British Ski Center is a registered tradename, registered in "Turismo Activo" with the regional tourist authority of the "Junta de Andalucia" pertaning its own Public Liability Insurance as required by law. All our instructors are aptly qualified, contracted and experienced for ski and/or snowboard instruction.
Our Rates (Euros) - 2008-9*
| Private Tuition | 1 Person | 2 People | 3 People | 4 People |
| (Price per hour) | 38.00€ | 45.00€ | 53.00€ | 68.00€ |
| Group Tuition | 2 days (6 hrs) |
3 days (9 hrs) |
4 days (12hrs) |
5 days (15hrs) |
6 days (18hrs) |
| Season (price per person) | 87.00€ |
126.00€ |
156.00€ |
173.00€ |
198.00€ |
| Holiday (price per person) | - |
- |
115.00€ |
130.00€ |
- |
| Guiding | Up to 6 People (min. 4 pax required) | 7-10 People |
| (Price per person, per 2 hr session) | 19.00 € | 15.00 € |
*Provisional rates as of September 2008. These are subject to alteration.
Advanced Booking Discounts:
Private Tuition: 2 people for the price of 1. Minimum requirement 2 hours tuition. Children and adults are taught by separate instructors.
Season Groups: Book 2 people for 3 days or more and receive a 5% discount.
All Discounts are available on bookings made up to 14 days prior to the first class date and based on a minimum of 2 hours of tuition. Up to 40% deposit payment is required to confirm all bookings.
General Information
We not only offer professional tuition but are available to assist our clients in getting to grips with the resort, where everything is, concise English tuition, where the popular sites are, the Spanish tapas bars etc.,etc.. We are generally around for a period both during the mornings, (in our shop collaborative equipment hire Rio Sport), before our first classes, and in the afternoons after skiing to assist with ski and boot hire if required.
Sierra Nevada is still a very Spanish resort which is a hugely contributing factor to it's special relaxing air. It does however mean that English speaking is relatively limited. Both Jonathan & I speak Spanish fluently and wish to use this to everyone's benefit to aid towards a stress-free time.
We offer and guarantee that any UK client taking a lesson through British Ski Center, will have either a native English speaking instructor or at the very least someone who, not only speaks English fluently, but is also used to using English on a regular social basis. It is possible to find "English speaking" instructors through the other schools but very often the problem arises whereby their knowledge is very much limited to just the technical vocabulary needed.
High general conversation levels are essential for building up client/instructor relations and of course quality of tuition, particularly when the client requires more in-depth explanations. This is where we always come out on top!!
We provide instruction primarily on a one-to-one basis, (private tuition), although we are able to organise group courses, (subject to demand), especially during the holiday & half-term periods.
In addition to the two of us our full time team for Winter 2007/8 consisted once again of our noble English gentleman, William, the lovely Norwegian lass, Karina (to whom our best wishes go out for her forthcoming birth), ever willing Swedish Jonatan, ("isn't he lovely"), and his sister Sofia, (can she really smile that much?), up front and to the point Jan, (that's pronounced "Yan"), "Cool" & "Sorted" Scottish snowboard instructor, Garry and the caring motherfigure overseeing them all, our highly organised secretary, Jo, ("just a quicky").
As a rough guide, ski standards are generally divided into the following five main groups:
A |
Beginners / First time on Snow |
B |
Sub-divided into groups ranging from Snowplough turns leading to Elementary stem turns |
C |
Stem to Parallel turns |
D |
Short Turns & Carving etc.. |
E |
All terrain and competition skiing |
Whilst requests can be made for specific instructors, it may be necessary, in particular during high season, to allocate a different instructor in order to cater for everybody's requirements in as efficient and professional a manner as is possible. For this reason we prefer not to confirm this until the day of the lesson.
Private Tuition
These will cater for a maximum of 4 people in any one group. It is important to note that the standard of skiing must be roughly equal between each member. Failing this, the more advanced skiers will not benefit so much from the class.
We recommend that children and adults are also taught separately due to differences both in teaching technique and general learning capabilities. Children also often require much more personal attention and care which can take away time spent on others in the class. The length of class depends on you, the skier, but the usual amount of time for any class is 2 hours in any given day.
The only real exception to this rule applies to very young children, (4-6yrs), who would normally do better to start initially with a single hour to see how they adapt to the climate, altitude and the sport itself. If all goes well they may well be able to take further tuition on a 2 hourly basis.
