BASI News 124 by British Association of Snowsport Instructors

The Official Biannual Publication from the British Association of Snowsport Instructors

Autumn 2017 Issue 124

HOw do we define an expert instructor? Find out more on page 5

new marketing director Welcome James Arnold

17/18 Gear review

Latest reviews and offers on this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best equipment

BAFFIN ISLAND Simon Christy reflects on four weeks spent in Arctic Canada

DESIGNED FOR FREEDOM To reach escape velocity, you need precision, power, and control. X-Race is carefully crafted to enable ultimate confidence so you are free to go faster.

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2 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

BASI News

Editorial

Editor Tania Alliod BASI Morlich House, 17 The Square, Grantown-on-Spey, PH26 3HG T 01479 861717 F 01479 873657 E tania@basi.org.uk W www.basi.org.uk Editorial Issue 125 April 2018 Booking Deadline: Mon 5 March 2018 Copy Deadline: Mon 5 March 2018 Published: April 2018 E tania@basi.org.uk T 01479 861717 E www.basi.org.uk Design BASI News Its All Good 10 The Haughs, Cromdale Grantown-on-Spey PH26 3PQ T info@itsallgood.org.uk W www.itsallgood.org.uk BASI News is the official house journal of the British Association of Snowsport Instructors. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic means without the express written permission of BASI. Opinions presented in BASI NEWS are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of BASI or of the Editors. BASI has the right to refuse publication of any manuscripts which do not meet publishing standards or the BASI Code of Ethics. BASI invites the submission of manuscripts and photos to the editor from its readers - (E&OE)

Welcome….. to the October 2017 edition of BASI News. We have been working, not only on a new design and content layout for you, but have included also some thought provoking feature articles that should generate plenty of debate! “How do we define an expert instructor?” by Paul Garner, invites us to consider the disconnect between the theoretical approach and the practical reality of coaching. Wayne Naylor provides a tutorial on how to work out your ski or board’s real turning radius, as opposed to taking the manufacturer’s word for it; whilst Simon Christy shares his images and touring stories from Baffin Island, Canada.

The 2017 / 18 season Member Pro Deal offers are all available to view via your member area and, in the centre pages, some of our suppliers have highlighted their own favourites for you. If you haven’t booked a CPD or course for this winter, there is still time to take that step and schedule it in. Thank you to all our contributors to this edition and remember, BASI News is your member magazine and we welcome features, news, pictures and stories from you all. Wherever you are headed this winter – have a good one! Email me at: tania@basi.org.uk

Dates for your Diary The Official Bi-Yearly Publication from the British Association of Snowsport Instructors

Autumn 2017 Issue 124

HOw do we define an expert instructor? Find out more on page *

new marketing director Welcome James Arnold

17/18 Gear review

Latest reviews and offers on this seasons best equipment

BAFFIN ISLAND Simon Christy reflects on 4 weeks spent in Artic Canada

Ancient Hallways: Ross Hewitt following the bootpack on another stunning line - 50m up from the fjord the 900m walls seemed almost to touch overhead. See page 10.

• 29 September 2017 Voting opens for Board Elections (Nordic, Adaptive, Finance and Secretary to the Board) • 1-3 October 2017 BASI Trainers’ Conference 2017 – Manchester • 26-29 October 2017 London Ski Show – Battersea Park • 10 November 2017 Online voting closes at 5pm for Board Elections • 12 November 2017 BASI General Meeting, Zermatt, Switzerland

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Contents

FEATURES

BASI NEWS

Editorial

Info and Advice

How do we define an expert instructor?

Charlie Laine

James Arnold

Seven triathlons in seven days over seven continents

by Tania Alliod

by Paul Garner

8 10 15

Language Learning by Rowena Philips

Baffin Island

by Simon Christy

BASI Pro Deals

New BASI Adaptive Trainer BASI Marketing Director

by Keith Jenns

Gran’s Eulogy by Alisdair Lay

BASI and the SCQF

BASI Retired Trainers

Value of your BASI membership

BASI in Beijing

by Donald Musk

by Tania Alliod

LIFE MEMBERS 30

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BASI Life Memberships

CONTRIBUTORS Paul Garner “True experts have an open mindedness and a humility that allows them to continue learning...

pg5 Rowena Philips is a trilingual BASI ISTD instructor, with a French and German degree.

pg8

How do we define an expert instructor? True experts have an open mindedness and a humility that allows them to continue learning... so read on. by Paul Garner

Paul Garner

t is well documented in sports coaching research that there remains a disconnect between academic research into coaching and the practice of coaching on the ground (Jones, Morgan and Harris, 2012). Although in other contexts we might understandably distinguish between coaching and instructing, in this article I will refer to these terms interchangeably. As some justification for this I would point to the fact that BASI instructors are encouraged, throughout their education, to coach and teach as well as to instruct, with instructing sitting as one style of delivery. Anyway, the purpose of this article is not to discuss the accuracy of terminology, rather an attempt to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to provide BASI members with some inspiration for their continued quest to develop as snowsport professionals.

Academics become frustrated when coaches don’t engage with new ideas and more ethical ways of working. Coaches get frustrated when academics make suggestions that just won’t work in practice. Is this a relationship doomed to failure or is there a way for us to work better together? Certainly, the alignment process that has recently been undertaken by BASI in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh is a huge step in the right direction. The decision to support a BASI member to undertake a PhD also shows real intent from our organisation to help bridge the gap between practice and research. BASI is forward thinking and, compared to some other sports, are ahead of the game in many respects. Coaching has been described as a complex activity (Horton, 2015; Collins, Carson and Collins, 2016) and snowsport instructing is no exception. Not only do we operate in a dynamic environment with ever changing weather, snow conditions, light, temperature but we do so with different people, often on a daily basis. So, it follows that to be an expert requires a complex array of skills and knowledge. If you think back to your first ever BASI course there is a good chance you’ll remember

an evening lecture where your group discussed the roles and responsibilities of a snowsport instructor; this activity usually presents an unlimited number of answers from marriage counsellor to teacher to equipment specialist. So how do we neatly define the requirements for expert status? How do we know, for example, what characteristics a Level 4 instructor should demonstrate? Many would say that expertise comes with experience yet if we experience 30 years of poor practice surely, we remain less than expert? If we want to ensure our experience is valuable and well-informed then we can learn from academia. In 2009, two celebrated academics from Canada, Professor Jean Côté and Dr Wade Gilbert presented an integrated definition for what they propose constitutes coaching effectiveness and expertise, a definition that is becoming increasingly used in coach education, particularly in Canada and the UK. If this model is to be of value then it is important to interpret what it says from a snowsport perspective. Below is a summary of the three sections of Côté and Gilbert’s (2009) model, coaching knowledge, athlete outcomes and context.

