European Snowsport

Outstanding, independent ski schools in Verbier, Zermatt, Nendaz, St Moritz and Chamonix

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    Archives for November 2015

    ES and Kandahar Racing Partnership

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    New Kandahar Ski Racing opportunity for ES Kids Academy Skiers!

    As a ski school, it’s great to see regular clients come back year after year, and its particularly rewarding to see the rapid progression of the children who each year attend our Kids Academy. For those kids wanting to push their skiing further and get started in racing we are excited to announce that we are teaming up with Kandahar Racing. Kandahar provide race camps throughout the winter for children of all ages.

     

    Kandahar Slalom training
    Slalom Training

     

    Here’s Kandahar’s Matt Shepherd to explain more:

    “Kandahar Racing are hugely excited to have the support of European Snowsport as we move forwards in the development and expansion of our training programmes.  Kandahar is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious ski clubs and Kandahar Racing has spent generations training the UK’s top ski racers.  We boast numerous Olympic and World Championship medallists across a variety of snowsports as part of our alumni, although at Kandahar Racing our focus is always on developing the next generation of champions.  Working together with European Snowsport will provide a pathway for talented youngsters to be directed our way once they’ve gone beyond what traditional ski schools have to offer from a training perspective.

    Kandahar Racing management and coaching staff represent a cross section of the UK’s most highly qualified, experienced and talented coaches and instructors.  We offer an annual school holidays based training programme with regular training camps at some of Europe’s top mountain, glacier and indoor training locations and we provide coaching support at all the UK’s major children’s competitions.  We also work closely with schools to provide regular UK based training for school ski teams, encouraging commitment to academic as well as snowsport development.  Ultimately we hope to encourage as many talented young skiers as possible to become part of a club that will foster a lifelong passion for ski racing excellence and snowsports in general.

    If your children are keen to take their first steps into competitive snowsports training we’d love to hear from you.  For more information please visit www.kandaharracing.com or contact the manager on [email protected] or +447725044835.”

    Kandahar Mini Slalom
    Mini Slalom
    Kandahar GS Training
    Giant Slalom Training
    Kandahar Ski Cross Training
    Ski Cross Training

    Winter has arrived in Zermatt!

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    Snow conditions in Zermatt. Lots of new snow!

    Finally, winter is upon us. Just in time too! With 11 slopes already open, and the rest of resort (41 more slopes!) due to open by the 5th of December, the snow couldn’t have arrived at a better time!

    Thanks to the casual 20 degree drop in temperature (yes, it’s really cold!), snowmaking has finally started and is steaming ahead full throttle. In addition to the area of Matterhorn glacier Paradise, they have also started preparing the pistes on Rothorn, Sunnegga, Findeln, Gorgergrat, Hohtälli and Riffelboden to name a few! The snowmaking team is working day and night (literally) as the grand opening day approaches fast.

    changing zermatt

    In other news we are excited for the opening of a brand new piste from Lower National down into Zermatt, which should diffuse the bottle-necks of half-term! This summer the Zermatt Bergbahn AG constructed the new run, “Howette”, which will be 755m long and 7m wide. In addition to easing the congestion of your final ski down at the end of a long day, you’ll be able to enjoy the breathtaking view of the Matterhorn on your descent! Brilliant!

    changing zermatt 3

    20cm of fresh snow in the village and counting!!! Roll on the weekend and the bluebird powder days!

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    The ES Team has been up on the glacier race training for the last two weeks. Since the snow has arrived they have had great snow conditions to train in. You can see how good the conditions are here.

    Race Training in Zermatt

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    Race Training Zermatt

    ES Academy is the training department of our ski school. The Academy has been running two weeks of advanced speed test training in Zermatt this week and last. As instructors take their final exams, they are often required by their systems to undertake the ISIA speed test.  These are difficult giant slalom tests.

    ES Academy has employed two legendary coaches, Michel Maret a some-time coach of the Swiss junior team and Ross Green, British Olympian, British team coach and author of many coach education systems and courses.

    We are running this training as a pre-cursor to a new program aimed at helping people get to grips with racing and improving their skiing. Race training is one of the most effective ways of improving your technique. The Zermatt glacier is a great place to train.

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    When to Ski: Choosing the best dates for your ski holiday

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    Skiing holidays are great at any time of the year! But some periods can save you money and be better suited to your needs. At ES we’ve got a lot of experience in all aspects of skiing; we know when the slopes will be busy, as well as what kinds of accommodation work for different groups of people. Here our our tips on choosing when to ski.

    when to book family ski holiday

    When to ski – Families

    Make the most of it while little ones aren’t yet at school and plan your family ski holiday for whenever you like!   March is a great time to travel with tinies. Days are long and sunny, and the beginner slopes are in good condition.  Go before the Easter holidays and make the most of empty slopes and good prices on accommodation and flights.

    Once children are at school, your choices are more limited, but there are still some good options.  The week before Christmas is a great time to travel, good fresh snow and good availability with lower accommodation prices.  Christmas week is also a fun time to travel with children; everything is fresh, snowy and festive, and in catered accommodation the Christmas meal is taken care of.  

    Easter is great too but be careful about your resort.  Avoid low resorts – our pick is Zermatt for its good snow (open all year round) and high altitude beginner slope.  

    There is a lot to remember in the mornings when you are trying to get going on the snow with children, here is a handy guide to help you get out the door with a minimum of fuss in the mornings.

    corporate ski holidays when to ski

    When to ski – Corporate Ski Groups

    When to ski – If you are squeezing in a short corporate ski trip, it can be tricky to find accommodation over just a few days, so stick to the low season. The best times are early December, the second half of January and early February, and early March.  You need to work around internal year ends, conferences, and big projects so keep these in mind when looking at the calendar.  

    Some resorts are better than others at catering to short breaks so it helps to stay flexible about your destination and keep asking!  Even if you book flights to Geneva, you can keep your options open about the resort and decide later about Chamonix, Verbier, Nendaz or Zermatt.  Use someone on the ground in resort to help you find accommodation and make arrangements, otherwise you can end up with impractical plans and out of control costs.

    It works well to take two groups in one week with a mid-week changeover (group one Sunday to Wednesday, group two Wednesday to Saturday) so that you take accommodation for one week but host twice as many people.  It can be exhausting for the hosts though…

    when to book a ski holiday

    When to Ski – Friends and Couples

    When juggling schedules and commitments and multiple diaries to co-ordinate everyone in your group, sometimes it seems easier to stay home!  Don’t despair, but pick a date and stick to it.  Even if your original group changes, there are always lots of people who are keen for a ski holiday and find they can get away when there is one already organised.

    Stay away from family holiday times, and pick dates in the second half of January or in March.  Early to mid March is one of the quietest times in resort, so enjoy the empty slopes and room to breathe to the full.  It is also a great time to relax on a sunny terrace after skiing…

    If you are just 2 or a few people travelling, you are in the fortunate position of being able to decide late in the day what you would like to do.  Take advantage – check the snow reports and book at the last minute. Accommodation for unusual dates is much easier to find late in the day as owners are more likely to be flexible.

    Whenever you decide to book your next ski holiday, don’t forget about ski lessons! Or sales team is available seven days a week by phone or email to help you find the right lessons for you and your friends and family. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!