Ski Center is operated by Giles Birch and Jonathan Buzzard. They are fully qualified to the highest level of "Diplomado", through the Spanish Ski Federation & well reputed within the resort itself.

Ski Center is one of the few native English ski schools in the resort & their aim is to offer a more personalised service to their clients

Most Instructors are trained and qualified to the requirements of the Spanish ski federation, the Real Federación Española de Deportes de Invierno, (RFEDI). In spite of the quantity of schools, the number of good English speaking instructors is very thin on the ground compared to the number of UK and Irish visitors. Native English instructors are even more scarce. For this reason, my colleague, friend and fellow ski instructor, Jonathan, & I have set up "Ski Center".

Ski Center was set up by, Giles Birch, (right of image), and Jonathan Buzzard, (left of image), for the Winter of 2002-3. They are both fully qualified to the highest level of "Diplomado", through the Spanish Ski Federation and well reputed within the resort itself.

Their aim is not to set up just another ski school but also to offer a more personalised service to their clients...

Tuition With Ski Center

Ski Center is officially registered with the local tourist authority, the "Junta de Andalucia", and has been granted status within their "Turismo Activo" segment as an active tourist entity. All our instructors are aptly contracted, comply with the necessary training and experience for ski instruction, and are covered by a Public Liability Insurance as an obligatory requirement set out by "Turismo Activo".

We not only offer professional tuition but are available to assist our clients getting to grips with the resort, where everything is, where the popular sites are, the Spanish tapas bars etc.,etc.. We are around for a time both during the mornings, in our shop Rio Sport, before our first classes, and in the afternoons after skiing to assist with ski and boot hire if required. Sierra Nevada is still a very Spanish resort which is a hugely contributing factor to it's special relaxing aire. It does however mean that English speaking is relatively limited. Both Jonathan & I speak the language fluently and wish to use this to everyone's benefit to aid towards a stress-free time.

We offer and guarantee that any UK client taking a lesson through Ski Centre, will have either a native English speaking instructor or at the very least someone who, not only speaks English fluently, but is also used to using English on a social basis. It is possible to find "English speaking" instructors through the other schools but very often the problem arises whereby their knowledge is very much limited to just the technical vocabulary needed. General conversation is essential for building up relations and particularly when the client requires more in depth explanations. This is where we always come out on top!! We provide instruction primarily on a one-to-one basis and also organise group courses, (subject to demand).

Private Tuition:

Private tuition is the ultimate way to guarantee swift progress with the absolute minimum of waiting around. Whilst prices are higher than group tuition, progress can be as much as 5 times that in a group scenario

These will cater for a maximum of 4 people in any one group. It is important to note that the standard of skiing must be roughly equal between each member. Failing this, the more advanced skiers will not benefit so much from the class. It is recommended that only 1 or 2 people take part in order to gain maximum benefit particularly for classes of just 1 hour in length. We recommend that children and adults are also taught separately due to differences in teaching technique according to learning abilities. The length of class depends on you, the skier, but generally you would not go for more than 2 hours in any given day, unless there were 3 or 4 in the group.

Group Classes:

These take place on a weekly basis and are entirely subject to demand. With the correct number of people, (minimum 5 people required), we are able to tailor make your group course according to your needs. Generally this will involve between 2-3 hours tuition per day over the course of 3, 4 or 5 days, Monday to Friday.

As the week progresses, it is normal to find that people progress at different rates. Where possible we will endeavour to move any clients, who are either struggling or not able to progress further, to the most appropriate groups bearing in mind our limitations with maximum group sizes. In certain cases, (when there are no other groups), it may be necessary to split the group and hence the session.

In the cases of specific groups coming for a series of days, we are also able to tailor make the classes for you according to your needs and confirm any prices once your specifications are received. In this way we can offer reduced group courses lasting 3 or 4 days instead of the standard 5 days.

Ski Groups

Availability