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.

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 Snowsports 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

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!

GREAT BRITAIN

The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead

Inside Out Skiing - www.insideoutskiing.com

FRANCE
Alpe d’Huez
British Masterclass - www.masterclass.f9.co.uk

Avoriaz

Avoriaz Alpine Ski School - www.avoriazalpineskischool.com
Freedom 2 Ski - www.freedom2ski.com
The Snow Institute - www.thesnowinstitute.com
Chamonix
All Mountain Performance - www.allmountainperformance.com
Alpine Lines - www.alpinelines.com
BASS - www.britishskischool.com
Chatel
BASS - www.britishskischool.com
Courchevel
BASS - www.britishskischool.com
New Generation - www.skinewgen.com
RTM Snowboarding - www.rtmsnowboarding.com
Les Arcs
New Generation - www.skinewgen.com
Les Gets
BASS - www.britishskischool.com
The Snow Institute - www.thesnowinstitute.com
Les Gets Snowsports - www.skischool.co.uk
Mint Snowboarding www.mintsnowboarding.com

The Edge - www.theedgesnowsports.com
Meribel
BASS - www.britishskischool.com
New Generation - www.skinewgen.com
Parallel Lines - www.parallel-lines.com
RTM Snowboarding - www.rtmsnowboarding.com
Morzine

BASS - www.britishskischool.com

The Edge - www.theedgesnowsports.com
Serre Chevalier
Eurekaski - www.eurekaski.com
Tignes and Val d'Isere
New Generation - www.skinewgen.com
BASS www.britishskischool.com
Mountain Masters - www.mountain-masters.com
The Development Centre - www.tdcski.com
Progression Ski and Snowboard School - www.progressionski.com
Ultimate Snowsports - www.ultimatesnowsports.com
Pro-snowboarding - www.pro-snowboarding.co.uk

SWITZERLAND
St Moritz
Ski Cool St.Moritz - www.skicool.ch
Verbier
European Snowsport - www.europeansnowsport.com
Altitude - www.altitude-verbier.co.uk
New Generation - www.skinewgen.com
Warren Smith Ski Academy - www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com
Powder Extreme - www.powder-extreme.com
Zermatt
European Snowsport - www.europeansnowsport.com
Summit Ski and Snowboard School - www.summitskischool.com

SPAIN
Baqueira 
Baqueira British Ski School - www.bbskischool.co.uk