The Skiing Department Blog

James Bailey is a 19 year old British ski instructor working in the resort of Sierra at Tahoe, California. James started skiing at the age of 10 and has skied in many resorts throughout Europe and the United States. James has recently qualified as a ski instructor through the Educating Adventures gap year ski instructor program and now holds a level one certification from the Professional ski Instructors of America.

1. How long have you been qualified as a ski instructor?
   I passed my PSIA Level 1, in November 2008
2. What’s the best thing about being a ski instructor?
   There are a ton of good things, but for me it's the fact that every day is different; different experiences, different students, different conditions, different challenges, different stories to hear and share

In this increasingly time restricted world that we live in, skiing addicts don’t always have time to take 2 or 3 weeks off a winter to participate in their favourite sport. But it is possible to combine a week long skiing holiday with one or two shorter trips at either end of the season.

Taking a Friday and/or a Monday off work and heading over to the Alps, from the UK, is fairly straightforward. Better still, you will find cheaper flights if you leave on a Tuesday morning and come back on a Thursday evening. Speaking from experience, I have left Luton airport early on a Tuesday morning and been skiing in Verbier by lunchtime…and I mean on the ski lift by 12.30. On that trip I stayed in Verbier for >> Continue reading

In previous articles, I have discussed the importance of ski clothing and looked at both ski gloves and ski socks.  Another piece of clothing that is absolutely essential is a good hat.

Although there is much evidence to support the fact that the old statistic of 50% of heat lost through the body is not true, I know from personal experience that wearing a hat in very cold weather makes an enormous difference to how warm you feel inside.

Of course, ski hats are major fashion items and choosing the right design can be important for some. This is a subjective issue so I can’t comment on your preferred style. All I can say is that I like good quality hats that fit well and the ones with floppy bits around the >> Continue reading

Verbier, Switzerland. Best for Off-piste skiing & night-life.

During the last few years Verbier’s reputation as a world class resort has grown considerably. It has always been well known for good off piste skiing and crazy night-life but more recently it has taken on a more upmarket glamorous image that has attracted the rich and famous to this jewel of the Alps. The big improvements to the lift system have stopped the old bottle necks from causing serious queuing problems which dogged the old classics like Tortin and Mt Fort in the past. But the terrain is what makes Verbier so special, high altitude lift serviced skiing at its best. Adrenaline fuelled backcountry classics such as Vallon d’Arby, Backside Mt Fort and Tortin offer skiers the chance to experience powder snow >> Continue reading | 2 Comments