Schools Snowsports Magazine 21-22

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SCHOOLS SNOWSPORTS MAGAZINE ISSUE 5 2021-22

Welcome to the latest edition of Schools Snowsports magazine. The Magazine is back after a years absence due to the pandemic. We considered publishing in 2020 but the repeated lockdowns, leading to schools and snowsports facilities closures, along with the limited travel and lack of school travel to the alps, meant that it would not have been a worthwhile venture.

Whilst Schools Snowsports magazine may have taken a break due to the pandemic, the NSSA certainly has not. Around lockdowns, there’s been little let up in the 6th year of the NSSA.

Working on new initiatives such as the National Schools Leagues making a successful start through covid restrictions to keep schools ski racing running at a local level, culminating in a national final in June – Read more on page 20. https://schoolssnowsports.co.uk/nssanational-schools-race-leagues/

We’re finally introducing the Alpine All stars – in a different format form our initial vision but aiming to get more kids into the sport with some longevity. Kids who would not otherwise be able to take part.

We’ve been nurturing partnerships with organisations in UK snowsports

a member of a squad such as this. The development of the alpine events and the hopefulness of a season this year.

We’re running more UK events than ever before as demand grows and we’re looking to introduce freestyle and snowboard events in the near future.

New Links with international schools and a company involved in placing children into US universities are amongst the work we’re still doing to give more to schools snowsports.

Along with this, we still have GAP programme partners and have run our first schools level one instructor courses, with 25 newly qualified instructors from 15 years old. On the back of this, we’re running our first 2 day Assistant Instructor course which is accessed at 14 years old.

All in all, we are a long way from where we started and are no longer an organisation that just runs schools races and we intend to keep on this pathway to further establish ourselves as having a holistic approach to schools snowsports, further differentiating ourselves, in a positive way, from other organisations.

I hope you enjoy this edition and would

INDEPENDENT

SCHOOLS

ASSOCIATION ON THE IMPACT OF

COVID-19 AND SPORTING COMPETITION THE

The NSSA are proud to have been running the National Indoor Ski Championships for the ISA for around 6 years now and here is an article from them on the impact of Covid on their events over the last year.

One thing that we particularly hope will be maintained in the coming year is the emphasis on sport and physical activity in the curriculum. It is clear to see the impact that this pandemic has had on our sporting world within the education sector. Backdating to March 2020, ISA reluctantly had to cancel almost all events up until May half term 2021, with the possibility of further changes.

Amongst all the negative impacts on school sport, the pandemic has brought flexibility of thinking, and a level of collaboration which would probably never have emerged in normal circumstances. Discussions and actions towards weekend sporting opportunities that were not confined to those “selected” for school teams but open to all, there was initially some surprise that levels of participation were greater than ever before. Maintaining this depends on each individual school’s situation and will require a wider allocation of resources in comparison to the conventional offer. It means that school sport now stands at a crossroads: it can return as closely as possible to its previous model and try to forget that the 2020/21 year ever happened. Alternatively, it can consider the lessons that have surfaced over the year and reflect on whether some of these involuntary initiatives are worth investing in.

As the Independent Schools Association, we provide a range of sporting competitions on both a regional and national scale for 550+ Members’ schools to access throughout the year. This will grow organically in line with the views and needs of our Member schools. In the academic year ahead, we are looking forward to new inclusive opportunities in the Festival of Sport, as well as our ever-popular ISA Indoor Ski event run by Impulse Racing at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.

Now that schools can safely return to competitive sport, we look forward to welcoming everyone back to our high profile events at leading venues.

9/10/11

Training available on the 6/7/8 February 2022

3 great days of racing - GS, Slalom/Kombi and parallel event https://eola.co/w/1355/activities/british-schools-alpine-open-championship

Individual and team entry

Open to ALL schools

For more information, please contact the National Schools Snowsports Association office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk 01279 444621

THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS SQUAD WITH THE NSSA

Off the back of a tough year, with very little action for the National Schools Squad, we look forward to the programme for 21-22 getting back to some normality. For us, the biggest news regarding the squad is the announcement of formal recognition by Snowsports England. A result of the schools organisation agreement which has been entered into with Snowsport England to align our visions of promoting Snowsports at every level.

The squad remains in place to help smooth the transition from schools racing into the club environment, we have partnered with Impulse Racing to offer a pathway into the club racing world. Impulse have been running training and races for us since our inception and are headed up by an ex national team coach with over 30 years experience within the British system.

We are the only schools organisation with a fully transparent selection criteria – children know exactly what they need to do to be selected and invited onto the squad. A medal winning performance is needed in one of the selection events. This can be as an individual or part of a school team.

For the 2021-22 squad, the selection events are:

• The National Schools Outdoor Open – North –May 2021

• The National Schools Outdoor Open – South –May 2021

• The National Schools League Finals – June 2021

• The British Schools Indoor Open Champs – July 2021

• The British Schools Indoor Open - North – Sep 2021

• The British Schools Indoor Open – South – Sep 2021

2019-20 was a successful year for the squad with members not pushed toward a single camp and flexibility being key for their choice of camps making it easier and not necessitating time off school.

We ask that those selected, if wishing to take up a place, take part in the following:

UK orientation day – this consists of skiing and other activities.

Then either, two short Landgraaf Camps or, one Alpine camp. There is a choice of several dates for each of these and the emphasis on these camps is on skiing. We talk about fitness but believe this is not done on these camps at this level as it will increase fatigue, leading to a drop in ski performance and, potentially, injury. We have seen this happen with other groups and feel that the fitness side is best built at home, in the UK.

All those attending the UK day will receive a squad members hoodie for that year and those with full commitment receive jackets which they are free to wear to school, training with their club etc.

If you are invited to the squad, please reply with whether you are interested or not. We appreciate that not everyone can commit due to other pulls on their time, whether that be other sports or other skiing commitments.

For any further information or questions, please contact us on office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

THE NSSA

As you are probably aware, the NSSA has been running for over 5 years now and is affiliated to Snowsport England with recognition of all our events, training and squad.

As we get back to normal we are expanding our race events and, last year, introduced the National Schools Leagues which fitted with the covid restrictions but proved so popular to have these local events, leading to a national finals, that we will be running again this academic year – see elsewhere in the magazine for information.

All of our races have proved popular as they are the only truly open national schools races.

• Open to all schools, not only independent schools.

• Accept individuals. Not all schools can raise a team.

• Do not require membership in order to take part.

• Allow the largest numbers per event of any UK indoor one day event.

• Allow teams to spread across age groups and genders. Not all schools have 4 racers in an age group. It would be restrictive to force teams into one age group with younger skiers racing in older age groups

Even through the last year, we have maintained partnerships with various organisations, whilst building new ones This helps us to run the events and gives more choice to the schools with which we work.

The NSSA endorse numerous alpine race events through the year, both UK and alpine-based, and pass details of these events to member schools with recommendations of training and race support for these events.

We have partenered with the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors (Pages 42-43) to develop an instructor pathway from 14 through from schools, with over 25 children achieving their instructor qualification since last October. We will be running courses at both Hemel and Chill Factore this October and can run bespoke courses at local facilities for schools if they have a minimum of 5 candidates.

The association are more than happy to work with all educational organisations and to answer any questions on schools’ snowsports from both member and non-member schools.

For further information or membership enquiries, please contact the NSSA at office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

Joining the NSSA and the benefits of membership

The NSSA has set up membership with benefits for all pupils attending the member school.

Schools Premier Membership – A raft of deals and offers available to schools who sign up to premier membership. These offers and deals are available to the entire school, including it’s teachers and children. £250 for 1st year membership and £150 per year thereafter.

In addition to all of the above, third Party Liability insurance for the schools ski team members for UK events and schools membership of Snowsport England (Numbers of participants must be specified at joining)

Regular newsletter and information on schools snowsports.

Schools Associate Membership – This offers the joint Snowsport England Schools membership and insurance and Newsletter as above and is £50 per school.

For further information on membership, please contact us on office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

Chalet Holiday is changing. Regardless of the issues for the travel industry, unfortunately Brexit is hitting this British holiday staple pretty hard, with the way in which staff have always been employed having to change to comply with local employment laws, the popular way of spending a week in the alps is becoming less possible in it’s traditional form. Of course, the high end will remain but the chalets offered by many operators will either cease to be, or be offered on a self catering basis by either the tour operators, or the owners. This means that there will be three choices if one still wants to holiday in a chalet. Self cater, which is off the menu for many, find a friend or local to cater for you, or use a company such as Huski, which will give you a great option for catering at a good price.

Huski is one of the new generation of food and drink delivery companies that is a familiar feature on the dashboard of modern day life. Browse, choose, order and delivery follows. Deliveroo and Uber Eats haven't made it to the French Alps, but Huski's extensive range of mouth-watering meals more than makes up for this blip in generation Z’s (and before's) dining requirements. Delivering to all major resorts in the French Alps, Huski takes the hassle out of winter sports holidays (and summer for that matter). Order your food whilst booking your transport, accommodation and ski hire and you can forget about fighting your way through packed supermarkets and thinking about reserving Covid-cautious restaurants, giving you more time for skiing, snowboarding, ski touring or snowshoeing and, of course, the all-important après vin-et-chocolat-chauds, huddled on restaurant and bar terraces.

By far the safest Covid-19 dining option around, Huski can cater to all tastes and food and drink preferences from tartiflette to tagine to Thai green curry with everything in between. Between them, Huski’s two food brands also cover all the main special dietary requirements (vegetarian, vegan, dairy and gluten free). From their local kitchens in Bourg St Maurice, hearty, warming and flavoursome French dishes include

eternally popular slow-cooked beef mondeuse (the Alps’ answer to bourgignon made from the powerfully aromatic local Mondeuse wine), oozingly tempting tartiflette and deliciously moreish chicken savoyarde. There’s a selection of local charcuterie (the Alpine saucissons with Génépi, hazelnuts and Beaufort are hard to resist), baked Camembert (enough said), and winter warming roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Chef Rob’s rich and velvety mousse au chocolat is legendary and spiced poached pears and seasonal cheesecake add to the small but perfectly formed Gourmet 73 dessert menu. And then there’s COOK in the mountains. COOK has been delighting Brits for over 20 years with their simple concept of home-cooked food for the busy, the culinary-challenged and the lover of exceedingly tasty food. Using only the finest ingredients to create their utterly devourable dishes, COOK’s Indian and Thai curries, tagines, stalwarts like classic fish pie, lasagne al forno and coq au vin are all crowd-pleasers, and, the best thing about them is that they can be cooked from frozen, so if you forget to take it out of the freezer in the morning, you can pop one in the oven when you get back and dinner’s ready in no time. All hot dishes are re-heatable in traditional ovens and microwaves.

Huski has put together a small but very sweet list of local and internationally-acclaimed wines and has teamed up with local craft brewer – the grandly-named Brasserie du Petit St Bernard Brewing Co (PSB for short) to brew an IPA for Huski. So, in the absence of Majestic or The Wine Society, Huski can cater to your drinks needs, also supplying all the usual-suspect soft drinks.

Huski’s General Manager, Tania Casey is quietly cautious about next season: “Nothing is certain with Covid in our midst, but at Huski we have done everything in our power to ensure that our deliveries will be as Covid-safe as possible. Our team is raring to go and we’re looking forward to welcoming holidaymakers back to the Alps, after such a bleak time.”.

A click away from holiday freedom, Huski is available in all major resorts in the French Alps and can be predelivered to your home, chalet or apartment, contact free and Covid-19-safe, and waiting for you on your arrival in resort.

www.hu.ski

Enquiries: +33 (0)4 79 04 15 36 | orders@hu.ski

Ordering: You can place orders 24/7 on www.hu.ski

If you have any order queries, please contact us on orders@hu.ski

Payment accepted: Credit & debit cards, Paypal, Apple Pay

Delivery to All major ski resorts across the French Alps

Delivery charges: Minimum spend: €50. Delivery charge between €9.99 and €19.99 depending on resort

Click & collect service: If you’re staying in Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry, La Plagne, La Rosiere, Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, Val d’Isere or Tignes, you could use our click & collect service. Pre-order and pick up from our HQ, 84 Rue d'Edelweiss (off rue du Pinon), 73700 Bourg-Saint-Maurice (pin here)

Social handles: FB | Instagram | Twitter: @huskidelivers

Early Bird offer: 10% off food and drink if you order before 1 December

Christmas dinner: See here (www.hu.ski/cuisine/christmas/)

Picnics on the mountains: Build your own picnic for lunch on the mountains from our range of pâtés, Reblochon, quiches, charcuterie and sweet treats. All resorts have picnic areas and you’ll be sure to be Covid-safe if you choose this option.

