PRESS REVIEW The Sunday

Telegraph by Mark Law

Subject: Ian Beveridge: BASI ISTD & Diplome

National Brevet d’Etat Ski Alpin

Mark    Law    (Telegraph    Economics    Journalist)    took    up skiing    10    years    ago    in    his    forties    and    soon    hit    the plateau.   But   then   he   met   an   inspirational   teacher   and his technique improved dramatically. You   are   an   intermediate   skier   with   a   modest   ambition. Obviously   you’d   prefer   to   ski   like   a   dream,   but   for   now you’d   settle   for   substantial   improvement.   Last   season   I achieved   just   that   becoming   more   controlled   and   faster than   I’d   ever   been.   In   addition,   I   could   ski   for   longer   with much    less    effort    and    I    knew    I    was    doing    it    better because my boots didn’t hurt any more. I   can   only   claim   a   modest   part   in   this   transformation: the   credit   must   go   to   an   impassioned,   maverick   Scots ski   instructor   called   Ian   Beveridge.   I   first   met   Ian   at   the foot    of    the    slopes    at    Val    d’Isère,    though    his    MetaSki leaflet   had   already   caught   my   eye   in   the   tourist   office. He   spoke   about   the   teaching   of   skiing   with   the   fervour of   a   revolutionary,   which   is,   indeed,   very   much   how   he sees himself. HIS METHOD USES A DAZZLING MIX OF SCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY AND PERSONAL ODYSSEY “There   is   practically   nothing   that’s   right   in   conventional teaching,”    Ian    proclaimed,    seemingly    oblivious    of    the fact     that     the     bar     was     crowded     with     instructors ...(edited).   Beveridge   railed   against   what   he   described as   the   “teaching   establishment”.   “Even   instructors   at   top national   level   don’t   understand   basic   ski   mechanics,”   he complained   before   going   on   to   explain   his   new   teaching method   using   a   dazzling   mix   of   science   and   personal odyssey. As   it   happens,   I   am   a   bit   of   a   sucker   for   “revolutionary methods”    because    I    came    to    skiing    late    and    was shocked    by    the    laziness    of    conventional    teaching.    To sign   up   with   the   ...(edited)...   ski   schools   had   proved   a lottery   and   I   always   seemed   to   get   the   dud   instructors. They   were   idle   or   uninterested,   and   their   English   was usually woeful. I   had   also   tried   independent   companies   and   individual instructors;   they   were   better   but   often   quite   wacky.   One chap   made   me   ski   with   my   eyes   shut   and   another   one had   me   skiing   with   my   boot   clips   open.   I   fell   over   a   lot, which   was   fine,   but   my   skiing   didn’t   seem   to   get   much better....    Then    I    encountered    Ian.    At    our    meeting    I realised    he    could    certainly    do    the    talk,    but    could    he make   me   ski   better?   When   we   arranged   to   meet   the following   afternoon,   he   asked   me   to   bring   Snowblades. I’d   never   been   on   the   things   before,   and   I   was   reluctant. He   reassured   me   that   I’d   have   no   trouble   and   it   would speed up the learning. I   was   hooked   from   the   start.   The   blades   were   a   delight   (I implore   anyone   who   hasn’t   tried   them   to   have   a   go). Ian’s   teaching   made   sense   even   though   it   contradicted much    of    what    I’d    been    taught:    do    not    face    downhill constantly   because   it   blocks   the   flow   of   movement   - always   follow   the   skis   around   to   an   appropriate   degree; do   not   sink   down   to   plant   the   pole   to   complete   the   turn and   rise   to   turn   around   it   -   instead,   rise   to   complete   the turn,    touching    the    pole    in    the    snow    between    turns when   upright   for   stability   as   you   prepare   to   incline   into the   next   turn;   do   not   stand   on   the   front   of   the   foot   or over   the   arch   -   work   mainly   from   the   heel   and   drive   the ski forwards. Reducing   his   teaching   to   a   few   points   in   cold   print   does not    do    it    justice,    but    it    gives    a    sense    of    how    it contradicts   so   much   of   the   prevailing   thinking.   I   spent the   next   day   practising   what   I’d   learnt,   and   then   had three    further    hours    of    teaching,    this    time    on    short carving   skis.   Personal   despair   drove   Ian   Beveridge   to devise   his   method.   He   had   spent   two   years   studying and   training   to   get   his   French   instructor’s   qualifications. “I   did   my   theory,”   he   says,   “I   knew   it   better   than   anyone else   but   I   could   not   get   the   Capacité”   -   the   notorious speed    test    which    so    many    would-be    instructors    not born   on   the   mountain   fail.   “I’d   spent   a   lot   of   money   and time,   I   had   top   race   coaching,   but   I   just   couldn’t   do   it. Then   one   day,   in   despair,   I   rethought   the   problem   and started    thinking    about    ice-skating    technique.    On    my next   test   I   abandoned   everything   I’d   been   taught:   I   went down the hill like a rocket and passed the slalom.” Ian   Beveridge   is   helping   others   to   master   the   Capacité. He   has   had   a   success   already   with   Phil   Harrison,   a   25 year   old   from   Manchester,   who   now   has   professional status   in   France.   “Ian   is   a   remarkable   teacher,”   he   says. “He   teaches   you   how   to   use   your   body   and   harness natural   movements   to   get   fantastic   results.   So   Harrison, who   a   short   time   ago   as   a   two-week-a-year   skier,   is   fully qualified      and      working      in      the      most      competitive environment. Not   a   bad   testimonial,   but   that’s   nothing   compared   to what Ian Beveridge did for me.

