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What Sir Clive Woodward did next (builT a world-class ski academy)
An elite ski academy in France, located at 2,100 metres altitude, may hold the key to a new model of education; Suzanne Kyle finds out how. Tignes, high above the snow line in the French Alps, with views of Mont Blanc, might seem an unlikely setting for a visionary new model of education. Apex2100 is the brainchild of a British investor and skiing-enthusiast who asked Sir Clive Woodward, the world-renowned sports coach (and a qualified teacher) who took England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, to “design the best ski academy in the world”. Five years later, Apex2100 opened its doors with a mission to create future World Cup and Olympic alpine skiers. It may also inadvertently have become a trailblazer for a model of technology-enabled blended learning, the potential benefits of which the global pandemic has brought sharply into focus.
“Being able to move around, write on the walls and reconfigure the room increases engagement; add to that the integration of the furniture with the IT and we’ve created the ideal environment in which our athletes can excel.” Sir Clive Woodward
