A new book chronicling the birth and first 50 years of The British Association of Snowsports Instructors – better known by its initials BASI – has been published by the organisation.
Sharing the Passion, BASI – The First 50 Years by James Cove is available to purchase via the BASI website for £10.00 + p&p. It is also available to download as an ibook.
“The history and heritage of BASI stands shoulder to shoulder with the emergence and growth of winter snowsports tourism in Badenoch & Strathspey specifically, but also the UK snowsports industry as a whole. The likelihood is, that if you have learnt to ski or snowboard in the UK in the last fifty years, then you have been taught by a BASI trained instructor!” a statement from the organisation claims.
Written by the long-established ski writer James Cove, who formerly worked as ski correspondent for the BBC and for the past decade has run PlanetSki.eu, the book provides an in-depth look at the people and places that forged the history of the Association since its creation in the early 1960s and it celebrates one of the UK snowsports industry’s biggest export successes – British trained professional instructors.
BASI ran its first instructor course in 1963 on Cairngorm Mountain; now in2018, BASI runs training courses and professional qualifications for instructors and coaches across five disciplines – Alpine, Snowboard, Telemark, Adaptive and Nordic. It has grown to a membership of over 6,000 instructors who teach in over thirty eight countries worldwide.
“To my mind, the best way to write the history of BASI was not just to pour over Minutes of meetings, wade through old editions of newsletters, and dust off the cobwebs to search through documents and ledgers; it was to see as many people as possible and listen to their tales. With that in mind, I would like to thank all who have given up their time for me so I could place a microphone in front of them and say: “So, tell me all about it,” said James.
As well as James Cove’s packed narrative there are over 70 illustrated photos and, on the digital version, a link to early video from Cairngorm will take readers back to the beginnings of ski instructing in the UK, up to the present day. It is truly a trip down memory lane for anyone who has been involved in the UK snowsports industry and especially for those who have attended a BASI course.
Sharing the Passion, BASI – The First 50 Years is dedicated to the founding members of BASI (or BAPSI as it was first known) and those who have developed the Association into what it is today.
