Snoworks All-Mountain Ski Courses – Open Skills For An Open Environment
Hi, I’m Phil Smith, director of Snoworks Ski Courses. Many years ago we began our journey into all-mountain skiing. Since then our programme has expanded to include more then 15 different types of courses in over 15 ski resorts spanning the whole world.
We soon begun to recognize there was a huge difference in teaching skiers to ski the well prepared groomed runs to coping with the infinitely varied all-mountain environment. Training for ski instructors had not covered the aspect of all-mountain skiing rather focusing on perceived technical perfection on groomed runs.
We also recognized that many skiers were attempting to take the principles they had learnt on groomed runs and attempt to use them in the infinitely varying all-mountain environment resulting in frustrated unfulfilled skiers unable to realize their full potential. Hence we set about changing the way we taught skiing in what we begun to term the OPEN environment of all-mountain skiing.
Since, we have helped literally thousands of skiers begin or continue their journey in the world of all-mountain skiing. On route skiing some amazing unforgettable destinations and skiing some of the deepest snow on the planet.
All-mountain skiing opens a gateway to a whole new world where every single run is a completely new experience.
There is a world of difference between what we have termed the CLOSED world of piste skiing and the OPEN world of all-mountain skiing. The difference can be summed up easily by understanding the difference between CLOSED and OPEN sports.
CLOSED sports are where the environment is constant and does not affect the performance. Swimming in lanes, running in lanes, figure skating on ice, high diving, and gymnastics. Some of which are very skillful but where the environment is constant. There is a consistency about the performance. Performers know what they are going to do before they do it. Movements are rehearsed and repetitive.
OPEN sports are where the environment is constantly affecting the performance. Rugby, football, ice hockey, surfing and most team games involving other athletes. In these sports things are changing all the time so the performance is changing all the time. Performance is spontaneous adaptable and varied.
When we ask skiers if all-mountain skiing is CLOSED or OPEN, everyone says OPEN. When we ask the same skiers their perception of how they learnt skiing everyone says CLOSED. So you can see moving from the well groomed pistes to the unprepared all-mountain environment is a different sport.
To begin or continue the journey in all-mountain skiing the first step is to understand, learn and apply the OPEN philosophy. This can be achieved on a Snoworks Course.