Model for Coaching Effectiveness and Expertise from a BASI perspective

Model for Coaching Effectiveness and Expertise (Côté & Gilbert, 2009)

Coaching Knowledge • Professional Knowledge • Interpersonal Knowledge • Intrapersonal Knowledge

Context

Athlete Outcomes • Competence • Confidence • Connection • Character

“The consistent application of integrated professional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal knowledge to improve athletes’ competence, confidence, connection, and character in specific coaching contexts” (Côté & Gilbert, 2009, p.316).

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FEATURE

BASI Feature

FEATURE

BASI Feature Coaching knowledge Professional knowledge is what we need to know in order to teach snowsports. It refers to sport specific knowledge and for us is much of the content of our manual, such as the fundamental elements and understanding the performance threads. This knowledge is relatively easy to learn and typically forms the syllabus of instructor education and qualification systems. Interpersonal knowledge is what allows us to build successful relationships with our clients, our colleagues and peers; in fact with anyone with whom we have dealings. It underpins our ability to communicate accurately and effectively. This knowledge is often considered to be innate and seen as dependent on your personality; ‘you either have it or you don’t’ – can it be learned? We will challenge this notion later. Intrapersonal knowledge is our capacity for reflection and self-awareness. How well do we understand our own strengths and weaknesses? It allows us to understand and articulate our values and the philosophy behind our coaching behaviour and underpins our ability to develop the other two types of knowledge (Garner and Hill, 2017). This type of knowledge is also difficult to learn and whilst coach education often pays it lip service, how well do we really know our own practice and do we use introspection as a way to continue developing our abilities?

Athlete (client) outcomes If we assume the requisite knowledge is in place, in order to be sure that we are effective, we need to look at the outcomes in our clients. It’s all well and good knowing how to teach but if the results aren’t there then we need to engage with our intrapersonal knowledge so as to work out why? The theory suggests we should aspire to have a positive impact on the following 4Cs: • Competence – the client’s ability to ski or snowboard. Are they improving? • Confidence – this is an ever-present consideration in snowsport teaching. We see confidence negatively and positively affected during snowsport lessons sometimes as a result of the other outcomes listed here and other times with no link. • Connection – are we enabling our clients to build friendships, to interact with one another, to connect with us as their instructor? Do they feel connected to the sport, resort, school – are they likely to return? 6 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

• Character – perhaps not an obvious outcome in snowsport teaching but on closer consideration of utmost importance, especially when teaching children. Understanding that hard work is a necessary part of improvement, that overcoming fears and anxieties can be a rewarding experience, that helping others and showing respect to the environment is a part of our sport. It is an interesting exercise to reflect on your last lesson and to consider which of the 4Cs you perhaps failed to address.

Context The final piece of Côté and Gilbert’s jigsaw is the context in which you coach/ instruct. This will affect the balance of what outcome you choose to focus on and how you blend and use the three types of knowledge. It is important for us to adapt our approach depending on the motivations of our clients, but ultimately all three types of knowledge will be required.

Developing interpersonal knowledge I would like to spend the remainder of this article looking at how we can develop our interpersonal knowledge. If you look at the great coaches in history and indeed the instructors who you know to be the favourites with clients, they have something in common; they are a people person. They know how to make others feel special, they can relate to people from different walks of life, communication appears effortless and natural. Can we learn these attributes?

More recent work explores the behaviour that a coach with high levels of interpersonal knowledge might exhibit. In the absence of literature from coaching, researchers have gone to the business world and borrowed from work on leadership. Specifically, the theory of transformational leadership (Bass and Riggio, 2006), which suggests leaders should inspire and empower their followers to develop, as opposed to a transactional style which is more based on rewards and sanctions. Bass and Riggio’s (2006) work proposed four dimensions to guide transformational behaviour, which have been used by coaching scholars as a starting point to suggest specific coaching behaviours. CLAS - Coach Leadership Assessment System (Turnnidge & Côté, 2016) As I alluded to earlier in this piece, we often assume that expert interpersonal knowledge is innate and cannot be taught. Research suggests that formal coach education in general neglects to address interpersonal knowledge (Avner, Markula and Denison, 2017; Jones et al., 2012) and the BASI system is no exception. It is difficult to teach and equally challenging to assess, therefore it is left alone, or at best judged informally and subjectively. However, emerging research into coach behaviour (Turnnidge and Côté, 2016) has presented the Coach Leadership Assessment System (CLAS) which is an important step towards addressing this issue. The CLAS provides a useful tool for coach education programmes to perform structured coach observation and coach self-reflection.

Leadership Style

Behaviour Dimension (Bass & Riggio, 2006) Idealized Influence (Acting as a role model)

Leadership Behaviours (Turnnidge & Côté, 2016) 1 Discussing/modelling pro-social values or behaviours 2 Showing vulnerability/humility 3 Discussing goals/expectations

Inspirational Motivation (Focus on the process)

Transformational

4 Expressing confidence in athlete potential 5 Promoting team concept 6 Providing rationales/explanations 7 Eliciting athlete input

Intellectual Stimulation (Learner centred approach)

8 Sharing decision making/leadership responsibilities 9 Emphasizing the learning process

Transactional

Individualized Consideration (A caring, personalised approach)

10 Showing interest in athlete feelings/ needs/concerns 11 Recognizing athlete achievements/ contributions

(Instructor-led, authoritarian approach)

12 Discussing rewards/penalties

Neutral

13 Searching for/responding to deviations from rules or standards 14 Neutral

Laissez-faire

(Disengaged)

Toxic

(Negative role model)

15 Showing disinterest 16 Expressing anger/hostility 17 Modelling anti-social behaviours

Ongoing research

Implications for ski teachers

I am currently conducting a research project, using CLAS to observe BASI trainer behaviour when delivering courses and can share some initial findings, which transfers to anyone who teaches. To be an effective trainer it is important to be able to play different roles during a course. At times, the emphasis needs to be on learning, at others it is on assessment and making judgments. If we look at CLAS we could argue that transactional behaviour is inevitable when delivering results. What I have found from extended, structured observations is that transformational delivery allows transactional behaviour to be accepted in a positive way.

In terms of how this translates to regular ski teaching, with paying clients with no result to deliver at the end of the week, it is important to consider when, as ski instructors, we need to be transactional in our jobs.

Take the example of a trainer who values the input of the candidates, who poses questions and encourages problem solving within the group, who shares decision making about the flow and structure of the day, who obviously cares about your development – transformational coaching. This transformational environment is likely to allow the inevitable transactional behaviour associated with result time to be well received – a pass that is valued for all the right reasons and not just seen as a tick in the box, or a fail that is respectfully accepted (even agreed with) and seen in a positive light.

