GAP SKI INSTRUCTOR PROGRAM

2008 GAP Ski Instructor Course Review

Mark Phillips, 34 Building Contractor / Children’s entertainer There are so many reasons why I choose this course. Most people will say they just wanted to become a better skier and ski for 9 weeks and walk away with an instructor qualification which is fine, but I guarantee at the end of it you’ll have a different answer if you had to do it again. This course completely changed my life for the greater good. To be able to give back to others something which you’ve worked so hard for is the greatest feeling in the world and something which nobody can take away from you.

I had skied with the Warren Smith Ski Academy before and knew this was what I wanted, from the high level of performance based ski coaching to the guys themselves who are all bloody legends in my eyes.

The level of coaching and friendship Warren and the crew extend  to everyone regardless of age, skiing ability or social standing  is the finest you’ll find anywhere in the world and the diversity of characters of all ages on the course speaks volumes for the global appeal of the ‘Warren Smith Ski Academy’  

A typical day for me in Verbier

• Start with a huge breakfast cooked by Rick our chalet host at the “Bouton D’Or” and loads of tea in my pint mug purchased at Migros (bargain)
• Get your kit on and cross the road to get the bus together as a group to “Medran” the lift station. This took all of 5 mins
• Go up onto the mountain and get a couple of runs in before meeting at 10:15 for a warm up and quick chat with the group and coaches about the day ahead whether it be short rads, moguls, off piste or a bit of everything
• Break off in to your groups which were decided on day 1 by Warren after a ski off
• Have a quick ski with your group before beginning drills and performance work with your coach including individual feedback
• Lunch at Ruinettes with everyone (It’s all about the burgers and gummi bears)
• After lunch continue with personal skiing development including individual feedback
• 3:30 meet at 1936 and have a warm down to stretch everything back out to where it started off.
• 3:50 sit down outside 1936 (By the way it’s a bar in case you were wondering) and have a well deserved beer with everyone in the sun hopefully and chat about how cool the day was

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we would have video analysis which is priceless for understanding what’s really going on with your skiing and how to improve it which tends to happen at a vast rate once you’ve seen yourself on the t.v in front of your mates (always plenty of jokes) and the coaches have given you pointers and achievable goals for the following days skiing

The friends that you meet and live with every day on this course will be your friends for life and believe me, we lived every minute of this together through the highs and lows and stuck together as a unit giving each other support and help all the way as did Warren, Phil, Rob, Tom, Charlie and Scouse without whom we would never have made it and at such a high level with the before unheard of 100% pass rate achieved by us.

As well as obtaining your BASI qualifications you get to do a first aid course on and off the mountain which was incredibly informative and fun but most of all you are going to know how to take charge of a situation anywhere where there is an injured or sick person and you may even save their life. At best you are going to be able to feel confident that you can help rather than stand there helpless and make a real difference!!

We also took part in an avalanche awareness course which involved the use of transceivers, probes and shovels which I strongly suggest you all own especially to build yourself a nice big kicker but above all when you’re on the mountain with the avalanche expert you’re going to be burying people and then rescuing them using your probe and shovel which turned out to be hilarious and light hearted but above all we all took it on board and know exactly how to act in such a situation should it arise.

I could go on for ages about all the other aspects of my 9 weeks in Verbier but instead I’m going to say just this: If you are trying to decide what to do with your life and you need a little direction I would strongly suggest you go on this course and change your life forever as I did. You will not meet a nicer bunch of people that you will never forget and undoubtedly see again and ski with because this will be the best thing you have ever done.

My thanks and gratitude goes out to Warren and all of his staff and not forgetting my 100% Gappies who made this all possible for me.  
DON’T DELAY BOOK TODAY UNLESS OF COURSE YOU’RE READING THIS BY TOTAL ACCIDENT AND YOU’D RATHER BE A FLOWER ARRANGER. HMMM KNARLY!!

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