So you’re thinking about a ski improvement camp. You’ve heard about them, maybe seen them offered at your favourite ski resort; but you’re not fully sold.
That’s where the team at Rookie Academy steps in. Offering a range of camps across two of New Zealand’s favourite mountains, they’re here to shake up your skiing, inspiring a whole new love of the sport – and connect you with a whole lot of like-minded individuals along the way.
Here are five reasons why everyone needs a ski or a snowboard camp in their life.
You’ll learn what great technique really is
If you’ve been a skier for for a long time, you’re probably confident on the slopes – but there’s something holding you back from levelling up.
Maybe it’s the little habits you’ve picked up along the way, or the technique you self-taught, or simply that you’re a bit rusty after a few years off the slopes.
Rookie Academy exists to teach the fundamentals of technique. They know that understanding what you are meant to do is just as important as actually doing it, and it’s the perfect way to learn.
Their trainers are the best in the biz, and use video analysis to highlight your strengths and weaknesses. It’s great skiing made easy with Rookie Academy.
Plus there’s only six people maximum per group, so you know that you’ll have the attention necessary for improving quickly – along with the ski time, with life line priority ensuring you get maximum time on slopes and minimum time waiting to get back on them.
Safety, fun and achievement are all in the name of the game, so rest assured it’s bound to be an enjoyable environment that will also get you kicking goals fast.
They’ll teach you all the little things
You might not think that your boots really make that much of a difference in your ski day, but the Rookie Academy team beg to differ.
Having the right boots, skis or poles plays a very important role in making skiing easier in all mountain terrain – and they’re ready to ensure that everything fits correctly, is the right shape, or length.
They can also advise on the best exercises for you to do on a long-term basis, or the sports prep you should be doing for getting back on the slopes in the future.
It’s all for endurance, strength and stamina, as well as injury prevention – ensuring that you stay on the slopes for as long as you possibly can.
You can make amazing friends
There’s nothing like getting yourself into an environment with an entire crew of like-minded people.
And by spending four days in a week with the same group, you’re bound to walk away with a whole group of new mates, ready to ride with by day and conquer the après scene by night.
Each Rookie training day consists of a morning session, lunch break and afternoon session. The mornings have a technical focus, and the afternoons are more about mileage and putting your new skills to practice with your new mates.
By skiing with equally passionate people, you’ll be even more inspired to get the most out of the learning environment – and you’ll have build-in friends to plan future ski trips with.
You’ll learn long term self analysis skills
There’s a lot to be said for being able to analyse your own skiing or boarding, and work out what’s going on for you that day and how you might be able to fix it.
After all, you might ski at the same resort many times over, but conditions on the mountains are constantly changing. And unpacking your own performance is helpful to avoid getting frustrated with those changing circumstances, letting you conquer just about anything in your path.
Through a greater knowledge of the ideal skiing or riding technique and learning theories via Rookie Academy, you’ll be able to continue your own improvement long after your course.
There are options to choose from
With everything from 4 half-days, two-day and four-day options available, there’s a camp and a training to suit every budget and availability
Like the Rookies Camp, an introduction to Rookies fundamentals and developing them via both on and off-piste terrain. It’s all about “all mountain skiing”. The training crew throughout the camp will give you consistency in your turn shapes and ski discipline, while in a fun yet skills-based learning environment.
Or there’s the Rookies Brunch Camp, half-days which allow you to get a three hour training session in before lunch. It’s a social introduction to training, with the biggest focus being on getting skillful and comfortable on the terrain and having fun developing some consistency and ski discipline through the Rookies fundamentals.
And finally, there’s the Super September Camp. Four days of pure magic with great snow, lots of sunshine and social aprés-ski, you’ll fall in love with Treble Cone as you work through skill development and reinforcement. It’s great skiing made easy with Rookie Academy.
All options run from July through to September at Treble Cone, and July through to October at Cardrona.
