WHY US?
So, what makes us different? Well, it’s a good question – after all there are a lot of ski schools in Verbier, and a lot of ski instructors. Are we any different? We think so.
That’s because when we started Performance, we all agreed that our job was pretty simple: to give you the best possible day in Verbier. We came up with three essential things that every instructor needs to make sure that happens. They might not sound like rocket science, but to us they’re absolutely vital – and harder to find than you might think.
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We know Verbier. Inside and out.
Verbier is an amazing place – and it’s our home. Our instructors have all taught here for years, so they know every piste, bump and view, every mountain’s name and certainly all the best restaurants.
So we not only make sure you ski in all the best places, we can also tell you everything you need to know about the resort and the area – and that’s dead handy when you’re trying to discover new places, challenge your technique (without pushing yourself too far) and, of course, booking lunch…
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Qualifications, lots of them.
Instructor qualifications are pretty complicated. There are loads out there. But as a rough guide, the more you have, the better you can ski and the better you can teach, and the fewer you have, well… So we insist on everyone being really well qualified, and really well trained. It means they understand skiing better, but it also means they’ve spent years training for and passing exams because this is what they want to do. They’ve put their heart and soul into this job. And you can just tell when you ski with them. Are there exceptions? Yes. And we’re very honest about this. We have instructors who we see huge potential in and whilst they haven’t got the level 3 yet, we’re training them to get to that level and beyond.
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Instructors who love skiing, love teaching and are really, really good fun.
Sounds a little obvious, but instructors don’t always love to teach. Some have fallen out of love with skiing, some are impatient or grumpy, and others frankly just aren’t that much fun to spend a day with. Our attitude is that the one thing you can’t teach someone is to be more fun. It’s something that’s built-in – it’s either there or it isn’t. So when we recruit a new member of the team we always ask ourselves: “Is this someone I’ll have fun skiing with? Have they got that extra something?” – If the answer’s yes, we know we’re on the right track.
Sounds simple? Well, we think so too.
We don’t work with anyone who doesn’t meet these criteria (OK, perhaps Toby’s anecdotes and Kent’s sense of humour mean they’re borderline, but you get the idea); and now we’re in our twelfth season we’re more committed than ever to sticking to these ideas. So all of our team are qualified to at least the Level 3 in their respective systems (or the equivalent), and they’re ski instructors who’ve taught in Verbier for years and when we recruit a new member of the team we still always ask ourselves that big question “Is this someone I’ll have fun skiing with?”. If the answer’s yes, they’re in…So if you want to meet them, then just click here – or if you want to learn more about how ski instructor qualifications work, you can click here.
