European Snowsport

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

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    Verbier

    Roped Up -Shared off piste lessons.

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    Our friends at Roped Up explain how skiing together can save you those precious pennies! 
    Many of us want to be safer off piste and better at skiing but finding a way to have affordable lessons can be difficult -at least it used to be… now that has all changed as a result of ES working with Roped Up.
    You can create your own “event”, saying when you want the lesson and what sort of skiing you want to do, which you and your friends can join. Then the “event” is listed on the site and others, who you don’t know, can request to join you. Anyone who you accept into your group then shares the cost with you meaning you get to meet new people, have a great lesson with a top ES instructor, and save hundreds of CHF.
    All members of the Roped Up community have profiles including ability level, experience, nationality and rough age, so you can make an informed decision about who will be joining you. Our system also deals with payment so you can be sure anyone who joins your event will pay their fair share. If there are 2 of you initially and you find 2 others to join you will save more than 200CHF on a full day lesson.
    ES is a great partner of ours as unlike many ski schools they don’t charge more as the group gets larger so with ES you get maximum advantage through sharing with Roped Up.
    To see how it all works have a look at the video below or visit our website here. Check out European Snowsport’s team of great instructors here to see who you want to book for your Roped up lesson.

    Women’s Ski Clinics

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    “Yes I ski like a girl -try to keep up!”

    We are bringing something new for the ladies at European Snowsport this winter. We have specially selected female instructors with a great range of experience and skills to deliver our new women’s two day ski clinics. Their infectious enthusiasm for all mountain skiing will help you to find confidence and enjoyment on snow.

    Reach your personal best in a safe and motivating environment where ALL women are treated equally as you expand your terrain and develop your skills.

    So why make the move to an all girl group?

    It’s not a hard fact that guys and girls approach things in a different way, but it’s not unusual to see girls evaluating the risks a little more when it comes to skiing. We’ve all been in a situation where we aren’t feeling ready to try the task but others in the group are pushing the pace and putting on the pressure. Everyone learns differently right? You might be a listener, watcher, feeler, thinker, doer. You might be all of the above. But how we process information personally affects the way we learn.

    We take this all into account on the women’s clinic ski days.

    Some people respond well to being pushed and there’s loads of inspirational female athletes out there who are shredding everyday to prove it. Take Mikaela Shiffrin, Lynsey Dyer or Lindsey Vonn for example.

    Mikaela Shiffrin has won world cup races in slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill and alpine combined. At the age of 23 she became the youngest skier (men or women) to win 50 world cup races.

    What is important to realise is that women’s strengths can lie in different places to men’s. In place of height and strength (although of course some girls have this too) technique, tactics and head space all come to the forefront. With these skills any slope can be tackled.

    At the start of each day, enjoy a fresh pressed fruit or vegetable juice. Here the group can discuss goals for the day before heading out onto the hill.

    Then out on the snow you can learn at your pace in a no-ego, non-pressure environment. These sessions are aimed at all levels. Whether you’re looking to improve your piste performance, mogul skiing, or try your hand at off piste and itinerary routes, anything’s possible. Because the camp is based on individual coaching, everyone can improve their confidence and technique, no matter what your level is.

    On the first afternoon, after skiing yoga is included, designed especially for skiers. Gently stretch out those well-used ski muscles so you can head out on the second day feeling refreshed.

    These sessions aren’t just about your technical skiing, they include sessions on reading the mountain terrain, choosing your route, and being prepared for the conditions.  Think coaching, rather than lessons; our women’s clinics will help you master confidence at any level of skiing.

    If you would like to join one of our women’s clinics get in touch! We look forward to skiing with you soon.

    Resorts; Verbier and Zermatt

    Levels; intermediate and above

    Cost; 400chf per person for the 2 days

     

     

     

     

     

    The Big Five Challenge

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    Having listened to the feedback from our clients over many years, we know there are a lot of good skiers and snowboarders out there. They often know Verbier well, having stayed here over many years, and are advanced level or expert on the snow.
    So we have developed the “Big 5 Challenge”, a special day out with an ES instructor who will guide you to the best unpisted runs, with the best snow. And we will give you a “Big 5 Challenge” certificate and gift at the end of it, if you complete the challenge.