A closer inspection of CLAS shows two behaviours attributed to transactional leadership: 12. Discussing rewards/penalties 13. Searching for/responding to deviations from rules or standards Let us consider what these might look like in a ski-instructing context. Discussing rewards/penalties – This is particularly relevant to teaching children and may include working towards awards and the reward of a certificate. It may be that a good run or good concentration would be rewarded with a trip to the café for a hot chocolate or a sweet from the instructor’s secret stash. Equally, there are times when a penalty for bad behaviour needs to exist. This may be that you have a word with the parents or that a particular child is no longer allowed to be the first in line. The point though, is that these issues are less likely to occur and will be easier to deal with if transformational coaching is our default setting.

Searching for/responding to deviations from rules or standards – Of the two transactional behaviours this is the one more likely to apply to working with adults and is particularly noticeable in the instructor who bases their teaching around a template of the way (standards) to ski. We might aspire to be more creative in our approach (I hope so) but if we’re honest, we can all probably think of a time when we’ve wanted a client to fit a picture or to ski to a model. The one time when I think this type of behaviour is essential is when we have concerns around safety. Whenever I talk to colleagues about instructing and guiding off piste, issues that arise often centre around their ability to manage the expectations of the group and, in some cases, to maintain ultimate control. My initial findings would suggest that a client is more likely to respect our judgement in hazardous situations and to obey unquestioningly when the need arises, if transformational coaching is our default setting. In summary, it is worth thinking about the three types of knowledge that comprise expertise in coaching – where do your strengths and weaknesses lie? Have you contemplated developing in all these areas including interpersonal knowledge which is an essential part of becoming an expert? It is worth considering the outcomes that you are achieving with your clients/athletes; are there areas that get neglected or that you do particularly well? Finally, I believe the culmination of the research I have presented in this short paper provides us with two strong messages:

1. It is not necessarily wrong to be transactional in our coaching. However, transactional behaviour is only effective in certain circumstances and is better received in an environment where transformational behaviours dominate.

2. The behaviours presented in the CLAS are a useful reflective tool. I would encourage anyone reading this to consider the four behaviour dimensions and to reflect upon the areas that are strong and weak in your teaching/communication.

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FEATURE

Editorial

FEATURE

BASI Feature

Language Learning The end of the beginning by Rowena Philips HOW MANY HOURS DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN A LANGUAGE? Ok, a few stats to start with; according to the US department for language learning, it takes around 450-500 hours to gain basic proficiency in a European language (inc. French, German, Italian, or Spanish) but we often try to achieve a sufficient level in just a few hours. While this is enough to be able to learn a few phrases and a little vocab, it’s just not going to cut it when you’re faced with a question that you haven’t prepared for, or an injury that you need to explain, if you can’t find the right word.

owena Phillips is a trilingual BASI ISTD instructor, with a French and German degree from Queen Mary College, London. She is also a BASI French and German language examiner having conducted over 75 language tests and she has been a language teacher in both French and German since 2006.

Put into context, starting from scratch; i.e. no knowledge of the language at all, spending 450 hours learning, would equate to an hour a day, for 15 months… which sounds pretty tough, but if you start learning the language once you start your ISIA, there’s a good chance you’ll have sufficient proficiency to pass the test with flying colours, and more importantly, be able to converse in your chosen language easily, which will help you integrate locally and improve your language knowledge even more.

LANGUAGE TESTS - THE END OF THE BEGINNING

ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTOR

The second language test is often a stumbling block for instructors looking to complete their ISIA. The irony is, that for majority of us, we’re already living in a place that speaks the language that we’re looking to improve; surrounded by the people, and the culture that we’re looking to learn from. And yet, somehow it very often ends up being the last thing on the list to tick off…

A PERCEPTION PROBLEM The main problem is that the majority of people see the test as the goal, the end, when really it’s a benchmark; an “absolute minimum” that has been set, to ensure that before passing your ISIA, you will at the very least be able to deal safely with an accident, have a little small talk to enable you to interact with the locals, and teach a basic lesson. We therefore need to change our perception and really start to see the language test as the beginning, rather than the end in itself. 8 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

Part of the problem with learning a second language for us, is that, it has become more and more common, if not almost always the norm, for English speaking instructors to work for private English speaking ski schools in the Alps. And so, whilst you can function and work in a foreign country without speaking the language, you lose out on so much interesting local experience. 20 years ago, when there were few, if any independent ski schools, if you wanted to teach skiing you had to work for the local school which meant you had to communicate in their language, even if it was pretty rough at first, you’d make yourself understood. And there’s no better way to learn the language than being flung into the deep end and making yourself understood with the grasp of the language that you have, plus some choice hand signals! We know that being a ski instructor is not just about providing a service on the technical details of the sport, it’s a lot

more wide ranging in terms of your role; it’s about customer service, have decent chair lift chat, being able to relate to kids etc etc. By the same token therefore, you aren’t being as good an instructor as you could be, if you aren’t able to act as a link between your client and the resort: You might know where the best restaurants are on the mountain, but you can’t interact with the owners in the way that you can if you speak their language; something which shows respect and a general appreciation of the local customs and behaviour.

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE Learning another language helps you understand the culture and people in the country where you’re living; it helps you relate to things in new ways, because language and culture are so closely linked. Just look at the old proverb about Icelanders having 100 different words for snow; actually the inhabitants of northern Finland have 180 words for it, including Moarri, which refers to the kind of travel surface where frozen snow or ice breaks and cuts the legs of animals…! Very specific, but it gives you a fantastic insight into the importance of how precise the Finns need to be about the specifics of snow. For them, it is so important to be able to communicate clearly about the snow and weather, as it can so easily affect their livelihoods.

RIGHT - HOW TO LEARN It feels a bit ironic to be writing an article for the BASI newsletter on how to learn - you would have thought by now, considering what we do, we’d already understand the basics…and yet we so often approach language learning with the same innocence as the beginner that asks you how quickly they’ll be able to do the black runs. And just like training for skiing, or any other skill, language learning takes patience, time and variable practise: If you’re training for your technical exam, and you’re working on your short turns, you’re not just going to keep on skiing short turns over and over, you’re also going to do drills that break down the turn into its component parts. Therefore we should also look at breaking down the language; firstly spend some time on the grammar; mastering the basics such as forming verbs in the present, past and future, and understanding the personal pronouns (I, you, he, she etc).

NEWS

Info & Advice BASI is delighted to announce that course prices will not increase for the 2017/18 season.

