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Mental performance coaching for skiers

It is interesting that when reading various ski instructor and sports coaching manuals how much is written about technique and how little is written about mental state. For instance one ski manual I know of has 200 odd pages on technique, ski exercises and drills etc. and just one page on mental preparation. It is great to have a solid understanding of ski and sport technique, but what is really interesting is how little effort is focused on the mental aspect of teaching and coaching skiing or in fact any sport. This is even more interesting when you actually get out on the mountain and start teaching and coaching the public to ski. How many times do you here the classic ski instructor line ‘don’t be scared’? If skiing was just about the 200 odd pages of technique and nothing else why is your friendly ski instructor telling you not to be scared? Or how many times have you heard one of your athletes say ‘I can’t do that’? Or some other limiting decision they are choosing to vocalise, maybe to protect or prevent them from achieving their full potential.

So, now you get out your handy instructors manual and refer to the one page on mental preparation and all is solved?! Or maybe all isn’t solved?

So what is the solution?

One approached is to carry on as normal and hope everything works out fine!

There is a problem with this approach: To carry on as normal will produce the same results as nothing has changed. Your input as a coach to the coaching equations is the same, so the result will be the same, as the client or athlete in front of you is processing this same information with the same brain which will come to the same conclusion. And around you go in the same circle again, probably leading to a frustrated instructor or coach and maybe a disappointed client. Not really that successful.

Maybe a better approach would be that the instructor or coach has been trained both in ski / sports technique and mental coaching and is able to help the client facilitate real change and achieve their goals.

Keep an eye open for our blogs on ski mental performance coaching on Chalets Direct. If you are interested in building your chalet with a different type of wood and want to move your skiing to another level then maybe now book your place on an  Alpinemojo summer performance ski courses on the Saas-Fee glacier

http://www.alpinemojo.co.uk/  offers performance snow sports coaching with a difference.

A ski holiday in Courchevel, Three Valleys, France

The Courchevel valley has a reputation for attracting an upmarket, well-heeled clientele. It is certainly favoured by the very rich - Russian oligarchs, Arab sheikhs et al - and the very famous, such as the Beckhams, Roman Abramovich and guests. Yet whilst it might be the place to see and to be seen in, it's not just the designer boutiques and Michelin stars of Courchevel 1850 that make it one of the best and most famous ski resorts in the world.

As part of the extensive Three Valleys system, Courchevel can offer easy access to some of the most varied skiing you'll find anywhere. The Courchevel valley itself provides around 150km of pistes, ranging from steep black couloirs, to broad motorway cruises, to picturesque runs through the trees. Look further afield and there are endless possibilities; touring, backcountry, high altitude glaciers, snowparks, legendary bumps and off-piste pitches - however you want to experience the mountains, it's all here in the Three Valleys.

Getting back to Courchevel itself and what is it exactly that makes it such a top resort? The resort is actually a group of villages, each with a different character and with something different to offer the visitor.

Courchevel - from top to bottom:

The highest is Courchevel 1850, a glitzy conurbation with top end restaurants, a selection of exclusive hotels, glamorous nightclubs and a "millionaire's row" of private piste-side chalets. Just above is the altiport, a high altitude airport with one of the shortest and steepest runways in the world, built to receive the private jets and helicopters of 1850's jet-set.

Courchevel 1850 is the main starting point to get to the best skiing to be found in the Courchevel valley. Just two lifts will take you up to the Saulire at 2700m, from where you can drop into the neighbouring Meribel valley, or admire the fantastic panorama below you and then head off to discover Courchevel. It is testament to the good planning of the whole Courchevel valley however, that wherever you stay getting to ski is quick and painless.

Just 200 metres lower is Courchevel 1650, less pricey but with a good range of accommodation, eateries and apres ski. 1650 has it's own smaller ski area, an off-shoot of the main valley, with a few quieter, picturesque pistes. This village has a large year-round population and many businesses are open for summer trade too, when bikers, walkers, golfers and mountain lovers come to visit.

Perched on the hillside at 1550m is, well, Courchevel 1550. This village has grown in recent years and is just one lift-ride away from 1850's main intersection, skiing back down at the end of the day is simple. The village is quieter than it's higher neighbours but there are still some good bars and restaurants, and getting to the livelier nightspots is easy with the regular free bus.

