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April 2010 Newsletter |
WARREN SMITH SKI ACADEMY - April 2010 News + Information
CONTENTS
• SPRING UK REAL SNOW SKI COACHING
• ACADEMY SUMMER 2010 SKI COURSE DATES - SAAS-FEE
• WINTER 2010 GAP YEAR SKI INSTRUCTOR COURSE - STUDENT VIDEO REVIEWS
• SUMMER 2010 GAP SKI INSTRUCTOR COURSE - 2nd EDITION STARTS JULY
• JAPAN POWDER SKI CAMPS 2011 - DATES ANNOUNCED
• ACADEMY SUPERGROUP CONCEPT LAUNCHING WINTER 2010/11
• ACADEMY TEAMS UP WITH CITY SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS
• SKI TECHNIQUE FOR DAILY MAIL SKI & SNOWBOARD MAGAZINE
SPRING UK REAL SNOW SKI COACHING
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With the end of the winter fast approaching , the Academy team will be returning to the UK once again to commence the Spring ski coaching courses in the UK's indoor real snow centre's. The courses will be hosted at the Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead, SNO!zone Castleford and at the Chill Factore in Manchester. |
| Skiers looking to continue their training out of season take advantage of these sessions and work on the drills that develop their skills and improve their technique for their return to the snow the following winter, or even before that to the glaciers or the Southern hemisphere in the summer. All of these destinations bridge the gap between the winter and summer ski season, critically keeping the ski muscles in tune.
The spring dates will once again be in May 2010. Information on the Indoor Snow Slope Courses can be found here. If you would like your skiing assessed prior to attending our summer or winter GAP year course, please let us know in advance of your coaching session via the Contact Page of our website.
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The Spring dates are as follows:
The Snow Centre - Hemel Hempstead
Monday 3rd May
Tuesday 4th May
Tuesday 11th May
Monday 17th May
Tuesday 18th May
Monday 24th May
Tuesday 25th May |
Chill Factor - Manchester
Wednesday 5th May
Thursday 6th May
Wednesday 12th May
Thursday 13th May
Wednesday 19th May
Thursday 20th May
Wednesday 26th May
Thursday 27th May |
Sno!zone - Castleford
Friday 7th May
Friday 14th May
Friday 21st May
Friday 28th May
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| ACADEMY SUMMER 2010 SKI COURSE DATES - SAAS-FEE |
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There is no better place to go skiing in the middle of summer than Saas-Fee. At 3,600 meters above sea-level there are 20 kilometers of varied glacier pistes; making a perfect location for the Academy summer ski courses. The conditions in Saas-Fee are excellent with frequent snowfalls and a continually building base. People never used to think of the summer as a time to ski, but over the last 10 years more and more Academy clients have added Saas-Fee to their annual skiing schedule in order to retain their ski physiology and improve their skiing technique for the following winter season.
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The summer course programme follows the same technical progression as the winter courses in a generally pleasant temperature and spectacular environment. 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 dominating the view. There is an abundance of other activities in Saas-Fee; 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 focused or families and non skiers alike.
Only a 2 minute walk from the Academy's chosen central hotel, the Hotel du Glacier, is the lift access to the glacier. The ski area sits at the foot of the Allalin horn with its peak at 4,027m. Saas-Fee has a summer skiing reputation well above the rest in Europe and is home to many national ski teams for training in July, August and September. With the mountain currently opening at 7.30am and closing at 2pm, you can easily do a full day of skiing.
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The summer dates are as follows:
Week 1 - 10th - 17th July
Week 2 - 17th - 24th July
Week 3 - 24th July - 31st July
Week 4 - 7th - 14th August
Week 5 - 14th - 21st August
Week 6 - 21st - 28th August
Week 7 - 28th August - 4th September
Week 8 - 4th - 11th September
Week 9 - 11th - 18th September
To read more detailed information on the program, and generous packages offered by the Academy's chosen accommodation partner, the Hotel du Glacier, click here.
To book the course, click here |
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Congratulations has to go to the Warren Smith Ski Academy – GAP 2010 students who achieved a massive 36 out of 37 student pass rate from their BASI Level 2 exam in March. Once again this is an extremely high volume pass rate for a GAP Year program with the BASI qualification. Of the 37 students on the course, there were ages ranging from 16 to 50 including school leavers, university students, bankers, doctors, lawyers, a mountaineer, and even a journalist from the Daily Telegraph who wrote a column each weekend in the paper about the course. Click here to view
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Some had the ambition of becoming ski instructors and others were solely on the course to get their skiing to a high level and increase their confidence and knowledge in areas they wouldn't otherwise learn in regular ski holidays. |
There was a strong bond made between all students, and once more it was amazing to see how age, race, gender and social background didn’t make a difference to them all becoming close friends, when they had one thing in common – a passion for skiing. We are very proud of their achievement and hope to continue to ski with each and everyone of the 2010 GAP students for years to come. Several students from this program will be coming back in the 2010/11 season to train with us on the Warren Smith Ski Academy ISIA (Level 3) Training Program.
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After research carried out by the Academy, it was clear that many people looking at which GAP Ski Instructor course to book actually wanted to hear from people that had completed one. All that was available on the internet was advertising but very little reviews from the students. We hope this will help you if you’re searching for the right GAP Ski Instructor course for you. Big respect to the 2010 GAPies! |
If you are interested in booking the Warren Smith Ski Academy GAP Year Ski Instructor course for Summer 2010 click here, or for Winter 2011 click here.
For full story and Video Reviews click here. |
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Following a successful first edition of the Warren Smith Ski Academy Summer 2009 GAP Year Ski Instructor program on the glacier in Saas-Fee last year, the Academy will be repeating the course this summer. The Academy GAP courses are the most critically acclaimed GAP year ski instructor courses in the industry with a 100% pass rate proven system for getting students through the BASI Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications.
