Ski & snowboard Outdoor education
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Continuous skills assessment: Assessment criteria

Whilst Viamonde programmes are designed to be fun and exciting, we appreciate the importance that they are also challenging and set goals to improve ski and snowboard skills at all levels of ability.

 

It is for this reason that all our ski and snowboard programmes offer continuous skills assessment to complement the teaching methods our experienced counsellors follow. Throughout the week, the counsellors will be constantly assessing every child against a standard set of criteria and will present a certificate indicating the personal level achieved at the final awards ceremony.

 

The criteria are designed to be challenging, but without encouraging competition within the group. The focus is on building an atmosphere of trust and co-operation and every child will receive a certificate, signed by his/her counsellor.

Beginner (level 1) - blue test Beginner (level 2) - bronze test Intermediate (level 1) - red test Intermediate (level 2) - silver test Advanced (level 1) - black test Advanced (level 2) - gold test
Beginner (level 1) - blue test Beginner (level 2) - bronze test Intermediate (level 1) - red test Intermediate (level 2) - silver test Advanced (level 1) - black test Advanced (level 2) - gold test

Beginner (level 1) - blue test

Ski

  • Understand skis – tip, tail, base, bindings, edges and safe storage
  • Put on, take off and carry own equipment
  • Scooter (one ski), both sides
  • Stand, walk, glide and climb on skis
  • Step around on the flat to change direction
  • Sidestep and herringbone on a gentle slope
  • Ski in a straight run with different tasks
  • Hop, step and slide into a snowplow
  • Stop in a snowplow
  • Perform a gliding snowplow
  • Get up after a fall, unaided

Snowboard

  • Understand snowboard – tip, tail, base, bindings, heel and toe-side edges and safe storage
  • Put on, take off and carry own equipment
  • Skate and glide on the flat (front foot in)
  • Perform heel- and toe-side edging (uphill climb)
  • Straight-run downhill with back foot out, in control and with correct stance (gentle slope)
  • Traverse heel- and toe-side edge with back foot out
  • Make direction changes on toe- and heel-side (hypnosis turn)
  • Get up after a fall, unaided

Beginner (level 2) - bronze test

Ski

  • Stop in a snowplow, on command
  • Vary the size of a gliding snowplow
  • Turn both directions in a single turn
  • Skate and ski in control on flat areas
  • Understand the use of flexion and extension in a turn
  • Work on a smaller snowplow
  • Start to parallel at the end of a turn
  • Load, ride and unload the beginner lift

Snowboard

  • Begin movements with both feet attached to board and understand skills required for sideslip (crab-walk, gas pedal analogy)
  • Perform heel- and toe-side sideslip confidently on a gentle slope
  • Traverse on heel- and toe-side edge
  • Demonstrate a falling leaf or pendulum
  • Perform a garland turn on toe- and heel-side
  • Perform an isolated beginner turn on toe- and heel-side
  • Perform frog hops
  • Attempt flat-land static ollies
  • Load, ride and unload the beginner lift

Intermediate (level 1) - red test

Ski

  • Parallel at the end of a turn
  • Skate downhill on a gentle slope
  • Sideslip in both directions
  • Perform a wedge christie turn
  • Begin to match inside ski at the middle of a turn
  • Turn to a parallel stop (hockey stop)
  • Begin to ski easy slopes, with speed control
  • Introduce short radius and long radius turns
  • Begin pole use
  • Load, ride and unload t-bars and chairlifts

Snowboard

  • Link two or more heel- and toe-side turns
  • Understand and perform rotation required in turns
  • Control speed on a gentle slope
  • Demonstrate a quick-reaction stop
  • Manoeuvre on flat areas without un-strapping bindings
  • Sideslip down a steep slope
  • Begin to understand and attempt to perform torsional rotation/foot pedaling movements required in turns
  • Perform flat-land ollies and 180’s
  • Attempt ollies whilst straight-running on a gentle slope
  • Load, ride and unload t-bars and chairlifts

Intermediate (level 2) - silver test

Ski

  • Match skis at the beginning of a turn
  • Use turn shape to maintain speed on easy slopes
  • Hockey stop in both directions
  • Alternate between traverse and sideslip
  • Release both edges at the beginning of a turn
  • Vary the turn shape to match terrain and snow conditions
  • Maintain balance throughout a turn in varying snow conditions
  • Ski in a basic parallel on easy and intermediate slopes
  • Ski different snow conditions on easy and intermediate slopes
  • Read a piste map and choose slopes within ability

Snowboard

  • Link multiple turns on intermediate slopes
  • Consistently demonstrate correct rotation of body on heel and toe-side turns
  • Understand and perform torsional rotation/foot pedalling
  • Perform quarter pipe turns
  • Link three short-radius turns on a gentle incline
  • Control speed on a steep slope
  • Attempt to ride moguls
  • Understand the phases of a turn and apply correct compression and extension throughout
  • Ride switch in a straight line
  • Demonstrate a controlled 360° on the ground
  • Perform ollies on a gentle slope and attempt on a traverse
  • Read a piste map and choose slopes within ability

Advanced (level 1) - black test

Ski

  • Coordinate pole touch with edge release and engagement
  • Link parallel turns on intermediate and black slopes with pole plants
  • Turn on inside ski to fall line and then change to outside ski
  • Improve edging to carve more
  • Skate downhill on easy slopes
  • Perform turns with one ski
  • Choose appropriate turn shape and speed for terrain and snow conditions
  • Ski easy and intermediate bumps in the fall line
  • Ski in boot-top powder and/or crud on easy slopes

Snowboard

  • Link short-radius turns on a steeper slope with correct compression and extension
  • Understand inclination, angulation and pressure control and perform an isolated uphill carve
  • Perform a series of quick-edge changes and begin to understand the mechanics of dynamic turns
  • Absorb a series of bumps in the fall line and begin to understand down-unweighting in turns
  • Choose appropriate turn shape and speed for terrain and snow conditions
  • Link turns, riding switch
  • Perform a toe-side nose roll
  • Understand snow-park regulations and etiquette
  • Attempt straight-air jumps off beginner kickers and 50-50 beginner boxes

Advanced (level 2) - gold test

Ski

  • Perform dynamic short-radius parallel turns
  • Ski intermediate and advanced bumps in the fall line
  • Carve medium and long radius turns in the fall line
  • Perform flexion/extension turns
  • Perform sideslip pivots (braquage)
  • Ski boot-top powder and/or crud on any slope
  • Explore different ways of skiing variable conditions
  • Ski a zipper line in black bumps, with speed control
  • Perform medium-radius dynamic parallel turns
  • Ski in all snow conditions

Snowboard

  • Link carving turns on a steep slope demonstrating effective inclination, angulation and pressure control
  • Understand and perform dynamic turns
  • Hold an edge on an icy slope
  • Be able to transfer in and out of switch comfortably on intermediate slopes
  • Choose own line and exhibit rhythm and flow in riding on advanced slopes
  • Perform a controlled manual
  • Perform a jump with various grabs or rotations
  • Ride confidently on boardslide boxes
  • Identify safe jumps
  • Ride in all snow conditions