At 1300m is the traditional village of Courchevel Le Praz, which still has it's quaint villagey atmosphere and friendly feel. You can find hundred year old barns and typical Savoyard houses. The main landmark of Le Praz is the Olympic ski jump, built for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympic Games. Despite being a traditional village, access to the ski area is again quick and easy. One lift takes you to 1850, and another route will take you up to the Col de La Loze, again another entry point into Meribel and another viewpoint for a spectacular panorama.

So much to ski!

So part of what makes Courchevel so good is the choice it has to offer. From beginner to expert there is something to flatter or challenge you in its terrain, and lots of it. You'll never get bored with the ski area.

Coupled with that is the great choice of places to stay and the type of holiday you can have. Accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets means you can splash out on something truly luxurious or keep it cheap and simple. If this has whetted your appetite take a look at our Courchevel chalets, hotels and apartments - and if you've had a holiday in Courchevel why not post up a review of the resort and let everyone know what you think!

Well Seasoned....by Melissa Love

One of the big benefits of running The Ski Blog is that we can ask some very cool and illustrious people to contribute. In the last few months we have been able to wangle posts from mountain bike guru Clive Andrews, regular ski tips from Chamonix's All Mountain Performance, and a review of K2's wildest off piste ski, the Pontoon, by Christian Shepherd and GB junior racer Sam Clissold.

Now we are pleased to announce the collaboration of writer and broadcaster Melissa Love. Melissa is a ski season veteran and rose from the ranks of chalet girl to managing the whole chalet operation for a large UK tour operator. Maybe you are still pondering whether to escape to the mountains, but weighing up the pros against the cons. In which case Melissa's advice for all aspiring chalet hosts will be sure to help you make your decision.

Melissa's post follows below:

Well Seasoned

There are three questions every chalet host gets asked.

Where did you learn to cook? Answer: Practising on the hapless guests who arrived in the first weeks of the season before Christmas, with Delia Smith in one hand and a large gin and tonic in the other.

Would you like to go out for a drink on your night off? Answer: No, Bob-the-accountant-from-Kent, there are too many hot French ski instructors to work my way through and I only have one night a week to do it.

When are you going to get a proper job? Aaah, my favourite and oft-repeated question, asked by friends and relatives, guests and simply the plain jealous, who find it hard to accept that working a season is anything more than a glorified holiday. I’d be lying if I denied there was an element of that, but as a five-winter veteran, I will happily assert that working a winter season is one of those experiences that equips you for much of what life will throw at you later on.
For the unconvinced, I hereby offer up my five reasons why being a chalet host is a job for life, not just for winter.

1. You can keep a cool head in the face of any culinary disaster.

My very first week of my very first season was Christmas – a time of high expectations at the best of times. Forgetting all about my Christmas pudding steaming merrily away on the hob, it soon boiled dry and burst into flames. A rugby-style pass of pan and pudding through the open window into a snowdrift soon extinguished it. A discreet retrieval, a liberal dousing with cheap brandy and the pudding was declared a triumph.

No subsequent kitchen mishap has, or will ever, top the horror induced by the sight of that flaming pudding.

2. You can produce a veritable banquet for a mere pittance.

Living within your means is an important life skill, and in the context of working a season, absolutely vital if you are going to be able to spend a disproportionate amount of your allotted funds on cheap wine. This is a calculation you will find invaluable at many stages of your life.

3. You can politely but firmly repel amorous advances from all-comers.

There must be something about fresh air and exercise, or maybe it’s the high altitude which makes blokes on ski holidays think they are irresistible to you. Fuelled by cheap chalet wine and the misguided belief that they have become sun-bronzed ski gods after just three days in resort, there is always a week in the season which resembles a carry-on film, with the obligatory Benny Hill-style chase around the kitchen and lots of ‘accidental meetings’ in your favourite bar or mountain pit-stop.

At home, it would probably be called stalking, but on holiday, you’re fair game and actually, you’d still really like to earn that tip at the end of the week. You quickly learn the benefit of remaining sober, flirting nicely and firmly locking your bedroom door.

