BASI LEVEL 1

ise wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:
I've read it three times I don't understand a word 8)

exactly :-) it quickly turns to something unintelligible if not outright nonsense. Some limited sort of jargon is required when you're doing instructor training so we can explore the concepts or use a shorthand but there's no place for it in general use at all. It's pretty clear when you read a couple of other forums how this works, this sort of language is used to establish the posters expertise and exclude other people while often giving out the most awful advice at the same time and then it becomes some sort of arms race as to who can talk the most nonsense.

I'm certainly glad I'm not the only person who struggled to understand, the good Instructors or teachers come to that, that I have come across are the one's who are able to simplfiy the message adding passion , interest and enthusiasm to the learning as I have said before I have always found female instructors to be the best.

Ian Wickham wrote:
I'm certainly glad I'm not the only person who struggled to understand, the good Instructors or teachers come to that, that I have come across are the one's who are able to simplfiy the message adding passion , interest and enthusiasm to the learning as I have said before I have always found female instructors to be the best.

You're not the only person, you might be one of a few who's confident enough to stand up and say it :lol:

As a digression, the economy probably wouldn't be in the mess it's in now if a few more people stood up earlier and said "this is all nonsense" :D

Ise,
The problem is, I've found, that you don't get a choice of instructor (for group lessons I mean), so you have to work with the one that you're given. And none of them seem to appreciate my argumentative style (surprise surprise!).

I can remember once, I told the instructor in a lesson, that you push the snow with your skis when you turn (in answer to one of her questions), and she laughed at me, and said no you don't. I thought to myself, well, where do all the moguls come from if you don't push the snow, but I didn't say anything because I don't like people laughing at me.

Ally

AllyG wrote:Ise,
The problem is, I've found, that you don't get a choice of instructor (for group lessons I mean), so you have to work with the one that you're given. And none of them seem to appreciate my argumentative style (surprise surprise!).

I can remember once, I told the instructor in a lesson, that you push the snow with your skis when you turn (in answer to one of her questions), and she laughed at me, and said no you don't. I thought to myself, well, where do all the moguls come from if you don't push the snow, but I didn't say anything because I don't like people laughing at me.

Ally

Even my wife agrees, go female you know it makes sense :wink:

Ian,
This instructor was female, that's why I said 'she',

Ally

AllyG wrote:Ian,
This instructor was female, that's why I said 'she',

Ally

Now don't get all bossy, i've already sent you a Pm, awaiting your reply, looks like it may just have come though :lol:

I'm certainly with Ise on the jargon issue. On another forum where they talk about this I've never heard such detailed analysis which certainly taked emphasis from the a n a l. I appreciate you need terminology but that really isn't for the pupils/clients/those being taught.

As for pushing the snow - well I would say that yes I'd agree, in some types of turn you certainly push, but in some you don't (like a pure carved turn). Since snow is what it is, there is always going to be some movement as you apply your force to it while skiing.

Overall though, I think the point is here about the instruction and how somehow there's this idea that a ski instructor (?) has some unquestionable higher knowledge which mere mortals cannot ever begin to understand. And they will impart small amounts of this to you for large amounts of cash while you are on holiday.

To counter that one good ski instructor I had once said, in essence that skiing was not complicated, it was simple "moving about on skis". We all move, we just need to adapt to having the skis on instead of our everyday shoes . . . anyway.

snowpack wrote:I'm certainly with Ise on the jargon issue. On another forum where they talk about this I've never heard such detailed analysis which certainly taked emphasis from the a n a l. I appreciate you need terminology but that really isn't for the pupils/clients/those being taught.

As for pushing the snow - well I would say that yes I'd agree, in some types of turn you certainly push, but in some you don't (like a pure carved turn). Since snow is what it is, there is always going to be some movement as you apply your force to it while skiing.

Overall though, I think the point is here about the instruction and how somehow there's this idea that a ski instructor (?) has some unquestionable higher knowledge which mere mortals cannot ever begin to understand. And they will impart small amounts of this to you for large amounts of cash while you are on holiday.

To counter that one good ski instructor I had once said, in essence that skiing was not complicated, it was simple "moving about on skis". We all move, we just need to adapt to having the skis on instead of our everyday shoes . . . anyway.

Sounds about right :thumbup: