My Skiplex Story, by Alan Cook

23 February 2015

 

Hi, my name is Alan. I've started skiing again after a break of twenty years. I first heard of Skiplex through a pal of mine, a novice skier whose other (better?) half was an experienced and competent skier. He found the Woodley Skiplex Centre and asked if I would like to join him for a session - and that was the start of my Skiplex life!

I had skied to a good intermediate level, but that was a long time ago (Carvers had only just come in when I stopped skiing!) and I had started again 2 years ago. Although I enjoyed the skiing, my technique was definitely letting me down, OK when conditions were good - but a little icy, maybe the gradient a bit too steep? Going a little too fast? That's when I realised I really wasn't skiing well at all and I was skiing on these carvers the same way I had on my old, long parallel skis - I needed to start learning how to ski all over again.

 

Now - I am not really a believer in dry ski slopes or even indoor snow slopes. 2 or three turns and you are at the bottom, mistakes and all. A wait, get back to the top and then commit the same mistakes again. That wasn't how I needed to re-learn and improve. So the idea of a never-ending revolving mat was intriguing and it certainly did hit the spot for me!! With Skiplex I can ski for a full 15 minutes at a time - viewing my progress in a full width mirror and with the instructor standing next to me, pointing out faults. Make a mistake? You can see it and correct it straight away - (plus my ski fitness was improving). I learned that I was not transferring weight early enough, I wasn't getting the skis to carve, I wasn't using both edges, and many, many more problems. The good thing was, these problems could be seen easily and I could work on correcting them.

I must admit, the first time on the never-ending mat was an experience! It seemed odd having the slope moving you backwards up the slope while you were skiing down, but after one session that wasn't a problem any more, I just concentrated on the mirror and keeping those shoulders facing down the slope!!

But maybe the best thing about Skiplex is the team working there - young, enthusiastic, all ski-nuts, they make it a friendly and rewarding experience to go along and learn. I became so enthused I booked a series of sessions at Skiplex and then I booked an early January ski week (I normally go with a bunch of guys in February) to get out on the snow. Here's the kicker! The snow was easier to ski on than the Skiplex mat - certainly more forgiving! So I was better prepared, fitter and with better technique. What a week's skiing that was!

 So, if you want to enjoy your ski holiday even more - it doesn't matter what standard, a beginner who has never been on a slope, an intermediate who wants more confidence, or even a better skier who wants to get those ski muscles working before you hit the slopes, then I can certainly recommend Skiplex - I am a convert!! (I have even converted my two nieces who both Skiplexed before their Christmas in the Alps!!)