YES Ski Improvement in Whistler

I am standing at the top of a double black diamond ski run called "Couloir Extreme" on Blackcomb mountain staring down at the slope which to me looks almost vertical...... My knees are actually shaking. My ski instructor Lincoln gives our group a few tips and then says "Just like this" as he schusses down like only an expert can. "Yeah right- just like that," everyone says.

After edging myself slowly into the Couloir I force myself to face down the mountain and go for it. A couple of turns and a few exhilarating seconds later I am staring back up at the group. My body is completely pumping with adrenaline and I can't wipe the smile off my face. I may not have looked like Lincoln but that fact was I made it... alive.

It was the second week of my YES Ski Improvement course in Whistler, Canada and in that short time my skiing had improved way beyond my expectations. YES was started by Aussie PJ O'Heaney five years ago and is now the most popular ski/snowboard improvement programs for Australians & New Zealanders. But what is unique to YES is the personal attention each customer receives on and off the snow. From the moment you inquire about the course to when you put your bags on the bus at the end of your stay, everything is dealt with competently and efficiently. Which leaves you to concentrate on the reason you're there - to improve your skiing or snowboarding.

YES programs cater for skiers and snowboarders of all levels - even beginners are looked after through the Whistler Ski School. The only prerequisite for all customers is the attitude - the desire to improve. PJ has a pool of 12 expert instructors from the Whistler Ski School who pick out the most important aspect of each skier and to then build on it over the week. "It is up to the individual what they want to achieve," PJ says. "Some intermediate skiers might want to perfect their style on the groomed runs, others might want to learn how to ski steeps and bumps." So at the beginning of each week skiers are divided in to groups of up to eight people according to their abilities as well as their ambitions. Over the next week each group works through skills they need to improve through drills, (including one called the funky chicken) video analysis and lots and lots of miles.

One of the big lures to the course is the lift line priority. Even though Whistler/ Blackcomb has enough lifts to go to the moon, lift queues can get bad enough to really ruin your day - especially when there's 20cm of fresh powder. But when you are with your YES instructor you spend less time standing around and more time improving.

The last ski run of the day ends at Whistler Creekside where the comfy couches and refreshing pitchers of ale at Dusty's Bar are a welcome end to a tiring but satisfying day. (Make sure you sit with your back to the room as PJ, whose wife is a masseuse, often roams around giving shoulder massages.) But the day doesn't end at Dusty's. Every evening there's an optional activity such as a ski-tuning seminar, village orientation (pub crawl), cross country skiing and snowmobiling. One of the benefits of YES programs over others is that courses can be as short as a week or as long as the season.

YES also runs three to six week instructor courses which are not just designed for people who want to make skiing their career. "The instructors course takes you right back to the basics - isolating all the skills and improving on them," PJ says. "In fact only 20 per cent of those customers go on to become instructors."

YES has several forms of accommodation based at Whistler Creekside as well as some in Whistler Village. They vary from bunkrooms in chalets to single hotel rooms according to your budget. PJ also has a network of local ski shops that can provide expert advise and great deals on the latest gear. What started as "PJ's Great Canadian Ski Adventure Company" in 1995 with one group of paying customers has grown to a major outfit with over a 1000 skiers through each season.

YES programs have expanded to be in Whistler & Lake Louise in Canada, Steamboat in Colorado and Treble Cone in New Zealand. And if there is any indication that the course is good, it would be the 40 per cent customer return rate. PJ's only problem now is whether to expand even more to cater for the increased demand. "My 5 year goals were reached after three - so now I am deciding whether to keep it where it is or to expand. I don't want to lose the intimacy and contact with people."

PJ's philosophy about skiing is that it gets the soul fired up. If this is true then by the end of two weeks on a YES course my soul was like fireworks on New Years Eve.