Henry is a ski instructor with with ES in Verbier in the winters, and here he tells us about his summer, skiing, teaching and travelling in New Zealand.
Contact us to book ski lessons with Henry in Verbier.
The way to New Zealand
Once the snow covered mountain tops of Verbier gave way to green pastures, I rewarded myself a well deserved break after the very busy 23/24 winter season. After returning from visiting family in the UK, a holiday in Portugal and a week of relaxing in my house in Verbier, I decided I needed a change from my usual summer routine. I usually live in Verbier year round, where I work as a Videographer and Photographer capturing the beautiful place I get to call home. I packed up my skis and camera equipment into the lightest combination I could. Having completed 6 winter seasons in the northern hemisphere (4 of which in Verbier) I checked into a flight to the other side of the globe to commence my first winter in the south. After a brief stopover in Australia to stay with fellow ES instructor Erik, who showed me around Melbourne’s sights, I arrived in Queenstown, New Zealand.
The surroundings
Queenstown is an incredible melting pot of different people & cultures. Sat on the edge of the mighty Lake Wakatipu the views from the ski areas of Coronet Peak and The Remarkables are some of the best of any ski resort in the world. With large snow capped mountains descending into lakes it is a very different view to that which most people are used to in Europe.
As a Videographer and Photographer, New Zealand is a place that I have always wanted to come to. It seems that any direction I point my camera there is an incredible view waiting for me. It certainly makes my job much easier.
Skiing in New Zealand
During my time in New Zealand, while not capturing skiing and snowboarding I have been working as a ski instructor at Coronet Peak. I have been fortunate enough to meet many incredible people from all over the world and I thoroughly enjoy teaching everyone how to ski. Helping others to experience the sport which has shaped my career and has overtaken my life is a real passion of mine.
The ski fields in New Zealand are not like some of you may be familiar with in Europe, it is much smaller in comparison. As skiing here has not existed for as long as it has done in Europe there is far less infrastructure. This contributes to a really great close-knit community feel to it. The ski community here is very small and welcoming to everyone which is a great thing to be a part of. Moving down here made me realise how well connected the ski industry is all over the world. I now have a wide network of people within the skiing world who I can call on from all over the globe.
It has been an eye opening experience to ski with so many instructors from many different countries and I have loved hearing about the many different ideologies in regards to teaching skiing. There are many great tips, tools and techniques that I have learnt here and I hope to implement this into my teaching methodology in order to improve as an instructor.
The season down here is generally shorter than in Europe, lasting from mid June until late September. In general the snow is less frequent and not quite as plentiful here, although this September we have had lots of snow which is great for me as many of the tourists have left. Much like in Verbier mother nature seems to bless us with snow when the resort is quiet (all the more reason to book a ski holiday this year in the quiet periods!).
As the season here comes to a close I have greatly enjoyed my time here and I feel I have improved a lot as an instructor along with meeting some incredible people. I plan to travel more around this beautiful country before I leave. On the way back over to Switzerland I will also make a cheeky stop somewhere. You will find me on a white sand beach surrounded by palm trees. My body needs some vitamin D before I head into my 3rd winter in a row!
I look forward to meeting many of you in Verbier this winter. I am always open to talk about my travels on a chairlift or over lunch!
Henry left his flat and mountainless home of London in order to pursue the peaks and valleys of places like Japan, Canada and now Verbier as an instructor. Henry strives to share his passion for skiing and the outdoors with his clients by creating a fun, safe and supportive environment for all. Henry has a high attention to detail and caters every lesson to his clients, ensuring the highest level of customer service. When not teaching, Henry runs his Videography and Photography business, creating high quality media content for businesses and individuals.
Contact us to book ski lessons with Henry in Verbier.