4. You can turn in a creditable day’s work after only 2 hours of sleep and with the mother of all hangovers.

Now, I’m not saying this is necessarily an important or particularly attractive talent, but it’s a good one to have up your sleeve. Later in life, you can simulate the experience of sleep deprivation and bleary drunkenness by having children, when the ability to drink a lot of wine (essential) and function on very little sleep (obligatory) is once more required of you.

5. You know the meaning of real job satisfaction.

It’s true that not everyone thrives on late nights, vigorous exercise, excessive drinking and being at the beck and call of strangers, but for those who do and who are able to master the demands of a winter season, it is the beginning of a love affair. It’s not so much the Alpine atmosphere and the opportunity to date hot snowboarders that gets you, though that’s a bonus. It’s the knowledge that you have discovered what it means to truly love what you do and to do it well.

In my book, that’s worth more money than any ‘proper’ job could pay you.

Melissa Love is now married, mum of two and living in Sussex. Among other projects she is editor of the glossy Village Living - so there is life after ski seasons! If you would like to get more of Melissa's take on life take a look at her blog. Thanks Melissa!

British Ski Racer, Sam Clissold, Takes on the K2 Pontoons

There are certain times in skiing history when there have been great leaps forward in ski technology. There was the move to clip in bindings, the introduction of the carving ski and now there is a new direction of innovation, towards fat skis.

At the summit of this new direction in technology is K2, the American company, who are carving inroads into the new age of the powder ski. Sam Clissold, the 14 year old British team ski racer, recently purchased a pair of Brand new K2 Pontoons from the Blackside Store in Flaine and has had the perfect opportunity over the last two weeks to try them out in the deep powder fields of Flaine, France.

At 160mm at their tip, 130mm under foot and 110mm at the tail, these are BIG skis. They have an inverse camber meaning that, when on piste, they only have about half of the ski that actually connects with the snow. They also have no turning radius, being the wrong shape, making it quite clear that these skis were made for one purpose, and one purpose only: to enjoy the off piste.

“I can’t sink the tips,” says an exuberant Sam after our second run, “they just won’t go under”. From where I’m skiing behind him I can see what he means. Whereas I am fighting to stay afloat on a pair of “bit of everything” skis, Sam has no problem whatsoever. Throughout the day, Sam gets more and more relaxed as he becomes accustomed to how the ski works, by the end he is carving like the expert racer that he is, but the amazing thing is that he is doing so in snow that would reach up to his knees on other skis.

Sam doesn't just ski straight down through the powder; he takes the odd detour to drop off a cliff. "You can tell he's 14" says one of our wistful older companions, as we watch from below while Sam takes an interesting path down, including a 6 foot drop, two jump shaped mounds and a natural slalom of trees. “I can barely feel the landings,” exclaims Sam. I guess that must be the work of the huge surface area, but for Sam it isn’t about why it works, it’s about how it works, and I can tell from his boyish grin, that they are working well.

A couple of days later, he’s back out again shredding into a new dump of snow. We are the first to make it up to an untouched bowl and when we arrive at the bottom we take a moment to look back at what we skied. “Who ripped that up?” says one of us incredulously, pointing up to a set of striking tracks slightly to the right of where we all went. “That was Sam,” was the reply. No surprise there.

Over the next few weeks the pontoons began to make more and more frequent appearances. Anytime Sam caught even the slightest whiff of fresh snow, he would take them out, and even if the snow was wind-swept, cut up, crusty, heavy or a combination of the above, he was still skiing it with ease. In fact, he skied it with more than ease; he was skiing it with enthusiasm, still pulling tricks and just having one hell of a good time.

Today, after another morning of powder, I decided that Sam would have made up his mind about exactly what he thought of the skis, so I asked him. “What’s the verdict then?” He takes a moment to think while examining his skis and taking in the signature K2 graphics. “Overall,” he finally replies, “they are one sick pair of skis!

Loving The Sensation

Ok so you can ski. You can get down most runs, go pretty fast on the less steep runs and get through the off piste. Where do you go from here? Do you go faster? Do you look for jumps? Do you change your equipment?

The world's best skiers and snowboarders can be seen out on the mountain in all types of conditions having fun. In the off piste they are effortlessly gliding rhythmically through the powder. On hard pack they are turning with great accuracy and rhythm seemingly dancing down the mountain.

