///Feature

//Feature

Betony Garner

16 Jan 25

Shaking Off The Snowplough

Betony Garner

16 Jan 25

A mum’s journey to rediscover her skiing…

Skiing is my passion, and it has been ever since I discovered this addictive sport on a school ski trip when I was 15 years old. Following the birth of my children, however, I feel like I have spent far too many hours in a snowplough, snaking slowly down green and blue runs.

As much as I have loved being part of my children’s ski journey, this type of skiing really hasn’t done my own skiing any favours and as my youngest started school this autumn, I decided that the 2024/2025 season was the winter I set off in search of my ‘old self’ on the slopes.

Doing the research

Back in the autumn I started my research: what would be the best way to get my ski confidence back and return to skiing all types of slopes, no matter what the snow conditions and weather? I decided that an early season ski course – five days of intensive tuition in early December would be exactly what I needed.

There are now several companies that offer this type of course, and after doing some thorough research I decided that the Warren Smith Ski Academy in Verbier looked like the option for me. Verbier offers good early season conditions at high altitude, and I liked the sound of their Academy Course which promised to ‘build and develop skill and confidence, to enable people to ski all terrains including moguls, steeps, variables, powder and on piste.’

Shaking Off The Snowplough

An affordable accommodation base

I was nervous about the cost of staying in Verbier, one of Switzerland’s premium resorts, but as the focus was my skiing, I decided on a base at the bottom of the valley in Le Châble, where accommodation is significantly more affordable. The gondola from Le Châble to Verbier takes less than 10 minutes and is open from 5.15 in the morning to just before midnight – making it a convenient choice. The village of Le Châble has been thriving in recent years with the opening of new accommodation and restaurants, including Le Koti where I enjoyed a delicious meal one evening.

Pre course preparation

As the winter approached, I started to feel anxious – the course would be my first turns on snow this season, would I have the stamina to keep up, would everyone be better than me? I decided I would prepare myself as much as I could – I embarked on some serious strength training and watched the technique videos on the Warren Smith Ski Academy website – highly useful tools to either get your mind ready for the course, or as I reminder afterwards.

Shaking Off The Snowplough

The course

With butterflies in my stomach, I stood with around 50 other people at the meeting point in Verbier, ready to head up the mountain. We were quickly split into our groups and I was delighted when I was put in the same group as my two friends, Suzie and Rachael, as well as three other friendly faces – Claire, Neil and Nico. Our coach was to be Rob – one of Warren Smith Ski Academy’s most experienced team members. Rob put us at ease from the off with his high-energy, relaxed approach, and after a few warmup runs, the nerves eased.

The first thing Rob said to us, and probably the best advice I got all week, was to forget about the ‘old you’. Everything we were to learn this week was to develop the ‘new you’ on a pair of skis. Game on!

Ski technique

Day one consisted of several on and off-piste drills aimed at helping us with weight distribution – pushing into the front of our boots, thus spreading the weight onto the front part of the ski. Something that hugely helped me from getting thrown backwards – especially in tricker terrain.

One of the most surprising pieces of advice given to all our group was that we would benefit from skiing with our legs closer together, and we talked a lot about the weight distribution between each ski. Quite often the inside ski gets forgotten, which can negatively impact your turns. Something that makes sense, but I hadn’t really thought about before.

One of my favourite parts of the week (but probably the part I was worst at!), was when we progressed to tackling steep slopes. We worked on our leg rotation, bringing in the ‘braquage’ drill, trying to turn in a very short space, almost doing a parallel turn on the spot. Yes, it is as difficult as it sounds, but hugely effective for your all-round skiing.

The week was a journey, with plenty of emotional ups and downs. It was hard at times to have your skiing completely broken down and to tackle drills which you felt like you couldn’t do. It was also difficult viewing yourself on video most days – the Academy Course uses a lot of video analysis which is hugely helpful, but sometimes I had to watch my runs through my fingers!

Shaking Off The Snowplough

A rounded coaching product

One thing that didn’t change all week was the unwavering energy and enthusiasm of our coach Rob. Along with the rest of the Warren Smith Ski Academy team, he delivers what I can only describe as a rounded coaching product. This is not just ski instruction, the course is all encompassing – warm-ups, drills, video analysis, and feedback during the week and at the conclusion of the course.

As the week came to an end, all our group agreed we had progressed – whether we thought we had better angulation, a better arm position, legs closer together (!) or we could tackle variable snow with more confidence. What I realised was that I hadn’t actually found ‘my old self’ but I had indeed managed to discover ‘a new me’ on skis. More balanced, more confident with a list of new skills I wanted to practice and develop.

Skiing five full days in Verbier in early December with an exceptional ski coach has meant this winter is going to be even more enjoyable, and hopefully, even with some kiddie snow ploughs thrown in, I won’t revert to the old me.

Fact Box

Betony took part in a 5-day Warren Smith Ski Academy ‘Academy’ Course in Verbier. She stayed in Le Châble, which has a variety of accommodation options including the new SoHome Le Châble co-living and co-working space.

The Warren Smith Ski Academy also organise a UK tour each autumn, where you can get a taste for their ethos and learn more about ski technique and how your individual physiology plays a part.

Shaking Off The Snowplough