What has been your best ever feedback ?
“I don’t feel nervous on the M25 any more.” (M25 referring to the rather busy section of the main run from Attelas to Ruinettes not the motorway!)
How did it make you feel?
It seem like a small comment but this was the culmination of a week’s work for a very nervous skier, which involved very gradual increases in pace and technical challenge building up to a few runs down the M25 which eventually became a smooth continuous run.
Why do you love teaching?
I love the opportunity to work outdoors, and working with a wide variety of people each with their own different skiing goals and experiences. I also enjoy the problem-solving challenge you get when analysing ski performance, trying to work out what needs to change to make the movements better.
What’s your highlight of the summer?
Early on in the summer I managed to get away to Scotland to do some climbing. The highlight of the trip was finishing the classic route up Castle Ridge on the north face of Ben Nevis. It was a fantastic experience, I will defiantly be going back to Scotland to do more climbing in the future.
What is your top technical tip?
Do a proper warm up and cool down, this is something that most people either forget or don’t want to do. I find that a quick heart raiser and some simple dynamic stretches helps wake up my muscles so I feel ready to ski, and a cool down of simple stretches when I get home can help my legs feel fully recovered the next day.
What is your favourite run in Verbier?
Col de Gentianes. When the snow is good, its crazy steep, a really long powder run which then over time morphs into huge super challenging mogul field, it also has the excellent quality of being generally less busy than it’s brother Col de Chassoure (Tortin).
Why are you returning to Altitude?
This year will be my fourth season working for Altitude. The reasons I come back are the same as every year, the staff team are always excellent and the opportunity to work in a ski resort as beautiful as Verbier.
What is the highlight of your skiing career?
I have a lot of opportunities for some great ski days whilst living in Verbier. My personal favourite was the day I skied from the top of Bruson down to Sembrancher, the village down the valley from Le Châble, it had been a personal goal of mine for a while and then one day two seasons ago I got the opportunity to ski it. The route was completely worth the wait, we had ridiculously good conditions and an amazing run with some great people.
