Ski instructors and convention

If I EVER so much as took my eyes off the 9 or 10 children in the children's groups i've taught in Niederau, (red ski school), Sepp Schellhorn would rightly send me packing, and I would never work there again.
As a teacher in the UK, perhaps I have a keener sense of child protection than others, but everyone one in Niederau looks after the children. Even the instructors from the 'other' ski school would scoop up a child and take him /her back to hotel/ski school/ another instructor if they found one, 'lost'.
dustyfrog is right: to lose anyone in a group is gross negligence. L.

Endorsing Idavies view of the Niederau red ski school, childrens classes demand the utmost.

Have also to endorse Idavies instructor credentials, since she taught both of my sons to ski.

Now, do I tip you L? Or do you reimburse me cos the beggars are catching me up? :P

Dave Mac wrote:Endorsing Idavies view of the Niederau red ski school, childrens classes demand the utmost.

Have also to endorse Idavies instructor credentials, since she taught both of my sons to ski.

Now, do I tip you L? Or do you reimburse me cos the beggars are catching me up? :P

I do not really want to start up the whole "N" debate up again, but the last couple of reviews given have been completely biased, we have heard in other threads that at busy times eg half term there has been
problems with kids in the "N" ski school being left unsupervised at the top of lifts, now granted this can happen in any village or country in the world so my concern is who do I believe you guys who visit year after year or the individual visitor reviews. I love the LGb but I give an honest open review including this year a poor instructor for Little W , all the previous 5 years the Instructors have been brilliant but this one was poor. I know you guys are really passionate about your resort but I as J2ski member would appreciate a more open honest representation of a ski resort so I can make a valued decision as to whether the resort would suite my family, the PR stuff I think can be left to the local tourist board.

Dave Mac wrote:

Have also to endorse Idavies instructor credentials, since she taught both of my sons to ski.

Now, do I tip you L? Or do you reimburse me cos the beggars are catching me up? :P

What ski instructor qualification does Idavies hold?

bandit wrote:

Dave Mac wrote:

Have also to endorse Idavies instructor credentials, since she taught both of my sons to ski.

Now, do I tip you L? Or do you reimburse me cos the beggars are catching me up? :P

What ski instructor qualification does Idavies hold?

My apologies, that was a bad choice of phrase, I ought to have used the word effectiveness. I have no wish to cause embarressment. The effectiveness is without question, since I know that L was working with the Wildschonau ski school 18 years ago, and still is. Schellhorn is an outstanding head instructor, he spends most of his day, patrolling classes and observing what is going on. I know that when action is required, it takes place, and people do not get to stay with the school, unless they are effective. The ski school is highly rated in Tirol.

Ian Wickham wrote:

I do not really want to start up the whole "N" debate up again, but the last couple of reviews given have been completely biased, we have heard in other threads that at busy times eg half term there has been
problems with kids in the "N" ski school being left unsupervised at the top of lifts, now granted this can happen in any village or country in the world so my concern is who do I believe you guys who visit year after year or the individual visitor reviews. I love the LGb but I give an honest open review including this year a poor instructor for Little W , all the previous 5 years the Instructors have been brilliant but this one was poor. I know you guys are really passionate about your resort but I as J2ski member would appreciate a more open honest representation of a ski resort so I can make a valued decision as to whether the resort would suite my family, the PR stuff I think can be left to the local tourist board.

Ian, Everything I write is honestly written, please note.

I have written about the shortfalls of Niederau, including the fact that it is a small resort, and my belief, (recently modified), that it was unsuitable for snowboarders, that the reds are a bit difficult, little nightlife.

A high percentage of what I write, (about N.) is in response to peoples queries. I cannot help being well placed to give information.

Of course I'm not unbiased, I have been going to the place for 40 years. I drop the odd pearl about other resorts too, just don't have the in-depth to make much of a contribution.

We are what we are.

As some on this forum warned, it happened, Skischule Oberlech lost sight of my son, was not thrilled with the type of instruction generally, first he was too good for one group, which they should have figured out, and then he was in the middle of the pack and that was good after we notified the Director of on-snow operations. But funny thing is after the race (he came 10th out of a pack of about 30 v good austrian and german kids, and he finished, it was sad to see so many wipeouts of the kids on the slalom course on a rather steep red run, black in NA for sure). That was all great but after lunch, he wandered off to the Hotel at Oberlech, smart boy, because we came looking for him and instructor had no idea. Had a word with the Director later, polite but matter-of-fact that where we come from, you lose our kid, we come looking for you armed...no if s and buts, do not lose our kid. They got the message. Regardless, thanks for the candor folks, that helped. Cannot imagine that happening at a major place in NA.

Good counsel here. By the way, skiing under the tutelage of Klaus Mair of Sofaskischool fame was a tremendous experience and he took my son's skiing when my son got off ski school to the next level. Awesome trip..a few pics of my son and Klaus:


contemplating the Black at Zurs...


shredding that Black


Top of trittalp t-bar with Klaus M, above Lech, part of long run into Zurs

Hi Dustyfog,
I'm afraid I couldn't see your pictures.

I'm sorry you lost sight of your son for a while, but I'm glad I was proved correct about how sometimes instructors 'lose' people.

I didn't like to tell you before you went, but an instructor in Switzerland 'lost' my friend's 10 year old after a slalom race, because he thought my friend had her son, only she didn't, he had gone in the lesson with the instructor. The boy fell over, got left behind, and became stuck, on his own off piste as it was getting dark, and the instructor had no idea until the end of the lesson when my friend went to get her son, and he didn't have him. Very luckily, another group was ski-ing off piste and they found him, trapped in a 'bowl', before it got dark, and brought him back. If they hadn't found him I don't know how the emergency services would have found him, because they had no idea where he was, and this story could have had a really tragic ending.

Ally