It makes us more culturally sensitive and tolerant of others It helps slow the onset of dementia and mental aging

Multilinguals exhibit enhanced problem solving skills

Studying a language can boost IQ

Learning a new language stimulates the same pleasure centres as sex, drugs and rock n’ roll

Multilinguals influences careful decision making

It improves listening comprehension

Additionally, the course cancellation policy has been improved dramatically. The cancellation fee, due if you cancel more than six weeks prior to the course start date, has been halved. This means that members can get more money back should disaster strike after booking a course. We do recommend though that members take out separate course cancellation insurance. Membership subscriptions will increase by £1 for the 2017/18 subs to £78 for full membership and £53 for associate membership. The additional £1 will go towards developing and rolling out the BASI App. The App will give all paid up members access to all the BASI manuals in e-book format on Apple and Android devices. Not sure if membership is worth it? Check out this story on the value of BASI membership… http://blog.basi.org.uk/whats-thevalue-of-your-basi-membership/

Then devote some time to listening to the language, preferably using audio language learning apps and then move onto listening to local radio. Also, you could watch a film you know well, but watch it in the second language or use subtitles, you’ll start to get an ear for the sound of the language, and it’ll help your understanding hugely. Then spend time reading and writing, again using apps, textbooks in your language of choice, read comics or kids’ books, progressing to magazines or newspapers as you become more fluent and making sure you keep a vocab notebook where you can write down the new words you come across. As a side note, keeping a notebook like this really helps active learning; you’re much more likely to remember the word if you haven’t just looked it up, but written it down as well. Additionally you could stick post it notes around your house with the new words you’re learning. And, really important, but often the most intimidating part: Talk!

with, even if it’s only for 10 mins at a time. Meet up with some mates who are learning too, and try to just talk in the language you’re all learning, even if it’s just for 20 minutes; you’ll learn from each other and you’ll get rid of that performance anxiety! Go to the pub. But this time with the intention of striking up a conversation in your second language with a couple of locals at a bar; even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time; again this will really help with those initial nerves! In summary, remember that the language test isn’t something that BASI throws into the mix just to trip people up. It’s should be a vital part of our job, and in fact our lives when we’re working in a foreign country. It also reminds us how to learn, which puts us back on the same page as our clients and, with perseverance, can open so many new opportunities and experiences. There are some great ideas on www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/ languagelearning-tips

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FEATURE

Editorial BASI Feature

Baffin Island

the greatest couloirs on the planet by Simon Christy

imon Christy is an ISTD and International Mountain Leader based in the Vanoise area of France from where he runs off piste and steep ski coaching and adventure courses via www.offpisteskiing.com. In 2016 Simon spent four weeks in Baffin Island, Arctic Canada, skiing first descents in the steep couloirs among the huge rock walls the area is famous for. Baffin Island had been high on my ‘bucket list’ ever since I read an article by US steep skiing legend Andrew McLean on a trip he made in 2002 with Brad Barlage, skiing over a dozen first descents in the Sam Ford Fjord and Walker Arm area; including uber-classic lines like ‘Polar Star couloir’. Ross Hewitt and I had talked about the idea of a trip here for years and it all started coming together for spring 2014. However, the arrival of my second child a few months before, meant the timing simply was not good so I had to pass on that trip and resigned myself to having missed the chance of a lifetime. Fortunately, Ross came back massively keen to return, so May 2016 was inked in the diary, and we started planning. The team was completed by our friends Evan Cameron, a Scottish A&E consultant (very handy) living in NZ, and Stephen ‘Chipie’ Windross, a Tarentaise-based roving skier, adventurer and chef (also very handy…). We met up in Ottawa, where Chipie had put in a heroic 48-hour stint buying food, picking up our sat phone and other necessities. Two more flights took us to the Arctic settlement of Clyde River, where with a bit of networking, we arranged for some local Inuit to take us into the fjords with their skidoos and ‘qamutik’ sledges. After 13 hours being shaken to bits in the bitter cold, we arrived at midnight deep in the heart of Gibbs Fjord, a zone that has seen very little exploration, with only a handful of recorded lines further down-fjord towards Scot Island. As the sound of Joamie and Trevor’s skidoos gave way to silence we adjusted to the feeling of isolation, and got busy setting up camp in the ‘not-quite-dusk’, using abalakov anchors in the frozen sea ice to anchor the tents, and getting used to standing on three feet of ice with 400m of water below! The next day dawned clear and calm, and we set off to attempt our first line. -This exceeded our already high expectations, with 1200m of steepness straight off the fjord, ramping up from 35º to nearly 50º in the top 300m, with perfect mid-boot-deep cold snow all the way back to the fjord. A dream couloir if ever there was one (and following a quote from Ross tentatively named ‘Better than Polar Star’…). It was a great feeling to hit the jackpot straightaway after two years of planning, and I could have gone home a happy skier after just this one line. In the middle of the night the weather changed and we were out of bed every few hours digging out drifting snow and reinforcing the snow walls protecting our tents. We stayed at camp one for BACKGROUND IMAGE - STEEP 3: Simon Christy high in another classic Baffin line, with perfect steep skiing snow underfoot.

10 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

the next seven days, managing to ski new lines every day despite some variable weather: the beauty of the Arctic in spring is that you have so much daylight, that if the morning is bad, then you can just sit it out and wait for the weather to clear later in the day, and still have loads of time to bag a big line! Ross and I used kites to travel on the fjords when the winds were right: this was a revelation to me, though having previously sworn off any kite-related activities after two mates were killed in the mid 00’s in separate accidents, I came at it with some trepidation. On the second day, we skinned for 1 ½ hours to the base of a couloir; on the way back the wind had picked up to a medium breeze and I kited back to camp in 15 minutes! A massively efficient way to travel over the sea ice, though when an open lead of water comes along at 60 km/h, you have to make a quick decision to jump or bail… Later in the trip the kites allowed us to scout for new lines way down-fjord and definitely increased the potential range of operations from one base camp. We were still heavy with supplies when the time came to move camp, forcing us to put up our heel risers to have any chance of pulling our sleds. Six hours of purgatory and 12km later we set up camp two under an inspiring 900m high square tower flanked by deep-cut couloirs. For future reference, a soundtrack mixing Swedish death metal with comedy podcasts, seemed to hit the right balance of aggression and humour needed for sled-hauling! This camp ended up being our base for the next two weeks, with stunning couloirs on both banks of the fjord, sometimes wide and obvious, others narrow and hidden from view, until you climbed up into them and found that what looked like a short couloir actually turned into another 1000m+ monster. Compared to previous expeditions where chalky and variable snow conditions were the norm,

