GAP SKI INSTRUCTOR PROGRAM 2008 GAP Ski Instructor Course Review
Louise Cavalli, 20
Student, SwedenI have been skiing all my life and it is one of my biggest interests. I wanted to spend a season in the Swiss Alps during my gap year and since my brother completed the 2007 Warren Smith Ski Academy GAP Ski Instructor Course, he assured me that this was the right thing to do in order to become a better skier combined with having a really good time. My goal with this course was to improve my level of personal performance and gain a BASI teaching qualification.
The levels and styles of skiing ranged within the group, from intermediate skiers to extremely good and experienced skiers. There were people in the group who had only skied for a couple of years or even weeks and some who had skied all their lives.
A regular day with Warren and the coaches involved an assembly up the mountain at 10.15, followed by a daily dynamic warm up for approximately 20 minutes. Several times I went up a bit earlier to do some practice runs beforehand in order to practice and work on the advice that had been given by the coaches the previous day. After the warm up we would split up into our various groups of about 7-8 people and during the day we practiced different technical aspects, such as carving, short radius turns, moguls, variables and the Central Theme. The coaches gave us different exercises to practice in order to achieve the key focus. During the day we also received a lot of personal feedback from the coaches which was incredibly helpful and meaningful. We skied until 3 pm and the day was finished after a stretch down. We also focused a lot on the teaching side and Central Theme, which is the process from never been skiing to making parallel turns. We prepared several lesson plans and we also performed practice teaching sessions, which were evaluated by the coaches and our peers. A lot of feedback and training helped us to be well prepared for the BASI exams.
Twice a week we had a video analysis session where Warren and the coaches gave us points to work on the following day. The video analysis gave us the opportunity to look at ourselves while skiing and to see a possible progress. During the course we also had other evenings and weekend sessions, such as a two days First Aid Course, a one day avalanche rescue and awareness training and an evening session of a Child Protection Course. The coaching team was great! Our coaches were Tom, Phil, Rob and Charlie who each had very different teaching styles and personalities. They were all extremely good skiers and their different ways of teaching was excellent. They knew how to push us into the right direction, they saw our weaknesses and they helped us to correct it. They were all very encouraging and enthusiastic which made me want to improve my skiing even more.
The group of 30 people in the 2008 GAP Course varied in age and professions. The group ranged in age from 16 -55 year olds, all with different professions and personalities. We all got along very well regardless of age group and I have definitely found friends for life.
For one week we all shadowed an instructor from “École de ski de Suisse”. It was a great experience because we got the chance to see how an instructor works, how they handle “crises” such as cold, scared and weeping kids, as well as we got the opportunity to teach and lead the group ourselves. The shadowing week gave me more confidence in my teaching technique and I gained practical experience of teaching.
Staying for one season in one of the best resorts in the Alps, Verbier has been amazing. It is well located; you can easily make day trips to other resorts such as Chamonix and most importantly it is a very beautiful village with loads of things to do. Verbier is a small village however the range of restaurants and pubs are big. The night life in Verbier is amazing. Starting with après at 4pm and finish at Coco Club or Casbah at 4 am. I have definitely had some really good nights in Verbier this season and Mardi Gras in February is one very good example of that! During my 9 week GAP Ski Instructor Course with the Warren Smith Ski Academy, I have had the best time ever. My skiing has improved massively, I have met people that I otherwise never would have met, who has changed my life and I have learnt so much. The sum total is that this has been a life experience for me and I would recommend it to anyone.
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