British ski school hosts first training camp for Chinese ski instructors to teach in Europe
A year after starting the first British-run ski school in China, the Warren Smith Ski Academy has hosted the first ski instructor course to qualify Chinese skiers to teach in European ski resorts.
“We’re developing Chinese ski instructors to learn a European qualification to allow them to then move to Europe and actually coach skiing in the Alps, which I think is a fantastic thing,” said Warren Smith, founder of the Academy and an internationally-acclaimed instructor, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).
Smith and his team of coaches teach the IASI qualification from the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors, which enables graduates to work in most ski schools in Europe, Canada, America and the rest of the world.
IASI is one of a number of different qualifications budding instructors can take. Other popular qualifications include the British Association of Snowsports Instructors (BASI) and the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA) or Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors (CASI).
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of development in Chinese skiing,” said Smith.
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“The first development is the level of skiers – I mean the recreational skiers that are skiing every day or at the weekend.
“And secondly the ski instructors. The number of ski instructors in China is growing fast, and their level is getting really good. These guys are learning fast and are very passionate. They want to get to a level where they can go and work in other countries like America, in Europe and New Zealand.”
Last season the Warren Smith Ski Academy set up an office in the ski resort of Wanlong, close to the city of Zhangjiakou in the Hebei province of northern China. Since first visiting the country in 2013, Smith has returned on numerous occasions to run courses both on snow and at indoor snow centres in Shanghai.
“We travel a long way to come to Wanlong because we love a lot of things about the area,” Smith said. “We love the way that the people in the industry work – they’re always trying to develop their industry and they’re developing it at quite a fast rate and that’s a big thing for us.”
The infrastructure for snow sports in China has a long way to go until it rivals the setup in Europe’s popular ski resorts, but since the country won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, there has been a shift to prepare the host country and increase its podium potential. Last season, China’s National Development and Reform Commission revealed plans to build 240 ski slopes ahead of the Games, in an attempt to boost its medal prospects.
Over the summer the world’s biggest indoor ski resort opened in the city of Harbin, which sits near China’s northern border with Russia. The centre, which spans 80,000 square metres, has six different runs, suitable for all abilities, including two black runs, a blue run, a snow play area including a snow castle and two 40m beginner slopes, all of which are served by an indoor chairlift and magic carpet. The indoor ski resort, part of a bigger project that costs £4.56 billion, is designed to accommodate up to 3,000 people at a time.
“I think the key here is to recognise how strong the Chinese industry is growing, and how much motivation there is behind the Chinese ski industry,” said Smith.
The Academy’s first Chinese students attended its ski technique courses in Verbier, Switzerland, in 2011. “In the 27 years that I’ve been teaching the sport I can honestly say I have never taught a more enthusiastic bunch of skiers – they crave content and information on the technique of the sport,” Smith said.
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“It’s a very reciprocal thing. China has welcomed us as European skiers and in return we’re trying to qualify and train ski instructors from China to come and work with us. We want them to come join our team in Europe.”
There are over 100 ski resorts in China, which are little known to European skiers, but new Chinese graduates could soon be telling British skiers and snowboarders all about them during lessons on an upcoming winter holiday in the Alps.