SKI & BOARD Magazine by

Minty Clinch

Subject: Chris Harrop: BASI ISTD & Diplome

National Brevet d’Etat Ski Alpin

...   especially   welcome   are   powderhounds   who   want   to ski   until   they   drop.   Chris   is   a   rugged   individualist   of   a guide,   who   takes   no   prisoners   in   his   quest   to   get   down the   mountain,   no   matter   what   obstacles   stand   in   his way.   In   the   course   of   a   week,   you   can   expect   to   ski   the best    slopes    in    l'Espace    Killy    and    Les    Arcs    as    well    as Sainte-Foy,    bushwhacking    your    way    to    the    bottom wherever    snow    is    sparse.    Follow    him    if    you    dare, because   his   brand   of   high-adrenalin   adventure   skiing   is a    huge    confidence    booster,    provided    you    make    the grade. If   you   don't   you   may   miss   an   unforgettable   lunch   at   one of   several   mountain   restaurants   you   might   not   be   able to    find    without    his    guidance.    And    that    would    be unfortunate

British American Val d’Isère

Ski School

Our Philosophy

Skiing    for    some    is    a    real    passion,    but    for    the    majority    it   is       often       great       source       of       frustration,       fear       and   dissatisfaction.     How    many    people    do    you    know    who tried   skiing   but   never   really   got   going   (Only   around   10% of    people    try    more    than    once)    or    soon    ceased    to progress    on    reaching    a    stubborn    learning    "plateau"? There   are   the   endless   accounts   of   injuries,   fatigue   (not just   from   late   night   partying)   and   useless   ”Follow   Me” instructors   who   either   can't   or   won't   communicate.   We are   all   familiar   with   the   classic   terrified   reluctant   woman who   has   just   come   along   to   please   her   sporty   partner or   the   tentative   beginner   taken   to   the   very   top   of   the mountain   by   an   over-enthusiastic   friend   -   who   of   course can    already    ski.    Practically    everyone    puts    all    of    this down    to    a    natural    and    normal    part    of    the    skiing experience   but   what   if   this   perception   is   wrong?    What   if all     of     those     problems     are     totally     avoidable     and mastering   bumps   and   deep   Off-Piste   were   shown   to   be part   of   a   simple,   easy,   clear   and   rewarding   development process   that   begins   on   day   one,   for   both   children   and adults? That    changes    everything.    That    is    what    we    do and why we are different. We change everything! Standard        national        ski        instruction        systems worldwide   are   universally   based   upon   a   dangerous misunderstanding   of   physics   and   mechanics.   Those errors   generate   a   set   of   instructions   passed   on   by   every trained    instructor    that    leads    directly    to    all    of    the problems       mentioned       above.       Frustrated       skiers eventually   avoid   coaching   altogether   or   simply   defer   to authority    and    blame    themselves    for    those    problems. Most    people    however    suspect    that    something    just doesn't     quite     make     sense.     They     are     right. Many       accomplished   athletes   from   other   sports   are   astonished to   encounter   great   difficulty   in   skiing.   What   they   don't realise    is    that    this    should    never    happen.    Very    few people   continue   with   coaching   as   adults   because   they only    ever    hear    the    same    unproductive    information along   with   corrections   and   “problem   solving”   repeated over    again.    