ASC Freestyle Camp

So the start of this week kicked off the first freestyle camp on snow run by Aberdeen Snowsports Club. Many events have been run on snow but not a freestyle camp in this proportion. Neil Cameron came to me a while back now and told me what he wanted to do. I thought this was a fantastic opportunity for the kids and tried my hardest to promote(big it up) to the kids that it would be a benefit to. A lot of the Wednesday Rippers have amazing skills on the drymat but now it was time to take it to snow. Now not only did we have interest from the Aberdeen lot but some of the guys I coach with GPS were keen. In the end we had about 20 kids, skiers and boarders. Great turn out for the first camp run. So 20 Kids, with me(Andy Begg) and Chris Mahony as the coaches. Oh yes! now its time to show these kids how to shred.
So Day 1, left a little later but organising all those kids is a mission. Up to Glenshee, met some guys up there. Time to shred. Went up to the park to check it out. Boarders disappeared??!?! think they went up sunnyside(was ment to be good?!) So anyway, us skiers checked out the park. Twas good, soft snow, good features and low winds, and off and on sun. Went through the park hiking features, getting used to the features on snow and going over safety. Biggest safety point was “Watch out for punters, theres wads of them”. Finish a good days riding, getting used to snow for most. Time to go home. oops we were late, to many pee stops lol.
Day 2, well lets just say it was a wee bit breezy………. 4 runs which took the whole morning(lifts kept breaking) but the glenshee staff were on top of it as best as poss. Went home and some had a slide at the drymat with me and Chris.
Day 3, we had organised the day before to sort out an alternate and I’m glad we did cause the weather was apparently poor(super windy). So we hooked the kids up with and airbag sesh, pizza and a photo shoot. There was coaching on the airbag and on the kicker/tabletop, boxes were out and there’s the quarterpipe also. You could see, even with only a day and a half on snow, most of the kids were stepping it up. Backflips, frontflips, rodeos, corked spins were all getting thrown. My favourite was the 2 youngest rippers age 7 girls, Kirsty and Ramone, hitting the kicker for the first time and landing it.
It was a shame we couldn’t get on snow for the last day but I think the kids really enjoyed their last day. Pictures will be coming from the camp, some from the mountain and from the photo shoot at the dryslope.

I think the camp was a huge success even with the rubbish weather but hey that’s Scottish skiing 😀 I think it’ll be bigger and better next year and i hope to be a part of it again.

Thanks
Andy Begg
Freestyle Ski Coach

OWN IT 2011!!

Own It Is Back!!

Aberdeen Snowsports Centres’ Annual Freestyle Competition returns to the slope on Saturday 22nd October.  This competition never fails to delight and this year will form part of the Lowlander series ran by Snowsports Scotland meaning not only will there be some amazing prizes up for grabs but also some all important series points.

There will be more information to come but for now here’s a wee taster of the juniors battling it out at last years event.

 

Boards and Burgers, Skis and Sausages!!

If you are looking for a session to get your skiing or riding up to scratch for the fast approaching winter then head down to the Aberdeen Snowsports Centre for the Adult Improvers session.  There are top notch coaches on hand to give you hints and tips, if you just fancy a social session then join us in a burger or sausage!  If you’ve never been down to the slope no worries we’re a friendly bunch, if you’ve been before then bring a freind!  Spread the word.

The session runs every Thursday 7-9pm and our Boards and Burgers, Skis and Sausages session will run on Thursday 6^TH October and slope entry will get you a tasty treat.   Session price is £14 or £10 if you’re a student and includes your equipment hire.  (Minimum slope standard applies for this session, contact reception for more information).

BASI Level 1 Ski and Board Courses

 

We are pleased to be able to offer a BASI level 1 Alpine Ski and level 1 Snowboard course at Aberdeen Snowsports Centre running over two weekends in September / October.

The dates are as follows:

Snowboard Level 1: 23^rd, 24^thand 25^th September (Fri-Sat-Sun) and the following weekend of the 1^st and 2^nd October (Sat-Sun).

Ski Level 1: Dates: 30^th  September, 1^st and 2^nd October (Fri-Sat-Sun) and 15^thand 16^th  Oct (Sat-Sun)

If you’d like to book onto either course you can follow this link  http://www.snowsportscotland.org/find-a-course
Find your chosen course and fill in the application form, to pay you’ll need to call the office on 0131 625 4405 after submitting the form.

Here’s the lowdown on the courses…

The Level 1 Instructor is the entry level course for students who wish to join the BASI Education System. This qualification is for those wishing to find employment in a non mountain environment, i.e. Dry Slopes and Indoor Snowslopes.

This is a 5 day training and assessment course in which the following subjects are covered and assessed:

• Skiing / Riding safely
• Planning, conducting and evaluating an instructing session
• Participating in an accident and emergency activity
• Knowing and understanding how to improve personal skiing /riding and instructing
  performance

Understanding of:

• The Central Theme and Beyond
• The FIS Rules of Conduct
• The Principles of Ski / Snowboard Teaching
• The Structure of Snowsport in the UK
• The Roles of Snowsport Agencies in the UK
• Marketing and Promoting Snowsport in the UK
• Dealing with accidents and emergencies

Before applying for a Snowboard Level 1 Instructor course, students must:

• Be able to ride confidently on red runs, linking rhythmical small radius
  turns close to the fall line at a steady pace.
• Be able to ride red runs confidently in control.
• Have at least 16 weeks experience of riding on slope and probably more.

Before applying for a Ski Level 1 Instructor course, students must:

• Be able to ski parallel confidently, coping with a variety of conditions and
  have completed at least 16 full weeks of skiing.
• Be able to ski parallel confidently on red runs, making rhythmical turns
  close to the fall line at a steady pace.
• Have an understanding of Client care

Students who are unsure whether or not they are at the necessary standard should ask a qualified BASI/BSA member for advice.

Pre-requisites (slightly different when booked through Snowsports Scotland)
The following pre-requisites must be met before attending a  Level 1 Instructor course, Students must:

• Complete the declaration on the booking form and return it to the BASI office.
• Join BASI as an Associate Member.
• Be 16 years of age or older.

Outcome
Successful students will be issued a certification to work only on dry slopes or indoor snow slopes.  Students will be able to work with novice and early intermediate skiers/snowboarders. Individuals who do not reach the required level may be required to resit all or part of the course.

WESTBEACH IS BACK!

After last years great Westbeach comp at Aberdeen the crew are back and we are hosting the 2nd round of the series on 8th October.  You can read the review of last years event here but needless to say it was a goody.

The competition will be fierce with everyone continuing to step up their game of late and once again there are some great prizes up for grabs with sponsors including Westbeach, Skullcandy, Freeze festival, Stepchild, Celtek, Bataleon, Treeline Chalets, Endeavor, Airhole, SP, Northwave, Demon, Dragon, TSA, Bawbags, Nikita, Apo, World Snowboard Guide, Volcom and the Ski & Snowboard Show. 

You can find further information on the Westbeach website and if you’re keen to enter the whole series then you’ll need to get your fine selves to Halifax for September 10th and with the third round being at Bearsden it could be worth the trip. 

 

Kris Bell @ Westbeach 2010