These boys and girls are out there having a great time because they have the technique and skill to enjoy the mountain. The mountain is their equivalent of a dance floor with their favourite music blasting in their ears. The more they do it the better they get, the more fun they are having, the more they are in harmony with both themselves and the mountain. They are buzzing. Nothing can quite replace the feeling.

Very rarely will you find somebody who is good at a sport who has not had good and informative direction. The more direction you get the better you will become and the more you will enjoy the sensation of the sport. This is what makes a sport so addictive. You can guarantee Andy Murray loves the feeling of hitting a smooth clean backhand down the line. Bode Miller loves the sensation he gets from carving a beautiful clean turn down a GS course, Cristiano Ronaldo must love beating five players and putting the ball in the top corner.

The common theme with all these guys is that they have great technique. There is no substitute for it. The better your technique the more fun you will have. We often see intermediate skiers straight lining an easy piste at speed. They try to go faster and faster to generate some sort of buzz. This is ultimately boring and dangerous. A good skier/snowboarder will travel down that piste carving, experimenting, changing rhythm, getting more angle, working the skis as they are designed to be used. They will be having greater fun, getting fitter and go back for more.

If you want to get that buzz and feel the rush then get some good instruction. Why try to reinvent the wheel? You only live once, do the best you can and do not miss out.

Top tips for family ski holidays!

Are you thinking of taking the plunge this winter and taking the whole family on a ski holiday? Family ski holidays are a fantastic experience for all - but the planning and execution can be fraught with stress and anxiety.

Whether you're all absolute beginners, or an experienced parent wanting to introduce your children to wintersports, we hope the following tips will come in useful.

1. Choose a resort with off-snow activities too:

Whilst the prime object of the holiday is to ski, any experienced ski holidaymaker will tell you that by day three you will be a little less keen to get the first lift and ski until close of play. Adrenaline and excitement will carry you so far, but altitude and exercise will catch up in the end.

So it's important to make sure that neither you nor the kids overdo it, and that there's plenty of things to occupy the family if you decide to knock off a bit earlier once or twice during your stay.

Make sure your resort offers other activities - luckily most of them do. Swimming, ice-skating, bowling, sleigh rides and walking trails can be enjoyed by all the family.

Quite often tourist offices will put on special events, especially during school holiday weeks. Santa, for example, will be a guest in most ski resorts at Xmas, and will often make a personal appearance handing out small gifts or sweets. During special weeks there could be firework displays, free concerts, free shows put on by the ski school, and torchlight descents to either watch or participate in.

So when you're doing your research it's a good idea to check the tourist office websites to see what's on and what else is available.

Of course you might all be too shattered from the day's activities to think about doing anything else - but it's good to have a back up plan, just in case.

2. Choosing a ski school:

If the whole family are beginners then ski school is essential for all of you. If you're all going to be in ski school make sure you choose one where the timetables for adult and children's classes are in sync. Sounds obvious - but make sure before you book. Imagine having to leave your class half an hour earlier everyday because the children finish earlier.

Often ski schools provide excellent children's classes, with pick up and drop off services, specific courses aimed at teenagers, and ski kindergartens for pre-schoolers. You'll probably have an idea of how well your children will adapt to different circumstances, different languages etc, so keep this in mind.

For younger children, 5 and under, an extensive 2 or 3 hour period on snow each day might be too much - particularly early on in the season, when it's usually colder and less sunny on the nursery slopes. A good ski school will advise you on the right kind of tuition for youngsters, usually where snow time is diluted with both outdoor and indoor games and activities.

Another thing to check is the cut-off age for children and adult lessons. In many ski schools a 13 year old beginner will be classified as an adult - and so will be in an adult group. Make sure your 13 year old will be ok with this - preparing them for this in advance will help. Obviously if it's a school holiday week, it's likely that there will be a few more 13 year olds around for them to get friendly with.

As far as they can, ski schools will group beginners by ability - there will be stronger beginners and not so strong ones - but this difference in levels may not be evident immediately, and there may be shuffling around going on during the first day or two. It doesn't mean that your 6 year old is a lot worse than your 8 year old, or vice versa, just that one is learning at a different pace.

