ESSE, the only dedicated Swedish ski school in Verbier
February half-term is a big deal in the Alps. It means full steam ahead for pretty much every business and all ES resorts fill up with families looking to enjoy the snow. While the English, French and Swiss holidays are the big ones, Verbier is also renowned for having a rather large Swedish population. At the end of February, the town fills up with eager Swedes, so it’s a good thing we’ve got ESSE, our Swedish ski school in Verbier to take care of them.
ESSE Verbier (European Snowsport Swedish Experience) is European Snowsport’s Swedish contingent, and is the only dedicated Swedish ski school in Verbier. Started in 2008 to cater exclusively to Swedes skiing and snowboarding in Verbier, ESSE has made a great name for itself and not looked back since. During Stockholm half-term week, or week nine as it’s more commonly known in Sweden, we look after more Swedish clients than we can count.
ES prides itself on being the ski school that speaks your language, and in Verbier, ESSE’s small but mighty team of ten dedicated Swedes does exactly that and more. While the ESSE uniform goes through a different incarnation every year, this winter you’ll recognise the team by their sleek dark green uniforms (made by Swedish brand, Houdini, of course), and their exceptional skiing skills. In fact, two of our ESSE instructors, Elias Henderson and Timmy Sepp, are sponsored freeride athletes.
Half term is split regionally across four weeks in Sweden, with the busiest by far in Verbier being week nine. This is the week our awesome kids’ group lessons fill up with children from in and around Stockholm, so not only are they skiing with other kids from the same area, they also have an instructor who speaks their language. All ESSE instructors speak at least English and Swedish, so even when there is a nationality split in a group, these guys can handle it expertly. Our aim is for your kids to leave their group lessons having made great friends, and not just friends from the same country as them, friends from all over the world.
This half-term was particularly successful for ESSE. We had six different kids’ groups on the go, as well as seven of our international and Swedish instructors teaching private lessons to Swedish families. And we’re happy to tell you it all went swimmingly. We’d like to say a big thanks to our ESSE instructors for all their hard work and to everyone who took lessons with us. We hope you had a great half-term, and see you next year!
If you’re Swedish and you’d like to book lessons with ESSE for yourself or your kids, get in touch. We’ll pair you with an Swedish instructor who speaks your language on and off the slopes.