Alison Thacker

I pride myself in being able to tailor my ski tuition to the needs of the individual, using simple yet effective instruction. My philosophy is that skiing is about going from A to B as efficiently as possible and having plenty of fun along the way, whatever the conditions.

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to skiing age 2, on the slopes of my local golf course then at The Lecht in Scotland. Right from the beginning I developed a passion for the sport which has continued to grown since that time. Between the ages of 6 and 18 I was involved in ski racing, winning national titles and representing both the British Children's Team and the Scottish Ski Team at international races. 

Following this I went on to gain a First Class BSc (Hons) in Outdoor Studies, based in Ambleside. It was during this time that my passion for skiing started to extend into ski touring. I have been fortunate to undertake classic ski tours in the Alps, ski on wilderness peaks in Patagonia and Chilean volcanoes, complete a ski ascent of Mont Elbrus and enjoy many fabulous days touring within the Arctic Circle.

I've also enjoyed plenty of days off-piste skiing in Scotland, grasping memorable days when all the stars align. I am a Forecaster with the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, which allows me to contribute to the safety of Scottish skiing.

Occasionally I have combined my competitiveness from ski racing with my love of touring, dabbling in the enticing sport of 'Skimo'. In 2012 I took part in the Patrouilles des Glaciers ski mountaineering race as part of the British Women's Team, participating again in 2014 for Skimo Scotland. 

I have been teaching skiing in the French alps since 2003.  Whilst based in Chamonix I have delivered Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to the British Mountain Guides and work as a trainer on the BASI Mountain Safety Courses training aspiring instructors.

Not only am I passionate about skiing, but also about teaching and seeing skiers progress, something that I believe is an essential ingredient when I am delivering ski lessons.