    Ski the top 5 unpisted trails (“itineraries”) in Verbier, the freeride capital of Europe.
    -The Steepest
    -The Longest
    -The biggest moguls
    -The best tree skiing
    -The most beautiful itinerary runs

    Here is your day;

    1. Start with the itinerary that is the best kept secret in the 4 Valleys, through the trees in the morning on Les Otanes, on the Bruson side. If snow conditions permit, you can go all the way down to Le Chable.

    2. From here, take the lifts back up on the Verbier side, past Lac de Vaux to the top of Tortin.
    This run is legendary for its steepness, length, and bumps! You can dive straight down or, depending on conditions, take the trail off to the side, to tackle the soft moguls that can get as big as cars, with famously good snowholding on the north facing slope.

    3. Three lifts take you back up again to the top of Mt Gele (“Frozen Mountain”), where all of the ways down are steep and unpisted. Depending on conditions there are different options; all of them are steep, empty and wild.

    4. Take the swooping run in to your next itinerary, Gentianes. Play in the natural half pipes and fabulous snow, heading down towards Siviez and the other valleys past Verbier.

    5. Two more lifts take you back up and then you will finish by heading down the narrow track, often with over a meter of snow piled on either side, that takes you into Vallon D’Arbi. This long, steep, wooded itinerary takes you into terrain many Verbier regulars have never seen, finishing in La Tsoumaz. Take lift back out, then be last off the mountain on the long run back to Verbier.

    Instructor Beth Lloyd in the trees! Photo by James Rushforth.

    Depending on mountain conditions, including avalanche risk and run closures, some runs may be replaced with others on the day. For example, Vallon D’Arbi may be replaced with Col des Mines, a beautiful itinerary with spectacular views that takes you back into Verbier in the afternoon sun.

    Worth it for a certificate? Of course not, but this experience will stay with you for a lifetime.

    The “Big 5 challenge” is 595chf for the day. The price does not change if your friends and family join in, so you can invite others to share the experience with you. We guarantee there will be plenty to talk about for the rest of your holiday!

    By Laura Shadbolt

    Ski Fitness with Mountain Beach Fitness Retreats

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    Ski holidays are physically challenging. But that’s part of the fun right? Fret not Emma Bodkin from Mountain Beach Fitness Retreats is here to give you some top, ski fitness tips on how to avoid the burn.

    Underlying all things fitness is movement. At the core of this is Proprioception – this is your ability to sense the orientation of the body in your environment. This feedback loop tells your brain what position you are in. Modern life, lack of movement, age and injury can all impair this. Even if you are fighting fit there are ways to fine tune this as it is so so important when skiing, especially in bad visibility. By practising a few drills you can avoid injury in deep powder, ski like a champ in a white out and hit the moguls like a boss. One way is stand with one eye closed and on one leg and do one leg jumps, then try 2 eyes closed, change legs etc mix it up. Try testing your body and brain by moving in an unfamiliar way, jump laterally over an obstacle in a zig zag with little rest. Then try it with one eye closed, or on one leg… you get the picture.

    “…tool for calmness in the mountains.”

    @mountainbeachfitnessretreats

    Don’t neglect the core or the stretch. Work on your lower back, obliques and abs; try plank variations or suspended plank variations in the TRX. Natural movement patterns that make you unstable are the best. Last but not least is recovery; yoga is great as it will increase your range of motion and help balance your mind and body and also teach you an understanding of your breath which can be used as a tool for calmness in the mountains.

    There is no magic pill, no quick fix and no rocket science. You simply have to move more and vary the movement, pay attention to your movement, move mindfully, stretch, recover, listen to your body. Most fundamentally you should mix it up. Build strength in your glutes, quads, lengthen your hamstrings, try and improve powerful explosive movements (think bounding and jumping). Hit the stairs, downhill is just as important. Boost your overall cardio with some HIIT, 2 mins maximum effort then vary your recovery.

    “…ski for longer without fatigue…”

    @mountainbeachfitnessretreats

    The key is to build on your fitness incrementally and make it achievable and fun. This doesn’t have to be long hours in the gym or a boring prescriptive repetitious programme. Try to fit in some squats while the kettle boils, a plank variation while your running the bath and a few laps of the stairs before work. Little changes in your daily routine will minimise your risk of injury, allowing you to ski for longer without fatigue and enhancing your performance and most importantly fun on the slopes.

    A spot of ski touring! @mountainbeachfitnessretreats

    If you require any personal training, aerial yoga or specific recovery classes while you are in Verbier please get in touch with Emma and Lottie
    https://www.mountainbeachfitnessretreats.com/verbier-winter-fitness/

    [email protected]  +447764742475

    They also run holistic fitness retreats globally. Location include Sardinia, Sri Lanka, Verbier, Iceland, Uk, Tuscany and more.