Whole catering packages: You can order breakfast, tea and dinner for the whole of your holiday, which frees you up for skiing. See here (www.hu.ski/product-category/bundled-menus/)

Welcome hampers: Simple dinner with wine and breakfast essentials so you don’t have to go shopping the next morning. See here (www.hu.ski/product-category/bundled-menus/)

Same day delivery: No, but you can order until 8pm CET (7pm GMT) the night before for delivery the next day, depending on where you are located in France and which delivery days are scheduled for those regions

Further FAQs: See here (www.hu.ski/faq/)

Your ski boots are probably the most important piece of ski equipment you will ever own, and one question which constantly comes up is should you buy in the UK (home) or in resort (away) As a boot fitter in the UK I will always argue for Home, but with good reasons.

UK boot fitters speak your language, unless you are lucky enough to speak the language of the resort you are in at a technical level, it can be difficult to get the correct information to or from the boot fitter, buying ski boots is not as simple as ordering a pizza.

In the UK the market is very technical, probably second only to the USA the UK consumer is technically minded, this drives the stores to be technical in order to service this market, it is surprising how few good ski boot fitters there are throughout Europe, that’s not to say they don’t exist but they are not as easy to find as you might think.

Custom footbeds are an important part of the fitting process of your boots, a good boot fitter will spend the time to make a custom footbed which works with you and your boot, they should have at least 2 brands of custom insole available so they can offer different products to work with your individual needs, often in a resort setting the store is so busy that this step gets overlooked.

Good boot fitting takes time, expect somewhere about 1.5 hours for the fitting and then possibly the need to have adjustment made when the boot has been skied for a few days, you have paid a lot of money to get to your ski trip, the last thing you want to do is spend time

off the slopes when you could be training, whilst it might seem like a great idea that you can have boots adjusted on the spot, in resort these adjustments tend to be a drop the boot I after skiing and then collect the next day, so two visits to the shop and time off the hill. In the UK most adjustments are done on a while you wait basis (sometimes if a shell needs major work it needs to be on a press overnight).

In the UK we are really lucky, we have several indoor ski centres and many more dry ski slopes, these all allow a great resource for testing your boots finding out if there are any problems and giving you the opportunity to fix them before getting to resort. Fast turn around and drag lifts make for an environment which really brings out the worst in boots, so any problems can be uncovered quickly.

All in all, wherever you buy your boots you should expect an in depth assessment, a well made custom footbed and a boot selected for your needs as a skier, it takes time, select your fitter carefully, through research, make an appointment, and enjoy your new boots.

Colin Martin , Solutions 4Feet 2021

FIRST AID COURSE CHANGES IN THE EMERGENCY OUTDOOR

The NSSA runs instructor and coach education courses for skiers from 14 upwards. As part of the licensing process, the candidates need to complete a 2 day first aid course.

Obviously, during the recent pandemic, it became difficult to run these or attend them. So, one of our partners, World Class Training, pulled together a blended course in order to minimise attendance, making their course far less time/travel intensive. We’ve shared some information on this blended course below.

First Aid qualifications and revalidations are part of our ongoing CPD for ensuring we all comply with the regulations of our governing bodies and organisations. All sports coaches and teachers working in the outdoor sector need to keep up to date and especially during this time.

With the Covid19 global pandemic stirring up all sorts of issues surrounding our way of life, we at World Class Training have been working on ways we can ensure we all keep up to date with our life skills such as First Aid practices.

We have found that much of a standard first aid course can be delivered online. So, we have created a bespoke

Blended Learning option for the 2 day first aid course. Learn from the comfort of your own home, in your own time and attend a Zoom session followed by one full day of practical sessions and assessments. Therefore easing the burden of social distancing and contact time. The course was introduced in June and the numbers keep rising of those using the blended option, This is just a few of hundreds of feedback quotes we have had to date!

"The new WCT Blended Learning Outdoor First Aid Course was really excellent. I found it easy to use, informative and relevant to my needs for my BASI snowsports training. Having completed the 8 hour private home study on-line course and test, I am ready for the practical assessment in August 2020." Willes. A

"The whole thing is comprehensive, professional and very user friendly. I'd recommend to anyone needing to have Outdoor First Aid training as part of their work requirements that they choose this course." Martin .C

"Great to do a course which could be completed largely in my own time. Meant that I could revisit subject areas as and when I wanted to ensure that I had fully learned before moving on to the next subject." Alastair. B

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, people are finding that they are learning more as they have time to digest the information and as such put this into practice on the practical assessment day.

We are very proud of the Blended First Aid programme. For those who prefer the 2 day option we do of course still have that available.

To assist in ensuring we all keep on top of the game as far as First Aid is concerned, we also have a number of quick CPD units online along with a Workplace first aid course. These e-learning units are designed for refreshing your knowledge to ensure you are ready for that time when you need to act quickly!

For more information and book a space, contact us on info@worldclasstraining.co.uk or call 01803 467373

THE BRITISH SCHOOLS OPEN ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

As well as running and endorsing numerous schools snowsports events both in the UK and abroad, the NSSA are behind the Successful British Schools Open Alpine Championships.

After a years absence, this great, enjoyable schools event is back in February 2022. With the races already open for entry, this looks to be a highlight of the schools alpine calendar with training held over the early weekdays and 3 race days later in the week.

The event is open to all schools and entry is now open, closing on February 1st 2022. This closing date may be brought forward, should the event become full earlier as is the case with some of our UK races.

The races will be run along the same accessible lines as the National Schools Series with the fastest of 2 (or 3) runs to count, meaning that even if you don’t finish one run, you have the ability to still get a result.

The event will include a giant slalom race for all ages and a slalom for U14’s and above with a Kombi for U10/U12 age groups. The final day will see the popular Parallel, or head to head, event with entry numbers dictating whether this runs as an individual or team event.

The NSSA’s Phil Brown says of the event: “It’s great to host this event again, after the last years absence due to covid, we’ve been building it year on year and seeing many children take part in an alpine event for the first time. We love working with schools, getting more children to enjoy and be part of the sport that we love and have been involved with for years, and we see

running competitions such as this one, along with the schools race programmes, as an important and integral part of this. It’s key to us that we ensure the sport is enjoyable for the children and does not become a chore or that they feel pushed into it by parents, coaches etc.

The event runs on the 9-11 February 2022, with open training on the 6-8 February (must be booked in advance). The event itself will be available as entry only or, in order to help the less experienced racers and schools, The NSSA are working with local hotels, transfer companies and a travel partner to offer a package for the event, with transfers, accommodation, lift passes, flights and training for two/three days prior to the races. We welcome fledgling skiers so if racing or freestyle is something your schools skiers would like to try, please come and join us. We will also be running UK training prior to the event for anyone wanting to get additional practice.

With free places available for teachers accompanying groups, this looks like it could be a must do event for schools in seasons to come.

For the event, the NSSA are once again, engaging the services of experienced schools training organisation, Impulse Racing to run this event in their home resort base of Pila, Italy.

This resort was chosen due to its accessibility, within two hours of Geneva or Milan, an hour from Turin and Chamonix. As schools events go, it’s the most accessible open schools event of the winter.

For further information, or to enquire about entry, training packages or accommodation, please contact office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

For accommodation enquiries, please contact info@pilabeds.co.uk

WHAT IS RACE TRAINING?

We have many parents or teachers who come to us saying ‘our kids need to ski gates’. However, in most cases, these children actually need more work on their fundamental skiing outside the gates before any course work and we try to educate people to this case as changes and improvements are made more quickly and permanently with more technical training before taking the changes into the course.

Build the Skier to Create the Racer

In our training organisation, we have a tagline ‘Build The Skier – Create The Racer’ and this is key to improvement as too much time skiing gates will slow progression as the skiers are, in the main, not focussed on their skiing but on such things as completing the course, hitting the gates, or even just staying upright and this is really not a great way to get better.

Essentially, effective race training is focussed coaching. Training through poles can be part of it but actually improving skiers takes place outside the poles and mainly on terrain conducive to the trainee/client to build confidence and ensure effective movements. Repetition of effective movements is also important to make any positive change permanent.

As we learn or develop in anything, we go through stages of skill acquisition and these need to be understood by the coach in order to effectively develop anything that is movement or skill based. How many of you have been learning something and, as soon as you

show success at one stage, you are swiftly moved on to the next stage, perhaps feeling as if you haven’t really mastered the previous movement or skill?

Practice Time

Sufficient practice time once a movement is learned in order to consolidate that movement and develop it to become intrinsic in your skiing is something that can often be missed in the pursuit of a skiing goal. The same applies across the board with sports. Only when the skier and coach are satisfied that progress is being made and the movements are happening with consistency, do we look at putting this into the course. This can be a great indicator of how the training is developing and if improvements are being consolidated. It can also go the other way and putting obstacles in the way can cause the newly learned movements to be ‘dropped’ in favour of surviving but this is one of the gauges of improvement.

Youtube etc. is full of videos of World Cup skiers performing slow, precise drills outside the course. They do this on glaciers and indoor ski halls through the summer and autumn.

The challenge of skiing the poles is, for sure, a great buzz for many skiers and it’s important to have some runs in the course to just enjoy it and prepare for races.

SNOWCAMP

The NSSA works with apprentices from SnowCamp, the snowsports charity carving a new path of support for inner-city young people.

Snow-Camp are the UK’s only charity using a combination of snowsports, life-skills training and mental health support to help young people from innercity communities. Working at the indoor snow centres in London, the North West, the Midlands and Scotland, Snow-Camp also provide qualifications, work experience and volunteering opportunities to those who would never normally get the chance to access this industry. Our programmes require initiative, individuality and courage and therein lies the attraction and challenge providing a much-needed complimentary service to youth organisations working closely with those in

local authority care, in the youth justice system and excluded from education.

Young people can gain up to 9 new qualifications and certificates on our programmes, improving their CV noticeably. Furthermore, for every hour on the slopes, the same amount of time is spent in our life-skills sessions which have been planned to help young people reflect upon the skills they are demonstrating whilst learning to ski or snowboard – perseverance, commitment, listening, patience and overcoming fear as well as learning how to respond to challenges, deal

with peer pressure and setting goals for their future. All of which are essential skills young people need to deal with the problems they may face in their everyday lives. Young people also have access to bespoke mental health workshops and 1-1 counselling sessions, which are delivered by registered counsellors.

Mental health support has become an important element of our work and in 2020, in partnership with JHD Counselling Services, we launched a new ambitious mental health service called Stop.Breathe.Think. A service unlike any other, with the potential to meet a rapidly growing need: Ensuring there is someone to talk to for any young person who needs it. Through Stop. Breathe.Think young people can access free virtual 1-1 counselling sessions and mindfulness tutorials as well as a 24/7 emergency text support line. Young people do not have to be part of our snowsports programmes to access this service.

The impact of Covid-19 and the resulting lockdown have serious implications for the mental health of young people. From bereavement to job losses, to loneliness and relationship breakdown, the psychological strains caused by Covid-19 has intensified the need of our work. The pandemic is not a short-term event, that’s why we need to work with more young people who are struggling and are at-risk of falling through the cracks during this period of uncertainty.

We are now delighted to be returning to face-to-face youth work, with our snowsports programmes running across the country. Our mental health work will also be continuing. We have even started to provide a range of mental health and counselling training courses and qualifications to our apprentices and volunteers, including a Level 1 Introduction to Counselling Skills. This is just the first stage of our young people’s counselling journeys and there are opportunities for them to work towards a full counselling diploma. We hope that this new training pathway will enable our apprentices and youth volunteers to better support the young people they are working with on our programmes. If you would like to find out more about our work, please head to: snow-camp.org.uk. To find out more about Stop.Breathe.Think head to: stopbreathethink.co.uk. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS OPEN RACES 2021-22

From one indoor race in September 2013 with under 200 skiers, the National Schools open events have grown fantastically over the last 8 years to 8 events at numerous venues, both indoor and outdoor around the country.

We were fortunate to be able to run some outdoor events over the last year whilst it wasn’t possible to run indoor events and these are now part of the schools racing calendar.

