British Ski Schools

Why a British instructor might be right for you.

It is a long time since British ski schools were closed down with their instructors being chased off the mountain and threatened with jail.

In France instructors were punched in front of their class, the locks on their office doors were super-glued, they were arrested on the slopes and worse things happened too revolting to print here.

Lets just say dog poo.

The kids

Things have changed though with dozens of British ski schools opening up and at the last count over 4,000 British ski and snowboard instructors are working across the mountains.

Most are trained by the British Association of Snowsport Instructors.

So why might you choose a British instructor over a local one?

Don’t get us wrong as here at PlanetSKI we firmly believe there are many fantastic instructors working in the national ski schools in Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy.

Long gone are the days of “bendez the knees and follow me”.

Teaching is a chosen profession for many people and taken very seriously.

Locals also have a more detailed knowledge of the mountains as many live in the resort all year round.

However, British instructors have some distinct advantages in our view.

SHARED LANGUAGE

Firstly there is no language problem and techniques can be explained in a variety of different ways using the nuance of language.

People tend to learn in different ways (watching, doing, thinking) and with no language barrier then it makes things easier.

Also never underestimate a shared sense of humour as one of the most important things when teaching is to make people smile and feel relaxed.

When our editor, James Cove, teaches his first goal with clients is to help them have fun.

That’s where humour comes in. Quite often the best way to improve your skiing is not to adjust your technique but simply to smile and laugh.

Believe us it works!

SAME QUALIFICATIONS

Teaching

All ski teachers have to pass a set of exams that are set by the governing bodies of European Ski and Snowboard teaching.

A top-level French instructor will have the same qualification as a top level British one.

Teaching is a serious business with 3 different levels of instructor. It takes years of training and a lot of money to pass all the exams.

Where British Ski Schools score highly though is on customer service.

Many are more expensive than the local ski school but you will get smaller classes and more personal attention for your money.

Indeed because of the problems of a few years back the British instructors had to work even harder to get recognised and taken seriously.

They do not suffer from the complacency that some local ski schools have.

LATEST TEACHING METHODS

Most of the British Ski and Snowboard Schools are run by BASI-trained instructors (British Association of Snowsports Instructors).

Indeed many are BASI Trainers so as well as training you they are certified good enough to train other instructors.

BASI has had to work very hard over recent years to gain the recognition and respect of the other snowsports nations and so some would argue that this has made them even better.

“British instructors are some of the best in the business and undergo a rigorous training programme to ensure just that,” says Sean Langmuir, the former Technical Director of BASI.

Here is a selection of the British Ski and Snowboard Schools now operating in the Alps.

They may not be the cheapest but if you think how much you spend on a ski holiday and how much more you would enjoy it if your were better, then to us at PlanetSKI.eu it’s a no-brainer!

FRANCE

Alpe d’Huez
British Masterclass

Avoriaz
Avoriaz Alpine Ski School
Freedom 2 Ski
The Snow Institute

Chamonix
All Mountain Performance
Alpine Lines
BASS

Chatel
BASS

Courchevel
BASS
New Generation
RTM Snowboarding

Les Arcs
New Generation

Les Gets
BASS
The Snow Institute

Les Gets Snowsports
Mint Snowboarding
The Edge

Megeve
BASS

Meribel
BASS
New Generation
Parallel Lines
RTM Snowboarding

Morzine

BASS
The Edge

Serre Chevalier
Eurekaski

Tignes and Val d’Isere
New Generation
BASS
Mountain Masters
The Development Centre
Progression Ski and Snowboard School
Ultimate Snowsports
Pro-snowboarding