On 8 January we opened the doors to a new SnowSkool season in the heart of the Three Valleys in France. A select few had arrived earlier and together we welcomed the new SnowSkool group for the year. They are such a great mix of age, personality and nationality.

After an immense diversity of journeys from airports, train stations and other stops, from near and far, the class of 2012 had finally arrived and were able to relax in their new homes at Chalet Ballenberg, Chalet L’Ancolie and Chalet Clair de Lune. The first day was spent getting settled, organising equipment and getting the lie of the land. The conditions in the French Alps were extraordinary having received what locals describe as the best snowfalls in a decade. Hard to imagine how to improve on what was perfection.
 
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the alarm clocks were ringing and the students were getting excited for their first day on the slopes with the trainers. The weather couldn’t have been better on what was a bluebird day with only a whisper of wind. It literally was perfect. At just on 9.00am, the groups were organized and the instructors introduced – the two ski trainers are John and Phil and for snowboard, Lee and Nick.

The sense of anticipation throughout the group was palpable as we all headed up the chair lift to start the first day of training. It was a great day with the instructors giving feedback to the students on their strengths and weaknesses, identifying what to build on for the rest of the week before starting the Level 1 exam.

As the ski groups went through the week perfecting their snow ploughing, carving and short controlled turns, the improvement could be seen literally day by day. The snow boarders were also put through their paces with Lee and Nick giving constructive feedback on general skills. During the week the boarders had in-depth lessons and practice on posture, carving, buttering and a good introduction to lesson simulation and basic freestyle. Everybody showed signs of improvement and fantastic understanding of their new skills.

In between all this hard work, we have managed a couple of nights out as well as a big party on the Thursday evening to celebrate Aussie Anne’s 18th birthday. To kick the night off we hit Jacks bar for their comedy night and a few free drinks. Some stayed while others headed to other bars but we all ended in Dick’s T-Bar where we had our reserved private booth with free entry and drinks provided. The music was fantastic, which is more than can be said about the dancing!

With the weekend came some achingly tired legs and so with the Level 1 exam week fast approaching, some down-time was in order. Having had only one day off this week, all were in need of a good dose of TLC. Every single day this week, everyone had been out on the mountain from first chair until last, skiing or riding hard and learning fast. They have had evening avalanche talks, BASI examiner interviews and several nights out, all of which has been tough on the body as well as the mind. But what a week! Not only have the conditions been the best in the last 10 years but everyone had bonded into a great group with new friendships developing that will be taken away from the French Alps to places far and wide.

We don’t muck around here in Meribel. As of Monday morning at 9.00am, everyone will be ready and set to start the first day of testing for the Level 1 BASI qualification, which will last over five days. A few go into the week of testing carrying injuries but also with the sheer determination to overcome them. Many students have had to change their habits on the slopes in a short space of time, and they’ve worked hard to do so in order to satisfy the examiners. It won’t be easy and there’s no guarantee but confidence is running high and the students are well-prepared and fired up.
That’s it for our first week in France. I’ll be back in touch next weekend with news of how the tests went.

Adam Way
SnowSkool France 2012 – Course Leader

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