Group Classes
Group tuition offers the opportunity for people to learn to ski & board with others of similar standards creating a fun environment to the learning process and introducing people to others with whom to continue skiing throughout their stay or even on furture trips.
Group tuition offers a more economical way of learning whereby as a result of more people in the class we are able to reduce the per capita rate to cover our costs. Due to increasing demand, for 2008-9 we have introduced a group scenario and offer you two types of group tuition as follows:
Holiday Groups:
These will run from Monday to Friday, typically between 10am and 1pm each day consisting of a total of 15 hours tuition. This particular group scenario will run during the school holiday weeks of February. For this we need a minimum of 5 people per group to warrant the group running. In this situation, you are obliged to start on the Monday. Due to high levels of demand, we do not accept mid-week starters in any situation and require you to contract a minimum of 4 days tuition.
Season Groups:
These will run for groups of up to 6 people between Monday - Saturday on a flexible basis. A minimum of 3 people will always be required to warrant the group running. Times will run typically as with the "Holiday Groups". In this case, as long as you are not a complete beginner, we will consider mid-week starters and only require you to contract a minimum of 2 days.
Group Considerations:
Due to the the number of people in the group, (usually 8-10 as a maximum in Holiday Group scenarios), levels of progression will be slower than with private tuition because the instructor has to spend time with more people.
Also, it is worth bearing in mind the situation whereby people advance at different levels often resulting in split levels within the group. When this occurs, the instructor can only teach to the level of those going slowest, (primarily for safety reasons).
Where possible according to availability of instructors and group space, it is feasible to move people between groups in efforts to maintain equilibrium.
Please refer to our Terms & Conditions points 12-17 under "Group Tuition" for full details.
Ski/Snowboard Guiding
We also offer a guiding service to skiers & snowboarders with a minimum ability to cover blue runs and perhaps the odd easy red. Skiers & boarders of a higher standard can group together for our advanced guiding sessions.
Guiding will be taken by an experienced skier who knows the resort well but will not necessarily be an instructor. No tuition is given during the guiding sessions although in certain situations it may be necessary for the Guide to lend a hand. Groups will consist of a minimum of 4 people. We will take you off for 2 hours during a dedicated guiding afternoon, usually from 3pm - 5pm. Skiers & boarders should be confident on blue runs, (middle intermediate upwards), in order to make the most of this.
!!...FIRST TIME SKIERS & SNOWBOARDERS READ BELOW...!!
If you are a first time skier or snowboarder you should always consider taking tuition instead of trying to learn by yourself or with friends which is this best way to involve yourself in an accident. It is generally recommended that you begin with a 2 hour private class for at least 2-3 consecutive days of Private Tuition or 4 or 5 days in Group Tuition and then review the situation afterwards regarding further tuition. You will initially spend time in a flat area where you will get to grips with the basics of putting on and taking off your skis/board and sliding motions. Gradually you will move to a very gentle slope to learn the basics of controlling your speed.
As a very rough guide, (and this does vary from person to person as well as the number of people in the class), you can expect the following from a one-to-one private lesson:
| 1 Hour | To have essential understanding of controlling your speed down a gentle slope in a straight line. |
| 2 Hours | You will have touched on the basics of turning from left to right and back again down a gentle slope, (better one side than the other more than likely!!). |
| 3 Hours | You will have limited experience using a chairlift and access to longer runs |
Notes From the Professionals:
NEVER rely on friends or family to teach you unless they are qualified & experienced themselves!! A high percentage of ski accidents, (not to mention arguments!), occur in these situations whereby basic safety procedure and technique are instructed incorrectly or not at all!
DO REMEMBER that Sierra Nevada is one of the highest ski resorts in Europe. The altitude change can cause some dehydration and weariness. For this reason we recommend starting off with a 2 hour session unless you are partaking in Group Tuition, (which will be 3 hours). Very young children, (4-5yr olds), on their first skiing holiday should consider a single hour to begin with to ensure they are enjoying themselves and to acclimatise.
As the resort of Sierra Nevada becomes increasingly popular with the English speaking skier/boarder, demand has increased significantly for English speaking ski instructors. British Ski Center can guarantee you this in a way that no other ski school in resort can!!
