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| Darren Turner, Insight Ski |
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| Lovely links from Ski School App |
One of the
pioneers of the instructional ski app is Darren Turner, a ski instructor from Serre
Chevalier in France.
Turner started skiing on artificial slopes in Britain and progressed to racing
by the age of 14. At 16 he began instructor training and later worked in
France. Transferring to the British BASI system, he went on to get the highest
level 4 ISTD qualifications which enable him to work anywhere in the world,
including France.
Now in his 20th
season teaching and skiing the 102 pistes of Serre
Chevalier Vallée, Turner
says he actually ended up living there by accident. He had visited at the age
of 15 when competing in the British Ski Championships but his first work experience in the
mountains was at Alpe d’Huez where he worked as a barman for a winter
season: “The dream job for a young ski enthusiast as it gave me all day every
day to spend up the mountain,” he says. He was transferred by his employers to
their hotel bar in Serre Chevalier. “I loved the down-to-earth feel of the
place and made friendship bonds with people whom I still call my best friends,”
Turner recounts. “It’s a close knit community where everyone has a common bond
i.e. a love of the mountains.”
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| From groomers to glades at Serre Chevalier (Courtesy of Sindy Thomas/AGENCE ZOOM) |
Like many
itinerant ski fans, he followed this experience with seasonal travel and work,
taking in South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden and Egypt before returning to
settle in Serre Chevalier to work as an independent instructor.
“Originally my client base was mainly British but it has evolved into a truly
international spectrum with people coming from as far as Australia and
America,” he says. He teaches all age and ability levels but finds that many
long-term skiers reach a plateau. In order to help
with this, Turner teamed up with Elate Media run by New Zealand pro
skier, Andrew
Gowans to produce a series of ski
technique videos. Having
watched many poorly produced versions, he wanted to make video instruction more
user-friendly. “Our focus was on simplifying and keeping things as clear as
possible,” he explains. “After discussing ideas for filming there was a bit of
a ‘eureka moment’ - rather than just film and make a DVD, an app seemed like a
much more versatile platform.” It could be easily updated whenever necessary
and wouldn’t involve stock or shipping issues. “Most importantly the user can
use the information whenever needed,” Turner points out. “I have never seen
anyone on a chairlift reviewing a DVD!”
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| Serre Chevalier (Courtesy of AGENCE ZOOM) |
Targeting skiers of all levels, the Ski School Apps first launched in 2010,
are available from iTunes, Android Play and Windows app stores. With future plans to
expand into Instagram, skiers can link to the app via Facebook and Twitter.
“Both feature frequent posts - pretty much anything technique and ski-related,”
he says.
As with all new
technological breakthroughs, there are people who jump to the conclusion that
the ski app could adversely affect ski instructor jobs. But Turner finds this
ludicrous and thinks it could actually do the opposite – give newcomers to the
sport a head start and improve every skier’s awareness of how lessons can
actually help them. “Also, if the app
can help increase the amount of people who try this sport for the first time
and have a positive fun experience through understanding, then the chances are
they will participate in the sport for longer and fall in love with it like I
have,” he concludes.
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| Cool carving from Ski School App |
The team closely
monitors feedback, finding enhanced confidence and goal-setting to be the main
comments. The skier analysis feature is particularly successful as it enables
the user to take a video of a skier and, using split screen technology, compare
it directly with Turner’s demonstration. “Or you could also compare yourself to
a previous video of yourself or your friend, the options are endless,” he says.
Users can take notes and store ski videos on the app to keep a history of
progression and share images by email or social media.
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| Darren Turner |
With the expert
level Ski
School App about to be
launched, Turner is convinced that ski apps are the way of the future: “I am
confident that it is a useful tool for all recreational skiers. We have had a
lot of positive feedback from first time skiers all the way up to fellow ski
instructors and coaches.”
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| Exploring the off-piste at Serre Chevalier (Courtesy of Sindy THOMAS/AGENCE ZOOM) |
