Ski instructing on drymat is a little different than teaching on a mountain. For starters you don’t have the same vast area to play about on, you work with what you’re given. Having taught at both Bearsden and Hillend over the past few years, each has its own set of challenges. On the flip side I think that no matter where you teach there is an enormous amount of satisfaction and reward being able to see someone who has never touched skis in their life work their way through the skiing progression.
Photo: The ski slope at Hillend (before upgrade).
Unlike a mountain Hillend has the limitations of a main slope and a secondary tow slope and sometimes, when there is not a tubing party in progress, you can sneak onto the nursery slope! This is standard for most dryslopes, which if you haven’t ever skied on before the mat is like a giant toothbrush, goodness knows who ever came up with the idea!
Both of Hillend’s slopes are coloured in with lines yellow, green, blue and red to suggest where skiers of certain abilities should dismount the tow. Coincidentally both slopes also run at roughly the same gradient which on the lower section is not all that shallow. This makes teaching beginners a challenge as controlling their speed and line is vital before moving them higher up the slope.
However a recent cash injection could change all this. The centre has invested money into new nursery slopes which are not only set at suitable gradients for beginners, but eliminates the obstacle of learning to use the tow by adding a magic carpet which is a much easier and more convenient form of uplift.
In addition the nursery slopes will be made of Nevaplast which is a form of drymat said to be most alike to the sensation of skiing on snow. All these new transformations have the potential to lift the centre into a new light and they even introduce the opportunity for 4 and 5 year olds to learn to ski which was previously not possible at Hillend.
All in all teaching at Hillend has to be one of my favourite past times. The teaching variations have made me into a better instructor by challenging my teaching methods, encouraging me to think about the best possible approach to every situation. The clientele vary from young to old, naturally talented to those with disabilities and each and every one of them teaches me how to adapt to their individual needs. It can be frustrating at times but eventually when you make that breakthrough and everything clicks and falls together beautifully it totally makes it worth while. Knowing that you were responsible for the smile on your client’s face as they learn something new or overcome a challenge is the most rewarding feeling and the reason I love teaching, no matter what the terrain.