We’ve avoided stepping fully into dry slope racing previously out of courtesy to other bodies who run national schools dry slope events. Unfortunately, we’ve found that, in England, many schools are unable to take part in these events due to numerous entry restrictions so, as we believe there needs to be greater inclusivity at grass roots level in our sport, we started with a scheduled a Uk National Schools Open Championship event back in the autumn of 2019 at Swadlincote, a slope which had just returned to traditional matting with resurfacing taking place over that summer, making a great venue for the event.

Over the last year we have added to this race with two other open championship events on dry slope, a National Schools League (set up to work within covid guidelines but proving very popular) and our Indoor events have expanded to 5 in total.

NSSA programme director, Phil Brown, says of the new calendar addition ‘I think it was only a matter of time before we took our successful schools race formula onto

dry slope, straight to the heart of grass roots ski racing in the UK. With Swadlincotes history and recent resurfacing, I believe we have a great venue for the NSSA outdoor event. I myself remember taking part some great racing there in the triple slaloms, English champs etc. Even to the point that it was the venue where I once had my head shaved for charity – between runs one and two of the English Champs, back in 2000. It should prove a great addition to the series’.

With numbers capped at the three Hemel events, we hope to see growth over the other events we run.

As always, accessibility is very important for these open events with an unrestrictive race entry. Many other schools events tend to restrict entry by insisting schools are members of the organisation running the events or restrict the entry to teams of single age group only. This excludes small schools or schools with less than 4 skiers. It also handicaps schools which cannot raise a team consisting of skiers within a single age group. The NSSA format allows for mixed age groups and individual entries, so being more inclusive and less intimidating for many children.

These events work as a great feeder series into club national and GBR events with many racers competing for the first time alongside children from the national team and full time academy programmes. This gives the newer racers some inspiration and exposure to skiers that they may not usually see.

Placings in the races and series will qualify

racers for selection to the National Schools Snowsports Squad for the following school year/season with squad training camps, races and exposure to a national programme for these pupils. More information on the squad can be found on page 6.

For more information on any of these events or, if you’d like an event run for your school, school trust or against another school, Please contact The NSSA, or Impulse Racing, who run events on our behalf.

NSSA website www.schoolssnowsports.co.uk e-mail: office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

SCHOOLS SERIES

20TH SEPTEMBER 2021 –

National Schools Indoor Open –North – Chill Factore, Manchester

27TH SEPTEMBER 2021 –

National Schools Indoor Open –

South - The Snowcentre, Hemel Hempstead

4TH OCTOBER 2021 –

ISA National Schools Indoor

Open Championships - The Snowcentre, Hemel Hempstead

21ST NOVEMBER 2021 –

UK National Schools Outdoor Open Championships – Swadlincote Ski Centre

25TH APRIL 2022 –

English Schools indoor Open Championships - The Snowcentre, Hemel Hempstead

MAY - DATE TBC –

National Schools Outdoor Open –North – Stoke

MAY 2022 -

National Schools Outdoor Open –South – Welwyn

JUNE 2022 –

British Schools Indoor Open Championships –Chill Factore, Manchester

• No membership required

• Mixed teams, boys teams and girls teams

• Racers ski in their own age groups

• Selection events for the National Schools Squad

• Prizes for each event and for the series

For more information, contact office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk | www.schoolssnowsports.co.uk

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL SNOW SHOW?

This October, the NEC in Birmingham will play host to the inaugural National Snow Show, a two-day exhibition set to welcome over 15,000 snowsports enthusiasts. Packed full of interactive features this is not your usual Snow event, catering for seasoned skiers and boarders but with an equally strong focus on families, young people and increasing opportunities to get more people enjoying all things snowsports.

WHO IS IT FOR?

The show is open to everyone: skiers, snowboarders and people curious about snowsports and who want to find out more. It will be a one-stop-shop for seasoned snowsports lovers, people new to the sports, families, solo travellers and groups to be inspired, learn new skills get kitted out in the right gear and book your winter 2021/22 travel. The show is family friendly and welcomes small kids and big kids alike!

WHO WILL WE SEE?

The Show will play host to a world-class speaker line-up including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Katie Ormerod, Benjamin Alexander, Billy Morgan, Jamie Barrow, Graham Bell, Jamie Nicholls, Aimee Fuller, Pat Sharples, Chemmy Alcott, Darryl George, Warren Smith, Ed Drake and Scott Penman.

WHAT WILL BE THERE?

SNOW STAGE

The main stage at the event will be packed full of inspiring talks from the biggest names in the industry, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Katie Ormerod, Benjamin Alexander, Billy Morgan, Ed Drake, Winona Barnieh and many more. Visitors of all ages will be inspired to dream bigger and make the most of the mountains next season.

SNOW DOME SLOPE

A great opportunity to put on some skis or strap on a board and have a go. For beginners or simply those

who have missed the slopes this year! Professional coaches will be on hand to chat about getting into snowsports and the benefits of starting to build skills and confidence before hitting the mountains.

SNOW SKILLS CABIN

The Snow Skills Cabin will provide visitors with a host of interactive sessions and workshops to learn something new or hone existing skills. Among the plethora of workshops families can attend there will be a ‘getting children into snowsports session, where visitors can hear from experts on how to take that first step. The Wave, the UK’s only inland surfing venue, will also be hosting workshops on board skills and transferring from water to snow. A great activity for the young and young at heart.

As well as a host of interactive features including Skate Mini Ramp with Graystone Action Sports, RAF Nordic Biathlon experience, Riders Lounge with Red Bull as well as a huge retail line-up and some of the top destinations and tour operators.

HOW CAN WE GET A TICKET?

You can get a free ticket to The National Snow Show using code ‘NSSA’ before September 30th https:// nationalsnowshow.seetickets.com/tour/the-nationalsnow-show

ALPINE ALL STARS 2021

After a couple of difficult years for both the ski industry and schools, The NSSA will, this year, launch a first nationwide entry-level participation programme for Snowsports, with the aim of getting more boys and girls involved in the sport.

A new generation of families will be introduced to snowsports through Alpine All Stars, a major new grassroots initiative which starts in October 2021. Alpine All Stars will be delivered at local ski centres across England and Wales throughout the school Year, giving some children their first experience of the sport and others an insight into where they can go within the sport.

After signing up, school children will receive information on their nearest centre and the options available to them during the School year – We anticipate 12 sessions per school from October to May at their local participating centre, with the emphasis placed firmly on learning how to ski or developing the fundamental skills in a fun, safe and inclusive environment. Children will also learn the social development skills that team sport brings. NSSA will give Fund the programme with centres partnering with us to assist with the costs, making the programme free to participating schools.

The programme reflects the Snowsport England framework for growing the sport at every level. In the latter part of the summer term, we will be running an event for all these children to take part in to show the benefit of building the fundamental skills. NSSA Chair Phil Brown said: “We have strong ambitions to significantly grow the sport and this

programme is all about putting more children on skis or a board at an earlier age. First and foremost, we want to make snowsports a fun and enjoyable experience for children and give them a passion for the sport to last a lifetime”

“Drawing kids to the sport at an early age will develop more participants, create more fans and show the power of snowsports in developing physical and social skills.”

Registration is now closed for 21-22 but please contact us about application for the 22-23 academic year.

To register your interest in the all stars programme, please e-mail office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk or go to website for more information https://schoolssnowsports.co.uk/alpine-all-stars-2021/

BRITISH SCHOOLGIRLS RACES 2020SUN,

SNOW AND SMILES

Each year in January, The Ladies Ski Club run the The BSR in Flaine. The NSSA are pleased to support this event, sending some schools there who are trained by our partner, Impulse.

The British Schoolgirls Races, which is organised by the Ladies Ski Club, proved once again to be a resounding success for 2020 as the event welcomed 54 schools and 159 racers plus reserve racers, teachers, parents and coaches to the slopes of Flaine.

With two contrasting days of weather, organisers of the 61st edition of the event worked hard to run a Giant Slalom, Parallel Team Slalom and Slalom across the two days of racing. As has been the case for many years, the event continued to welcome young female skiers of all levels, ranging from British team racers through to those who were racing on snow for the first time. With several of the girls taking the competition seriously, there were equally as many girls there to learn new skills, build confidence and enjoy being part of a fun and inclusive event.

Day one of the racing saw good snow conditions and even some sunshine as the girls tackled a two run Giant Slalom race on the Calcite piste. With four schools attending the British Schoolgirls Races for the first

time, there was a quick learning curve for many of the racers, with a few tumbles along the way. Most of the girls completed the course with a smile, however, and couldn’t wait to get back to the top for a second run. Overall winner of the GS was Ella Weeks from Guildford High School, with Giselle Gorringe from NCLS in second places and Isabelle Lander in third position. The Best School was Guildford High A with Strathallan in second and New Hall in third. The Best New Team was Malvern St James.

Following the conclusion of the GS there was time to run a Parallel Team Slalom for the ‘A’ teams from each school. This got the competitive juices flowing and there was some close racing as the competition got towards the semi final stage. Semi-final one saw Reed’s victor over New Hall who met Guildford High in the final after a win over Cheltenham. The final was best of three, with very little to choose between the two teams. After a victory in the first race for Guildford, they held their nerve to edge out Reed’s in the second race and take the overall Parallel Slalom victory.

Day two saw very tricky weather conditions with heavy snow and strong winds making things difficult for the racers and organisers alike. After a delayed start the hard working course crew made sure that

all the racers were able to do one run of Slalom. But as the course got snowier and more chopped up, a decision was made to stop the race for safety reasons and let the run one results stand for the overall prizes. With some exceptional racing in tricky conditions, the same three girls who had taken to the podium in the GS, did so again in the Slalom, with Ella Weeks taking the title, Giselle Gorringe in second and Isabelle Lander in third. The best school was again Guildford High A, Strathallan in second place and New Hall A in third.

Organisers of the British Schoolgirls’ Races were again delighted by the feedback from the teachers and pupils, even with the races having to be modified to accommodate the heavy snow. Anne Taylor who has been organising the British Schoolgirls Races was

impressed by the attitude of all the girls, as well as all the organising team and volunteers who made the races happen: “It was again great to see girls of all levels come together for BSR 2020, with lots of smiles as they crossed the finish line. We want to say a huge thank-you to Flaine for hosting us again, all the schools, teachers and parents, as well as our volunteers and sponsors. Without them this event wouldn’t be as professional and smooth running as it is. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2022 – as well as hopefully some new teams!”

The British Schoolgirls Races plays a vital role in giving young female racers the chance to be part of well-organised on-snow races and couldn’t take place without the invaluable support from sponsors Vision in Education, JDX, MPI Brokers, Ski Club of Great Britain and Erna Low Holidays. This year also saw the event partner up with a charity for the first time. Myeloma UK were the British Schoolgirls Races official charity, and through a raffle over £600 was raised for the charity, which deals with the blood cancer myeloma and related conditions in the UK. Their website is www.myeloma.org.uk.

Full overall results and age group results for the 2020 edition of the British Schoolgirls Races can be found on: www.britishschoolgirlsraces.co.uk. Schools can also register their interest for the 2022 British Schoolgirls Races, which will take place on 31st January & 1st February 2022 in Flaine, on the website.

You can follow the British Schoolgirls Races on social media: Facebook: @BritishSchoolgirlsRaces Twitter: @BSRaces Instagram: @bsraces

SHOULD THE COST OF SKI RACING

REALLY BE A CONCERN?

BY DR JIM TAYLOR

This article was written in relation to the sport in the US, however, there are many similarities with our sport in the UK.

The cost of alpine ski racing has a topic of great concern and much discussion in the ski racing community in recent years. I’m appreciative of Ski Racing Media for encouraging an open dialogue on this issue and inviting me to share my views on this subject.

As a member of the ski racing community who has worn many hats over the years, including former racer and ski-academy graduate, mental-health professional, and parent of two ski racers, I have experienced first-hand, and from many perspectives the financial burden that our sport presents to those who wish to participate. In these roles, I believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the thought leaders in ski racing to engage in a serious reckoning of our sport. As part of this deep exploration, we have been given an opportunity to challenge the status quo, identify pain points, think “outside of the box,” and institute innovative changes to the culture, structure, and pathways that will hopefully propel our sport forward in a positive and healthy direction.

