BASI Cross Country Ski School

Written by Lindsay Cannon 28 January 2020
Last modified on 22 November 2023
Smiles all round as BASI's Dave Renouf congratulates Tracks and Trails! Smiles all round as BASI's Dave Renouf congratulates Tracks and Trails!

Tracks and Trails is proud to be the first ever BASI Approved Nordic Ski School. We have been awarded the status of 'Approved' ski school by the British Association of Snowsport Instructors. As such we are the only company offering cross country ski instruction to be awarded this recognition. The award is given only to those who demonstrate high standards of professionalism and quality instruction and we are delighted to have earned this accolade. 

BASI Nordic Director, John Mordue said, "This confirms that Tracks and Trails are operating to the highest professional standards."

 

Tracks and Trails is first BASI 'Nordic Ski School'

We are delighted and proud to be the only company to be awarded this status, and we know we couldn't have done it without you! Ever since we began offering cross country ski trips we have strived to provide top quality instruction. We would like to thank all of you who have joined us on a ski trip, and who continue to come back year after year.

In announcing the award Dave Renouf, BASI International & Educational Development Manager said "Tracks and Trails are fantastic ambassadors for the Nordic discipline". 

 Nine new cross country skiers and one BASI Assessor learning to Nordic!

 

What it means to have 'Approved' status 

For Tracks and Trails our new BASI Nordic Ski School status means our clients can have total confidence they are booking a cross country ski holiday with a company which has been vetted and approved as offering high quality instruction. In terms of our day-to-day business things will continue as normal, but we hope that you will now feel even more confident in booking a trip with the ONLY organisation to be recognised as an official BASI Nordic Ski School.

As such we are also the only holiday provider with this kite mark. We are already planning how we can provide even more courses and holidays to help you enjoy and enhance your cross country ski career. 

 

Raising the profile of cross country skiing

Already we have had wonderful messages of congratulation flooding in, and genuine excitement from our clients who have been with us from the beginning. Nordic or 'cross country' skiing has perhaps previously suffered from being a ski discipline which receives less media attention than Alpine or 'downhill' as it's known. But we are convinced we are seeing more and more young people on the cross country tracks, and each year our following grows as we introduce more and more alpine skiers, and non-skiers to the joys of this sport.
 
This morning we heard from John Mordue, BASI Nordic Director who is totally behind our bid to raise the profile of cross country skiing. He said "I am delighted to hear that Tracks and Trails have very recently been assessed to be meeting all the standards required to become a British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI) approved nordic ski school. Tracks and Trails is the first and still the only BASI approved nordic ski school. 
 
This confirms that Tracks and Trails are operating to the highest professional standards. In turn this must give you confidence in Tracks and Trails's ability to provide you with an excellent standard of ski instruction with all due attention to safety and enjoyment. Your skiing skills will develop at a much faster rate with the expert instruction they provide. I hope you make the most of your nordic skiing- it's one if life's great pleasures!' Thank you, John. 
 
 

Just introduced to cross country skiing and loving every minute

 

Cross Country Ski Enthusiasts

Tracks and Trails was set up by Julia Tregaskis-Allen and Lindsay Cannon in 2006 and in their second winter season they began offering cross country ski holidays. The two women very quickly became nordic ski addicts and were happy to share their enthusiasm for this fantastic sport with anyone who cared to spend time on the snow with them.

Over the years cross country ski trips were regularly added to our company portfolio and we were recently described by one colleague working in Norway as 'leaders in the field of cross country skiing'. We now offer a large range of ski trips from centre-based 'Beginners' trips, such as our best selling Italian Ski Breaks, through to major adventures for 'Expert' skiers, such as The Hallingdal Track, in Norway. 

The greatest pleasure, however, is seeing people who were 'Beginners' just a few years ago, now joining us for major long distance ski journeys at 'Expert' level. We are extremely happy to have assisted you and travelled with you on your cross country ski career. Huge grins on faces at the end of a ski day is all we ask. 

Jim Wilkinson from the UK has now completed a staggering 17 trips with Tracks and Trails having been with us since he first put skis on his feet. He is delighted for us, "First of all super congratulations on your BASI Approval. What an accolade and achievement. You TOTALLY deserve it with all your hard work behind the scenes to research amazing trips and then the hour by hour planning and adaption during each trip to deliver wonderful holidays." 

Dave Renouf who assessed our instructional performance by spending a day in our Beginners class in Cogne, Italy added, "It was my first experience on cross country skis, and I will be doing it again for definite." Nice to know we have converted or at least enticed Dave to the sport given his background as a top level Alpine skier. Dave is also Vice President of Interski the umbrella organisation for all ski instructors world-wide. We certainly had a top 'assessor' checking out our instruction. 

 

BASI Quality Assurance

The British Association of Snowsport Instructors is the approved body for the training and licensing of professional snowsport instructors in the United Kingdom. As such it has a responsibility to ensure that instructor qualifications, standards of competence and safety are applied. To this end BASI developed the Approved Ski School Quality Assurance scheme so that you can easily identify those schools which meet the highest standards in the profession. 

'Approved' status is awarded only to ski schools, or holiday operators, which provide top quality instruction and learning. To earn this award Tracks and Trails submitted a 99 page dossier outlining our procedures and protocols, we then underwent a rigorous 10 hour assessment when we were joined on the snow by a member of the BASI assurance team. We are happy to say we passed,  and it was actually a pleasure to undergo the assessment and realise our standards were already at a high level.

 Our guests are now enjoying telling their friends they skied with Team GB!

 

The role of BASI

Set up in 1963, the British Association of Snowsport Instructors is a UK based membership association responsible for the training and licensing of snowsport instructors and coaches. Based in Grantown-on-Spey in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, BASI provides instructor training courses in five disciplines; Ski, Snowboard, Adaptive, Telemark, Nordic. Over 300 courses are run annually in both the UK and overseas. BASI instructors are one of the UK snowsports industry’s biggest success stories.

BASI has over 6300 members living and working in 38 countries worldwide. Its qualification pathway is recognised internationally and BASI is a member of the International Ski Instructors Association (ISIA). Both Julia Tregaskis-Allen and Lindsay Cannon, Directors of Tracks and Trails hold the ISIA award, the highest possible award for a BASI Nordic Teacher.

 

For more information about cross country skiing holidays with Tracks and Trails, speak to one of our expert team by calling +44 (0) 20 8144 64442 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. In addition to cross country skiing we offer snowshoe trips in the winter, and trail running, hiking and family summer trips.  

Blog Topic