3. My boots hurt Mummy:

One of the best things to do to prepare your children for a ski holiday, and to give them a better chance of enjoying it when they're there, is to take them for preliminary lessons at your nearest ski centre at home.

Then they'll know how ski boots and skis feel before they get to a foreign ski hire shop after travelling for several hours, tired, fed up and perhaps a little less than co-operative.

It may seem expensive, but it's a real investment. It's quite possibly a long time since you put on ski boots for the first time - so you may have forgotten how unfamiliar and strange they can feel. If you're a beginner yourself then you will also benefit from having a go at home before taking the plunge abroad.

Let them have some lessons - you'll be able to gauge their enthusiasm. If they like it then you know that a family ski holiday will most likely be a success! And they'll progress faster when they get to resort.

4. When to go:

There isn't always much choice when you can take your family ski holiday if you have school age children.

Obviously during the ski season, if it's impossible or impractical to take them out of school, you're limited to Xmas holidays, February half term or Easter.

Easter may fall late, so you may not want to risk a mid to late April break - at least if it does fall late you'll have more time to watch snow conditions before you book.

February half term weeks are the busiest weeks of the season pretty much across the board. Not only do UK schools break up for a week, but of course the French, Swiss, Austrians, Italians, Dutch, Belgians all enjoy a week off during February. And of course all these nations have keen skiers. As you might expect half term prices double, along with the length of the lift queues.

Fortunately the Europeans tend to stagger their half term weeks - so not all areas will be off at the same time. This softens the blow - but resorts will still be busy for most of February.

There are however some advantages for going in February. Snow conditions are often as good as they'll ever be. The days are longer, the sun is higher, so it can be warmer and more pleasant for your little ones in ski school. And again, knowing that February is prime time, many resorts will organise special events to entertain you.

If you're looking for a Xmas holiday then you could find some bargains. Generally Xmas week in ski resorts is less busy and accommodation a bit cheaper than for the following New year week. Whilst there is still a Christmas atmosphere in ski resorts, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are normal working days for everyone - so ski school will go on as normal.

Christmas is of course quite early in the season - so snow may not be at it's best. But nonetheless you'll find plenty of Xmas cheer, lots of fun things being organised and you'll miss the normal post-Chrimmie dinner nap in front of the TV, and the rush to the sales on Boxing Day - so that can't be a bad thing!

5. Childcare - book in advance:

If you're going to need childcare on a ski holiday make sure you do as much research as possible in advance.  Obviously there will be a limited number of places so it's best to always book in advance, especially if you are travelling during school holidays.

Most tourist office websites will be able to put you in touch with creches and kidergartens, and ask your holiday company too.

A family ski holiday can be one of the best things you all do together - and it's a great way for children to gain new experiences. Making snowmen, sledging, throwing snowballs - let's face it we all like to do that at any age!

Hopefully your first family ski holiday will be the first of many.

What do you think? Have you got any tips or advice for family skiing? We would especially love to hear from ski schools - if you've got any new, kid-specific ideas or courses let us know so that we can tell everyone else!

Mountain Photography - Tips, Tricks and Awesome Views

Whatever time of year you choose to visit the mountains you'll find breathtaking scenery and awe-inspiring panoramas. Everytime you reach the top and step out of the cable car it's hard not to be blown away by the view - no matter how many times you've seen it. The landscapes are always changing with the light, weather conditions, season and a thousand other little variables.

Our featured photographer in this post is Rob Hall, who has captured the mountain landscape in all weathers and conditions.

Rob grew up skiing on New Zealand's mountains, and photographing them naturally followed. His love for mountains has brought him to Europe where he has explored some of the most breathtaking alpine landscapes in the world. Now based in Switzerland, Rob's been roaming the Alps and during the winter months will be indulging both his passions - skiing and photography. Rob is also an expert skier and qualified instructor, and can be booked for private tuition.

His top tips for taking photos of mountain landscapes are: -

• Include foreground into your landscapes to draw you into the picture.
• Be patient. Light changes quickly at times and you may see the best shot just as you've packed up.
• Don't just stand there. Walk around, crouch up and down or stand on something. The first view isn't necessarily the best view.
• Use a tripod.
• Use a polarizer.
• Enjoy and understand your camera, it's easy when you know how.
• Practice

Here's a selection of Rob's work and if you'd like to get a Rob Hall original email him for more details.

