From NHS Nurse to Ski Instructor

Having obtained my BASI Alpine Level 1 and become a licensed ski instructor I needed to decide what to do next. Adaptive skiing is something I am passionate about. The chance to help people with healthcare needs experience the same thing you and I do and feel the exhilaration of what it is like to ski is something very special and important to me. After successfully completing my BASI Alpine Level 1 there were two choices; Adaptive Level 1 or Alpine Level 2. Adaptive Level 1 would mean I would be better placed to help on the DSUK social ski groups that I go to and on the adaptive ski holidays that I volunteer on. Not only would I be able to increase my knowledge of adaptive equipment but I would also increase my knowledge of health problems and how to manage them in a ski environment whether that be indoor or outdoor. In addition it would also give me a ski instructor qualification in another discipline. Like my Alpine Level 1, Adaptive Level 1 courses run at indoor centres...

Castleford Kids Camp Having obtained my BASI Alpine Level 1 qualification and licence I would need to complete a further 35 hours of shadowing should I wish to go on and do my BASI Alpine Level 2. With it now being March my choices of places to go for shadowing were becoming limited; I was left with either Southern Hemisphere resorts (not an option), or indoor slopes. I had already used the indoor slope at Manchester ChillFactor for shadowing and wanting to gain the most from my shadowing I opted to choose a different slope; Castleford near Leeds. Castleford is my nearest slope. At a journey time of 1 1/2 hours each way it’s still quite a distance but depsite this I ski there regularly and know several of the team. I approached the manager and was given shadowing on the Children’s School Holiday Camp (kids camp) over Easter. In the holiday camps children aged 7-15 years not only get the opportunity to learn a brand new sport and meet new...

Once my ski season had finished at the end of March I turned my attention to summer training. For me, keeping the skiing going and getting regular coaching input over the summer was going to be hugely important if I was to maintain the standard I had got to and not slip back into old habits. Neither of the two main BASI trainers/coaches that I had used in the winter offered summer coaching. Besides which, it was time to move on. My search for summer training was hampered by the fact that the shift pattern at the hospital ward where I work part-time is written three months in advance. When I finished my ski season towards the end of March we were writing June's shift pattern at work. When I had needed a technical resit for my BASI Alpine Level 1 due to my short turns not being at the required technical level I had used Shona and Derek Tate from Parallel Dreams and BASS Megeve. Shona is a BASI trainer and examiner so her and Derek were potentially a good optio...