Three cadets from Tile Cross Academy (part of Solihull School CCF through the cadet expansion programme) took part in the SnowCamp charity’s social mobility ski/snowboard programme. They had completed the first two phases, First Tracks and Graduate before being selected for the Excel course.
The Excel Course: This is SnowCamp’s youth instructor course, which takes place throughout February, March and April. Having completed First Tracks and Graduate, Excel supports young people who wish to pursue a career in the snowsports industry and achieve a Foundation Instructor qualification.
Over 10 weeks young people (aged 16-21) train to become qualified ski or snowboarding instructors by participating in the BASI Foundation Instructor training programme. The skills which they are demonstrating on the slopes are also reflected in the classroom with life skills sessions before and after each slope session. These sessions also include lessons on the foundations of the coaching pathway, lesson planning and live teaching tasks as well as the essential first aid and safeguarding courses. Furthermore, young people take part in wellbeing workshops with our Wellbeing Managers, gain a mental health first aid qualification and have access to 1-1 wellbeing sessions.
Excel is a fantastic opportunity for young people to gain a nationally recognised qualification and reach a level of snowsports ability that they would never have thought possible before joining the charity. Young people also continue their progression through the Snowsport England or Snowsport Scotland Snow Life Award course started on First Tracks.
Towards the end of the course young people spend a week in the mountains, shadowing instructors and gaining valuable mountain experience. For many this is their first time abroad, broadening their horizons on a personal, as well as on an educational level. This week long residential provides real life experience for young people enabling them to recognise that they have the ability to start a career in the snowsports industry and beyond. It gives them an increased sense of confidence in their own skiing or snowboarding technique, along with a deeper knowledge of the coaching process ready for their final assessment days when they return to the UK.
My Experience: (by Cdt Cadet Fanta T)
Excel has honestly been the best experience of my life. Not only have I massively improved my skiing skills, but I have also made lifelong friends and found a new genuine passion. At the start of Excel my skiing was alright. I could do basic turns such as plough- parallel but my skiing still needed some work. At that time, I enjoyed skiing but only ever thought of it as a temporary hobby, not a passion, but with Excel all that has changed. At the SnowDome sessions with the help of the instructors, I managed to improve my skiing as well as my confidence while skiing. This massively helped me as I was no longer scared to try new games and techniques such as lifting a leg while skiing or doing a jump in between turns. I also learned how to parallel ski which was essential when I later went to Andorra. At times I did face challenges such as falling and using poles for the first time, but I managed to persevere with the help of the other individuals doing Excel and the amazing volunteers and apprentices. All this strengthen my skiing when I was skiing on the mountains.
Towards the end of Excel, I was privileged enough to go to Andorra. I can honestly say, Andorra was the best trip I have ever been on. Not only did I enjoy my time with the London group, but my skiing also massively changed. At first the terrain was a challenge, the snow on the mountains was different to the one at Snowdome, however using everything I had been taught to my advantage, the snow became my best friend. I went from doing Green runs, to doing Red and then off piste runs.
Although I struggled with the off piste run at the start of the week, by the end thanks to the amazing BASI instructor, I was able to confidently do one. The BASI instructor was a massive help. I am now able to ski in parallel and do clean, neat turns without falling. I am also now able to conquer any runs with confidence no matter the conditions. Within our time in Andorra, we face all the different weather conditions such as snow, rain, hail, extreme winds and heat, and even though at times it was frustrating when the chairlifts closed, or when the wind slowed us down, it created an extremely memorable experience and made our skiing more versatile.
Excel not only aided in my skiing, but also with understanding more about mental health. The mental health sessions we had every week helped further my understanding about the mind and how it works. This not only helped me in my day-to-day life, but helped me understand others better. Excel has helped me become a more well-rounded individual and has revealed my love for snow sports.
I hope to continue skiing and maybe even try snowboarding as a volunteer and eventually apply for the apprenticeship. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity as it has been honestly such a memorable time in my life.
I would like to thank the Ulysses Trust, CCFA, and Yardley Education Trust for their support which enabled me to complete the Excel Course.
