What has been your best ever client feedback?
Two people who I had taught three years previously, and who had never snowboarded before our lessons, recognized me in Verbier last year and approached me to say another thank you as they had learnt so much and loved the experience enough to come back and snowboard every Winter since.
How did it make you feel?
Incredible! It was such an amazing feeling to know that our lesson time together had inspired three more Winters spent riding the mountain.
Why do you love teaching?
It is hard to sum that up into just a few sentences! Having spent many years in Verbier as both an English teacher, snowboard instructor, and ski instructor – I certainly have continued to find more and more reasons to love teaching.
To pair that up with my passion for being on my board or skis just makes every single day one to look forward to.
But I am consistently reminded of how incredibly rewarding it is to pass some of my own passion, experience and knowledge onto others. Above all, it is definitely the smiles after a good day on the mountain.
What is your highlight of the Summer?
Lots of exploring! My favourite days were a perfect afternoon spent hiking up to Lac des Vaux in Verbier, and climbing in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland.
What is your top technical tip?
An all-round tip which is always important is that you will enjoy yourself more, and feel more in control when you are relaxed, both mentally and physically.
Both skis and snowboards can feel a lot less responsive when you are feeling tense. So it is important to have fun in the process of learning, and trust yourself to try something new.
Why are you returning to Altitude?
Not only is Altitude a great team to be a part of as we spend a lot of time getting to know each other throughout the Winter (and Summer!) – I couldn’t think of any way I would rather spend my Winter than snowboarding, skiing and passing some of my experience onto others.
What is the highlight of your skiing/snowboarding career?
Definitely my first Winter working as both a ski and snowboard instructor. It felt like I had reached a significant goal that definitely would have seemed almost surreal to consider as reality back when I was still surfing and skating in South Africa. I am consistently reminded of how grateful I am to be here.
