Choosing the right equipment is really importance before embarking upon any Instructor Course. With so much time spent concentrating on developing the fundamentals of skiing, poor equipment choice will put any trainee on the back foot before they have even clicked into their skis. So below are some guidelines to support trainees in selecting a suitable pair for their BASI Level 1 and 2 exams.
For BASI levels 1 and 2 the emphasise is primarily on piste skiing. Short and Medium radius turns are the bread and butter for technical assessment at this level so choosing a ski that can perform well on piste is paramount.
Candide Thovex’s 2.0s may well be your dream ski and look cool in his videos, but at 102mm underfoot those ever arduous short turns are going to be made even trickier.
It is important to pick the right tool for the job. And while a fat twin-tip may not be suited for your BASI 1 and 2 the same should also be said for going too far to the other end of the spectrum.
For training we recommend that students use skis within the Piste Performance category. Race skis are generally far too specific and tend to be very narrow underfoot, restricting versatility. In the same vein All Mountain Skis would benefit students during mountain safety training and off-piste but generally are too wide underfoot and too long for piste performance skiing.
*****Students should be looking for skis that are 70-80mm underfoot and have a turn radius of between 14 and 20 meters*****
Students are reminded that their skiing is analysed on shorts and medium/longs on piste as well as slower demonstrations at more basic levels. The ski should be sufficiently shaped to allow carving skills to be easily learnt but not too radical as this makes them unforgiving to skidding and rotation skills or having fun anywhere other than on bullet proof piste. Ideally, they should have a ski they are happy to take off piste or into the bumps but this should be of secondary consideration.
The ideal ski choice for anyone setting out on their BASI career should be a piste ski that comes from the same family as its more race orientated big bros. A detuned race ski that has a radius of around 16m and remains relatively narrow underfoot at around 70mm will be perfect for all those short and medium turns.
The radius of around 16m allows the ski to remain stable at speed along with the race construction, but without the risk of the skis ‘skiing you’ as is often the case when trainees go for too big a radius too quickly.
For guys our trainers recommend the Nordica Dobermann Spitfire TI. It is a strong, powerful ski that holds its edge remarkably well but remains extremely agile and responsive due to its radius. They are great fun in both short and medium turns, and due to the slight rocker at the tip they actually floated in knee deep powder remarkably well.
For the Ladies we love the Nordica Sentra S6. Don’t let the floral graphics fool you. It is basically a slightly more manageable version of the Dobermann Spitfire Ti. Really lively and responsive on piste, stable at speed and it still manages to cope in the slightly deeper stuff.
And the good news is that our trainees benefit from an amazing discount on Nordica skis!
Of course there are lots of other amazing ski brands out there who make a similar ski. For example the Head Magnums, Atomic Clouds or other from Rossignol, Blizzard or K2.
When booking on to a New Gen course you will gain access to all of our instructor deals and offers. New Gen work closely with companies such as Nordica, Ellis Brigham and The Bootlab to guarantee our trainees great equipment at reduced prices. Some students like to have their kit and equipment purchased and sorted well before the course starts and take advantage of the Nordica deal which offers up to 40% discount off of selected lines. Other student prefer to wait until they are in resort to purchase their kit from places such as The Bootlab, this way, if they have any problems at all and need things adjusting there are people on hand to help.
Would it be ok to rent skis instead of buying them?
You will probably find that renting skis and kit for the time you are on your Gap course will work out very expensive and it may work out around about the same cost, or cheaper to purchase your own equipment which you can make sure is suitable for the course.
Can I order Nordica kit straight to resort?
If you are ordering any kit from the Nordica deal it will be delivered to us in resort and we will make sure it is ready and waiting for you when you arrive.
How will I know that The Bootlab can offer the skis and kit that I want?
We advise all students that are looking to purchase kit and equipment form The Bootlab to contact them prior to coming to resort to make sure they have everything in stock that you require.
You can contact the guys at The Bootlab via email: info@thebootlab.co.uk and by phone on: +33 (0)6 52 04 24 42
Becoming a ski instructor may seem a daunting task and the variety of courses available certainly does not make it any easier, but here at New Generation we have over 10 years experience of running ski instructor training courses and during that time we have come across most situations, problems and variables.
We are available 7 days a week and will be able to guide you through all steps of the BASI system, at every level. So contact us today and find out more.
Note: If you contact us regarding a specific course we can also send you a full brochure, so don’t forget to enter your address details.
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