This video is a review of our 2012 Academy Utah Freeski Camps.  The video is shot in Snowbird (our main location), Alta and Solitude. The trip was a huge success and we’ve now confirmed our 2013 dates as the 3rd to 13th February. Thanks to everybody that took part in the trip!

For almost a decade now, the Academy has been interested in going to Snowbird in Utah, USA. After hearing about the deep and light powder, steep gradients and endless tree lines, the Academy finally decided to organise a trip for 2012.

Snowbird is based in the heart of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in the Little Cottonwood Canyon, one mile down the Canyon from Alta. There is no town as such in Snowbird, but a small and cosy gathering of shops, bars and restaurants in the ‘Snowbird Centre’ based at the bottom of the Aeriel Tram which takes you directly up to an elevation of 3353m on Hidden Peak. From here the view is spectacular. The panorama boasts Mineral Basin, the Gad Valley and Salt Lake City in the distance.

The ski area is well known for its super light powder, steeps and backcountry access. On the first day of the Academy camps, the clients were already hooked. After a quick warm up and few runs to loosen up the legs, they were already rewarded with skiing through some of the off piste gates. They went there with the idea that the Americans were very strict with their backcountry skiing and that they would be slightly restricted by the rules and regulations. However the reality was far from this. Unlike many other resorts, the patrol in Snowbird put great effort into making the backcountry not just safe but also accessible. The red jackets of the patrol could be seen skiing around securing areas and making sure everything was skiable on and off the piste every day.

The gates that had been controlled would be open and in areas where the patrol was concerned of any risk, the gate would be closed. Warren and Rob were surprised when they hiked up to an area through one of the gates where they were going to drop in off a ridge with one of the groups into a couloir. At the top of the couloir it was a little bare and rocks were showing through. The patrol had even put down some dry slope matting to cover over the rocks!

On the first day of the course, the groups kicked started with a ski off and were then split into three groups, skiing with Academy ski coaches Rob, Phil or Tom. Warren was floating in between groups as well as scoping new areas for next year whilst shooting photos with Melody. There was a good level of advanced intermediate to expert skiers in the group. They worked on variable terrain, steeps and powder skiing techniques mixed with some free skiing at the end of the day. Then usually everyone met at the Tram Bar for a beer or the Aerie Restaurant on the 10th floor of the Cliff Lodge with an attached lounge and Sushi Bar or the El Chanate Mexican restaurant featuring the state’s largest tequila selection and great Margheritas!

A few days into the trip Warren and Melody caught the bus that connects Snowbird to the very picturesque Solitude resort. About a 45 minute bus ride from Snowbird, Solitude lives up to its name. There is a real sense of calm in the silence of Solitude. With few skiers around, perfectly groomed pistes and stunning backcountry skiing, after a few hours there, it was already decided it would be a stop off on next year’s trip. 

A few days into the trip Warren and Melody caught the bus that connects Snowbird to the very picturesque Solitude resort. About a 45 minute bus ride from Snowbird, Solitude lives up to its name. There is a real sense of calm in the silence of Solitude. With few skiers around, perfectly groomed pistes and stunning backcountry skiing, after a few hours there, it was already decided it would be a stop off on next year’s trip.

The Honeycomb area in Solitude had already been recommended to them by a friend and so they took the advice and headed up to shoot some photos and bask in the beauty. Warren and Melody were also pleased to discover that they could pass through one of the off piste gates at the top of Solitude and actually ski all the way back to Alta, off piste. Warren likened it to a similar experience as skiing off the Back Side of Mt. Fort in Verbier. Once out there they were amazed at the jaw dropping vastness of the ski area. A whole day could easily have been spent out skiing powder filled tree lines, doing back country jibbing, or just enjoying the beauty whilst taking easier lines. The scope was endless.

Back in Snowbird the Academy skiers were buzzing. 80% of them had already skied with the Academy before and about 50% had been on the previous Academy Japan Powder Camps and they were still blown away by what Snowbird had to offer. Snowbird is a skiers resort. The Academy found the nightlife to be better than what was expected. With bar and restaurants easy to find and having the Academy group there, a party atmosphere was always on hand!

We have already decided that Snowbird is on the Academy coaching calendar for 2013. The dates now confirmed as 3-13 Feb 2013. It looks like most of the Academy skiers who were there this year will be back next year. To provisionally reserve a place on the course please write to the Academy through the contact page of the website with ‘SNOWBIRD 2013′ in the subject heading.  

