EpicSki Academy Newsletter

We asked this question at EpicSki.com and Jstraw had a great observation:

"The farther away I can push my fear threshold, the more fun I have skiing. I want to ski the terrain that attracts me, well back from the terrified edge of my abilities and ski it well.”

Another poster, retiredat40, saw it a bit differently:

"To me, as long as I'm getting better, I'm having fun. It is the continuous growth, learning, and sense of accomplishment that equals fun, not the skiing at a high level. If I ever stop improving and learning, I might become bored."

We also got this beautiful response from HarvardTiger:

"I seek to improve my skiing because there is a directly proportional relationship between quality and ease and efficiency of skiing and the enjoyment of the act of skiing. The lifestyle and aesthetics are wonderful. I just want my skiing to match!"

Whoever said living well is the best revenge had it almost right: Skiing well is the best revenge!

Gonzostrike, another student who will be back in 2005, remarked, “for me [this] is a perfect description of my experience at ESA last year: At EpicSki Academy you'll join a group of dedicated skiers that take learning seriously and have a great time while taking their skiing to the next level."

So, whether you are looking for an opportunity to overcome limitations in your skiing, amp up the fun factor, enjoy the mountains more, or connect with like-minded people in an all-consuming week, you owe it to yourself to join those other dedicated skiers who will be at Big Sky for the ESA.

Like our students, our coaches come from all over. They are all lifelong learners who have achieved the highest levels of professionalism in ski instruction. These pros come to EpicSki Academy from varied backgrounds and schools but they all teach the same fundamental principles of good skiing and foster the same belief that learning is a special kind of fun that never stops, no matter how good you get. They know from personal experience that learning is how to rekindle fun when boredom sets in. The fact that none of them thinks they have reached their peak makes them such excellent skiers and brilliant teachers.

We have designed our program to maximize improvement, so we include expert boot alignment, video movement analysis, stretch sessions with a certified physical trainer, and presentations by Bob Barnes and Eric DesLauriers. Bob is the author of The Complete Encyclopedia of Skiing, a primary instructional reference, and Eric is a model of good skiing in countless ski movies and the co-author of the essential book on all-mountain technique, Ski the Whole Mountain.

Our coaches are Roger Kane (Arcmeister) from Wisconsin, Stan Aunan (roto) from Washington, Stu Campbell from Vermont, Bob Barnes from Colorado, Joan Rostad (nolo) from Montana, Eric Deslauriers (eski) from California, Ric Reiter (Vail SnoPro) and Tom Burch from Colorado, Carolyn Fushimi (foosh) and Randy Jenkins (ydnar) from Utah, and Ursula Howland from Big Sky by way of Germany. Stu Campbell, long-time Instruction Director for SKI Magazine, is our Professor in Residence.

If your feet hurt, skiing is painful! As a result, it is absolutely essential to find and use an excellent boot guru who understands foot physiology, skiing dynamics, and has the experience to make a difference for you.

Meet our Boot Guru: Bud Heishman is a past PSIA examiner, PSIA W demo team member, past Salomon Sales/service rep, and current ski shop owner and boot balancing specialist with 16 years of experience. He’s balanced boots for hundreds of skiers including Olympic medalists, elite racers, National PSIA D team members, and average Joes. Learn more about him from his website at www.snowind.com, and consider these glowing reports from satisfied EpicSki members:

Lostboy: I am one of the "average joes" that Bud Heishman balanced boots for, in fact, three pairs over the years. He does great work.

Physicsman: Bud probably won't remember me, but he ground my boots (Tecnica Icons, 3 deg both L&R) a couple of summers ago. He came highly recommended by someone here on Epic. The entire interaction was by mail. I was very pleased with the professionalism, quality and accuracy of his work. I'll be teaching in those boots once again this season. I'll add my strong recommendation to the one that first put me in contact with him. Thanks, Bud!

Seeing is believing! This year we’re placing a focus on making video analysis available to all groups. We recruited two Academy participants from past seasons to serve as dedicated videographers and have A/V equipped meeting rooms in the conference center for groups to review their video, so that coaches and attendees can use the powerful tool of video analysis more effectively.

Group Selection. In order to facilitate accuracy and efficiency in the group split process, we’re using a short student data survey to put people in approximately compatible groups on Sunday at the Welcome party, which we will fine-tune the next morning on the snow. We expect to have groups of five students with each coach. If you haven’t done so already, please click on the Student Data form to fill out your survey!

A Place All Our Own. Big Sky is unmatched as a learning environment, with many long wide runs, never any midweek crowds, lots of terrain variety for all skill levels, and annual snowfall averaging over 400 inches. We will have all our indoor functions in the conference center adjacent to the hotel where we’ll be staying. Ski check with tuning services is provided just inside the door. A hearty skier’s breakfast comes complimentary with the room. We will have a private room to review our video and conduct skiing analysis. We will have access to the ski shop for boot modifications in conjunction with Bud Heishman.

Dates and Events. The 2005 EpicSki Academy begins Sunday, January 23, 2005, with a Welcome Party and ends Thursday, January 27, with a Farewell Banquet. In-between are four full days of on the snow instruction from Monday through Thursday, with presentations after skiing Monday-Wednesday.

Price. The price per person for this year’s Academy is $825. A $200 will secure your place with the balance due January 7, 2005. This covers tuition, lift tickets, party and banquet, and afternoon presentations.

Sign up for the Academy. You can register online and pay with PayPal or print out the form and mail it in with a check.

Lodging at the Huntley Lodge. We have a fantastic deal on ski-in-and-out lodging at the Huntley Lodge. Our first class room rate is $99/night/room, two queen size beds, double occupancy (plus a 15% local tax), or $49.50 per person, including a sumptuous daily breakfast buffet! Deluxe rooms (two queen size beds) are $109/night/room, double occupancy, plus tax. First class and deluxe denote the view out the window: deluxe rooms look at Lone Peak and first class rooms look at the pool and courtyards. View Huntley rooms.

Children 10 and under ski and stay free with their parents and enjoy complimentary breakfast buffet. Note, however, that ESA attendees must be at least 18 years old.

We’re getting close to the date when we will have to release unbooked rooms in our reservation block, so please let our hosts know you’re coming.

To contact the resort and make your reservation, please call 1-800-548-4486 and identify yourself as part of the EpicSki Academy group. In addition to the lodging arrangements we’ve made at the Huntley Lodge, Big Sky offers a full menu of alternatives. Contact us at academy@epicski.com for additional recommendations in your price range.

Academy prices (both lift tickets and room rates) at Big Sky are good for seven days, so feel free to add days before or after to your stay. Contact academy@epicski.com to order additional days on your ESA lift pass. You also might consider exploring Yellowstone National Park, a wonderland in winter, with cross country and snowcoach tours available. Inquire with the concierge at Big Sky about making arrangements.

Transportation arrangements. Big Sky is about 45 miles south of Bozeman, Montana, which is served by direct flights from Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles. Your best bet for value fares is cruising the discount airfare sites on the Internet for the cheapest January air fares. The Bozeman Airport’s call letters are BZN. You can also call Montana Travel (1-800-247-3528), Big Sky’s local travel agent, and identify yourself as an ESA participant to qualify for their discounted travel deals. The two choices for ground transportation are car rental and shuttle service. The shuttle price is $40 per person, round trip, reservations advised. This link will take you to relevant shuttle and rental car information.

There’s still time, there’s still room, and there’s nothing like now to make your skiing more fun than ever before.