This conversation is focused on two realities (both of which I embrace) and one belief (that I am uncertain of) that are hurting the growth and future sustainability

of ski racing. The first reality is that the high cost of ski racing is limiting entry for many who might otherwise want to ski race. The second reality is that these costs are also forcing many young people who entered the skiracing pipeline at an early age to leave our sport (usually after U16) because the costs of FIS racing have become prohibitive for many families. The belief that has been metastasizing in the last decade is that ski racing has become a financial race to the bottom in which family affluence is perceived to be a defining factor in whether young ski racers “make it.”

In this article, I will explore the role of money in both participation and the pursuit of success in ski racing. Additionally, I will provide a perspective that may be inconsistent with the conventional wisdom around this topic and perhaps reduce some of the concern that has raised red flags about the future viability of ski racing among those who care passionately for it.

Participation

There are several perceived and real advantages to increasing participation in ski racing in the U.S. First, more ski racers means that more young people can

enjoy and benefit from all that our sport has to offer in terms of physical health, psychological wellbeing, and life lessons that will serve them well in other aspects of their lives well into adulthood. Second, more ski racers means more money flowing into our sport which strengthens and stabilizes our sport at every level. From a competitive perspective, the widely accepted belief is that, by broadening the base of the pyramid, we will be able to accomplish two essential goals. First, by getting more young athletes in our development system, we increase our chances of finding “once in a generation” athletes (think Bode, Lindsay, Ted, and Mikaela) who bring star power and attention to our sport. Second, creating a deeper pool of talent will help the U.S. to compete for the Nations Cup, the agreed-upon standard of the quality and depth of a national team.

Though countries with large populations (e.g., America, China) have come to dominate some sports (e.g., track & field, baseball, swimming, basketball, diving), that has not been the case with ski racing. To the contrary, countries with small populations (e.g., Austria, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Italy) have long ruled our sport despite our best efforts. I would suggest that this small-country pre-eminence cannot be attributed to a large base of athletes or the amount of money in ski racing. Rather, I believe it is due to the proximity of most of the population to mountains and ski racing’s high placement in the popularity of sports in these alpine countries (ski racing ranks near the top in these countries’ cultural esteem). In other words, in these small countries, many of their young athletes dream of becoming ski racers and also have ready access to skiing.

Over the years, most U.S. Ski Team athletes have come from mountain towns such as Stowe, Truckee, Aspen, and Park City, by simple proximity to ski areas. The emergence of ski academies, with the establishment of Burke Mountain Academy in 1970 (my alma mater), opened the door for passionate skiers growing up in cities and suburbs far from ski areas to pursue their ski-racing dreams, thus expanding the pool of potential ski racers.

Nonetheless, I would argue that geography is a far greater barrier to entry into our sport than cost (though they do go hand in hand to some degree). The simple reality is that most of America isn’t within a reasonable drive of a ski area, thus a large pool of prospective skiers is automatically disqualified. For those relatively close to skiing, opportunity costs act as a deterrent. The time alone involved in parents driving hours to give their children opportunities to learn to ski and then become involved in ski racing have always limited how wide the base of our sport’s pyramid could grow.

Alternatively, other sports that are far more readily accessible compete for the attention of young athletes and their families including soccer, swimming, tennis, baseball/softball , football, basketball, lacrosse, track & field, golf, and others. These all require some sort of venue in which to participate as well, whether a field, course, court, or pool. However, all are readily available and, in many cases, free or at low cost to use in almost any part of the U.S. Plus, most, if not all, are interscholastic sports in which most of the costs are borne by high schools.

These local sports are also more deeply woven into the social fabric of the communities in which they are played. For example, some years ago, I was told by a coach in Steamboat that they lose kids to basketball because high school games are played in front of a packed gym. This despite the fact that I’m pretty sure that Steamboat has never developed an NBA or WNBA player (or even a college player?). At a broader sports-culture level, most young athletes in the U.S. are attracted to traditional sports that are held in high regard by our culture and get the most attention on television and in other media. In other words, becoming a U.S. Ski Team athlete and racing on the World Cup isn’t at the front of the minds of most young athletes in America.

Now let’s explore the cost of ski racing in terms of participation. Another simple reality of ski racing is that it is an expensive sport compared to most sports in which kids are exposed to these days. Soccer,

swimming, baseball, softball, rowing, lacrosse, basketball, and football all have much lower costs in terms of equipment, team membership, coaching, travel, and venue use. Yes, the cost of participation in these sports rises steadily as young athletes climb the competitive ladder, but, unlike ski racing, the cost of initial entry is very low, and the cost curve isn’t nearly as steep. I applaud the efforts of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and local ski programs to lower costs by, for example, limiting the number of skis allowed on race day, keeping races local in the younger age groups, and offering scholarships.

At the same time, I don’t believe that cost-cutting measures will ever have an appreciable impact on widening the base of the participation pyramid. At best, we can trim some of the fat around the edges of our sport by enacting some of the insightful recommendations offered by Aldo Radamus in a previous article. However, I don’t believe that we can meaningfully reduce the significant cost of skiing and ski racing because most of the costs of our sport are fixed (just as other expensive sports, such as equestrian and sailing, have high fixed costs that can’t be reduced; I wonder if those sports are having similar discussions). At a minimum, there is only so much cost that can be pruned from the basic necessities of skiing and ski racing including equipment, season passes, and program fees. For those who don’t live near a ski area, there is also the more substantial cost of travel to and from the mountains and, even more significantly, the cost of housing (whether ski leases or second-home purchases).

In sum, I would suggest that focusing on reducing the costs of ski racing in a way that will meaningfully lower the barriers to entry in our sport, though admirable, is an unachievable goal. Instead, perhaps a more realistic approach might be to focus our energy on:

• Identifying the most likely target populations (i.e., mountain towns and populated areas within a few hours of ski areas),

• Making ski racing attractive relative to the sports that it is competing with for families’ interest, time, energy, and money,

• Ensuring that fun and the other amazing benefits of ski racing trump early success to encourage both entry and long-term retention in our sport.

Pursuit of Success

Just as there are substantial costs of entry into our sport, the financial commitment only grows as young racers commit themselves to ski racing through high school and beyond. In addition to the fixed costs of basic participation I described above, further costs include the need for more and better ski equipment, higher ski-team fees, prep-period camps, and travel to those camps and races, not to mention ski-academy tuition for racers who live far from a ski area.

Now I want to address the 800-pound gorilla in the room (that is no surprise to anyone in our sport).

Families with significant resources can give their young racers opportunities that others in our sport can’t afford. Private coaching, more equipment, more time on snow, and specialists in conditioning, nutrition, and, yes, mental training (guilty as charged) are some of the more noticeable ways that affluence can provide which may give the “haves” a leg up in their development over those racers who lack such means. Perhaps more troubling is that, particularly with the rise of private coaching in the U.S., the “have-nots” may see an uneven playing field on which they may come to believe that they can’t compete with the “haves.” This imbalance may discourage those less financially fortunate and cause them to leave our sport.

I would suggest, however, that the role of money in long-term athlete development is overrated. Yes, of course, money helps, but it is not, in my view, a deciding factor in who “makes it” and who doesn’t. I have seen many racers who had every opportunity, yet still didn’t reach the very top (admittedly, their advantages do often enable them to get quite high). And I have seen racers from relatively simple means go all the way. Edie Thys’s recent series of articles that have highlighted the developmental trajectories of Tricia Mangan, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, AJ Hurt, and Jackie Wiles provide great examples of athletes with both talent and determination whose families had limited resources yet found a way to ski their way to the top.

Now I’m going to go out on a limb and make some observations that others with more knowledge or data can either affirm or refute. I recently perused the 2021-22 A and B Team roster and, as far as I can tell in knowing or being familiar with most of the athletes, few if any come from significant affluence. And none came through private coaching.

Admittedly, a number of racers who come from significant means can be found on the C and D team rosters. However, there is no way to tell whether this increased number is a statistical aberration or a trend. Moreover, there is no way to know whether the opportunities that they have had actually contributed to their early success or whether their development arc will continue to the top of the World Cup.

Final Thoughts

With the many hats I’ve worn in our sport, I have been able to see “up-close and personal” what it takes to find success at the top of ski racing. There is no doubt that some amount of money is necessary to provide the opportunities for young ski racers to develop. Ski racing, like all sports, is one of repetition, and repetition requires on-snow time all year round, usually found in distant locales. Also, as noted above, equipment, ski-program fees, good coaching, and training and race travel don’t come cheap.

At the same time, money is not sufficient or even close to the foremost contributor to ski-racing success. Instead, what enables racers to climb to the top of our sport are:

• The innate ability to become a world-class ski racer (yes, parents, genes matter!),

• An unwavering passion for ski racing,

• An unshakable determination to do the hard work to excel,

• Patience, persistence, and resilience in the face of our sport’s inevitable challenges and vicissitudes,

• Parents who are willing to make tough choices (sacrifices) to support their children’s ski-racing dreams,

• A junior race program that supports and nurtures racers’ talent and drive,

• A community willing to provide assistance to deserving racers, and

• A national team that provides the resources (and patience) to take racers the last few steps to the top.

The athletes spotlighted in Edie Thys’s are exemplars of these eight attributes who found a way to cover the costs of ski racing in their journey to the top.

In an ideal world, cost would never be an obstacle to a young skier who wants to become a ski racer (or who dreams of being an Olympic champion). But this is the real world, and we must face the reality that the cost of ski racing will always be a barrier to entry for many. To respond to this reality, I believe there are better uses of our time and energy than trimming costs that won’t have an appreciable impact on the overall expense of our sport. First, create a clear and credible pathway from entry to participation to long-term commitment for our most likely target markets. Second, devote our attention and effort to the contributors to participation and the pursuit of greatness with the highest likelihood of success and the biggest ROI. If we do that, I believe the money required to support the journey of those who choose to take the first steps and then commit to the long, uncertain, yet rewarding, climb to the top (regardless of whether they make it to the summit) will come and ski racing in America will find its best days ahead.

Jim Taylor, Ph.D., Psychology is an internationally recognized authority on the psychology of performance, parenting, technology, and popular culture.

Dr. Taylor has been a consultant for the United States and Japanese Ski Teams, the United States Tennis Association, and USA Triathlon, and has worked with professional and world-class athletes in tennis, skiing, cycling, triathlon, track and field, swimming, football, golf, baseball, fencing, and many other sports. He has been invited to lecture by the Olympic Committees of Spain, France, Poland, and the U.S., and has consulted with the Athletic Departments at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Taylor speaks regularly to elementary and secondary schools, parent and education associations, and youthsports programs around the USA and has been a speaker at the Snowsport England Coaching Conference.

HISTORY OF THE ACADEMY SKI INSTRUCTOR + GAP STUDENT TRAINING PROGRAMS

The Warren Smith Ski Academy is based in Verbier, Switzerland. Warren has been there since 1994 as a freeskier on the Voelkl team and a ski coach. He’s a Level 4 Instructor and Examiner with IASI (ISIA Card) and Level 4 Coach (IVSI). He’s also a Swiss Level 4 Brevet Federal Instructor and able to ski with clients in off piste areas. He established the Academy in 1999. It is widely known as the first of the British schools to set up in Verbier and one of the reasons so many British school are based there now.

A large focus of the Academy’s coaching program over the years has been to cater for ski instructors and preparing them for exams. The Academy’s coaching method fits well with ski instructor training with much of its fundamentals and methods offering further education to instructors, not only for the performance coaching they needs to pass technical elements of the exams, but teaching methods and biomechanical analysis too. The Academy has been running instructor weeks since it’s beginning. In 2005 however, there was an industry boom of GAP Year 9 week residential ski instructor courses and the Academy began offering these to skiers. Within 2 years the Academy was seeing over 40 students on one single program turn up on the Verbier GAP year course.

These courses became well known quite quickly for high pass rates, great employment opportunities and a lot of fun. Many of the Academy team who are now Level 4 Instructors, Examiners and Swiss Brevet Federal Instructors, actually started their pathway on the Academy GAP year residential course. Well over 500 students have gone through the Academy program and many work as ski instructors now.

Although the booming years of the GAP Courses are past, the consistent and quality programs out there continue to develop. We spoke to Warren about what he thinks of how the program has grown and the future outlook.

Warren says, “It’s been fantastic to have the opportunity in a business to run the GAP Year instructor training programs. We’ve met so many lovely people along the way that have become life long friends. We keep in touch with loads of them and I even work along side many of them that have gone one to be senior members of the Academy team running our Level 3 + 4 Instructor program. There is something really special about the groups when they get together and become a family. It’s a bit like a beautiful version of a skiing big brother house.

