BASI Trainee Ski Instructor training: The Numbers

I got my “numbers” this evening. The way the BASI ratings work is that each skill (piste short turns, piste carving, central theme, etc) gets a rating based on how well you can perform it. The ratings are from 1 to 6 and split into 3 groups of 2; 1-2 are awareness, 3-4 are practice, 5-6 are acquired skills. For the Instructor course you need to have scores of 5 for Central Theme and Piste Performance, 4 for Bumps, Steeps and Variable (off-piste, all conditions), and 3 for Freestyle. Each category is then broken down into 4 sub-categories, which in turn have more levels of detail; so, for example, you need a 4 or more in Bumps in all of the following categories, Control, Flow, Steering and Body (and, for example, Control is broken down into Speed, Line and Adjustments for Snow and Terrain). You may get a 4 in Control but it’s only your control of speed that’s the problem, you may have 5s in control of line and adjustments, etc… There are then other, non skiing, teaching and communication skills that also require specific scores. The Trainee Instructor course results in a “score card” which gives you an idea of where your skiing is at and what you need to do to improve.

Our Trainee Instructor results don’t cover all of the elements that we will need in the Instructor training; we didn’t get rated on steeps or variable or freestyle. However I’m pretty confident in my steep and variable skiing and the freestyle stuff doesn’t seem to need much more than I achieved in Esquel… Anyway, I’m pleased with the numbers that I did get; 5s in most things except a 4 for pressure control when doing the plough-parallel part of the Central Theme and a 4 for body movements in the bumps (and that’s good enough anyway!).

I still have lots of work to do but I’m more confident that I have a fair chance of passing.