I joined the skivo 2 Gap Year course in 2013. The course was ideal for setting me up to achieve my BASI Level 2 qualification. The training focused on each individual and my technique greatly improved. Blake was fantastic in providing top level tuition and even during the exams, he was on hand to answer any questions and give advice.

The chalet was great and our cook Julian was a brilliant host. Everyone got on well and Courchevel is a really sociable resort.

Since the course, I’ve been working at my local ski centre in Scotland. I’m hoping to work abroad during the Uni Holidays and continue to work towards my BASI Level 3.

If you are thinking about skiing instructing or just having some time out, I would really recommend taking the skivo 2 Gap Course.

The course was great. It was perfect for having just finished school because it gave me something productive to do. I really enjoyed the training and seeing the effects it had on my skiing. I got along really well with all the other gappies on my course and really enjoyed my free time spent with them whether it was skiing, going out or just hanging out. The skivo2 instructors were top notch with instruction and in any way they could help. By the end of the 10 weeks they were mates too.

Currently I’m working at Perisher Ski Resort in Australia and I plan on spending this coming winter season working at a Canadian resort.

skivo2 had a goal in mind that was very similar to my own, which was to become an awesome skier and an awesome instructor. While I am probably not either of those things (just yet), skivo2 has put me in the best position to become closer to that goal and in my opinion as many others will agree, is the only GAP course capable of doing that.

I was part of the first year of pupils they had on the GAP Course and I find it difficult to believe they can improve any more because it was spot on. From the coaching to the food to the social life, skivo2 made a real effort to give us the highest standard possible. Sometimes we found the skiing difficult, but the end result was 100% pass rate for BASI Level 2 and very high standard skiing and coaching incomparable to adjacent courses. We weren’t just a number and they had a real interest in our future well being and our lives on and off the mountain.

I went to Italy along with Nik (another pupil) to teach for Interski which was great fun and is a great place to get comfortable with teaching for real as they are mostly school kids. This year I will be training for my test technique so I will be able to teach in France, but it’s safe to say skivo2 put me in the position to have a good chance of passing.

Special mentions go out to Blake Williams who was our mentor and became our surrogate older brother. He was a key figure for our instruction, fitness, and personal skiing endeavor and more importantly was there for any issues we had (believe me there were a few), performing with the utmost professionalism. Dave Beattie who heads up skivo2 also was heavily involved with our training and is one of the most experienced British instructors out there and devoted a lot of his time to the team despite being very busy! Louise who was a fantastic chalet hostess and our adopted motherly figure made us feel very welcome and looked after us when we were ill, great hospitality. I’d like to thank everyone involved in skivo2, it was a real family.

And thank you for giving me quite possibly the best 10 weeks of my life.

As a lover of skiing from an early age my goal was to be able to ski instruct, this became a reality when I undertook the skivo2 gap course. Although already knowing the Courchevel area it was easy to settle in with friendly and helpful staff.

Being trained by BASI Level 4s and examiners everyday helped improve our techniques vastly and all of the students came out passing with flying colours and improving their skiing incredibly. Blake was always on call and introduced us to lots of contacts for the future and was on call 24/7 whenever we had a problem. As well as the skiing there were social trips too which were a lot of fun.

What I enjoyed about the course was the standard of the living conditions, being able to ski everyday whilst being trained by the very best and enjoying the lifestyle. What I found hard was being away from home for so long in a bubble although enjoying the course so much softened the blow.

What I did after the course – after the course me and a friend off the course went to teach primary school kids for Interski in La Thuille, Italy which was fun but also showed some of the stresses of instructing, overall it was a great learning experience and was our first real taste of full instructing being responsible for a group.

Planning for the future – at the moment I am undertaking a sport management course at university, I am undecided on my future but having my BASI Level 22 has left me options into my decision for after university, I still ski regularly and could see myself being involved in the business