We look forwadr to seeing you on next years trip! To view video blogs from the 2012 trip, click here

Saas-Fee has a summer skiing reputation well above the rest and is home to many national ski teams (including Team GB) for training in July, August and September. With the mountain opening at 7.30am and closing at 2pm, you can easily do a full days skiing.

Down in the resort of Saas-Fee during the summer it’s T-shirt and shorts weather, but a dramatic icefall glacier looms over the resort spectacularly dominating the view. The resort is lush green and has many rare wild flowers. The town is ecologically intelligent, and great care is taken to protect the environment in this car free town. There are an abundance of activities to take part in, in Saas-Fee with golf, tennis, football, basketball, beach volley ball, mountain biking, walking trails, climbing, adventure forest, zip wire, canyoning, Via Ferrate and even hand feeding Marmotte’s! It is a great destination for the sport focussed or families alike.

The Academy coaching takes on the same format as the winter courses. The range of pistes, moguls and off piste areas needed to carry out the performance coaching is ample and the learning curve is steep. Video analysis and ski biomechanics sessions take place down in the hotel and the Academy team are always there to answer questions and spend the week with the skiers in the daytime and evenings, creating a fun and friendly environment to be learning in.

The Academy’s chosen Hotel du Glacier is located in the centre of Saas-Fee and is only a few minutes walk from the main lift station and is based in the centre of the picturesque car free resort.

Coaching Dates
Week 1  7th – 14th July
Week 2  14th – 21st July
Week 3  21st – 28th July
Week 4  28th July – 4th August
Week 5  4th August – 11th August
Week 6  11th – 18th August
Week 7  25th August – 1st September
Week 8  1st – 8th September
Week 9  8th – 15th September

Hotel Prices
(Summer Half Board Hotel Prices – All prices below Per Person – Per Night)

Shared accommodation (up to 4 people max) – CHF 85
Double room – CHF 90
Single room – CHF 110 (only 4 rooms available per week)
Double room for single use – CHF 140

To book accommodation with the du Glacier hotel, click here.
(Please note that these prices are discounted especially for Academy clients by between 30% and 50% depending on room)

For any enquiries on accommodation pricing, click here.

To book Academy Ski Course, click here.

Spanning across 22 days, the Dallaglio Flintoff Cycle Slam 2012 supported by Virgin Media will kick off on St George’s Day (23rd April) from the ancient birthplace of the Olympic Games, Olympia in Greece.

The journey will take them through Italy, across the Swiss Alps and through France before reaching London on 18th May. Each Stage Rider has committed to raise in excess of £3,000 to support Lawrence and Freddie in reaching their fundraising goal of £2.012m.

Warren is undertaking this massive challenge in order to support 3 fantastic charities; the Dallaglio Foundation, the AF Foundation & Virgin Unite,  any money you donate will help develop three amazing projects.

Firstly, the Dallaglio Foundation is supporting Cancer Research UK’s cutting edge project on prostate cancer genetics that will help to build a new era of personalised medicine.

Secondly, the AF Foundation, set up by Andrew and Rachael Flintoff, is a children’s charity raising funds to build, develop and improve Child Rehabilitation & Physiotherapy Units throughout the UK.

Thirdly, Virgin Unite. A contribution of all donations will be made to the not-for-profit foundation Virgin Unite to support their programmes that help young people in the UK to increase their employability and entrepreneurialism.

Warren will be cycling 1099 km and hopes you will dig deep to help him raise money for these incredible causes!

To make a donation to Warren’s stages, click here. Thank you!

This nine-week summer ski instructor training programme starts on 7th July 2012 in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. The course runs until 8th September and will give all participants the chance to leave with a ski instructor qualification that will be ready to use for winter 2012/13. Many skiers who have taken part in previous summer GAP course with the Academy have said that they preferred to do the training in the summer and to be able to enjoy the winter season with new skills. It has also proven practical for those in education (professors, teachers and students alike) who were able to take the whole summer off.

The course includes five intensive weeks of performance coaching, the BASI Level 1 course, the BASI Level 2 course, Off piste Mountain Safety training, BASP First Aid Qualification, Ski Biomechanics training, video analysis and much more.