We’ve been blessed in Verbier with our accommodation set up which is run by Joanna Craig Humphreys. She is probably the most important aspect of the course as the accommodation and feeling at home is essential. She treats our students literally like family members. She runs cooking classes for them and makes them feel part of her home. Coupled with the fact her accommodation is right on the Le Rouge piste in Verbier is a no brainer.

Moving forward for 2022 we already have a lot of booking in and committed students. Switzerland is a safe bet for many people considering courses with COVID still around us and I think this has given people confidence when booking. I’m really looking forward to the 2022 course and meeting the new students. It will be our 17th year of running the GAP year program in Verbier and if you include our summer GAP programs, our 25th GAP. ¼ of a century is something we are all really excited to welcome in.

We are upping the anti with Carving and Race Training on the 2021 program will swap the Freestyle Level 1 for the new Race Coach Level 1 as part of the course and welcome Phil Brown from Impulse Racing into the fold. His experience is massive and he’s a huge part of the British race development scene. Like other years we are giving students Foundation Development, IASI Core Skier Development, Carving, Piste Performance, Steeps, Moguls, Variables and off piste training. It’s a full on program with the Level 1 Exam in week 3, Level 1 Race Coach in week 4 and so much personal development training in all the other weeks. There’s also a first aid qualification, education on skiing off piste, how to service your skis, ski biomechanics training and much more.

Socially the course is busy and Verbier as a town is a great place to be based. Verbier’s night life has a reputation. We obviously keep the focus on the mountain and that’s where the energy goes but we like a social apres every now and again too.

So it’s an exciting time for our GAP year program and we’re all really excited. Look forward to meeting the new gang real soon”.

Former student now Academy team member Ruaridh Stevenson tells us how the GAP program has made many great life developments for himself. “I took part in the summer GAP course of 2013 and have never looked back. I’m now working for the Academy and

teach a lot of high end skiers. I am now considering a UIAGM guides qualification and feel firmly established in the ski industry”.

A student from 2009, Matthew Horder, tells us of his experience and some exciting places it too him too with his coaching. “I loved my GAP course. Was the perfect break from working in the city. I met life long friends and even got to work for the Academy teaching the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio and even assisting Warren on Channel 4’s, The Jump”.

If you were thinking of a GAP program for the coming winter and would like to enrol, email theteam@ warrensmith-skiacademy.com. They will then set up a telephone interview with you to give you a good insight into the program and answer any questions you might have. The team are also on the road across the UK in October as part of the ‘Ski Technique Lab’ talks taking place a ski shops and ski venues. At these events many students get to meet the team and talk in person about the program.

The Academy website has the full program details here http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/shop/9-weekinstructor-training-verbier-iasi-l1-l2-ski-instructor-coursel1-freestyle-coach-202021/

If you want to see inside the Academy GAP year course, there is an extensive video library on their youtube channel here, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P LJNRjzERDIrR5IYC8byOOF5XiUdQfgRdK

The National Schools Snowsports Association is affiliated to the national governing body, Snowsport England, and shares their vision to ‘Inspire Participation in Snowsport at every level.’ Running initiatives that align with this vision such as the National Schools Leagues and the Alpine All Stars.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS WITH SNOWSPORT ENGLAND

We want to help our community to grow and reach out to people that have not previously had the opportunity to get involved in our sport as well as those who have already been introduced to the sport. We have a network of clubs and activities across the country and want to reach out to schools and give them the opportunity to get their school and pupils involved in Snowsport.

To find your nearest club, please visit our club finder. For any other enquiries, please contact info@snowsportengland.org.uk

TEACHERS!

Are you looking for a rewarding new challenge? Take your school group on a Snowsport session at a slope in England, or before and after trips abroad, let your pupils develop their skills while having fun with the opportunity to take part in competitions and events. Also did you know that the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel (OEAP) recommend the lead teacher to hold certain qualifications before they can organise a Snowsport trip abroad? Please see below for details.

Ski Course Organiser (SCO)

This is a basic course designed to enable leaders to organise school, club and youth group ski courses safely, responsibly, efficiently, and in such a way as to give maximum educational benefit (in skiing terms) to young people. Participants must be at least 21 years of age to attend this course.

As the national governing body for skiing in England, Snowsport England recommends that all adults

accompanying young people on ski trips should have attended the Snowsport Course Organiser Course.

Holders of the SCO are expected to be able to use their knowledge of course content to organise a ski course. This course can also now be access online through online modules and a virtual classroom.

The SCO Award does not qualify staff to supervise skiing.

Alpine Ski Course Leader Award (ASCL)

The aim of the Alpine Snowsport Course Leader award is to help teachers and qualified youth leaders shape their professional judgements concerning responsible supervision and leadership of young people on marked pistes they have skied/boarded before with their instructors within recognised ski resorts.

The course will focus on helping leaders make professional judgements in relation to the safety, learning, well-being and enjoyment of the group they are working with. The award qualifies teachers and youth leaders to lead skiers/boarders who are from their own educational establishment or are affiliated to a Home Nation Governing Body.

N.B. This award does NOT train or qualify leaders to instruct or teach in any way.

Future Courses

We are adding courses all the time so check out the best one for you by visiting our course calendar. If you would like further information, please contact info@snowsportengland.org.uk

To find out more and view the full list of opportunities, https://www.snowsportengland.org.uk/schools/

2022 SCHOOLS ALPINE EVENTS

Does your school team want to take part in one or more schools alpine events?

Here’s your guide to these for 2021-2022

The NSSA Supports a number of schools alpine events and is involved in running at least two of these, including the British Schools in Pila.

DECEMBER – THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS SKI AND SNOWBOARD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Held in Les Deux Alpes and, under management of Halsbury Ski, this unseeded event usually has over 300 racers across a week, including training which can be with local instructors or, for a small additional fee, with specialist race training set up, Impulse.

The event is open to all UK schools and has racers from a range of age groups, including under 14s, under 16s and under 18s. All age groups compete in GS and Slalom races, and there is also the chance for schools to go head to head in Parallel Slalom – the most exciting race of the three days competition.

Transfer time (Lyon) approx 2hrs.

JANUARY - THE BRITISH SCHOOLGIRLS RACES

Over 150 girls from schools across the UK descend upon Flaine each January as they take part in two days of racing as part of the British Schoolgirls’ Races. Unfortunately not for junior schools but seniors only.

Transfer time (Geneva) approx 1hr

JANUARY - THE BRITISH SCHOOLBOYS RACES

This event is held at the end of January each year by the DHO Club at their base resort of Wengen in Switzerland. This event allows individuals to enter as well as school teams and, as with the schoolgirls, sees a vast array of abilities and experience taking part.

Races here also include both slalom and giant slalom, with a parallel (head to head) event usually taking part one evening under floodlights.

Transfer time (Geneva) approx. 2hrs 30min hours + train from valley.

FEBRUARY - THE BRITISH SCHOOLS ALPINE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

This Great event is now in it’s 6th year. Held in Pila, Italy in early February (9th –11th). With three race days including slalom, Giant Slalom and Parallel (head to head) events, it’s proving to be a popular event. Run under the NSSA, many schools choose to attend for a week, taking in training offered by Pila resident coaches from Impulse Racing.

Being ion Pila means transfer times are just over an hour from Turin and less than 2 hours from Milan MXP. Entry can be made as race only or as a package to make it easier to organize for many teachers – Please see page 13 for more information.

Transfer time (Turin) approx. 1hr 15 min.

MARCH - THE ARTEMIS INTERSCHOOLS SKI CHALLENGE 2022

The Interschools Challenge an established alpine race events for schools, with individuals representing their school also catered for. This year sees the event move to Andorra from it’s former venue of Pila.

The event usually sees in excess of 350 children racing over two days with three events per day. The events are usually split between the younger racers (U10 and U12), and then the two sets of older age groups (U14 then U16 and above) racing separately.

Transfer time (Barcelona) approx. 3 hrs.

MARCH – IAPS RACE 2022

This event is for IAPS schools only and is held in Passo Tonale during March. For more information, contact IAPS.

For more information on these events, or on training and race support for any of them, please contact office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

FINDING FLOW IN SNOWSPORTS BY DEREK TATE

Have you ever had that perfect run skiing or snowboarding? A run where you felt that you had all the time in the world to execute your movements perfectly. Where you felt in total control of what you were doing. You were challenged but felt you had the skills to match. A run where you were completely focused on the activity itself and nothing else. You didn’t have time to think about other things, or what anyone else might be thinking about your performance. You were totally in the moment and knew how your performance was progressing. And following the run you felt a real sense of euphoria and excitement (perhaps you even told everyone about it during après ski).

If any of the above resonates with you then the chances are that you were in flow. But what is flow and can anyone experience it? Furthermore, can you coach it so that your learners experience it? What are the benefits of being in flow and how can it help you either as a performer or coach? This article will answer these questions and give you an insight into finding flow in snowsports and beyond, and how you can explore the topic more deeply.

So, let me begin with the first question; what is flow? The term is very popular, at the moment, in sport, sports coaching and sport psychology circles and like many in vogue words it can be open to misinterpretation. Flow is a mental state. It is an altered state of consciousness. It is an ‘optimal experience’. When flow is experienced it quite often coincides with peak performance, but this is not always the case. Flow has been researched since the 1970s with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chick-sent-me-high) largely credited with developing understanding of the construct. It has been studied in many areas of life including work, creative pursuits such as art, dance, writing etc. and in sport. Csikszentmihalyi together with Susan Jackson wrote an excellent book called ‘Flow in Sports: The keys to optimal experiences

and performances’ (1999) and Jackson developed questionnaires to measure individuals’ disposition to experiencing it. Much of the research has involved, at least in part, interviews with participants who recount their subjective experience of being in flow and this has led to a greater understanding of what foundations are required to be in place in order to achieve this mental state and what the characteristics are of the experience.

The answer to the second question is, yes, anyone can experience flow although the depth, frequency and duration of the experience will vary from one individual to another. One of the keys to unlocking and improving the quality of the experience is one’s ability to fully focus attention on the task at hand hence in order to coach flow, or at least facilitate it, the coach needs to develop their learners’ attentional skills. My own research, with members of the Irish Interski Demonstration Ski Team, used mindfulness meditative and communication activities to train attentional skills resulting in increases in depth and frequency of the experience. Moreover, it discovered that the attention needed in the build-up to a flow experience was effortful (a foundation) and similar to the purposeful attention required in mindfulness, while during a flow experience this attention became effortless (a characteristic of the experience). However, there is much more to the experience than simply focusing attention fully on the task at hand. Clear task goals, ongoing moment to moment feedback and an appropriate level of challenge to test the learner’s skills are the other three foundations needed to be in place for flow to happen. But the good news is that these four foundations are all controllable, both by the participant and the coach, meaning that with good coaching the chances of the learner experiencing flow increase greatly.

Finally, the benefits of being in flow are many including enjoyment (both during and post activity), sense of achievement/satisfaction leading to increased self-

esteem, speeding up the skill acquisition process by learning how and where to focus attention while learning, and moving beyond one’s ego due to the intensity of the experience. Taken together these benefits can lead to greater psychological and emotional well-being.

This article has only touched on what the flow experience is all about. To find out more why not take one of our online courses run by the Parallel Dreams Coaching Academy. Go to https://paralleldreams.teachable.com for full details. In addition, you can read all about flow in my book, ‘Learn, Enjoy, Flow & Grow: Using the principles of positive psychology to help find passion and meaning in life. This book presents a ‘coaching method’ that can be used for personal development as well as for those whom you coach. By following its principles, you will help promote greater growth and wellbeing of each individual. The book is widely available in print, e-book and audio formats. For more information and to order from your favourite store go to https://books2read.com/LEFG-Derek-N-Tate

Derek Tate is a positive psychology practitioner, flow coach, BASI & IASI Level 4 Ski Teacher and author. His research study, referred to in this article, was with Irish Interski Team in their build up to, and performance at, the World Interski Congress in Pamporovo, Bulgaria in March 2019, and was part of his MSc in Applied Positive Psychology with Buckinghamshire New University.

WHAT DOES COVID MEAN FOR GCSE PE SKIING?

Kaeti Breward (PE Teacher, GCSE PE Moderator, Ski Instructor and former organiser of the ISSC) runs through some of the benefits and ways of obtaining your GCSE PE skiing footage.

