, we just wanted to achieve the goal she had set out for us.

Personally, my confidence improved to the point that, regardless of the slope I was on, I was able to ride down it properly, instead of side-slipping it when too many other people were on the slope. My general riding technique improved because I was constantly aware of and correcting any poor posture that would affect my riding, my traversing technique improved cos I was given a really simple but very effective tip and I am now able to do 180-style tricks whilst riding (as long as no one is too close in case I wipe out!).

All-in-all Renelle is an excellent ambassador for Alliance Snowboarding.
snow conditions
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Resort: Sun Valley, Idaho, United States
School: there's only one Happy
Instructor name: DJ Hart
Season: 2009/2010
Level: Basic - Expert/Race
Lesson type: Private, 2 (me and OH).A day groomed slope carved turns, then a couple of days doing bumps
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):5+
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5 (incl. boot fitting and ski equipment)
- Effectiveness of treatment: 4
- Fun factor: 5+++
Comments: Easily the best instructor I've ever come across, totally adjusts lessons to the individual incl. the runs. Makes an effort to show the entire area incl. the "local" runs. Is good fun in general and definitely pushes you to the next level. This being the US: don't forget to tip your instructor!
snow report
 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.
Resort: Folgarida
School: Schuola Italiana di Sci Folgarida
Instructor name: Wayne Naylor
Season: 2009-10
Level: Grade 4 (by Wayne's assesment - see folgarida.co.uk)
Lesson type: 6x2hr group, varying size from 12-19
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding): 4
- Communication: 4
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 4
- Effectiveness of treatment: 4
- Fun factor: 5
Comments: Wayne is a very good instructor, and despite the trials of running the local ski school and having to round up lost sheep, and managing constantly changing groups, managed to get across some very useful techniques and tips over the six days. His emphasis is on having fun - "it's a holiday, not a training course!" - and the malicious instruction style (his words, not mine) constantly challenge you to think about what you are doing. I'm now happy that I have a toolbox capable of coping with all pistes in all conditions, and an appreciation of the joys of off-piste (EoSB Guiding here I come!) Probably the best value I've ever had for £70.
snow report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Resort: Alpe d'Huez
School: http://www.masterclass.f9.co.uk/
Instructor name: Stuart & Mel
Season: 2009-10
Level: 2nd ski trip older novice with Stuart, early intermediate (their definition) with Mel
Lesson type: 3x2hr group (Mon/Tue/Thu), max size 6, actual size 3-4
Assessment (1=poor; 5=outstanding):
- Communication: 5
- Accuracy of diagnosis: 5
- Effectiveness of treatment: 5
- Fun factor: 5
Comments:
Small outfit consisting of just the two older, but highly qualified instructors, both of whom have a great sense of humour. Small group size means there is plenty of individual assessment & advice designed to build confidence. The emphasis was on learning new skills on comfortable terrain or taking practised skills to new terrain. During the week I managed to face my first red (didn't know it was red till we had skied it though!).
ski holidays



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy