SUMMER SCHOOL
the changes in the video analysis that evening were really quite dramatic
the turn by throwing our weight backwards and forwards. The following day Warren had us
skiing without poles and physically throwing our hips from side to side to initiate a turn. Thankfully, the changes in the video analysis that evening were really quite dramatic. All of us were skiing far more dynamically in the free run, and our collective braquage was looking far more polished.
prescribed us a series of thigh and glute stretches. At least it gave us an excuse for our poor performances on video. In my demonstration, Warren swiftly pointed out how the lack of suppleness in my hips caused them to turn with the skis, rather than allowing them to face downhill. This proved an invaluable insight and it was equally illuminating to watch other members of the group skiing and to analyse their weaknesses. Day three started with all of us
individually working on the key issues that the video analysis had thrown up, and by this stage we had such a good group dynamic that we were all actively analysing and encouraging each other. Alison, Joe and Caroline started to get to grips with keeping both skis on the ground during the braquage, while Toby and I got a real sense of moving our bodies fore and aft throughout
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SO FAR, WE’D HAD FOUR SUPERB weather days, but the next morning we woke to miserable conditions, so Warren took us to a gym for some dry land training. Soon we were leaping from side to side to stimulate both the movement of short- to medium-radius turns and the technique needed to do them. The video analysis revealed our weaknesses. For example, my feet rarely left the floor at the same time and my right foot would often land pointing outwards, explaining why my right ski sometimes skids away underneath me. By day five of the course we were back on the mountain and it was
clear that all of our skills had been subtly transformed – Caroline and Alison were carving their skis more effectively and skiing with more ballsy confidence, while Toby and I were riding with our weight more evenly split over the skis, in a wider stance, and really finishing off our turns. This skiing style will undoubtedly help in my preferred terrain of steeps and moguls. But the new skills I picked up also reinvigorated my once-dead love affair with the piste. And that really is a revolutionary change of thinking. n
DETAILS, DETAILS One week’s tuition with the Warren Smith Ski Academy costs £339 per person (£309 for members). Call 01525 374757 or visit www.
warrensmith-skiacademy.com. A seven-night half-board stay based on two sharing at the Hotel du Glacier costs from £406 and lift passes cost CHF256 per person. Return flights from London to Geneva with Swiss (0845 601 0956;www.swiss. com/uk) start from £102.
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