What’s more, the glacier in the summer offers perfect skiing conditions. The European based GAP course offers a unique opportunity to get the most out of the skiing and have the bonus of being able to partake in summer sports in the afternoon such as volleyball, golf, tennis, football, downhill mountain biking, hiking and a whole lot more. It’s a fantastic way to gain a ski instructor qualification and go straight into the winter as a qualified teacher on the mountain.

To get a feel for the course before booking check out the student video reviews from the summer GAP 2010 and 2011 in Saas-Fee or if interested in the winter GAP courses and video reviews click here.

For the full information on the course and accommodation packages, 3 star and 4 star, click here.

The weather hasn’t failed to please this season in Verbier. With the best conditions in several years, deep powder snow, cold temperatures and sunshine to boot, it couldn’t get better. Verbier is renowned for it’s extensive ski area. With 410km of pistes and lift accessible freeride skiing there is more than enough to explore on a week in Verbier…or a season even! The famous itinerary runs such as Tortin, Mt Gele and Vallon d’Arby have been perfect for the advanced and expert skier.

This winter, the Warren Smith Ski Academy late season courses are guaranteed to take place in excellent conditions. The 5 day group and supergroup courses are run from Sunday to Friday with the Wednesday off. They are designed to build and develop skill and confidence, to enable people to ski all terrains including Moguls, Steeps, Variables, Powder and how to Carve effectively on piste. Skills are developed during the coaching by practicing specific exercises that benefit the main topics. Progressively, the new levels of skill are tested in suitable terrains to build confidence.

During the group courses each skier is also looked at from an individual point of view due to the fact that we are all individuals and have different strengths and weaknesses that need identifying and developing.

The following are the remaining 2012 course dates:
18 Feb – 25 Feb
25 Feb – 3 Mar
03 Mar – 10 Mar
10 Mar – 17 Mar
17 – 24 Mar 31
Mar – 7 Apr
7 Apr – 14 Apr
14 Apr – 21 Apr
21 – 28 Apr

Price: £389 ( £359 for Academy Members) – (Course Only)
Supergroup Price: £495 (Course only) – CHF100 per person is payable in resort for the off piste guide.

**All dates listed above are Saturday to Saturday travel.

To view course dates, click here and to book, click here.

At the beginning of the 2011/12 winter season the Academy teamed up with Swiss International Air Lines and Snow + Rock to create a competition to win an Academy Ski Course and a Business Class Flights for two people to Verbier. The ‘On Ski Sticker’ competition continues on each pair of skis in the Snow + Rock stores this winter season and gives all Snow + Rock customers the chance to enter. The competition is also extended to all our Academy newsletter members. Two places on a Warren Smith Ski Academy course and two Business Class flights to the Alps is the prize, valued at over £2000. The competition closes at the end of April 2012 and the winner will be announced in the May 2012 newsletter.

To enter simply answer the following question regarding our partner SWISS: 

How many daily flights does SWISS offer from the UK to Basel, Geneva and Zurich: A) 19 B) 29 C) 33

Email your answer to competition@warrensmith-skiacademy.com.

To find out more about Swiss International Air Lines and its network, go to www.swiss.com. SWISS, the skier’s airline of choice are one of the only remaining airlines that will transport your first set of skis/snowboard and boots free of charge (in addition to you standard luggage allowance). They get our vote!

Click here to read about ‘SWISS – the skier’s airline’.

It took us by surprise at how many views the blogs were receiving and it encouraged us to create more so that people could see the snow conditions and have live viewing of what was going on in Saas-Fee, Verbier and Snowbird. We hope you continue enjoying them!

To view the video blogs, click here.

Over this past week here in Utah I’ve seen some incredible standards of mountain security. Snowbird and Alta are amazing and they seem to make really technical tricky areas safe and hazard free. Also over in Solitude where I skied yesterday the mountain security guys were super helpful and enthusiastic for us to ski off piste. They gave us great advise yesterday on how to ski back from Solitude to the car park of Alta (Big thanks to Nick Como from Solitude for hooking us up). I managed to get one of the guys from Snowbird mountain security to chat to us briefly today about how they keep it so safe yet so accessible. Today was day 5 of the Academy Freeski Camp, big changes across all the groups, well done guys and girls!

So many nice turns made today in Snowbird. Great snow and lots of steep terrain. After the coaching finished today with the Academy groups all the coaching team got together for a freeski for the last hour. You can hear what Rob Stanford and Phil Hopper have to say about Snowbird.