    By Emma Bodkin

    Podcast: Our host ski shops talk the future of skiing

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    Podcast: Our host ski shops talk the future of skiing

    Our hosts shops Mountain Air in Verbier, Premier Alpine Centre in Nendaz and Glacier Sport in Zermatt speak to the ES podcast about skiing, ski gear and the future of the sport.

    Useful Links:

    Mountain Air – Verbier

    Glacier Sport – Zermatt

    Premier Alpine Center – Nendaz

    What is European Snowsport?

    Founded in 2003 in Verbier, European Snowsport has grown become Europe’s premier, private, international multi-lingual ski school. Based in some of the best ski resorts in the Alps, we specialise in providing fun, friendly and attentive instructors who will make your time in the mountains unforgettable.

    We offer flexible private ski lessons tailored to what you want to learn, be it making your first turns to perfecting your powder skiing. We also offer fun group lessons and private ski lessons for kids. Our small Kids Academy groups range from three to seventeen years old and all kids are equipped with Flaik GPS trackers for maximum safety on the mountain.

    European Snowsport is based in the following resorts in France and Switzerland:

    Verbier Ski School

    Nendaz Ski School

    Zermatt Ski School

    Chamonix Ski School

    St. Moritz Ski School

    If you have any questions or you’d like to book a ski lesson, don’t hesitate to get in touch via phone or email. Our friendly office team is always on hand to help you out.

    Breaking News: There’s LOADS of Snow in the Alps!

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    Early Season Snow in the Alps!

    Let’s be honest, snow in the Alps has been few and far between for the past few years. We weren’t heading into this winter with high hopes of a great season, but Mother Nature has proved us wrong! Over the weekend the Alps were hit by a mega snow storm which saw some resorts getting up to 80cm in one night. What’s more, it’s been snowing ever since and powdery conditions are set to continue.

    Snow in Verbier
    They couldn’t clear the snow fast enough in Verbier!

    Here at European Snowsport HQ in Verbier, we were walking the streets in knee-deep snow and skiing even deeper powder.  The clear up mission is still underway, with truck-loads of snow being transported out of the village to keep the roads clear. Nendaz saw similar conditions, with cars being totally buried and incredible snow conditions for our formation weeks across the Four Vallées.

    Snow in Chamonix
    The roads and the skies clearing in Chamonix. Photo: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

    Chamonix also received a massive dump, which resulted in traffic chaos and many of the ski lifts being closed for a good few days. Thankfully now everything is back up and running!

    Snow in Zermatt
    The Zermatt Glacier looking lovely – we couldn’t resist a picture with the Matterhorn in the background!

    Zermatt and St. Moritz have both seen their fair share of snow as well. Both resorts have been graced with some sunny intervals so everyone can enjoy the amazing conditions and stunning views.

    Snow in Nendaz
    Car or snowdrift? Nendaz got a healthy dump as well.
    Just Remember…

    Although all this snow in the Alps is amazing, if you’re looking forward to skiing some powder soon it’s important to remember to take precautions. Lots of snow means an increased avalanche risk so make sure you’re being careful when you head out! We offer off-piste ski lessons in all all ES resorts; our highly-qualified instructors know the mountains like the backs of their hands and will teach you to ski powder safely, without compromising on fun!

    Snow in St. Moritz
    St. Moritz enjoying their unique champagne snow climate!

    Chamonix Ski School Location :: European Snowsport

    130 Rue de l'Église, 74310
    74310 Les Houches
    France
    Phone: +41277716222
    Email: info@europeansnowsport.com

    European Snowsport Ski School in Verbier

    European Snowsport
    Rue de Médran,
    1936 Bagnes
    Switzerland
    Phone: +41 27 771 6222
    Fax: +41277716221
    Email: info@europeansnowsport.com

    Nendaz Ski School Location

    Chemin des Cibles 17
    1997 Haute Nendaz, Valais
    Switzerland
    Phone: +41 27 565 3233
    Email: nendaz@europeansnowsport.com

    Zermatt Ski School Location

    Bahnhofstrasse 19
    3920 Zermatt
    Switzerland
    Phone: +41279676787
    Secondary phone: +41277716222
    Email: zermatt@europeansnowsport.com