we had amazing snow conditions, generally skiing bootdeep powder, with localised micro-climates giving a couple of waist-deep trench-fests that rivalled the best steep and deep skiing I have ever had, and culminating in a solo ascent/descent of a mighty 1350m line that would happily get a 5.3 rating in the Alps, with 500m of 50-55º sitting above 800m of 40-45º; truly a king line! Over the course of three weeks we skied 18 previously unrecorded lines ranging between 600 and 1350m high and repeated two lines which had been opened by a French team in 2014. The skiing was everything we had hoped it would be: aesthetic, steep couloir lines between massive rock walls - these truly are the greatest couloir lines on the planet. Having had such a successful trip inevitably the karma balance had to even itself out and things started to unravel as we waited for our skidoo pick-up in wild weather, with near to zero visibility. Resigning ourselves to an extra day in the fjord we settled into our sleeping bags for the night, to be woken in the early hours by the sound of a lone skidoo arriving, the other one having broken down three hours out of Clyde River. Kevin, the driver, was not keen to hang around, so we drew short straws and Ross and I packed up and set off for civilisation, promising to make sure the other skidoo went back for Chipie and Evan. This finally arrived 12 hours later but then broke down (again) an hour into the trip home near Scot Island, leaving the team stranded in worsening weather, while the sat phone, which had been getting progressively more temperamental, finally gave out cutting off our communications. Over 48 hours a team from Clyde River SAR worked their way out through the blizzard, while out on the ice Evan and John-Paul hunkered down with the skidoo and Chipie and Joamie made an epic 16- hour walk over the sea ice to a hunter’s hut in search of a radio and parts to repair the skidoo.

BASE CAMP 2: Catching the last direct sun for the afternoon - although the sun never set for the last half of our trip the 1200m high walls on the North side of the fjord meant our camp was in shade for large parts of the ‘night’

KITE SKIING: Cruising back to base camp 2 - situated 1km out in the fjord directly under the 900m high square tower. The kite proved to be a hugely efficient tool for low energy travel when the wind was right, and great fun too!

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FEATURE

Editorial

FEATURE

Editorial The team finally made it back to Clyde River four days late, and miraculously the next day we found ourselves on the first flight back to Iqaluit; all flights having been cancelled for 5 days due to the weather, saving us from having to rebook eye-wateringly expensive tickets! The other silver lining in all this was that Ross and I got to spend a load of time with the Inuit while we sat in with the SAR coordination team and found many had some connection to Scotland as Baffin Island had been a regular port of call for whaling ships in the 18th and 19th centuries.

STEEP 1: Ross Hewitt takes flight near the top of Camp 2 couloir - this top section featured 50-55º powder over ice, which cast doubts in mind on the way up as to its skiability as we were front-pointing on crampons with 2 axes, but turned out to be ‘turnable’ for all but 10 feet.

I almost ended the title of this report with a question mark… the Mt Blanc massif and the Dolomites (to name just two areas) have some amazing ski lines but, for me, there is nowhere that quite matches the North-East coast of Baffin Island. Here you can step off a flat fjord into a couloir that looks like a giant has taken his sword to the vertical coastline leaving a perfect ribbon of snow in a sea of granite, and within a few minutes of climbing the walls on either side, seem to meet 1000m above your head. The landscape, the scale, the remoteness, the lack of people (an ever-increasing problem in the Alps!), the challenges of camping on sea ice in -30C, the resilience and calm of the Inuit: all of this combines to create an unforgettable experience.

THE POWDER FACTORY Stephen ‘Chipie’ Windross waist deep in a line we called ‘The Powder Factory’ - 900m of 45-50º nestled between a series of 1300m spires and a 1500m summit this area created its own micro-climate, snowing big flakes while the sun shone on the fjord below.

STEEP 2: Ross Hewitt making the first tentative turns in the first line of the trip, with 1200m of exposure to the fjord below.

12 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

WALL OF DREAMS Chipie skinning back from yet another line on the Wall Of Dreams - this area hid 4 900-1100m lines inside its maze of rock pinnacles. and a1500m summit this area created its own micro-climate, snowing big flakes while the sun shone on the fjord below.

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10% off for BASI members Use code S-BASI10 WWW.BASI.ORG.UK • 13

NEWS

BASI NEWS

Charlie Laine New BASI Adaptive Trainer

Charlie is now based in Tignes during the winter season and has set her sights on achieving ISTD Level 4 with the aim of bringing Adaptive snowsports to the Alps. Despite being unable to currently teach in France, she is training hard and supports DSUK’s activity trips wherever possible, and recently she has started teaching Adaptive again over the summer at Hemel. It was Charlie’s involvement with DSUK that really ignited her passion for sharing her knowledge and understanding of the Adaptive world with others. She began delivering training sessions for aspiring Adaptive instructors and it made her realise how much she enjoyed teaching others about what could be achieved on snow. “Helping others learn and become excited about the sport is a fantastic feeling, not to mention that rewarding moment when the skiers themselves realise that they really can achieve what they thought would be impossible.” Charlie is continuing to train for the Eurotest, is exploring the world of strength and conditioning and is loving the challenges it brings - both mentally and physically. Outside snowsports, Charlie has a Research Masters in Music and loves baking cakes… sounds like a great recipe for a party! We wish Charlie all the best in her new role as Adaptive Trainer and success for the coming season.

Charlie Laine has been skiing ever since she can remember but never really considered it as a serious career option until she was at university. She took part in a gap programme in Canada before attending university and started teaching at her local dry slope in Southampton to earn some extra cash. “I felt that I had finally found my ‘calling’, finished my degree, then went on to teach part-time at The Snow Centre in Hemel. It was there that I discovered the ‘Adaptive’ discipline and truly felt I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I was fortunate to be selected to set up the Adaptive ski school at Milton Keynes on behalf of DSUK, and from there on my passion has continued to grow.”

James Arnold BASI Marketing Director James Arnold was elected Marketing Director by the membership at the April General Meeting held in Hintertux. James has been skiing mad ever since he was a kid and has spent a season in Chamonix and several years working around the Alps. James’ BASI journey began four years ago; he is currently a BASI Alpine Level 2 and works a few hours each weekend at his local dry slope in Falmouth. James has over fifteen years of experience in the marketing 14 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

industry and is currently Marketing Director at B&Q. He has worked across the food, energy and FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) sectors in a range of roles including; Head of Innovation at EDF Energy and Marketing Director at Premier Foods (think Sharwoods and Bisto). At SSE, he was responsible for the negotiation of sponsorship deals with ITV for the Rugby World Cup and ITV weather. As well as being married and a full-time dad, he still finds time to lecture in Advertising and Media at Falmouth University on the postgraduate MA course. James has already attended his first Board Meeting and he will be involved in various Board working groups including; membership review and strategy. If you would like to contact James, his email details are available on the Board of Directors page in your member area.

