V. The organization of skiing and snow camps

The organization and management of Alpine ski camps

The basic ideas of organizing camps are elaborated in the general chapter on camp organization. The organization and management of skiing and snow camps is a difficult task and it requires a lot of attention, expertise and familiarity with the place on the part of the organizers. Skiing is one of the most dynamically developing type of sport today. Skiing equipment and techniques have also changed.  As a result, it should be remembered, that skiing is becoming more and more dangerous, too. Its primary danger is its speed and high speeds do not always go hand in hand with good technical skills.

The wide variety of winter sports offer good developmental opportunities for the people who are engaged in them. Examples include the beneficial impact of winter sports on motor skills, aesthetic skills, psychological effects and they also offer increased knowledge about nature.

It is not necessary to prove the necessity and beauty of winter sports, since everybody, who has already been to a mountain resort on a skiing holiday, knows that skiing is healthy and fun, and the sight of the mountains and the ski slopes are unforgettable.

Winter sports have a beneficial effect on human health. It is especially important, because these sports are done in winter, in a period, when most people are inactive. This inactivity can be explained by the fact that due to the cold, rainy weather people are not engaged in outdoor physical activities. On the other hand, outdoor activities become popular again when the form of precipitation is snow. Otherwise, neither older, nor younger family members or groups of people spend their free time outdoors.

When discussing skiing sports, it is important to note, that the destination should have the adequate snow and temperature conditions, which enable us to enjoy skiing. A very important factor in this respect is the altitude. Weather may be a factor, too, and, this is why it is necessary to plan alternative programs, or, consider other nearby ski slopes where our programs can be realized, if something goes wrong.

Further, I am going to detail the most important steps of organizing skiing and snow camps. It needs to be emphasized at the beginning of this chapter, too, that the active presence of a person, who is certified to teach skiing is an absolute must.  This is why the methodology and the curriculum of teaching skiing is not discussed in this chapter; the elaboration of thematical and methodological topics is the task of the ski instructor.  On the other hand, as camp organizers, we always have to consider the risks inherent in this sport, as well as those factors, which are location- and nature-dependent. (height and steepness of slopes, weather conditions,  snowfall, fog etc.)