Remarkables Mountain Range, Queenstown, New Zealand.

Shining Rock, Anzere, Valais, Switzerland 

Mont Blanc, seen from Les Arcs, Tarentaise, France

Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland 

Near Mt Cook, New Zealand 

Valley View, Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, France 

Glenorchy, Otago, New Zealand - featured in Lord of the Rings 

The Jungfrau, view from Interlaken, Switzerland 

What makes a great...Cheese Fondue

Does anything remind you of a ski holiday more than one of those alpine speciality dishes, loaded with cholestorol boosting cheese and accompanied by jugs of wine?

It's a traditional part of your stay - at least once you'll be going to the typical chalet restaurant to partake in surely what must be one of the most sociable meals ever. So why not have a pre-season fondue party to get you in the mood. Here's a recipe from an old Savoyard sage.

Fondue Savoyarde

You'll need:

Cheese - approx 200g per person, grated. The types of cheese you use will vary according to region but as a general rule use 3 varieties of hard cheese, one of which should ideally be Swiss. Our favourites are Comté, Beaufort and Swiss Gruyere. (Swiss Fribourg is also a good one to use).

Wine - a dry white wine. A good tip is to use a cheap dry sparkling wine - Ayze for example. Sparkling wine lightens the texture a little. Use one wine glass per person plus one for the pot.

1 small clove garlic, some nutmeg, a small knob of butter and dijon mustard.

What to do:

Crush the garlic. Melt the butter in the fondue pot and add the garlic to soften. It's best to start off with the fondue pot on the hob - so that the initial cooking will be quicker. Once the cheese has melted it can then be transferred to the burner on your table. Ceramic or cast iron pots are best, particularly for cheese fondues.

When the butter is foaming add a small teaspoon of dijon mustard and stir. Then add the wine. Do not be tempted to add too much wine. Use a small wine glass to measure. Let the wine heat through and bubble.

Once the wine has been warmed through start adding the cheese. Do this gradually and stir with a wooden spoon in a figure of eight to combine the cheeses. Once the cheese has all been added keep stirring in a figure of eight, add a little grated nutmeg and a splash of Kirsch or a similar strong alcohol. Once you are sure that the cheese has all melted transfer the pot to the burner.

Traditionally no thickening agents, such as cornflour, were used , and if you keep to the proportions mentioned you shouldn't need to thicken it. It's very tempting to add more wine at the beginning but don't, you can always add more later if you need to.

You can also add dried mushrooms - soak them first in hot water for 10 minutes, drain and throw into the fondue pot once all the cheese is melted. Use just a small handful.

Serve with cubes of stale bread. Green salad and a plate of sliced hams and smoked sausage are good accompaniments.

What makes a great....Ski Short Break?

It's a gloomy Thursday afternoon in January, it's been cold and rainy for as long as you can remember, the Christmas and New Year festivities have already receded into distant memory. So what better way to relieve the British mid-winter blues than to grab a few days on the slopes

Short sharp ski and snowboarding breaks have become more and more popular. Budget airlines, good off peak prices and flexible accommodation have all contributed to the growth of the ski weekend, or the mid-week break. What better way to recharge the batteries and liven up those dull winter months?

So here are our top tips for a quick getaway:

1. Choose your resort: Less time spent getting there means more time being there, so a resort which is reasonably close to your arrival airport is a bonus. Remember too that transfer times on a busy Saturday in February will be different to a Thursday evening in January. Geneva to Meribel in a couple of hours is do-able when there is little or no traffic!

2. Book a transfer beforehand, so you can be out of the airport fast, ATS provide transfer services from most European airports, and many of our weekend/short break operators can also provide transfers.  

3. Prebook passes and equipment: Getting these sorted before you arrive will save you time when you get there. Most companies will get this organised for you - some such as Huski, Alpine Chalet Weekends, and Mountainsun, will have equipment and passes waiting for you at the chalet so that you can be out on the slopes with the minimum hassle.

