Coaching Edge 33 2013 | Page 21

|WINTER SPORT| COACHING EDGE

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well as six or seven modules of Level 3, and in
between they do a week of slalom race
coaching – so they bring me in and I coach
people of all different levels. I basically do an
introduction to slalom. It’s pretty intense and I
work with 80 people in four days.

‘Obviously it’s different with carving and
technology, but the basics are the same. Back
in the day when I trained, the coaches would
drill you into the ground without giving you time
to recover, and you would be knackered! But
now the science and different ways of training
recognise recovery as very important.

‘We’ve got a good
little group coming
up, but we need to
get them competing
hard, and that is
what we are doing
with the limited
resources we have.’
‘You can’t just train yourself into the ground and
be expected to compete at a high level.
Obviously, people are progressing quicker
because of the technological developments,
but that was probably the case when they
moved from leather boots and wooden skis.
‘It’s great for the sport that there are now so
many disciplines and models of skis.’
The advances in equipment is something Baxter
has embraced – not only as a skier, but also as
a mentor, coach and businessman. The scourge
of many a skier, amateur or professional, is illfitting boots. Having skied for 35 years, Baxter
has had his fair share of sore feet, so realises
how much difference a pair of well-fitted boots
can make. This prompted him to open his own
ski and snowsports workshop
(www.welove2ski.com) in Stirling, where as

© Action Images Limited/Reuters

Baxter admits that winter sports coaching has
changed a lot since his days as a rookie in the
Cairngorms. But some things will always be the
same. ‘The basic technique is very similar to
when I skied,’ he suggests.

well as providing boot-fitting services, he stocks
a range of clothing and equipment.
But looking at the bigger picture, Baxter takes a
keen interest in the overall development of
snowsport in Britain and feels an age-old issue
is still getting in the way of further development.
‘Funding has always been an issue and
continues to be,’ he admits. ‘You don’t have it
from the grass roots up to the elite athletes.
We’ve always had one or two athletes who
are there or thereabouts, and we had a good
time a bit back when there were five or six
knocking on the door and qualifying for World
Cups and things, but that died out.
‘Yes we’ve got Chemmy Alcott and Dave
Ryding, and a good little group coming up, but
we need to get them competing hard, and that
is what we are doing with the limited resources
we have.’
Then there is the shortage of mountains and
‘white stuff’ to get around. But, according to
Baxter, that can be overcome with the
right approach.
‘I grew up in Aviemore and that was all I had
until I was old enough to start travelling
abroad,’ he admits. ‘Nowadays it’s not too
bad, but back then, when the weather was
rough it would disrupt things. As a starter, when
they have the weather there it’s great, and
don’t forget they do have off-seasons in
Europe too.
‘The snowdomes and stuff we have now mean
the skiers are getting more and more time on

‘When it comes
to over-thecounter medicine,
just check with
everyone. Don’t
run the risk.’

snow and they can take that out onto the
mountains. There are good skiers coming from
Holland and other lowland nations too, but it
all comes down to money and having the cash
to send your kids around Europe and the
world.’ Finally, from a British point of view, this
year has seen a coach-based breakthrough,
one that Baxter believes bodes very well for
the future.
‘In February, we had a British coach achieve a
World Cup win with one of his skiers for the first
time. Mark Tilston now coaches Spain’s
Carolina Ruiz Castillo, and she won the
Meribel World Cup downhill. That’s huge...
and will hopefully be the start of things to
come.’ C E

THE COACH’S EDGE

‘The Crystal Ski Fest is another thing I’m
involved in. We do race days and slalom
training which helps your average skier. If you
can push them hard enough to get the most out
of skiing competitively, it makes them much
better freestyle skiers too.’

Alain Baxter’s top three tips
for skiers
1.

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