The road to returning to school has been an interesting one, having just spent a year out of teaching working on my skiing instructing amongst other things it’s been a bit of a shock to the system returning to the classroom (well mostly sports hall/field)! One thing that we are still not overly certain of is how the assessment of practical’s will take place for our current year 11’s and also going forward with our year 10’s in GCSE PE. My guess is that exam boards are waiting to see what happens with a second lockdown, travel restrictions and what life after COVID will look like. One thing is for certain, seasonal sports such as skiing are going to be tricky especially as the majority of the exam boards currently require candidates to be assessed on snow and not on dry slopes and indoor slopes may restrict the marks they can access. Personally, I would love for the exam boards to recognise the excellent work that is going on training our skiers and racers on plastic and indoors in this country. Who knows, COVID may be the catalyst for this happening!

As GCSE moderators we are contracted on a yearly basis. We were all trained, had completed standardisation, had our allocated schools and most of us had dates in the diary to complete the practical or video moderation of marks. Some PE teachers reading this may even have fitted in a moderation early on in the window before we got locked down, I was pleased that some of the Independent Schools Skiing Champs schools managed to get their moderations in and received excellent feedback for the videos that were filmed at the 2019 ski races in Les Deux Alpes last December. It was a funny feeling that after years of juggling my PE teacher hat with my moderators hat in the summer term that I would be doing either for a fair few months on lockdown. The fact that our training and standardisation doesn’t happen until early January is a worry for me as I have returned to my job as a PE teacher…what if we don’t know what the expectations are of filming and gathering evidence is until then?

I had hoped that when I was writing this that I would have more answers. I’m sorry I don’t! All I can suggest is what I am personally doing with my own cohorts and what I’m advising colleagues in schools across the

country that I have built a working relationship with over the years I have moderated and in the past year working in school skiing.

Here are my top tips for planning for your GCSE skiers for the foreseeable:

• Have they got any historical footage that you can use? You will not get away with footage of them hurtling down a slope after their parents at 5 years old but your moderator may accept footage from a school, competition or family ski trip from the past couple of years.

• Take them to an indoor slope to record the skills and if you can, some competitive skiing. The National Schools Snowsports Association can help with this.

• In days gone by of GCSE PE, we used to get instructors to write a report on the candidate.

This is now not a requirement BUT again, it shows willing. If you have candidates that have had askiing instructor or coach for an extended period of time, ask them to write a report using the exam board specification.

• If there are schools competitions indoors or on dry slopes this winter, enter them and film them in these competitions.

• Are they planning on a family ski trip? I wouldn’t rely too much on this as we have seen that travel restrictions can change at the drop of a hat but if they do end up going, encourage them to ask their parents to film them on a variety of runs. Not all exam boards require competitive footage. Write a check list for videoing for the parents to follow, keeps them on track! If they are in lessons, brilliant that the instructor can do all the work!

SKIING FOR GCSE, BTEC AND A LEVEL P.E.

Need filmed evidence of the technical skills and competitive elements for your GCSE PE?

The NSSA, working with coaches from Impulse can help with this.

More and more pupils are choosing skiing as one of their sports at either GCSE or A level and why not use a sport you are already proficient at for your PE exam?

Technical skills can be filmed at indoor centres in the UK. With the competitive element being filmed during one of our indoor gates sessions.

Individuals or groups – perhaps several local schools can team up to bring a group. This is something that we can offer. Our coaches set the environment, film the skills and edit the video for you to submit to the moderator.

For more information or to discuss how to book a GCSE session for your school in the UK or weekend training and tasks for A level, please contact office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

CARA BROWN

It is always when something comes to an end that you give yourself time to reflect on it. I find myself in that position shortly after the end of my ski racing career. While I am proud of many of my accomplishments, there are a few things which I know really made a difference. I would like to pass on some of my thoughts which I think could be useful to future champions! I started skiing from a young age with my parents but I didn’t actually start ski racing until I was 12. I went on ski holidays, I skied on the slopes, in powder, soft snow, hard snow, in good weather and bad. I didn’t know it at the time but being able to “ski the mountain” was a skill that would win me quite a few races, plus give me the results to qualify for World Championships. I always performed well in bad weather. It wasn’t that I skied better, I just skied the same and everyone else skied worse. Thanks to skiing in all kinds of weather as a kid, I didn’t see the difference!

I really enjoyed my first ski camps, I thought going through the gates was great fun and I wanted to do more of it. However, skiing isn’t something you can do every day unless you live in a ski resort. Instead I did other sports like athletics, boosting my speed and power, figure skating, making me more flexible and improving

my balance, tennis helped my reaction times and coordination and swimming kept up my general fitness levels. At the time I just thought these were all fun things to do but by doing a range of sports I was building up a range of skills.

At 16 I went on my first fitness camps with the Scottish Ski Team. I was really lacking an understanding of the muscles used in ski racing and the kind of strength training my body needed. I had never lifted any weights so I had to learn good technique and form. It was really important to learn the correct movements so I didn’t do myself more harm than good. Over the next few years, I slowly started to make lifting weights a more frequent part of my fitness training. I wish the concept of consistent and beneficial strength training had been introduced to me at a younger age. It is a skill that takes years to perfect and results do not come overnight. I have learnt that at high level races the person winning is usually the fittest one in the start gate.

Thanks to my interest in fitness and the importance it had in my skiing career, I have just set up VC Ski Fitness, an online ski fitness company, with Vivian Fonseca, one of the UKs most experienced fitness trainers. We have identified problems faced by skiers of different levels and created the solution. More than just a strength program, we also focus on balance, agility, coordination and technique.

There will never be a perfect formula to become a champion because champions are constantly evolving to be better than their predecessor. Being fit will carry you far and understanding and listening to your body will make you a better athlete. I have found though that ultimately the thing that kept me ski racing over the years was because I loved it. The reason why we all ski is because it is great fun and it makes us happy. No matter what age or level you are at, never forget why you started.

OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE LEVEL ONE SCHOOLS

INSTRUCTOR COURSE

The NSSA, in the last year, have been instrumental in launching the initiative for young skiers to access the Snowsports Instructor pathway from 15 years old, with 25 new instructors qualified this way, two of those who have been through this course give their experience here.

Having been skiing since we were 3 years old its fair to say that we have plenty of experience and have given most things a try. For 12 years now we have considered skiing as our main sport and pastime, whether it be racing for our school, enjoying weekly freestyle at The Snow Centre in Hemel or simple cruising around having fun on the white stuff. Now that we are coming up on sixteen thoughts start to turn towards weekend jobs and to some extent the future. This is where our luck really kicks in as we can now look to utilise our love of skiing to our financial advantage and hence the start of our next stage in our skiing story.

And so to the IASI (Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors) Level One Ski Instructors Course.

While all IASI level 1 courses are the same structure and require the same level of skill this particular course, run by Impulse Racing for the National Schools Snowsports Association, is designed with younger experienced skiers in mind and in our case allowed us to get our qualifications prior to our sixteenth birthday. This was great as it also meant we could get the additional requirements sorted and be licenced on our birthday. So to be clear it is not only the successful completion of the course that is required for licencing, you will also need to get outdoor first aid and child awareness certification along with being police checked and completing 20 hours of shadowing ski instruction.

Getting that all out of the way let’s talk about the week with IASI at the Snow Centre in Hemel organised by Impulse. The course was based over 5 days and started on Monday morning at 9.30am with a group meeting with our instructor for the week. Our instructor was Ali Smith, more about him to follow, who made the introductions. We were a group of 4 which, obviously included ourselves along with Tallulah, 16, who is part of a skiing family surrounded by instructors, all of the highest level, and was doing her exam to be able to start at the

Snow Centre as an instructor asap and finally Angelo, 15, who like us all has been skiing for as long as he can remember and was driven by wanting to share his love and passion for the sport meeting new people along the way. If we are honest the money ain’t bad either! Anyway the discussions centred around the lesson plan for the week setting out the on snow training and the off snow lessons we would be doing as well as what should be our goals for the end of the week regarding the final appraisal.

The course itself was excellent, well planned and really made us think about our technique as well as how to help others with theirs, whether they be total beginners or skiing for years. It was surprising to us all just how much the course gave to us, even as extremely experienced skiers. Now having said all that, down to the nitty gritty IT WAS GREAT FUN. The week flew by and while it was a serious endeavour, we could still have a great laugh along the way, enjoying our time on and off the snow immensely. We definitely all bonded and all the feedback was very positive indeed.

Special mention must go to Ali. While our group clicked we cannot overstate the influence Ali had on this. He created a learning environment that was fun and educational. Imagine your favourite class at school, being taught by the best teacher and allowing you to both enjoy and succeed at your favourite subject, having a great time all the way through. Hopefully the best comparison we can give.

Would we recommend this as the next level to aspire to, a resounding yes, without question. All that we need now is for the next couple of months to pass and we can get started (and earning) passing on our knowledge. Then onto Level 2!

See you on the slopes, Danni & Nikki Bateman.

INSTRUCTOR AND COACH

QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE NSSA

As an organisation building participation in snowsports via schools, the NSSA is proud to partner with IASI (The Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors) to be able to offer the opportunity to schools snowsports athletes of taking instructing and coaching qualifications including GAP courses which can allow successful candidates to teach in the alps. IASI qualifications are internationally recognised.

Access the Instructor Pathway from 14 years old with the National Schools Snowsports Association and IASI

We work with Impulse and Ski Definition as partner organisations offering UK courses for the IASI assistant instructor and L1 Instructor qualification. These are the first steps on the pathway and the assistant instructor will allow you to assist on another instructors lessons* while the full level one will allow you to complete all the modules of the Level one and be licensed by your 16th birthday when you will be able to teach in a closed environment such as a UK indoor or dry slope.

Assistant Instructor Course at 14 years old -

Two day course giving you an understanding of the teaching process and the tools to help at a local ski school/slope. We will be running these around the UK at various facilities.

Level One Instructor Course from 15 years old - This is a 5 day course (UK) or a 6 day (on the mountain) and will work on your skiing and give you the tools required to start your teaching career, whether you intend to become a full time instructor or just use this for your personal development, this is a great course to take.

Level one race coach - We also run this course with IASI which will work hand in hand with the teaching course to give you the tools to start race coaching with a club**

Bespoke Courses:

We can also run bespoke courses, solely for either one

school/club or for several trainees across several schools with minimum of 5 and maximum of 8 per course running either 5 days in a row, two weekends or over 12 x 3 hour evenings, whichever can be accommodated to allow participants to complete the course.

The standard course includes

• Exam Fee

• Slope access

• Rental equipment - Skis, Poles, Helmet

• Exam Work Book

• Exam Reference book

• IASI membership is an additional £35

Our partner, Ski Definition also offer L2 courses in the alps during the winter.

Please contact us on office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk for information or to book

Alpine courses and GAP programmes

The NSSA partner with several organisations for GAP courses and training and stand alone Level 2 courses, and above for the IASI Instructor qualifications. The level 2 will allow you to teach in in the mountains with ski schools in Italy and Switzerland or further afield in Japan or the emerging skiing market of China.

For stand-alone level 2 courses, which can be taken in modular form with 2 days in a UK indoor centre and 4 on the mountain, we work with Ski Definition. https://www.skidefinition.com

For GAP courses, we work with Warren Smith

Snowsports Academy (see pages30-31), who offer a successful GAP programme during the summer or autumn giving the opportunity to pass and then work from December that season. Or they offer a winter gap programme in Verbier. https://www.skidefinition.com

For further information on these, please contact office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

Over the next year, the NSSA will be able to select candidates for funded instructor courses – Look out for how to apply for these.

For full validation of any teaching and coaching qualifications, the following must also be held.

• First Aid Qualification

• Child Protection Module

• Shadowing Hours

* Centre/slope Permitting.

** Complimentary to the teaching pathway – not a stand alone qualification.

A TIPTOP PERSPECTIVE THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS (ISSC) -

In 2019, the running of the ISSC was taken on by Halsbury Ski, from the previous running by Ticket To Ride. Retaining Impulse for training, helping to run the race and supplying race expertise with Chief of Champs, Phil Brown.

Taking on the local knowledge and expertise of Alex Armand, of Tip Top Coaching who is based in the home resort of the event, Les Deux Alpes. Having this local knowledge helped the organisation of the event immensely. Here, Alex gives her impression of her first taste of this event.