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Seven triathlons in seven days over seven continents – to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s by Keith Jenns Nordic BASI Trainer, Keith Jenns, has set himself an inter-continental challenge in an effort to raise funds and awareness of Alzheimer’s. The disease is now affecting more than 850,000 people in the UK and access to support for sufferers and families is a growing issue. Keith will be undertaking this feat with friend, Chris Graham, who has recently been diagnosed with the early onset Alzheimer’s but he is also driven by his father and uncle, who both have the disease. The pair plan to undertake their feat in May 2018 and are now promoting their adventure in an effort to attract sponsors and supporters to help them make the challenge a success. Keith has already undertaken a number of training events in preparation for next year and commented: “Alzheimer’s is affecting so many people now of all different ages and when it is close to home there is a huge sense of frustration and anger for both the sufferers and close family and friends living with dementia. I hope we can raise awareness and some funds to help research into this disease”. Keith and Chris’s 7/7/7 feat will include a triathlon each in South America, Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and the Falkland Islands for Antarctica. They will be following in the footsteps of Sir Ranulph Fiennes (who is Patron for Keith and Chris’s cause) and Dr Mike Stroud who, in 2003, completed the 7/7/7 in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Chris and Keith have been training over the summer and have already completed John O’Groats to Lands’ End and Keith took part on the Tour Transalp with another friend – John Doyle – where they also raised money for the cause. Keith’s aim is to raise £15,000 and you can support Chris and Keith through their just giving page here: www.justgiving. com/keith-jenns1.

Chris Graham (left) and BASI Nordic Trainer, Keith Jenns in training for their 2018 Triathlon challenge this summer.

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NEWS

BASI NEWS

NEWS

BASI News

Chrissie Clyde Gran’s Eulogy by Alisdair Lay Opening When I sat down to write this eulogy, I asked myself what would Gran’s advice to me be? The only answer that rang true was – “Keep it short, people haven’t got all day” She loved her family and friends, but she was not one for sentiment. To me she was the embodiment of “still waters run deep.” Early Life The eldest of eight children, growing up in a tenement on Adelphi Street, she would insist I tell you it’s in Hutcheson Town. Many would argue it was The Gorbals. Her early years looking after her younger brothers and sisters, led in later life to her being made quartermaster of any trip she went on with family and friends. She could find a bargain anywhere. Frith once told my Dad, that on a trip to Switzerland Gran sourced a fizzy wine that was so cheap you got more for returning the bottle than it cost to buy it in the first place. As it was a white wine it had to be kept cool, leading it to be known as “the Asti Spumanti from the shanty.” Evacuated to Ochiltree in Ayrshire with her brother Andrew during World War Two, she fell in love with the countryside. It was with great sadness that we heard of the passing of BASI Life Member, Chrissie Clyde at St Vincent’s Hospital, Kingussie on 13 June 2017. Chrissie was wife of the late Bob Clyde (first General Manager of the Cairngorm Chairlift Company). Chrissie did not learn to ski until the age of forty but once hooked there was no holding her back! Chrissie was a BASI Alpine Level 2 member and an Adaptive instructor and was exceptionally proud of the work she undertook with her students on DSUK programmes. In 2012, Chrissie was one of seventy “Super Seniors” invited by Cairngorm Mountain to celebrate the 50th anniversary of mechanised skiing on Cairngorm. Chrissie’s son Fraser Clyde, sent me the Eulogy given at her funeral service and delivered by Chrissie’s grandson, Alisdair Lay. Many thanks to the family for letting us reproduce it in full.

Leaving school at fourteen to work in a factory as a machinist earning £1 a week, her talent and determination led to her being trained to do piece work, which trebled her wages. She would hand her wages over to her mother for the housekeeping. What little she got back she put towards buying all the clothing and equipment she needed to go walking and climbing. When work would finish at noon on a Saturday, Gran would get the bus to Milngavie and then head off to the hills. Meeting Grandad In a café near George Square the climbers and walkers ff Glasgow would meet up before heading off on adventures. It was here, one day in 1946 that a friend asked her if she could stick around for ten minutes to pass on a message to a friend who was running late, and that is how she met my Grandad Bob. One year later they were heading out with friends to go climbing in Switzerland, taking with them what little money the government permitted at the time. They got married, they had three children; my mum, Avril, my Uncle Fraser and my Auntie June. The Cairngorms Work brought them to the Highlands and Cairngorm Mountain. It was here they planted their roots. Over the following years Gran would raise three children, help establish Cairngorm Mountain as a ski resort, learn to ski herself at the age of 40, and go on to become a fully qualified ski instructor. My Gran taught me to ski, among many others. Her love of the outdoors was infectious.

24 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

In later years she would qualify as an Adaptive Ski Instructor and work for what is now known as Disability Snowsports U.K., but was then called The Uphill Ski Club. She would travel all over Europe and America teaching people with disabilities how to ski. I remember how proud she was of her students. Learning to Drive In the early seventies Gran learned to drive. One day my Grandad came home from work to find an orange Fiat sports car sitting in the driveway of Luineag. “Whose car is this?” asked Grandad

BASI Retired Trainers On behalf of all the membership, office team and the Board of Directors we would like to wish our retired BASI Trainers a very happy retirement!

“Mine!” replied Gran

Since becoming a Level 1 Alpine trainer in 2007 and then an Adaptive trainer more recently I have enjoyed every moment of my 10 years working within the training body. I will miss working alongside some truly inspirational team mates and the sense of camaraderie that it brings. Big thanks to everyone at BASI and I look forward to working with you in the future

“How’d you pay for it?” he asked “I’ve been saving money from the housekeeping” she replied. Grandad was not best pleased, and Uncle Fraser says it explains why he was only getting Corn Flakes for dinner at the time. She loved having a car, it meant freedom. It was also useful for getting the messages and ferrying around grandchildren. Golf It came in particularly handy when, at around the age of 60, she developed an interest in golf, and by interest I mean an obsession. A member of Boat of Garten, Kingussie and Abernethy, Gran regularly took part in local tournaments, often coming home with trophies and prizes. It was not unheard of for her to travel down south to get measured up for custom fitted clubs. Searching for that magical driver that could hit the ball 400 yards.

Tim Carter Adaptive, Alpine

One of my fondest memories is of Gran, Dad and me playing the Jubilee course in St. Andrews in 1994. She loved the challenge. Hobbies If the afternoons were for golf, then the evenings were for country dancing, which she thoroughly enjoyed. In later years, when she couldn’t drive or play golf anymore she turned her attention to her garden. Anyone who visited her up at The Old Library knew what a bonnie job she made of it. For birthdays or Christmas you could never go wrong with vouchers for the garden centre. Gran also volunteered every Tuesday at the Sue Ryder shop in Aviemore for many years, only stopping a few months ago. Sun Worshipper An avid sun worshipper, she loved the two weeks she spent every year with my Mum and Dad in Villacana on the Costa del Sol. She could write a book on the contortions required to make sure no square inch went un-tanned. Summation If I were to attempt to chronicle my Gran’s life in a way that does it justice, it would simply take too long. There are hundreds of stories, we can share some of them later at the Cairn. She was a loving wife to Bob. A loving mother to Avril, Fraser and June.

