Salomon is sponsoring a series of Freeski ‘Grom Camps’ at UK indoor snow domes and outdoor dry ski slopes to help get everyone from novices to experts airborne, grinding and generally having fun. There is no age limit; the youngest camper so far was five and the oldest over 60. The camps are for all standards of skiers, from ‘never jumped before’ to sponsored riders, however all campers must to be able to ski down the slope in a controlled and safe manner. The environment is purposefully relaxed and non-competitive but the coaching is top notch.
There are different groups for different levels of skiers to make sure everyone gets the very best coaching from the professional skiers. The camps are run by Pat Sharples, team manager for Salomon and Oakley, and he employs top name coaches in the industry including Andy Bennett, James Woods, Joe Tyler, James Webb and Becky Hammond. After each camp video highlights of the day are shown and campers rewarded with prizes for the most improved, hardest working and best tricks of the day. The cost to the public of each camp is £30 and this covers slope fees and coaching. Camps are scheduled to run from January to August at the indoor snow slopes in Milton Keynes, Tamworth and Manchester and on outdoor slopes at Bracknell.