This great event is held each year during December in Les Deux Alpes. Giving everyone from seasoned competitors to first time ski racers a chance of competing in Slalom, Giant Slalom and a parallel (head to head) slalom. An event not to be missed by any school that has a ski racing team or is aspiring to have one in the future.

With up to 400 students taking part in these races across all age groups it’s a fantastic opportunity for schools to grow their ski teams and allow skiers to

start racing. The better racers can act as an example or mentor to those starting out. It is a fun, friendly environment with everyone cheering each other on and admiring skill and encouraging spirit.

With 3 days of training prior to the actual races and instructors with the students at all times on the mountain, teachers are free to concentrate on those children that need a little more help. Those that perhaps haven’t raced before and need a familiar, encouraging face in the start gate or on the finish line. The instructor will warm the children up and explain

the rules to them. Each instructor or coach will make sure every member of his or her group is ready to race at the appropriate time and fully understands the rules. During the first 3 days of training there are gates set up for all groups to practice in so race day isn’t a surprise. Students will work on technique in and out of the gates as well as how to choose the best racing line for their ability and how to start and finish the race. Those that have raced before can improve during these 3 excellent days and those that are newer to the game can learn and improve. It really is a great motivational experience with everyone helping and encouraging each other.

Les Deux Alpes is the perfect place to hold this competition. With a stade at village level, at 2400m and of course on the glacier at 3400m. This allows for all eventualities with regard to snow cover and weather conditions. This was proven during the 2019 races when lots of different stades (race courses) were used to accommodate lots of different weather conditions. The local support from the ESF, Ski Patrol and the lift company were second to none. This was co-ordinated by Alex Armand and Phil Brown, and allowed the work to be done behind the scenes and the racers to concentrate on improving and taking part in the races. When race day arrives the students are all allocated a bib number. This is done in a random draw and individual to the age categories. They race in number order so its very easy to know when each student needs to be at the top of the course. The course director, Phil

Brown of Impulse works very closely with ESF to ensure the course is set correctly and is safe for all involved. ESF look after the timing and we have gate judges to ensure all the rules are adhered too, just as you would expect in a ski race. The times are announced as the racers arrive at the bottom and as soon as the race is finished the final results are put online for everyone to see. This is an excellent extra for parents and grandparents that can’t make it to the races to be kept up-to-date with how their children or grandchildren are getting on.

There are 4 different ski schools involved in the teaching and Alex from TipTop Ski Coaching coordinating the instructors. This year we had staggered start times and finish times so that the instructors took their allocated group and also handed back their allocated group to a teacher or allocated member of Halsbury staff. Each school has a Halsbury Representative attached to them to help with pick up and drop off as well as the all important evening entertainments program. A very slick operation with someone there at all times to help!

There is also an evening entertainment program with a whole host of activities to choose from. We have a cinema in Les Deux Alpes and bowling which are always popular choices. The donut jump is always a favourite and various other sledging and outdoor games etc. are organised by Halsbury. We also offer an educational side to the evening program with the possibility to go to a “becoming a ski instructor” work group and “working a ski season” talk. These talks are what have been asked for in the past but any new suggestions are always welcome!

The icing on the cake is for your GCSE students who can complete the skiing practical sessions during the course of the event. What an amazing service to be able to offer and a big plus for all GCSE students.

The organisation and presence of Alex Armand in resort helps the whole event run smoothly. She is in resort full time so puts everything in place well before you arrive. This link to someone who knows everyone and already works with the resort allows for things to run smoothly even in the face of adversity such as bad weather! A smooth liaison with all the local agencies in resort is the key to a seamless event. This obviously could not be done without the immaculate organisation and attention to detail of the race by Phil and his team from Impulse.

SKI FOR SADIE

The NSSA came across the Sadie Bristow Foundation just over a year ago and are keen to share information of this great charity to our readers and members.

The Sadie Bristow Foundation, a charity set up in memory of nine year old Sadie Bristow, an accomplished skier and tennis player, is planning to return to the slopes in 2022 to raise funds for allergy sufferers across the UK and are asking you to join them!

Who are the Sadie Bristow Foundation?

The charity was founded by Sadie Bristow‘s parents Clare and Stewart Bristow, after their daughter tragically passed away in August 2018. Born with severe food allergies and diagnosed with asthma, Sadie suffered a sudden and unexplained anaphylactic shock whilst out on a family picnic.

Sadie absolutely loved skiing and excelled at the sport. She would often ski 80 km a day with her father Stewart Bristow (a skiing instructor) which is incredible for an eight or nine year old. So last year Ski for Sadie was born and the competitors involved skied further and faster than they ever had before all in the name of Sadie and allergy sufferers like her. Here’s what they had to say about the event…

‘It was brilliant to be involved in the event’

‘It was a fantastic tribute to Sadie and her spirit drove everyone on to achieve some amazing skiing’

‘I’ve never done that much in all my years on the slopes! What an experience’

What is Ski for Sadie 2022?

The Ski for Sadie charity event was created to keep Sadie’s legacy alive and to inspire more children to take

up sports. Now in its second year, after an enforced absence due to Covid, this annual event takes place on the first week of February in Austria and the first week of March in France.

Suitable for all ages and abilities, and open to individuals and groups, they’d love to welcome even more competitors for their next event which acts as the biggest fundraiser of the year for them.

So what exactly is the challenge?

Well, you’ll need to reach checkpoints placed all over the mountain across the 2 resorts through their unique “Ski for Sadie” app which allows you to log your arrival at a checkpoint. With a specially designed piste map, you’ll plan your routes to ensure you hit checkpoints and hopefully win prizes too!

Some of the daily challenges you’ll face include…

Checkpoint Daily Dash - Hit as many checkpoints as you can in any one day. It’s as simple as that. Obviously, you can only check-in once at each checkpoint. So, when planning your route for the day, try and hit as many as you can. There are daily winners and an overall prize for the week with the winner taking a Pair of Skis last year!

Checkpoint Charge – You’ll clock the time you check in at pairs of checkpoints. The quickest time between each pair wins! Take care out there and remember you only get one shot, so plan your route wisely & win great prizes!

Points mean Prizes - Each checkpoint has a points value associated with it but you won’t know which checkpoints have which values… but as a clue the further the checkpoint is from your resort base and the harder it is to reach the higher the points value. Simply log checkpoints reached and the app will keep tally. There will be prizes for points per day, resort and for the whole event!

Picture of the Day - Keep your social channels active by posting pictures on Facebook or Instagram. They’ll be reviewed each day and award the “Pic of the Day” will be chosen. These could be funny, scenic, arty, creative… whatever you like. Sadie had an amazing imagination, so you’ll be drawing on this to try and become each day’s winner and of course win prizes too!

How Bizarre? - There will be a prize for the team or skier who posts a photo from the most bizarre location or features the most bizarre thing, during the week. Post your pics to social channels for your chance to win! We’ll have prizes too!

1st the Worst, 2nd the Best - No skill involved with this one… be the 2nd skier to check in at 2 designated checkpoints on the mountain. It’s all about judging your arrival to the checkpoint to ensure you are the 2nd team/ skier to check in there. All the will be within the app.

Cryptic Puzzle - Within the Ski for Sadie App, you’ll find a “Puzzle” area. For each ski area (Les 3 Vallees and Paradiski) there is a puzzle to solve, associated with Sadie. Some checkpoints you reach will unlock clues to solving this puzzle. Uncover as many clues as you can to help you guess the phrase. And to stop you all guessing repeatedly… you can only make one guess per hour. We have a mystery prize on offer for the winners!

Checkpoint Checkout - The ultimate challenge is to hit ALL checkpoints across both resort areas. That is the Ski for Sadie challenge and a prize awaits anyone that accomplishes this. Sadie skied from first lift until last and, in whatever she did, she never gave up. Channel this to ensure you meet the challenge and log every checkpoint across the Paradiski and 3 Vallees ski areas.

Good luck!

How can I get involved?

Register online to confirm your spot on one of the Ski for Sadie events with an exclusive registration fee of £149pp plus minimum fundraising target of £300pp. This includes access to the Ski for Sadie App and all challenges, qualified host support throughout, fundraising and event pack and of course loads of fun! The charity can also help arrange travel and accommodation with their ABTA registered travel partner including all of the below…

• Return private minibus transfers direct between Airport & Resort

• Return private minibus transfers direct between Airport & Resort

• Two one-way connecting private minibus transfers direct between resorts

• 7 nights hotel accommodation on a full board basis -

• Qualified host on site and on the mountain throughout to help

• Foundation hosts to assist with event and any other additional requirements (Ski Hire etc)

• Event pack

• Ski for Sadie jumper, T-shirt and beanie

• Ski passes for both areas

• Special event App, specifically designed Ski for Sadie featuring an array of challenges

For more information and to register for the 2022 Ski for Sadie charity event please visit www.skiforsadie.org.uk.

NEWBIE, RUSTY, BAMBOOZLED, OR INTRIGUED?

Are you a newbie racer, a rusty (lockdown thwarted) skier, or a parent or teacher bamboozled by what you need for racing and why…?

Has it been a while since you were able to get away skiing on snow?

Are you new to the wonderful world of ski racing and need help understanding what you need in the way of equipment?

As a family run ski shop that’s been established since 1965 we have stood the test of time and are always here to help answer your burning questions…

To the newbie racer… You’re about to encounter an amazing world of fun, friends, new adventures, exhilarating speed, unforgettable experiences and lessons for life. There are lots of pieces of equipment for ski racing, but start simple and add as you go along, we’re here to help and advise you on your journey.

Start with safety – a race helmet and a back protector are the most important items and are now commonplace even for recreational skiing. For racing and training helmets are compulsory and a vast majority of clubs and schools also recommend the use of back protectors.

Helmets – There are two types of race helmets… soft earpiece slalom helmets and hard-earpiece GS helmets.

Soft ear-piece slalom helmets are similar to traditional recreational helmets with comfortable soft ear-pieces and more air vents. The soft-earpiece race versions have a harder more protective outer shell, with the ability to attach a slalom chinguard for protection against slalom poles. Slalom helmets can be used for slalom events on all surfaces, artificial slopes and snow. As they are more

ventilated than a full GS helmet they are ideal for UK based summer racing and training.

Hard-earpiece GS helmets have a harder outer shell and withstand a lot more impact. These are therefore safer and also a requirement in the faster disciplines of Giant Slalom, Super-G and Downhill. To conform to GS, SG and DH regulations, hard-earpiece helmets must be FIS approved and have a ‘FIS RH2013’ sticker visible on the back of the helmet.

If you’re planning on training and racing on snow you will usually need a hard-earpiece GS helmet. These can be used for GS or used with a chinguard attached for slalom. If skiing through long slalom gates it is advisable to protect your face with a detachable chinguard. When you buy a race helmet make sure you buy the correct type of helmet for the type of racing you’re doing and that it can have a slalom chinguard fitted to it.

Back protectors are important for racing, dissipating impact and preventing injuries during a fall. These are now better than ever with mouldable foam that shapes to your back, going rigid on impact to dissipate the force, but comfortable and un-inhibiting to wear.

Body Protection – The idea of racing is obviously to go as fast as possible and take the most direct route through a course of red and blue poles. The technique to make this work is to put your body across the poles, tis is where body protection comes in as without it the poles will start to fight back!

To prevent being bruised and battered you need ski pole guards and leg guards. Pole guards are plastic fist protectors that screw on the top of your ski poles and allow you to hit the slalom poles out of your way, leg guards do the same but protect your knees and shins –both of these allow you to ski a straighter and faster route from top to bottom.

Performance – When you start race training your likely to start with rental skis and boots. These will only allow you to get to a certain level in skiing, whether as a racer or a recreational skier. Rental equipment is aimed at beginner to intermediate level skiers to help them easily improve. Once you pass this level in your skiing, progress becomes harder without higher-level equipment. Your next area to invest in will therefore be skis and ski boots… Ski boots are one of the most important parts of skiing. They are the link between you and your skis. A correctly fitting ski boot effects how quickly you’ll progress, your ability to perform and your comfort and enjoyment –all making a huge difference to your skiing. A higher

performing and closer fitting ski boot allows your skis to react faster and more accurately to the movements you’re making with your body.

Make sure the boots are appropriate to your ability level of skiing, your height, your weight and your age. Don’t just use a hand-me-down, a bargain off the internet, or your parents boots – they may not be right, possibly cause injury and ultimately hold you back. Ski boots are one of the most fundamental pieces of equipment you’ll invest in and when you get them right they’ll make a huge difference to your progress and your technique.