Meanwhile    progress    remains    stubbornly elusive and they are offered no new insights. The   Meta-Ski   system   used   in   the   British   American   Val d’Isère   Ski   School   has   continued   to   evolve   since   being founded   in   1995.   There   is   a   vast   store   of   information with     complete     technical     explanations,     video     and photographic   support   available   on   the   subject   in   the “ski   instruction”   blog   here:      skiinstruction.blogspot.com     While   it   is   possible   to   self-teach   from   this   material   it   is also   extremely   important   to   have   coaching   for   accurate feedback.   The   reality   is   that   people   only   really   integrate the   information   properly   with   one-on-one   coaching   on snow. Teaching   takes   place   on   a   progressive   scale   -   with   no "change   of   technique"   to   get   to   another   level. Whether you   are   a   first   day   beginner   or   aiming   for   80 F.I.S.   points on   the   international   racing   scene   so   as   to   qualify   to become    an    instructor,    the    principles    and    teaching remain   the   same.   The   more   you   learn   the   more   you discover   there   is   to   learn   -   and   your   teachers   are   only different   from   you   in   that   they   are   learning   faster.   There is no"expert" who knows it all - that is an illusion. Meta-Ski   principles   teach   the   fact   that   all   skiing   requires the    same    fundamental    movements.    Skiing    sheet    ice requires    the    underlying    motions    as    skiing    powder. There   are   only   two   different   overall   movements   existing and   that’s   because   each   ski   has   two   edges.   The   skier must    try    to    avoid    “balance”    -    the    key    to    ease    and success    being    in    dynamics    and    disequilibrium.    From those    easy    to    grasp    principles    any    skier    can    rapidly learn    to    handle    the    varying    mountain    environment. There    is    no    mystery    to    “Off-Piste”    or    “Slalom”    if    the fundamentals    are    correct.    Beginners    are    not    even taught   a   snowplough   -   they   are   taught   to   skate   instead   - learning   how   to   move   the   centre   of   mass   to   control direction and stopping, right from day one. Our    approach    to    teaching    is    to    have    three    separate categories    (as    well    as    child/adult    separation    when possible).     It     is     stressed     that     this     is     related     to environment,   not   technique   -   which   remains   essentially unchanging   but   adapting.   The   categories   are   Technical Skiing,   Technical   Off-Piste   and   High   Adventure   Guiding. Within     those     categories     individual     experience     and fitness are respected. For   Off-Piste   the   Personal   Development   side   can   simply involve   going   beyond   your   perceived   limits   in   snow   and terrain   that   you   have   never   experienced   before.   During on-piste   coaching   limits   are   constantly   expanded   in   a very   different   way   as   perceptions   are   challenged   and altered.      Counter-intuitive,      conscious      and      mindful movements     take     the     place     of     emotionally     driven defensive    instincts.    Whereas    standard    teaching    only reinforces     destructive     defensive     instincts,     Meta-Ski principles   develop   a   completely   new   set   of   natural   skills that work to protect both the body and mind.