Cath Renouf Adaptive

Duncan Adamson Alpine

Welcome Autumn Belle Edwards Kevin Edwards and Nicola welcomed Autumn Belle Edwards, born on 28 June 2017 at 06:42am, weighing 7lbs 11oz. Mother and baby are both doing great. P.S. Dad says she’s having nothing to do with skiing and snowboarding; she’s going to get a ‘real’ job...

A wonderful Grandmother to Robbie, Josie, me, Barrie, Chrissie and Callum and Great Grandmother, or CC as she was known to Sam, Jamie, Inni and Jesse. A loving sister, a good friend to many, and she will be missed. WWW.BASI.ORG.UK • 25

FEATURE NEWS

Retired Editorial Trainers

FEATURE

BASI Feature Credit Transfer In some instances, it may be possible to transfer SCQF credit points to other learning programmes to ensure that a learner does not have to repeat any learning they have already undertaken. Universities and colleges, SQA and other awarding bodies decide how many of the credit points already received from previous learning can be transferred into their programmes. In all cases of credit transfer it would be the decision of the accepting learning institution as to how many credit points could be transferred.

BASI and the SCQF O

ver the last five years, BASI has been going through an alignment process with the University of Edinburgh to align BASI qualifications with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

The aim of this exercise is to have a nationally recognised scale to which BASI qualifications are aligned. This will give members, potential employers and institutions an idea of the level of learning that BASI members need to complete to achieve a qualification. It also allows members to compare the level of learning they have achieved against other aligned qualifications (such as university degrees, etc.).

More information on credit transfers can be found here: http://scqf.org.uk/the-framework/scqf-credit-points/

The SCQF and EQF Qualifications are aligned to the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework which itself aligns to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The EQF enables the learners, learning providers and employers to compare qualifications between different EU national systems. This is thought to help increase mobility in the EU labour market, within and between the EU countries, because it makes it easy to determine a person’s level of qualification which, in turn, will improve the balance between demand and supply of knowledge and skills. More information about the EQF can be found here: w w w. a c c r e d i t e d q u a l i f i c a t i o n s . o r g . u k / e u r o p e a n qualifications-framework-eqf.html

How are BASI qualifications rated? We currently have 15 courses/modules aligned with the following ratings. Eight more BASI courses are due to be added to the SCQF by October 2017.

The benefits of the SCQF Framework SCQF Level

SCQF Credits Points allocated

EQF Level

Adaptive Level 1

Adaptive Level 2

Alpine Level 1

Alpine Level 2

• Provides recognition of a very wide range of learning types.

Alpine Level 3 Teaching

More information regarding the aims and benefits of the SCQF can be found here: http://scqf.org.uk/the-framework/aims-and-benefits/

Alpine Level 3 Technical

Level 3 Mountain Safety

How the SCQF works

Alpine Level 4 Teaching

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework has 12 levels. The different levels indicate the level of difficulty of a particular qualification.

Alpine Level 4 Technical

Level 4 EMS

Nordic Level 1

Nordic Level 2

Snowboard Level 1

Snowboard Level 2

Telemark Level 1

Telemark Level 2

• Helps learners decide how to progress their learning; • Helps individuals understand qualifications they are not familiar with; • Helps employers understand different types of qualifications and also supports effective workforce development; • Helps education and training providers of all kinds to identify the level that has been studied in a particular subject and therefore makes it easier to transfer credit points between different learning programmes; and

In addition to a level, qualifications are also allocated credit points. Credit points are a way of showing how much time it takes, on average, to complete a qualification or learning programme. Credit points are specific to the SCQF levels; you can’t add points together from courses at different SCQF levels. 26 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

Course/ Module

Can my aligned BASI qualification be used to access higher education? This would be at the discretion of the institute where you intend to study. We recommend that you include your qualification and mention the SCQF level and credit points achieved in your application. BASI qualifications cannot replace a degree, however if you plan to study a course with similar content to that of a BASI course you have passed, you may be able to transfer credits.

Can my aligned BASI qualification be used to access job opportunities? Yes. Some employers now refer to qualifications at particular SCQF levels in their job adverts, allowing them to recognise a variety of relevant qualifications and skills, which otherwise would have been difficult to detail in a way that is meaningful and easy to understand.

I completed my qualification a long time ago, is it still aligned? Alpine Level 1 and 2 qualifications are aligned, if completed after 1 November 2008. Level 1 and 2 qualifications from other disciplines are aligned, if completed after 1 May 2009. Alpine Level 3 modules are aligned, if completed after 8th July 2011. Alpine Level 4 modules are aligned, if completed after 3rd November 2011. If you have any questions about the SCQF alignment, please email dave@basi.org.uk.

Congratulations to Craig and Louise Robinson who tied the knot at the Cripps Barn in Cirencester on 10 August 2017.

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FEATURE NEWS

BASI Editorial News

FEATURE

BASI Feature

Value of your BASI membership by Donald Musk

embership subscriptions were due on 1 October, so we thought we’d have a look at what members actually access with their BASI subscription and the potential value of that investment.

Full Membership for 2017/18 = £78 (or £68 if you’re paying via Direct Debit)

Value of Membership £ 50

Full membership fee

Members get up to £10m of cover included in their annual membership subscription payment. Pro Deals and members’ discounts - £160 per year It’s hard to put a figure on how much value members get from Pro Deals as ultimately this depends on how many purchases are made. We’ve come up with a figure based on replacing 1 pair of skis or 1 snowboard every 2 years and 1 pair of boots every 3 years.

Here’s the conservative figure we’ve come up with…

The best quote we could find for an outdoor fitness instructor with £5m public liability cover is £272. It’s actually very difficult and likely to be more expensive to find insurance specifically for ski instruction.