To improve the fit even more, custom-moulded footbed insoles are a good addition. These help fill the voids under your arch and cup and hold underneath your foot – this will give you improved control, response and definitely a lot more comfort.

When buying ski boots for children who are still growing, you can often buy them slightly bigger and use a volumereducing shim under the footbed to take up excess space until they grow.

Skis are the next item to invest in. If you’re skiing regularly, your own skis will be the next step to help you progress. Rental skis are aimed at a lower level skier, not giving you the grip, rebound and quick turning ability of a race ski. They are used extensively and are often not maintained anywhere near the level that you would look after your own equipment.

For UK skiing on dry ski slopes and indoor snow domes the skis you buy should be slalom skis. The nature of the shortness of the hills means UK skiing is generally always shorter turning slalom skiing. Slalom skis should be skied approximately between mouth and nose height in length, but is dependent on your height, weight, age and skill level.

For going away racing on snow you may also need a pair of GS skis, a longer turning ski used on longer length GS courses. GS skis are usually skied around head height, but again depends on each person.

Choose the right skis, suited to your ability level, experience, age and physical strength and you’ll notice a massive improvement in the responsiveness of the way they turn.

We’ve supported British skiers on their pathway from beginners to World level skiers in every type of skiing (and snowboarding) and we truly live and breath the sport.

To the rusty racer or skier… Has it been a while since you last skied?

Do your ski boots still fit? Are you’re skis the right length? Do they meet the current regulations for your age group? Does your helmet still fit and is it still appropriate for what type of skiing you’re now doing?

The basics behind how a ski boot should fit – a correctly fitted ski boot should feel similar to a firm handshake. There should be contact all around your foot and leg without any pressure points. Your toes should lightly touch the front of your ski boots when you stand with your knees slightly bent, when you bend your ankle and push forward with your shin into the front of the boot, your toes should pull back away from the front of the boot.

The rules and regulations for ski equipment can change as rapidly as the British weather and can often seem somewhat confusing. Ski length and radius regulations vary depending on the competition and the age group of the racer.

There are currently no ski regulations for UK artificial slope races, however there are length and turn radius regulations for GS skis on snow. An updated version of the latest equipment regulations can be found on www. GBSki.com, the home of all the information you’ll need for race regulations and event schedules.

Whether you want to know what ski is right for you, whether it’s to arrange a specialist ski boot fitting appointment, or maybe you want to learn how to service your own skis, if you have any equipment questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Come and visit the shop and you’ll experience for yourself the largest choice of ski race equipment in the UK (and every other aspect of skiing too). When you visit we will help and advise you and guide you through what might elsewhere be somewhat confusing! Allow some time to visit, as once you become immersed in the Ski Bartlett emporium of skiing you may be with us a while – but don’t worry there is always tea and coffee on tap!

For any help and advice, Ski Bartlett, the ski race experts can be contacted on 020 8848 0040 or www. skibartlett.com. The shop is located on the Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon (West London) and also has a very comprehensive website encompassing every aspect of ski and snowboard equipment.

Delivering our unique family heritage and ski experience from our ski shop in West London, we have been giving help and advice to skiers like you for more than 55 years!

RHYDCAR WEST

Impact. The last phase of our planning application work is now in progress and proceeding at a pace.

As a recap, below are some of the significant milestones we have already achieved and how these will assist in progressing the next stages of this project:

Wide Engagement

Rhydcar West is a proposed development in Wales for a huge indoor snow slope, amongst other things. This would give us a great facility to use for training across a lot of disciplines. Here, Richard Arnold, the consultant and Head of Operations, runs through the proposal.

Despite Covid-19 and the variety of lockdowns and firebreaks we have made significant progress in 2020/2021 with a view of positive and exciting developments for the Rhydycar West project. Here's a quick update of what's happening and expected in the coming months:

The Planning Application

We intend to submit a planning application September/ October this year ( 2021). We have already completed much of the baseline technical work required for our planning application including Engineering, Planning, Ecology and Environmental, Heritage and Archaeology, Master planning, Transport, Landscape and Design, Architecture, Geo-environmental and Socio-Economic

For a number of years, we have been engaging and consulting widely with key local and national stakeholders to carefully design a development that will create lasting economic and social benefits for Merthyr and the wider South Wales region while remaining sensitive to the history and heritage of Merthyr and the region, these include:

• Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

• Welsh Government

• Local businesses & organisations

Heritage

Working collaboratively with CADW to facilitate the creation of 6 new scheduled ancient monuments (SAMs) onsite – the SAMs and other important heritage features are a cornerstone of our development which aspires to revive, regenerate and create access to inaccessible sites of historical interests on the Rhydycar West land, there by linking into the existing local and regional network of existing sites.

Snow Sport Wales and Team GB Snow Sports

We continue to work closely with Snow Sport Wales and Team GB to create a national Centre of Excellence for Snow sport at Rhydycar West resort development. This would be the home of the Welsh National and Uk Snow sport and Olympic Teams. In addition, there are plans to construct an Air Bag Jump facility for training, competition and general use.

UK Destination

The outreach of our development will be UK wide and beyond, impacting positively locally, regionally and with elements of national significance.

An impact of the Covid 19 virus restrictions; meant we were no longer able to offer site visits and tours, which we had done in the past. We believe that the site’s strategic location as a gateway to the whole of the region is a key USP and our physical tours has amplified this, helped create a greater sense of understanding and heightened levels of enthusiasm .

Following the introduction of "Lock-down", we created a "virtual site tour" .

So i Invite you to join us on a tour, fully compliant with social distancing and no masks required!

Click the link. https://youtu.be/flcUhJQVVJk

Understanding the viability and significant difference between the current Uk snow slopes and the gravitation customer pull of a Landgraaf, Holland size Snow centre and how it occurred to me that not everyone will be familiar with the Scale and general comparative size of the proposed " Largest in the UK Snow centre" What exactly does this look like ? to that of the current typical UK Indoor real snow - snow centres of which there are six.

Hear goes......

A trip to Holland. "no Test on exit and re-entry" - Tour to Snow world Landgraaf Holland :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANjrOh4HzCg

The Objective is to help "comprehend Snow centre commercial viability in our location" compared to the current UK indoor snow centres who's models, mainly due to size, very much depend on. Local population density and visit durations of 1 to 2 hours. However, people still travel over 2 hours journey to get to these current venues. Compare the significance of what will be the largest in the UK.

Understand how it's economic viability is achieved by a very wide customer catchment from all of UK Europe and beyond as well as local custom ( Cardiff included) with the benefit of a world class facility.

And of significance ......

Be the UK National centre of excellence for Snow sports Home for Team GB Snowsports Home for Snow Sport Wales. Put Wales and the UK on the International competition circuit.

"Understanding is believing."

Many people from the UK (That know about Landgaaf) visit Landgraaf regularly and stay multiple days. Such is the gravitational pull of this type of facility.

Hopefully you may be able to reconcile my view that ( Unique for the UK) this can revolutionise the Traditional UK Schools Ski trip. Massively increasing affordable accessibility, ( Post Covid) while reducing Alpine travel risks and impact of poor conditions. A three night / day trip can offer more "on Snow" time that a typical week in the Alps. In addition, significantly reduce the individual carbon footprint for Snow sport participation.

This is a significant commercial opportunity to be explored by Local entrepreneurs. With a world class facility to work with, the employment opportunities in just this facet are significant.

Richard Arnold

Phil Brown, Programme Director of the NSSA said about Rhydcar West – ‘If this project comes to fruition, it will give a significant facility to the UK snowsports market and, particularly the schools market that we operate in. We currently visit Landgraaf numerous times each year. This would reduce journey time and cost for an equally beneficial experience.

Landgraaf

Landgraaf in the Netherlands

Last academic year, We are very introduced the National Schools Race Leagues to find a way to get kids racing despite the pandemic situation.

The success and hunger for the programme took us by surprise and we are continuing with it this year, expanding to more centres and schools, continuing to increase participation.

This programme Provides a nationally accessible competition framework for schools and individuals representing their schools whilst ensuring that events worked within the current rules and guidelines from both the government and sports governing bodies.

NSSA Partnerships Liaison, Dan Humphrey said:

“We looked at how we can offer competitive events under the schools banner to those schools, athletes and parents that are clearly very keen to get back to the sport and to be able to offer this in a locally and safely accessible way”.

“We believe the National Schools Leagues are a great way to do this, maintaining the ethos of participation and involvement that drives our other events”.

What is the NSSA National Schools Race Leagues?

Open to all school age children, the events will run regularly at numerous venues around the country – A list of venues that are partnering on this will be available by mid September 2021.

How does it work?

At each slope taking part, a course will be set and marked*. Then at least twice per term, the NSSA or the local club will run 2-3 sessions at the slope on the same day. Sessions will be 1.5-2 hours long and include coaching.

Results for both teams and individuals will be available on our website and likely on GBski, updated after each session.

The current plan is to have a National League finals during the latter half of the summer term.

*Due to the need for the course to be the same and marked, the leagues will take place on dry slopes only.

Can I take part in more than one date/venue?

Absolutely! It is possible for anyone or any school to take part in whatever venues they wish and as many times as they wish.

National semi Finals and Final

Those individuals and school teams that are in the top 3 of each league for age and gender, will be invited to the national semis and/or final, to be held during summer term at a venue to be decided.

Who is it aimed at?

Skiers of all levels, representing their school. They can be National level, club level, or just wishing to try racing.

How do I get involved?

Dates and Venues are on our website and we will be publishing dates and venues each year during the early part of the autumn term for that academic year and entry will be online. To ensure that you are kept in the loop, please sign up to our newsletter or follow us on social media. We can also be contacted below

NSSA website: www.schoolssnowsports.co.uk Leagues info - https://schoolssnowsports.co.uk/nssanational-schools-race-leagues/ e-mail: office@schoolssnowsports.co.uk

The National Snow Show 2021 is the base for the UK’s ski & snowboard community to get together in a sociable way, gear up and plan for the 2021-22 season.

FEATURES & CONTENT

You

Sir Ranulph Fiennes Katie Ormerod Billy Morgan

Ed Drake Benjamin Alexander Graham Bell

Jamie Nicholls Scott Penman

Jamie Burrows

EXCITEDTO BEBACK!

Alpine Pros is based in the 3 valleys, working out of Meribel, Courchevel and Val Thorens. Offering lessons for all abilities, there’s something for everyone whether you’re a beginner looking to put on a set of skis for the first time or a seasoned pro looking for more adventure touring off-piste.

We understand that you may be cautious booking a holiday in the current climate, so we have been working hard to introduce some options to make you feel more confident in your booking. Including a 100% refund guarantee up to 48 hours prior to your booking for COVID related reasons or the option to move your booking free of charge to the following season.

We can’t wait see you all back on the slopes, get in touch to find out how we can help you make the most of your time in the Alps.

Bruce Crowley (Alpine Pros Owner) @Alpinepros

SCHOOLS RACE AND EVENTS CALENDAR 21-22

ALL EVENTS SUPPORTED BY THE NSSA

UK EVENTS

20th September 21 – National Schools

Indoor Open – North – Chill Factore*

27th September 21 – National Schools

Indoor Open – South – The Snow Centre*

4th October 21 – ISA National Schools

Indoor Champs – The Snow Centre

21st November 21 – UK National Schools Outdoor Open – Swadlincote

25th April 22 – BISS National Indoor Open Champs – The Snow Centre**

6th June 22 – British Schools Indoor Open Champs – Chill Factore**

ALPINE EVENTS

15th -21st December 21 –The Independent Schools Ski Champs –Les Deux Alpes, France

31st Jan – 1st February – British Schoolgirls Races – Flaine, France

DATE AND VENUE TO BE CONFIRMED:

May 22 - National Schools

Outdoor Open – South**

May 22 – National Schools Outdoor Open – North**

NATIONAL SCHOOLS LEAGUES:

These will be running at venues around the UK between September and April with national semi finals and finals in the summer term. Information on these can be found on https://schoolssnowsports. co.uk/nssa-national-schools-raceleagues-programme/

*selection event for National Schools Squad 21-22

**selection event for National Schools Squad 22-23

1st – 2nd February – British Schoolboys Races – Wengen, Switzerland

9th – 11th February – British Schools

Alpine Open Champs – Pila, Italy

21st-22nd March – Interschools Challenge – Soldeu, Andorra

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