For the past 12 years I have predominantly spent my winters working and training in ski resorts across the world including Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and France.
On my fifth season I had completed the highest internationally recognised qualification for teaching in the snow sports industry. This qualification involves four levels, each with their own curriculum and modules and takes a minimum of 4 years to complete. It also holds an equivalence value to a BA honours degree.
Once I had completed my qualifications, I realised my goals of working in France which, unlike any other country, requires you to hold the highest level of qualification to work there.
Over the five years spent working in France, my time was split between teaching all levels of skiers at all ages. I would also guide off-piste back country courses and was even involved with an Instructor Training programme, effectively becoming a coach to future ski instructors, preparing them for their exams.
In 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic hit and resulted in ski resorts across Europe shutting, I didn’t know what to expect for the future.
This is when I moved to Sweden with my partner, back to her home town of Lund, Skåne.
This is also when I picked up a kite for the first time since I was 13 years old and replaced skiing with a new addiction, kitesurfing.
With previous kiting experience as a child and a good understanding of biomechanics from skiing, it didn’t take me long to progress and once I was comfortable, I participated in an IKO instructor course, gaining qualifications more specific to the kitesurfing industry.
For the last two years I have been working as a kitesurfing instructor here in Sweden which has led me to this chapter of my life.
Due to requests from previous clients who wanted further lessons with me directly, I decided to set up my own independent kitesurfing school giving me the freedom to manage my own time and run lessons my way with the hope of providing the best possible learning pathway for anyone who wants to learn to kitesurf.
With 12 years of teaching experience I have encountered numerous scenarios and met hundreds of people wanting to learn a new skill.
Even though the end goal of learning to kitesurf might be the same for all clients, everyone learns in different ways and at different speeds. This means I need to be able to adapt my teaching to suit the needs of the learner.
Within the first few minutes of meeting a client at the beginning of a lesson, I am able to get a good idea of how I need to run the lesson. Whether you are nervous about the task ahead and you want to take your time, making sure every step along the way is perfected, or you are full of confidence and want to progress as quickly as possible, I can adapt to you and adjust lessons to suit your needs.
With this in mind I have tried to make private lessons as affordable as possible. I believe that one on one sessions are the best way to progress.
Being able to give the learner my full attention and adapt the lesson to your needs is a must if we are to reach the end goal of kitesurfing safely and with confidence.
That being said I do also offer beginner group lessons. These lessons will never be more than two people on one kite. Through previous years I have seen how a group of four people on two kites with one instructor can be detrimental to the learners progress and my aim is for every one of my clients to get the most out of their sessions.
With two people and one kite, I can still give you my full attention and again, adapt the lessons easily to each person. The benefits of a group lesson is you can learn with a family member or friend.
You will also be sharing a kite so it gives you a chance to have a rest when the other group member is on the kite. This also gives you the opportunity to watch others and can help you understand more from seeing what may or may not be going well for the other learner in your group.
It is recommended that both parties in a group are of similar size and weight so the kite equipment used will be suitable for both students, again this will help speed up the learning phase.
There is nothing worse than trying to learn a new skill with equipment that isn’t suitable. This will only prolong the process and can knock your confidence very quickly. Again, my aim is to provide the best pathway possible to achieving your goals.