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Have you ever attended a ski camp?

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If yes, would you be willing to describe what you learned at your camp?
What was the major take-away that helped improve your personal skiing?
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I took 3 days of a clinic (lessons) when at Ski Diva West in Snowbasin in 2014. Take-away: confidence, fun, a focus on basic concepts for body working the ski (bending at various joints), great company, excellent instructor (Jim Forster). Also got to know my lack of fitness (pain!) after skiing like that for 3 days straight.

It also helped having Jim guide our group to slopes I might otherwise shy away from, like the Olympic women's downhill.

Which makes me realize how much I dial it back left to my own devices.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I did what is now called the North Face Ladies camp at WB. At the time, Roxy was the sponsor. It was a 2 day, weekend camp, which is still is.

What did I learn....lots....skiing trees and bumps for 2 days x 2 years. Big thing was the confidence to go in and do it. Technically, which is what LF wants..where to turn on the bump and how to pick a line in the trees. Some of this I know, but it needed reinforcement and then just doing it with the guidance of the instructor.

I've also done the Ladies Edge Camp, as has @SkiBam . This is offered only to CSIA instructors. I did the 5 day camp at Tremblant. Didn't learn much the first 3 days, but the last 2 - WOW. They changed up the groups and instructor for the last 2 days. Video analysis, more 1 on 1 with the instructor, no brushes (I hate brushes) and more skiing that standing around. I was planning on going last year and couldn't work it into my schedule and the same thing is happening this year. And they have changed the camp to 3 days only.
 

SkiBam

Angel Diva
They changed up the groups and instructor for the last 2 days. Video analysis, more 1 on 1 with the instructor, no brushes (I hate brushes) and more skiing that standing around.

I LOVE brushes! I did the five-day Women's Edge at Sun Peaks last year and it was excellent, as I think I've mentioned. Seriously thinking of the one at Tremblant this year.
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
2 x Alison Gannett's Rippin Chix ski camps. Both helped me gain confidence in 'attacking' steep and off piste terrain, focus on being more aggressively reaching down the fall line.
 

ling

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
A good 8-9 years ago, I attended the now defunct Epic Ski Academy.

We spent the majority of all 4 days on progressively steeper and bigger bumps! The major breakthrough came in day 1 and 4. Day 1 came in the form of some critical tweaks to my boots which corrected my stance problem that was blocked my way to further improvement. (couch was also a boot fitter, he even brought in 2 of his boot fitter buddies to help shadowing the class), Day 4 was a “tactic” lesson to put all previous 3 days work to use on double black terrain.

Before the camp, I was “confidently” hacking my way down garden variety blacks. Since then, I’ve developed the skill to ENJOY double blacks with no raised heart rates, and slowly acquiring the judgement on evaluating the suitability of more extreme terrains.

The benefits of the camp still come in drips and drabs to this day: it sets me up for a journey of discovery in my skiing. I still take lessons from time to time, because I know what I need to work on.

It turns out, a lot of my issues were equipment related. Boots and skis, even poles. I always thought a skilled skier can ski on a pair of 2x2. But while that is true, for the still developing skiers, equipment can reinforce bad habits and hinder progress. At the time, I had just returned to skiing after a multi-year gap, I was reluctant to throw away my then nearly new and “good” equipments. But as I started to replace them over the years when those finally died on me, I realized how much those inappropriate equipments held me back.

Immediately after the camp, I thought I would take it again at a higher level once I “exhausted the benefit” in a couple years. That last part never happened, I continued to improve in leaps and bounce every season since (some came as I acquired equipments more appropriate for the way *I* ski). In the mean time, the ESA disbanded not long after. But of course there’re many other camps I’m sure are good too.
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I did the Taos Ski Week.. I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend for anyone looking to improve your skills, have fun and ski a great Mt. with lots of steeps at a really low cost (this year it's $270/wk! 6-1/2day lessons Sun-Friday)

Having skied for decades I didn't know if an old dog like me could learn any new tricks or improve. Yes I did! Honestly, I took the class to have the 'guided' tour of Taos' extremely steep trees/bowls, unfortunately there wasn't enough snow to go into the woods/bowls last winter, we skied lots of groomers, we were blessed w/10" of snow so had bump clinics too.

Our instructor was low key but very effective. We skied more than stood around clinic-ing . His "follow me approach worked wonders with everyone in the class- I came away with lots of tips I can share with my students and I felt my skiing improved.

I think Skiing with the same instructor for multiple days is very beneficial. It's nice to work on things during a week with same person who can fine tune your skiing.

Highly recommend a Taos Ski week, yes I am going back.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I'm also going back for a second Taos Ski Week because having consecutive lessons with the same instructor and group was very useful last season even though no black terrain was open. It was better than the multi-week program at my home hill just because of having the time to practice in the afternoons for an entire week. My VA coach is great. But for some skills it look a season or two to get in enough mileage to ingrain a new fundamental habit because Massanutten runs are 3 min long at most.

For those who missed the recent threads about Taos Ski Weeks:

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/taos-ski-week-2017.21545/

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...4-18-1-19-18-intermediates-trip-report.22378/

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/tr-taos-feb-10-16-2018.22516/

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/womens-taos-ski-weeks.22789/
 

snoWYmonkey

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have coached many women's camps, but realize, that I have probably attended more of them as a student (camps and clinics for instructors).

My takeaways totally differ with each one and I have learned to walk in with a very open mind and zero expectations. Often, two or three days really only end up giving me a single tweak focus, and lots of time to practice. I gain a lot from following better skiers, watching and seeing what I like and don't like in their approaches.

I have underrated my skills and had them overrated. Both ends of the spectrum are challenging as ending up in a group that is too aggressive, technical, slow, etc.... for the terrain and my state of mind and body can really impact the personal learning space. If you are being pushed too much ask to change if it makes it hard to learn. On the flip side, find out why you are not in a higher group if you think you should be. Often there is a reason that may not be apparent.

I get the most of our clinics where I ask very specific feedback from the coaches. Many provide general feedback, but less individual. If it is what you want go ahead and ask.

Random camp epiphanies: I do an uneven arm pole swing from one to the other side, exhaling at the crux makes it impossible to remain tense (jumping, straightlining, etc....), condensing the arc is an exhilarating sensation on a groomer, I look better than it feels like I look when skiing crud (video analysis). Enough about me, but hopefully this is the info you were looking for with your questions.
 

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