Let the experts help you reach the top!

To be the very best, you have to learn from the very best. That’s why International Academy (IA), with more than 12 years of experience, offers only the highest quality instructor programmes in partnership with resident ski and snowboard schools in selected world-class resorts.

And now you can enjoy a brand new level of excellence with the launch of IA’s Advanced Ski & Snowboard Improvement Programme. This is the perfect opportunity to develop your skills in varying terrains and maximize your talents. Not only will you become more proficient when skiing or boarding on the groomed slopes, but you will be shown by experts how to perform in powder, master moguls and excel off-piste.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of Whistler and Blackcomb, each week-long programme includes four full days of instruction in small groups – with a maximum of six people in each group, you can be confident you are learning with like-minded people of the same ability level.

Your journey to excellence begins at 8.30am on Sunday at Dusty’s, at the base of the Creekside Gondola, with a guiding day. This is followed by instruction days on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, meeting at 9.30am for a 10am start at the roundhouse on Whistler Mountain. Students and instructors enjoy a well-earned break for lunch at noon, with the instruction finishing about 3pm

To help you fine tune your skills, you will also be talked through video analysis of your progress – and when you’ve completed your final day, you will receive a written personalised evaluation of your week, which includes top tips and invaluable suggestions for your future development.

The programme – which includes seven nights accommodation, a six-day Whistler/Blackcomb lift pass, lift line queue priority, and a welcome and farewell get-together – runs from Saturday to Saturday and you can join as many weeks together as you like.

The majority of International Academy students choose to stay two weeks to benefit from the weekend rest and then put all of their newfound skills into practice. This means you can capitalize on your improvements and make greater strides towards even higher skiing levels.

Here’s what former students have to say about International Academy courses.

“I loved the trip, met so many great people and had much fun indeed. The ski instructors were great, had us all in stitches, were very respectful of individual skiing abilities and showed us all a good time. I was very sad to leave!”
Sara Jakubowicz

“I would advise anyone who is thinking about doing this type of course to go for it! You will love it! General tuition and improving my own skiing ability has been fantastic.”
Kate Royle

The price of the exclusive one-week Improvement Programme is £1,070 and the course included accommodation at the 3* Sundial Suites on room only, return resort transfers and the course. Return scheduled flights from London to Vancouver are not included and start from £488 with Canadian Affair The course is available from November 24 until March 30, 2013. For more information call 02380 206977 or visit www.international-academy.com

‘Olympic legacy is already inspiring young people to engage in sport’ say youth charity Snow-Camp

“A fantastic and beneficial project that just keeps getting better” Ed Leigh (BBC presenter)

Whilst the Olympics have been captivating the nation over the last 2 weeks, youth charity Snow-Camp have continued to run their youth programmes  engaging and supporting inner city young people through snowsports. And the charity has seen levels of enthusiasm for engaging in sport surge over the Olympic period, with interest in signing up to Snow-Camp projects higher than ever before.

 Director Dan Charlish said, ‘We have been running Snow-Camp programmes since 2003, but the Olympics seem to have captured the imagination of young people and it has been fantastic to see the demand for places on our snowsports beginner courses growing so rapidly!’

 The charity uses a combination of snowsports, life-skills and vocational opportunities to support young people who would otherwise never have the opportunity to engage in snowsports. Their programmes enable young people to progress from beginner to instructor over the course of a year – with newly qualified young people then recruited to teach their peers in the next round of beginner courses.

Charlish said, ‘The fact that snowsports themselves haven’t featured in this Olympics doesn’t seem to have made any difference – young people have simply been inspired by what they have seen to try something new and aspirational, to challenge themselves and discover their own potential. Snowsports are perfect for capturing young people’s enthusiasm and channelling it positively. And with the winter Olympics in Sochi 2014 just around the corner, the potential to build on the legacy of these Olympics and ensure further positive impact for young people is huge.’

The charity is seeking to expend its youth support programmes to meet the new demand, but admits recent funding cuts have made this a challenge.

 ‘Of course we are delighted David Cameron has confirmed that funding will be available for our elite athletes, as these funds will create the role models in Rio that will inspire our young people once again,’ says Charlish. ‘But this inspiration will be wasted, and can even lead to a sense of anger and resentment amongst young people, if there is insufficient provision in place for young people to get involved at the grassroots and try new sports in response to what they have seen.

 More funding at grassroots must accompany funding of elite athletes to enable all young people have better access to sports  - and to ensure the Mo’s and Jessica’s of the future don’t get missed!’ www.snow-camp.co.uk

Awards to honour best in snowsports

The winners will be announced at a fun-filled awards evening on Friday 2nd November at the annual Ski and Snowboard Show in Earls Court, London. The event will form the centrepiece of Ski & Snowboard's 25th anniversary and will be attended by readers of the magazine along with the great and good of the snowsports industry.

Set to become one of the highlights of the snowsports calendar, the awards will reward resorts, companies and individuals in 25 categories. These will include the best European resort, American resort, ski and snowboard brands, airline, and specialist and mainstream tour operators.

The World Snow Awards will be judged by a panel of leading ski and snowboard experts and by public vote. Ski and snowboard brands will be judged using the Ski & Snowboard's extensive results from annual ski and snowboarding testing weeks.

With over 25 years of experience reporting on the snowsports industry from across the globe, Ski & Snowboard is the UK's leading snowsports publication and is perfectly placed to launch an awards scheme highlighting the industry's outstanding companies of the year.

Winning a World Snow Award is an independent stamp of approval for a company and its products, singling them out from the competition. VOS Media will work with all winners to gain as much impact from their World Snow Awards win as possible.

www.skiandsnowboard.co.uk/world-snow-awards