Three years after taking over from Martin Bell’s summer ski camp, Spenser Pession has now established himself as a great ski camp organiser. The former GB Olympic Giant slalom specialist took kids from around the UK for another exciting week of skiing and fitness at Southampton ski centre. ...
Young skiers aged 8-16 had an action packed week that put them through their paces both technically on the slope and physically off it. Every morning for an hour the trainees would learn many types of short swings as a warm up before a dynamic stretch routine. This allowed the skiers to be ready to tackle the tests and tasks throughout the day.
On the slope there was technical free skiing drills that were analysed by video, as well as various slalom and GS courses too. Off the slope there was a circuit training session that had individual stations to test cardio, agility and strength. The activity was a huge success as there were children of many ages all working together to improve their physical skill sets.
There were one off tests too such as box jumps, balance and sprints. The Southampton facilities allowed the camp to use a proper athletics track for the sprints and other running activities. Rollerblading and swimming sessions all added to the fun of the camp with many of the kids excelling in second sports not just skiing. The importance of multiple sport skills being focused on was a breathe of fresh air and it was good to see the young skiers take that on board well.
There were great results on all the tests and races throughout the camp. Notable mentions go to Southampton skier Logan Vickers for leading most of the fitness tests throughout week. Aldershot racer Harry Stayman for winning both the individual dual slalom and timed slalom. Lastly, Snowtrax skier Niamh Thompson performed at a consistently high level across all the skiing and physical activities, winning many medals at the end of the week.
Overall the camp was a great success and the coaching staff is already looking forward to seeing old and new faces next year.
You can now book your place for next year’s camp, which will start on the 1st-5th of August at Southampton ski centre. Trainees have the option of staying residential for the week too. For more information about booking contact Spenser Pession at: spession@blueyonder.co.uk