Open Practice – Covid-19 advice: We recommend using your own equipment if you have it
Open practice is admission to the main slope, where you can practice your skills without tuition; this is available to experienced skiers and snowboarders. Available in 1 ½ hour sessions to suit you!
Therefore, you must be able to:
• Use the Ski lifts.
• Control your speed and direction.
• Perform controlled linked turns.
• Be able to stop when required.
If you’re a little short of this standard, have a look at our lesson timetable. We’ll get you up to scratch in no time.
We are asking where possible for customers to pre book open practice sessions either online or over the phone.
Clothing You will be required to wear for all on slope activities:
• Long sleeved clothing
• Trousers
• Gloves or Mittens
We do recommend knee pads for snowboarders and helmets can be worn at your own discretion.
Last admission tickets are sold 1 ½ hours before closing time.
All open practice admission prices include equipment hire.
Open practice admission is available throughout the week, but there is sometimes a restriction due to race training or race events.
Ski Levels
The minimum requirement for open practice is Level 4
Linking Turns
- Location: Main Slope
- Linked Snowplough Turns: Snowploughing around the corner, linking your turns as you go.
- Control of speed: Control your speed down the slope by varying the shape of your turn.
Basic & Plough Swings
- Location: Main Slope
- Basic plough parallel: Ploughing around the corner and matching skis after the fall-line.
- Plough parallel: Progressively matching skis earlier in the fall-line.
Learning to Parallel Turn
- Location: Main Slope
- Basic parallel turn: Be able to perform controlled S-shaped turns down the slope with lots of skid keeping the skis parallel throughout the turn.
- Parallel turns – long radius: Be able to do wide controlled parallel turns using the entire slope, whilst still maintaining control of speed.
Improving your Technique
- Location: Main Slope
- Parallel turns – short radius: Be able to perform parallel turns down a narrow run whilst still maintaining control.
- Carving: Be able to hold a carving motion down the slope by using the edge of the skis.
Snowboard Levels
The minimum requirement for open practice is Level C
Changing Direction
- Location: Main Slope
- Falling leaf – toe and heel: Be able to move the snowboard from a level side slip, both toe or heel while maintaining good posture and balance, then return back to controlled side slip using a controlled skid.
- Garlands – toe and heel – into fall line: Same as falling leaf, just in same consecutive direction.
Entering the Fall Line
- Location: Exit One & Two
- Falling leaf – toe and heel – into fall line: Be able to move the snowboard from a level side slip, both toe or heel, into the fall line (straight down the hill) while maintaining good posture and balance, then return back to controlled side slip using a controlled skid.
- Garlands – toe and heel – into fall line: Same as falling leaf, just in same consecutive direction.
Developing turns
- Location: Exit Two +
- Basic turn: Be able to get you board from level side slip to straight and back out on opposite edge making a C-shaped turn, e.g. heel edge-straight-toe edge. You will learn to be able to do this starting on either edge.
- Linked turns: Be able to link 2 basic turns together to make controlled S-shaped turns, e.g. hell edge-straight-toe edge-straight-heel edge.
- Intermediate turns: Be able to do linked turns at higher speed without slowing down as much between turns.
Refining Turns
- Location: Exit Three +
- Advanced turns / Carving: High speed turns down the slope using more edge and less skid to make the turns.
Ski Levels
The minimum requirement for open practice is Level 5
Level 4A
Linking Turns
- Location: Intermediate slope
- Linked snowplough turns: Cover the basics of turning using a snowplough
- Linked plough turns – varied radius & control of speed: To pass this level the skier has to be able to independently make 6 or more snowplough turns from the top of this slope in control.
Level 4B
Linking Turns
- Location: Main slope
- Control snowplough turns: Use their snowplough turns to control their descent over a range of sized turns and speeds.
- Linked plough turns – varied radius & control of speed: To pass level 4B the skier must demonstrate good technique in a snow plough turn over a number of sized turns for the top of our main slope.
Level 5
Basic & Plough Swings
- Location: Main Slope
- Basic plough parallel: Ploughing around the corner and matching skis after the fall-line.
- Plough parallel: Progressively matching skis earlier in the fall-line.
Level 6
Learning to Parallel Turn
- Location: Main Slope
- Basic parallel turn: Be able to perform controlled S-shaped turns down the slope with lots of skid keeping the skis parallel throughout the turn.
- Parallel turns – long radius: Be able to do wide controlled parallel turns using the entire slope, whilst still maintaining control of speed.
Level 7
Improving your Technique
- Location: Main Slope
- Parallel turns – short radius: Be able to perform parallel turns down a narrow run whilst still maintaining control.
- Carving: Be able to hold a carving motion down the slope by using the edge of the skis.
Snowboard Levels
The minimum requirement for open practice is Level D
Level D
Entering the Fall Line
- Location: Exit One & Two
- Falling leaf – toe and heel – into fall line: Be able to move the snowboard from a level side slip, both toe or heel, into the fall line (straight down the hill) while maintaining good posture and balance, then return back to controlled side slip using a controlled skid.
- Garlands – toe and heel – into fall line: Same as falling leaf, just in same consecutive direction.
Level E
Developing turns
- Location: Exit Two +
- Basic turn: Be able to get you board from level side slip to straight and back out on opposite edge making a C-shaped turn, e.g. heel edge-straight-toe edge. You will learn to be able to do this starting on either edge.
- Linked turns: Be able to link 2 basic turns together to make controlled S-shaped turns, e.g. hell edge-straight-toe edge-straight-heel edge.
- Intermediate turns: Be able to do linked turns at higher speed without slowing down as much between turns.
Level F
Refining Turns
- Location: Exit Three +
- Advanced turns / Carving: High speed turns down the slope using more edge and less skid to make the turns.
Open Practice Prices
Private lessons run all week. Give us a call on 01492 874 707 to discuss times.