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This nine-week summer ski instructor training programme starts on 3 July 2010 in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. The course runs until 4 September and will give all participants the chance to leave with a ski instructor qualification that will be ready to use for winter 2010/11. The program is also very useful for people in education that only have a specific time window during the summer holidays to take time out. The course includes five intensive weeks of performance coaching, BASI Level 1, BASI Level 2, Off piste Mountain Safety training, BASP First Aid Qualification, Ski Biomechanics training, video analysis and much more.
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Click here for the full information on the course. To get a feel for the course before booking check out the student reviews from 2008, 2009 and 2010 winter GAP courses. Also check out the Academy’s winter GAP year ski instructor program in Verbier by clicking here. |
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| JAPAN POWDER SKI CAMPS 2011 - DATES ANNOUNCED |
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The season wouldn't be complete for the Academy without a trip to the powder paradise that is Japan. During the European half term holiday month of February, Warren will be taking his pro team to Japan for another dose of waist to neck deep powder. After a successful partnership, the Academy will once again team up with Ski Independence to create a trip of a lifetime.
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During the Japanese season massive quantities of snow fall - some resorts during the peak season report a snow depth of 6 or 7 meters! So reliable are the snowfalls that during the Academy Powder Camps in February, you are guaranteed excellent snow conditions.
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The Academy course is based in the North Island in the region of Hokkaido. Niseko and Furano are the two main ski areas where the course takes place, but there is also the possibility of short trips to ski the Asahidake volcano, the resort of Kamui and also Rusutsu. Night skiing until 9pm will also be possible if you have the energy at the end of the day!
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The dates of the trip are 9 – 20 February 2011. Places are limited for this trip due to course bookings already placed. To reserve your place on the trip please email theteam@warrensmith-skiacademy.com with JAPAN in the subject heading. |
Check out the course details here and here for the Japan Powder Camps 2010 blog |
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| ACADEMY SUPERGROUP CONCEPT LAUNCHING WINTER 2010/11 |
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Winter 2010/11 will see the launch of the Academy ‘Supergroup’ Concept. This is a group for Academy Level 4, 5 and 6 skiers that wish to be pushed beyond the normal limits of the Academy 5 day course. The ‘Supergroup’ concept will operate either parallel to the Academy groups or over specific weekends in Verbier. The groups will range from between 4 and 6 people.
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Off piste skiing will be the major focus of these groups and skiers will be tested in Verbier and Chamonix’s amazing freeskiing terrain. Also in surrounding smaller resorts that offer excellent off piste. All participants in these groups will receive off piste safety training during and prior to the course. More information on the ‘Supergroup’ concept will be available over the coming weeks. If you are interested to find out more please write to us through ‘Contact’ page of the Academy website.
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| ACADEMY TEAMS UP WITH CITY SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS |
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This year the Warren Smith Ski Academy joined the City Ski Championships from Thursday 18 - Sunday 21 March, in Courmayeur, Vallee d'Aoste. Celebrating its 11th anniversary and attracting up to 240 skiers from over 40 City firms, the long weekend provided London’s financial community with an opportunity to relax in its own company in a programme of friendly competition. A full itinerary of skiing, guiding, coaching, racing, dining on & off the mountain, partying and prize-giving is laid on for their enjoyment.
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The Academy have been signed up by the championships for several years to be the official training organisation and the first year proved to be a massive success with the skiers. Warren and Rob from the Academy team headed over from Verbier to offer race coaching to the skiers to help them improve their downhill times. Warren offered coaching at the start of the race course and Rob took several groups lapping around the area. Rob spent some time with the Ski Club of Great Britain staff group and even former Formula 1 World Champion, Damon Hill. Rob said, “Damon’s skiing was very advanced, he skied with the mentality that he drives with for sure! We certainly helped him with his weaker turn and tuned him up for the competition”. Warren also worked with an ex Norwegian World Cup skier and some ex British team members. Check out the full review from City Ski by clicking here.
Click here to view City Ski booklet (Pdf) |
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TECHNIQUE FOR DAILY MAIL SKI & SNOWBOARD MAGAZINE
- GREAT FEEDBACK FROM THE READERS |
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Warren was appointed ski technique editor of Britain’s best selling winter sports title, Daily Mail Ski & Snowboard, in spring 2009. After the first six editions of this winter’s magazine, the feedback from the readers on the technique pages has been very positive. The six pages per issue covered various aspects of skiing such as carving, steeps, moguls, off piste, powder and couloir skiing. What was also unique was the video clips that was placed on the www.metrosnow.co.uk website to give a visual interpretation of the pages in the magazine. Click here to view. |
Warren has been signed to write new content again for winter 2010/11 and will be shooting this over summer 2010 on Europe’s glaciers and in Chile and Argentina. You can view some pages from the 2009/10 issues here. Warren’s content in book’s and DVD’s is available through the Academy e-shop here
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Next Newsletter: Look out for the next Academy newsletter in May. Content will include a full review of the Scott Academy team ski wear, info on the Volkl ski range for 2010/11 and new ski boot information.
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Many thanks to all of our members, team, sponsors and Nick & Rod in the UK. Hope you enjoy the rest of the rest of the season and get the best of the fantastic snow conditions this year.
Kind regards,
the Warren Smith Ski Academy team
Warren Smith Ski Academy | Team
Snowsport Synergy Ltd | Merlewood | Kenyon Lane | Dinckley | Lancashire | BB6 8AN | England
UK +44 (0)1525 374757 | theteam@warrensmith-skiacademy.com
Warren Smith Profile www.soulsports.co.uk/warrensmith
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