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

£78.00

However, with various Pro Deals offering outerwear, protection, luggage, cars, eyewear and casual clothing and discounts on boot fitting, parking, clothing brands, lift passes and much more, there’s potential to gain far greater value that the modest assumption we’ve made. 1 pair of boots every 3 years at £400 with 40% discount= £180 saving: £60 per year 1 pair of skis or snowboard every 2 years at £500 with 40% discount= £200 saving: £100 per year

Potential value

£457.00

Equipment purchase saving = £160 per year

Access to BASI manuals - £25 per year

How has this potential value been calculated? Public Liability Insurance - £272 per year Public liability insurance covers the cost of claims made by members of the public for incidents that occur in connection with you teaching snowsports or when you are riding/skiing recreationally. Public liability insurance covers the cost of compensation for: • personal injuries • loss of or damage to property • death With your BASI membership, you’re covered for £10m. 28 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

As an active member of BASI, you can access all the manuals in e-book format via the members’ area of the BASI website. You can also download all the manuals onto your mobile device via the BASI App. You’re not likely to buy all the manuals every year but accessing these certainly saves you needing to fork out for a hard copy.

The BASI licence Ultimately, your membership subscription leads to gaining a licence to teach using your qualification. We’ve not given this benefit a value as it depends on how you choose to use your qualification and how often you teach. In the last 12 months, over 100 job opportunities have been posted on the BASI Jobs Board (some seeking more than 1 instructor). That’s plenty of opportunity to put your qualification to use and earn back some of what you’ve paid for membership!

FEATURE

Feature

BASI Memberships are due for renewal on 01 October. Original Direct Debit forms must be received no later than 14 August 2018.

Direct Debit Membership Form I agree to abide by BASI’s Articles of Association and Code of Conduct

Lapsed Members Only If you wish to pay your subs by Direct Debit but your Membership has or will have lapsed by more than one year, please enter card details below for a rejoin fee of £35.

Card Details Number

3333 3333 3333 3333

Expiry Date

333333

Start Date/Valid From . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Issue No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Security No . . . . . . . . . . Rejoin fee £35 Please return this form to the BASI Office, Morlich House, 17 The Square, Grantown-On-Spey, Morayshire PH26 3HG.

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Membership No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Members must return completed Direct Debit mandate(s) with original signatures only (no scanned, photocopied or emailed mandates are acceptable).

Instruction to your bank/building society to pay by direct debit British Association of Snowsport Instructors, Morlich House, 17 The Square, Grantown-On-Spey, PH26 3HG

Originator’s Identification number

Name of Account Holder(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

for BASI use only

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bank/Building Society Account number:

33333333 Branch Sort code:

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society Please pay the British Association of Snowsport Instructors a Direct Debit from the account detailed in the instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with British Association of Snowsport Instructors and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

33 33 33 Name and full postal address of your Bank/Building Society To the Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bank/Building Society Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BASI Membership number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Original Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions for some types of account. The guarantee should be detached and retained by the payer The Direct Debit Guarantee • This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits • If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit BASI will notify you within 7 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request the British Association of Snowsport

Instructors to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request • If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by the British Association of Snowsport Instructors or your bank or building society you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society

• If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when the British Association of Snowsport Instructors asks you to • You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us

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MEMBERS

Life Members

BASI Life Members On behalf of all the membership, office team and the Board of Directors we would like to welcome BASI’s most recent Life Members.

Colin Tee (1999)

Tommy Wallace (7747)

Gustav Fischnaller (581)

I took my first ski trip with the school when I was fifteen and then I didn’t ski again until I was about twenty-three, when I did some as part of my training to be a teacher of Outdoor Education. I did the ski party leader course on Cairngorm with Doug Godlington - he was an inspiration and a brilliant coach - though to be honest, I didn’t think I would ever get to the dizzy heights of a BASI 3 instructor (old grades!), let alone ISIA. As part of my outdoor education work, I taught skiing to a variety of young people and adults, mostly on Cairngorm and in the Aosta valley and, of course, my own two children, one of whom, Dave Tee, is also involved with race coaching and instructing. For the last sixteen years, I have done very little instructing as I got involved with Alpine racing

and soon starting coaching for Dragons Alpine; Pendle ski club, where I was really lucky to be involved in the early days of Dave Ryding’s development; and then for the Chill Factore race squad, amongst others. I count myself very fortunate to have worked for, and with, some great ski race coaches amongst them; Robin Kellen, Carl Ryding, Mike Barker and Jamie Page, together with a good number of younger coaches who frequently amaze me with their skill and knowledge. I’ve skied my fair share of resorts, but it’s hard to see how Zermatt can be bettered - fantastic terrain, variety, scenery and history - although I think La Thuile, in the Aosta valley, is a hidden gem and of course there are so many other resorts I haven’t visited yet. The best may still be out there to be discovered!

My first introduction to skiing was in 1983 when I was in the Royal Navy as a Physical Training Instructor and got a job in Scotland in charge of Adventure Training for the Royal Navy (RN) in Rosyth. My first skiing experience was at Glenshee and we had some great days there along with many memorable winters. I was very quickly hooked and did some courses at the Joint Services Training Centre in Kingussie, and within a couple of years I was a Services instructor and became a member of BASI. I was very involved with RN skiing for twenty five years and started the first coaching and instruction programmes at the RN Championships. The programme has continued

and today they take out fifteen ski instructors and ten snowboard instructors each year. My favourite ski areas are Samoens and Tignes in France and still get to enjoy the mountains – albeit at a slower pace. For the last twenty seven years I have continued to be involved in teaching cadets and had a short spell working at Hillend ski centre in Edinburgh. The BASI habit is now in the family as both my children are both BASI Level 2 instuctors! Retired now, I am looking forward to Tignes in January 2018 and Samoens in March 2018!

My motivation to become a ski instructor and ski race coach comes from a very early age where I spent time racing in Europe. My parents were both ski instructors and worked in the the ski school in Igls, Austria. In 1971, I came to Scotland and used my Austrian race coaching and BASI qualifications to start a ski school at Glenshee. I am now retired but still help with ski race coaching whenever I can. I do most of my skiing now in my town of origin in Tirol and the Stubaier Gletscher Have not got a favourite ski area however I do

like to ski at my home place in Tirol the most. The Stubaier Gletscher would be my best area for coaching. Thanks again to BASI for recognising my life membership.

30 • BASI NEWS 124 • AUTUMN 2017

In September Andrew Lockerbie, Tania Alliod and Angus Blackwood were part of the BASI team who attended the 2017 World Winter Snowsports Expo in Beijing. As well as supporting CASSI - BASIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chinese Business Partner, on the BASI/CASSI stand at the show, Andrew Lockerbie gave two presentations: one on the importance of quality instructors in the snowsports experience and the second; on the significance of dry slopes and indoor slopes to snowsports participation in the UK. There were also meetings with FIS, Club Med and various Chinese resort operators on jobs for BASI qualified instructors. Check out the BASI jobs board for more information at www.jobs.basi.org.uk

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FEATURE

BASI News

Specially-negotiated travel insurance for BASI Members. To get a quote or buy online www.basi-insurance.com