4. Catering: Do you really want to spend precious time in the local supermarket, especially when you know that you'll only get through a quarter of the stuff you buy?  There are some excellent catered packages available, so you can relax and enjoy the skiing - after all that's why you're there. Twin Peaks in Morzine, offers breakfast and 4 course evening meals with wine, starting at just £45 per person per night, and Ski Villaroger, in the Les Arcs part of Paradiski, have fully catered, flexible packages from just £65pp per night in their lovely chalet with hot tub.

5. Little extras: It's worth seeing what other services are available too, such as transport to the slopes and ski hosting, which again will save you time, especially if you don't know the resort. Independent chalet operators can often provide flexible and far more personalised services than the big tour operators, so the holiday can be tailored to suit you. Chalet des Cimes in Ste Foy, for example, as well as accompanied skiing, can design a whole ski safari for you - so that you can ski in different resorts on each day, inlcuding Tignes, Val d'Isere and La Rosiere.

So if you can't manage a whole week, or want to supplement your ski time with a few short trips, then take a look at Chalets Direct's ski weekends page for lots of ideas and very tempting packages!

What makes a great...ski lesson?

Sunday morning - the first day of your ski holiday. After an epic battle to get equipment, lift passes and children sorted out in time, you finally get to your ski school meeting point. You obediently join your group, with about 11 others, receive a short greeting from your instructor and head off to the cable car. You spend the next 2 hours in a long snake behind said instructor, getting cursory comments every now and then which you hope will improve your technique and make you ski like a god. Despite doing this day after day, you don't feel any better about your skiing at the end of it than when you started. Sound familiar?

Sadly a lot of us experience the above scenario - we'd like to improve but the time and money invested in lessons doesn't bring about results. So we end up thinking that maybe we're not fit/adventurous/sporty enough, maybe skiing or snowboarding is something that we'll never be good at. We resign ourselves to getting down the mountain in our own fashion - and it doesn't really matter if we're not great at it, we only do it for one or two weeks a year after all.

Ski and snowboard lessons should be something that you want to keep going back to. They should help you learn how to handle difficult situations - steeper slopes, ice, heavy bumpy snow, off piste, white-out conditions, jumps. Nobody can get better at doing these without practice and guidance.

Hugh Monney is the Director of BASS, the British Alpine Ski School, which has schools in several resorts in France and in St Moritz in Switzerland. Hugh has spent many years developing the teaching techniques used by the BASS schools. The BASS approach is holistic - taking into account the psychological as well as the physical aspects of learning to ski and snowboard.

"Our teachers are skilful, experienced and sympathetic. We like to help people solve their problems and discover how to have fun, and we know how to make it happen."

Group sizes are kept small, with a maximum of 6 people, and BASS insists that humour is a key ingredient for success - "a caring, humourous approach makes the lesson a pleasure for everyone involved. The effectiveness of the sessions are dramatically increased by this important aspect of communication" says Hugh.

BASS also promises that teaching is only in English and that a shared mother tongue "is a must if teachers are to help people make the best progress and understand the subtleties of these great sports."

Getting good instruction can improve your ski holiday by leaps and bounds, and a good instructor should be able to tailor his teaching to suit your way of learning. Coming out of a lesson feeling that you aren't really that good says more about the instructor than your ability - even if you're never going to be Herman Maier, an instructor should be able to get you to work on something that will improve the overall effect.

So don't give up on lessons but do shop around and make sure that you get the right kind of instruction for you. Points to bear in mind are:

1. Group sizes - make sure you know what the maximum group size should be, and is this guaranteed by the ski school, or do they make exceptions in busy periods? 
2. Ability levels - how are levels assessed by the ski school, and what happens if you're in a group which is going too fast or too slow for comfort?
3. Group lessons may not be the best solution for you - no matter how good the teacher a group lesson will usually have to be at the pace of the slowest. If you worry about being bored or holding people up, or if you don't feel comfortable learning in a group scenario, then private lessons may be the better option.

Learning new techniques is fun. Learning how to stay in control brings with it a tremendous sense of achievement and knowing that you can tackle any slope, in all sorts of conditions, does wonders for your self-confidence. Skiing and snowboarding aren't mysterious dark arts whose secrets are only imparted to a select few - so next time you're the 12th person in line behind the instructor, it may be time to change the instructor.