Ski wars end for British instructors

It has been an uphill struggle to reach this milestone

By the BBC's James Cove

Skiing history will be made in Scotland on Monday when British instructors are allowed to take their final race qualification on home slopes for the first time.

It has been a long, hard struggle for the British Association of Snowsports Instructors (BASI) to reach this milestone because the Alpine nations, led by the French, have refused to recognise the British qualification.

Instructors who managed to teach faced great hostility, some were even arrested and thrown into jail.

The ASI went to the European Court over the issue and the race in Scotland's Nevis range on Monday represents the culmination of its work.

BASI chief executive Frank McInnes said: "We have been working for this day for a decade.

"It is fantastic that we can now train our own instructors."

Lucrative career

Forty-nine people are taking part in the race and a French observer is attending the event to ensure all the international requirements are met.

For the successful competitor, a lucrative career awaits them with top instructors earning about £25,000 per season in French resorts like Meribel, Courcheval and Val D'Isere.

For years British skiers have found it hard to be taught by someone who speaks English as a first language and this has caused problems for the 800,000 British skiers that head to the mountains each season.

Those British instructors that did teach in France had to pass the French qualification before they were legally allowed onto the slopes.

"It's an important day for all British skiers and everyone should be pleased that an agreement has now been reached," said Vanessa Haines from the Ski Club of Great Britain, an independent skiing organisation that represents 27,000 British skiers.

Compromises

However, there have been compromises and not everyone in BASI is happy with the deal, feeling it benefits the top instructors at the expense of the others as some think having a race is irrelevant in the first place.

"A driving instructor does not need to race round Silverstone and drive like Michael Schumacher so why does a ski instructor need to be able to ski like a racer?" said Julian Griffiths a BASI instructor who has taught in Courcheval for the French Ski School Ski Cocktail.

Many British holidaymakers may well agree with him.

Not everyone is happy with deal

Nevertheless Monday's race is good for British skiers and future discussions about whether instructors need to be able to ski at race speeds can at least take place in a different atmosphere.

The icing on the cake for BASI is that the race is taking place in superb conditions as the snow in Scotland is very good, while many Alpine resorts are having their worst snow in March for many years.

Unseasonable warm weather has melted most of the snow in The Alps but in Scotland it is the best for many years.