The British Ski Academy (BSA)

Zermatt, Summer 2012, Head Coach's report

Hope everyone arrived home safely and are now resting and recovering.

We had an incredibly successful camp and were lucky enough to have some of the best conditions I have ever experienced in summer training. Zermatt is easily the best glacier in Europe for summer training and it is great to be there alongside national teams and world cup skiers from across the world. It was hard work for trainees getting up around 6am every morning but this really allowed us maximise the best training conditions.

We were even lucky enough to have Marcel Hirscher (Last year’s overall world cup champion) ask if he could train slalom on our course for a day which was an incredible experience for trainees. This provided a unique opportunity to watch the best skier in the world training alongside you and compare line your technique to his. British number 1 Chemmy Allcott was also kind enough to come over to talk with all the trainees and answer their questions. She was able to provide valuable guidance and inspiration on how to make it to the world cup as a British skier.

Summer camp is the best time to make technical improvements and best prepare for the season. I was delighted to see some of the progress that was made during the camp in freeskiing and technical training and then the transfer of this to the gates. We also had access to the freestyle park in which we used the kickers and half pipe to develop further skills. It was great to see the increase in confidence and balance in the air and by the end of the camp many trainees were happily popping off the kickers.

Hope to see everyone again soon either in Landgraaf at the end of August or on our October glacier camp in Les Deux Alpes. In the meantime keep working hard on your fitness between now and the start of the season.
Scott
08 Aug 2012

Adopt a Ski Racer

This is an appeal for TJ Baldwin and Eddie Drake, the British men’s senior champions for 2011 and 2010. The national team is struggling to meet any more than the cost of the coaching team, which leaves TJ and Eddie, the UK’s top male racers, to find their own travel and accommodation costs, even their lift passes. Both are now actively looking for ‘head’ sponsors – a personal sponsor on the racer’s crash helmet to be promoted on all publicity head shots – and can be contacted via the BSA office.

TJ and Eddie received the bulk of their children level snow training at the BSA. (Congrats to them and to Harriet Steggles, the 2011 women’s champion, who also trained with us extensively at U16 level.) Having taught TJ his tuck, and put Eddie in the gate in his first downhill (age 12 in Aspen!) and having seen them grow from boys to international contenders with exciting world ranking results, it is a real shame to see their difficulties keeping the show on the road. If anyone reading this knows of a company that might be interested in discussing numbers and brand exposure with Ed or TJ, please get in touch. Thank you.
Malcolm Erskine email
08 JUL 2011

2011 - Landgraaf Camp

August indoor training

11Sept 2011

 

End of Season, Winter 2011

Phew!  We beat the low snow levels with great training throughout the 2011 winter season and great results at the national ski championships. BSA won best overall club awards at Children 1 and 2 level and best named teams in three out of four categories.In C1 boys the BSA team placed second to the SSC team whose racers all trainined with the BSA during the sesaon. And if there’d been a trophy for best Mini Club we’d have won that too! Well done also to all those trainees who joined us in 2011 for extra training and performed under their home club banners in Meribel.
Malcolm
30 APR 2011

 

Weekly Races

Results of our internal, weekly races at Les Houches >>>
29 MAR 2011

 

2010 - Cervinia Race Camp

Lynn's film of the Summer visit to Cervinia and the slopes of the Matterhorn now on you-tube...

22 August 2010

Anglo Scottish Cup 2011

Note regarding British Alpine Seeding System (BASS) races. We are delighted to announce that the BSA will support the Scottish clubs to host this prestigious early season BASS event on 2/3 January 2011. NB Plan ahead. The 2009 children’s event at the Anglo Scottish was fully subscribed.
17 August 2010