A snapshot of the 2007 SSE Nordic Skills Activity Week in Norway

NB  This article first appeared in the Dec/Jan 08 edition of Piste, the magazine of Snowsport England.

How many people get the opportunity of a week’s coaching with the best in their chosen sport – usually just an elite few. Yet British skiers of all abilities get that chance every year at the Snowsport England Nordic Skills Activity Week at Kvitavatn in Norway.

So it’s little wonder that exceptional quality of coaching tops the list of reasons why skiers return to this value for money event and recommend it to others. Add having fun, and meeting new and old friends and a desire to improve cross country and free-heel downhill/telemark skills, and you begin to understand why SSE will be running the Activity Week for the eighth time in 2008.

About the Activity Week

The event began life as an on-snow course to train and asses people for SSE’s Nordic Coaching Awards. But as the ski-ing community got to hear about it, so others asked to go for skills training and the rest is history. It’s organised annually by Helen Bell and Ralph White of the SSE Nordic Coaching Panel.

In 2007 fifty people attended from teens through to seniors, some fairly new to ski-ing, others avid racers and most at various stages in between. All were there to become better skiers and to enjoy learning with a group of like-minded people. SSE Nordic Proficiency Awards were gained and seven skiers achieved Coaching Awards at different levels.

It is based at Kvitavatn Fjellstoge, a relaxed mountain lodge with stunning views of Mount Gausta in the Telemark region of southern Norway, where over 70 km of tracks wind around frozen lakes, through snowy woods and across moorland wilderness. The Gaustablikk centre with slopes up to World Cup standard, plus endless off-piste opportunities, keeps downhillers happy. The event takes place in late March/early April and Kvitavatn has an excellent snow record.

A top notch coaching team

The coaching team is always impressive and 2007 was no exception. Patrick Winterton, a SSE Senior Tutor who competed for Britain at the Calgary Olympic Games, headed the cross-country team. Mike Dixon, fellow Eurosport commentator and six-time Olympian, Alan Eason fresh from the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Japan, and Iain Ballentine of the Roller Ski Co completed the line-up.

They were joined by downhill programme leader Andy Stewart, a SSE Senior Tutor, BASI Telemark and Mountain Leader Instructor, and Ian Johnston, a highly respected SSE Nordic Downhill Coach and Mountain Leader Instructor. What the coaches had in common was professionalism, responsiveness, approachability and a great sense of humour. Other participants added, "upbeat, excellent, unbelievably positive, supportive and bloody good".

An action-packed programme on snow

On the first morning the coaches observed and divided skiers into groups taking into account skills, fitness and racing aspirations. They were pretty accurate so most people kept to their allotted groups for the week’s programme.

From then on there was a successful pattern of intensive morning tuition in classic and skating techniques with valuable video feedback, and optional afternoon activities such as tours, orienteering, fun races, downhill skills sessions. For the Coaching Awards group this was supplemented with more technique sessions, coaching practice and a two-day assessment.

The downhill programme involved two daily coaching sessions with the opportunity to join in the cross-country programme if you wanted a break from the slopes. Off-piste touring and finally achieving competent linked telemark turns were some of the memorable moments for skiers in this group.

And more action off the snow

Biathlon racing highlights, mountain survival techniques, multi-disciplinary quizzes, not to mention the film of Patrick Winterton’s 870-mile, solo, sea-kayaking expedition, comprised the evening entertainment. There were also opportunities for more subtle pleasures like finding the perfect recipe for hot chocolate and discovering fine voices in an impromptu Celtic singing session.

If all the activity became too much, then the flexible afternoon programme meant that people could opt out for a quiet moment in the beautiful countryside or relax in a sunny corner.

Juniors rise to a Norwegian challenge

A 5 km time trial was scheduled midweek. The previous night a gale howled around the lodge and the sunny race morning was deceptive - you could hardly stand upright. Gritting teeth into the headwind and smiling with relief on the return leg, every skier could add the event to their list of personal wins.

It also revealed potential top skiers of the future. Fast juniors battled it out with established racers - Fiona Crossley, multiple winner of the British Roller Ski Series commented, "It was great to see the determination in adverse conditions displayed by the juniors. The weren’t phased by the conditions which is more than can be said for some of the adults!"

It’s never much fun being the only one at a party without fancy dress. Make sure you can race in it!

Just about everyone had registered the above footnote on the participants’ welcome letter. So on the last afternoon Caesar, Superman and the dreadlocked Rastafarian coaching team were joined by a hula hula girl, jester and devil, plus assorted animals, maids and fairies for the final races.

The warm sunshine made for interesting ski-ing conditions but it was smiles all round especially when deliberately inappropriate equipment handicapped the coaches. It was a fun, fitting finale to a lively week where skiers had gained confidence and visibly improved their skills.

Sign up now for 2008

Such is the popularity of this event that it is being expanded in 2008 under the continued leadership of Patrick Winterton and Andy Stewart. The original multi-activity week will run from 29 March - 5April, followed by a coaching awards and race training week from 5 – 12 April. For full details of the courses and costs go to www.ssenordic.org.uk or email Helen@hebell.fsnet.co.uk.