European Snowsport

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

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    Snowboard Instructor

    Steven Gekiere – Scuba and cycling in Europe

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    Steven is a ski and snowboard instructor with ES in Zermatt in the winters, and here he tells us about his summer; scuba diving, surfing, cycling and traveling in Europe.

    Contact us to book lessons with Steven in Zermatt.

    Steven is from Belgium, in the Flemish speaking part. This summer he caught up with friends and family and at the same time had some adventures.

    Cycling and surfing in France

    With his bicycle, Steven went to the Vosges region in NorthEastern France. There, he conquered “Le Grand Ballon,” the region’s highest peak, and tackled the legendary “Le Super Planche des Belles Filles,” a renowned site in the world of Tour de France racing. Since 2012, the climb to the summit has been used several times in the Tour de France.

    Here is a photo of Steven on his bicycle trip:

    Then he travelled to picturesque Lacanau, on the Atlantic coast in South Western France. There he did some surfing and sightseeing, immersing himself in the beauty of the surroundings. This is an area with big sandy beaches, and some fantastic surf spots.

    It also has a pine forest behind the beach dotted with bike trails, and an unspoilt lake that’s ideal for sailing, windsurfing, fishing or canoeing.

    This area is not too far from where our Verbier instructor Stéphanie spent her summer (see her blog here).

    Here is a photo of Steven traveling with his dog:

    Scuba in Belgium and Holland

    Steven then returned to Belgium and Zeeland in the Netherlands, and spent some time scuba diving. He followed a course to become Dive Guide and Assistant Instructor, delving deeper into the world of diving. This course helps you learn the skills needed to guide and supervise certified divers on recreational dives. He has also done a course about how to react, rescue, and deal with emergency dive situations.

    Steven has done lots of different types of diving, including night dives, dry suit dives and navigation dives (using natural features and compass to find your way).

    He has also done extended range diving. With the extended range dives, these are longer divetime and deeper than recreational dives, and you need to make decompression stops.

    Most people don’t think of Belgium and Holland for diving, but there are many dive spots in this part of the world, both fresh and salt water. You need a thicker wetsuit than elsewhere, as it is quite northerly.

    The sea diving spots are good for training because you need to be aware of winds, currents and tides, which all add challenges when planning and executing a dive. However there are national parks with lots of life, as well as wrecks, and some beautiful spots to explore. In Zeeland, there are lots of lobsters, crabs, sea stars, snails and clams, as well as some very well camouflaged baby cuttlefish.

    There are also freshwater dives available in quarries and lakes.

    As it starts to get colder, Steven will first go to Cape Verde, Boa Vista, for some more diving, and then head back to Zermatt, ready for another winter of skiing and snowboarding.

    Steven Gekiere

    Steven loves to travel the world, to see new places. He finds himself coming home to the mountains every year where he loves to do all kinds of snowsports.
    He’s always up to go on an adventure and have some fun!

    He chose to teach snowsports because snowy vacations are simply the best. And for real, who wouldn’t want this place to be his/her office?

    Contact us to book lessons with Steven in Zermatt.

    Stéphanie Mugnier –Surfing, cycling and cheffing in Switzerland and France

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    Stéphanie is a ski and snowboard instructor with ES in Verbier in the winters, and here she tells us about her summers, growing, cooking and surfing between Verbier and Moliets.

    Contact us to book ski or snowboard lessons with Stéphanie in Verbier.

    This summer I was based both in Verbier in Switzerland and Les Landes, Moliets, which is a surf spot on the Atlantic coast in France.

    Les Landes, Moliets

    Moliets is located in the Bay of Biscay, north of the border with Spain and the natural barrier between the 2 countries created by the Pyrénées. To the south you have Biarritz and Hossegor, which are also famous for their surf. To the north, it is about 2 hours drive to Bordeaux.

    I love coming to Moliets as I have my home here and have spent the last few years renovating, including putting in a new kitchen, and also completely changing the garden. We had to change the layout and the landscaping completely, and added a wooden deck. We planted lots of shrubs and flowers and now, a couple of years later, the deck and garden are a beautiful space for relaxing. It was a huge amount of work but we have created a very special and peaceful place.

    Here are some photos of the garden;

    My home is about 20 minutes from the beach, which is a long golden sand beach, with pine forests behind it. The area isn’t as built up or touristic as Biarritz and Hossegor, but it has the same north west swell that makes it great for surfing.

    The area is good for beginner and intermediate surfers, as well as experts. However, because the beaches are quite hard to get to (often just on small tracks), the area has remained a bit of a secret. So it doesn’t get too busy even in the holiday weeks of the summer.

    As well, there are great hiking and biking trails that take you through to the beach.

    Verbier

    When not in Moliets, I am also based in Verbier in the summer. I have been in my apartment in Verbier for many years and it is really home now. This summer I made lots of tarts and jams with local fruits.

    With lots of fruit farms in the Rhone valley, I love visiting where things are being grown. In the summer, I try as much as I can to get my produce direct from the farm, including picking the fruit from the trees.

    When I am hiking, I also love picking berries and this summer I made lots of jams from wild fruit that I picked myself.

    I work as a private chef in Verbier, sometimes for families or groups of people who are in Verbier for a while, and sometimes for one-off events. I have been working as a private chef for a long time and over time I have moved to specialise in healthy food from local ingredients.

    For me, cooking is a bit like creating my garden. Preparing and presenting food stays interesting when I am always thinking of ways to use colours and textures to create food that is beautiful as well as tasting great.

    Hiking, biking and swimming

    In my spare time in Verbier, I love hiking and biking. The summers are fantastic for exploring the mountain and forests, and Verbier has some great trails that take you to spectacular views and vantage points. When I am biking and hiking, I am always looking out for flowers and pockets of nature that I can photograph. My other favourite thing to do is swim in the alpine lakes, it is very very cold, but so refreshing!

    When the winter comes, I can’t wait to put my skis or snowboard on and get back on the snow!

    I miss skiing and snowboarding in the summer. However I really like the balance that my life has between growing and creating in the summer, and passing on my love of nature and being in the mountains in the winter.

    Stéphanie was born in the Alps and has always been skiing and snowboarding.  She is dynamic, optimistic and fun. Stéphanie is fully qualified to the top Swiss level of Brevet Féderale, which means she can teach both on piste and off piste. She teaches both skiing and snowboarding, and also Nordic skiing.

    Stephanie’s clients say ‘Stephanie has been an amazing instructor and it was a pleasure to learn … with her. She’s incredibly patient and always comes up with new ways of improving the technique and breaking down any barriers of fear. I can’t thank her enough. I truly had a fantastic time.’

    Contact us to book lessons with Stéphanie in Verbier.

    Interview with Kato Kim

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    * Why do you choose to teach snowsports?
    I love snow, sports, to teach and mathematics… snow+sports+teach= teach snowsports

    * What do you do in the summer?
    I bike, try playing golf and work a bit in the T bar. And catch up on sleeping.

    * Favourite part of Verbier/Zermatt to ski/ride
    Hmmm…. anywhere that’s not crowded and has a bit of powder left.

    * Favourite restaurant or mountain restaurant in Verbier/Zermatt
    Anywhere that serves me food!

    * Why did you choose Verbier/Zermatt?
    Before my seasons I had been doing short trips to Verbier. Since then I loved it. Plus it attracts like-minded people, I have met so many old school/university friends or work colleagues that I hadn’t seen in years.

    * What’s your top handy hint for anyone visiting Verbier/Zermatt
    Keep an open mind and leave the stress behind, after all it’s a Disneyland for grown-ups!

    Cedric Reynard – Success in Motorsport

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    ES Snowboard and Ski Instuctor Cerdic Reynard has had a successful year coaching Patric Niederhauser  a young Swiss “Pilot” who this year debuted in Formular Adarth. Cedric a highly experianced Ski Instructor, coach, guide and former snowboard  school director  has turned his tallents to coaching Switzerlands brightest motorsport tallents. Cerdic himself was one of Switzerlands best Racing Drivers. Cedric works with the Jenzer Motorsport Team a leading entrant in the formular. During the winter Cerdic works with European Snowsport in Verbier and Zermatt