Morzine's Mint Snowboard School: A mint experience?

Tammy Esten who owns Mint Snowboard School in Morzine was interviewed by powderroom.net at the start of the season. Click here to read the article.

 

As someone who has a flat in the area and who was going to spend a few days out there this seemed like a good opportunity to check out the school and instruction offered.

 

I have been going to Morzine since 2003 and I have had a number of lessons from various instructors and schools in the area. These usually varied in quality from the “feel ze mountain” type instruction to instructors more interested in their mobile phones, having a fag and showing off to any good looking woman who passed within 100 yards! I therefore felt there had to be some better instruction around.

 

I contacted Tammy through her website (www.mintsnowboarding.com) and arranged a two hour private lesson. On meeting Tammy she asked about my ambitions and what I wanted to achieve in my lesson. She then watched me board and made an assessment of areas to improve.

 

My biggest fault (and I know there are many!) was hesitation and reduction in speed in turning from my heel edge to my toe edge and this is what we worked on. I also find narrow runs on cat tracks and through trees hard. Tammy helped with both aspects and I actually had a ‘lightbulb’ moment when I really understood how to turn smoothly from heel to toe. Tammy used metaphors which I could relate to and this made so much difference that the turn was easy and felt completely smooth and natural. It is something I have been struggling with for ages and Tammy cracked it for me in two hours!

  

Good instructors in any sport must be passionate about their chosen field, have great ability and most importantly be able to adapt their teaching to each individual pupil. Tammy was impressive on all counts. She was not an intimidating instructor and she gave me loads of confidence and injected enthusiasm and fun into the lesson (and me). 

 

My best instruction, so far, had been from Sno!zone at Castleford which is not enough when wanting to put theory into practice in a mountain environment, and McNab Snowsports who run week long courses (not everyone has the time to commit to a week away).

 

Mint Snowboarding offers group and private lessons as well as week long camps for guys and girls. The flexibility is great as you can fit instruction into your holiday in whatever way suits you. Tammy and her company were fantastic, and I wish they had been around when I’d started boarding.

 

If in Morzine you miss instruction with Mint you will miss out! I cannot thank Tammy enough for helping me sort out an entrenched problem and I intend to go back next season and spend much longer with this inspirational teacher.