Ski Club of Ireland
Encyclopedia
The Ski Club of Ireland owns and runs the only artificial ski slope in the Republic of Ireland
. It is located in Kilternan
, County Dublin
.
Club of Ireland
was founded in 1963 and a few years later ran its first slope in Knockrabo in Goatstown
, south County Dublin.
In the mid 1970's the Club moved from Goatstown
to its present location in Kilternan
.
s: a main slope
(180 meters long), an intermediate slope (130 meters long) and two nursery slopes. The slopes' surfaces are covered in Dendix, a by-product of brush manufacturing
which is similar to a short haired brush with the bristles sticking upwards. Dendix is manufactured in Chepstow
in the United Kingdom
, however it can be found on slopes throughout the world. A water misting system lubricates the main and intermediate slopes, which helps increase speed and reduce friction.
The ski club has a clubhouse located beside the slopes which houses an office and equipment dispensing area.Rental equipment is included in the price of class tickets or practice passes. Boots are Salomon and skis tend to be Rossignol or Head.
There is also a Kitchen with basic Tea & Coffee facilities and a microwave.
The club is currently working on a large redevelopment plan which will see the instillation of two new snowflex slopes for beginner lessons.
Class groups consist of four, 1.15 hour classes and 30 minutes free skiing afterwards.
The classes are broken down as follows
A1-A4: Introduction to skiing through to basic Plough Turns and learning to use a drag lift.
B1-B4: Refining plough turns and progressing to swing turns.
C1-C4: Progression through swing turns and includes traversing, side slipping, effective use of ski poles, and introduces elements of the parallel turn.
D1-D4: Working towards linked parallel turns from the top of the main slope.
E1-E4: Teaches variations on the parallel turn, practicing techniques for confident and efficient mastery of the piste. This includes carved turns and short swings.
Clinics: The Ski School runs a number of clinics on Wednesday and Friday nights for more advanced skiers. These clinics focus on high end skiing and adult race training including Slalom and GS race courses through gates.
One Day Courses: A number of one day courses are run on Saturdays through the ski season. Normally compacting 5 lessons into one day for example new skiers would be taken form class A1-B1 in one day.
Snowboarding: There is a snowboarding school run on Tuesday and Thursday nights with a Sunday evening Jam for Boarders only.
The Race Training Squad currently trains on Wednesday evenings, 7:30pm to 10:30pm and Sunday mornings, 9am to 12pm under the guidance of Head coach Shane O'Connor. The coaching panel is made up of Carolyn Dent-Neville, Stephen Dent-Neville, Kate McShera, Suzanne Reidy, Jim Devlin and Brian Byrne.
The Race Training Squad caters for those wishing to further develop their racing skills and are interested in committing to an intensive training program.
Training sessions are divided into 2 areas:
1. Ski Training
Working towards more complex aspects of skiing such as weight distribution in the turn, loading the ski, hip and knee angulation, etc. but can include some basic exercises where necessary. In addition a large amount of time is spent working in slalom courses (on Sunday mornings).
2. Fitness Training
This consists of activities such as dynamic warm-ups, anaerobic fitness, and speed training. Also includes regular fitness testing. Fitness training sessions vary from anything between 30 and 60 minutes.
Shane O'Connor, Brian Byrne, Peter Byrne and Kirsty Mc Garry all competed at the World Championships in Val d'isere in 2009 with Shane O'Connor also competing in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010.
The development training sessions focus on improving basic technique in progression to carving parallel turns. Over time trainees may graduate to the Race Training Squad (dependant on assessment).
The Children's Race Training sessions focus on improving basic technique, progression from snowplough to parallel skiing (including carving) introduction to slalom training and racing. Over time trainees will graduate to either the Development Squad or the Race Training Squad.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is located in Kilternan
Kilternan
Kilternan is a village in County of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains south of Dublin, near the border with County Wicklow....
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
.
History
The SkiSki
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
Club of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
was founded in 1963 and a few years later ran its first slope in Knockrabo in Goatstown
Goatstown
Goatstown is a suburb of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. To the west is Dundrum, to the east is Mount Merrion and Stillorgan, to the south is Sandyford, and to the north is Roebuck and Clonskeagh....
, south County Dublin.
In the mid 1970's the Club moved from Goatstown
Goatstown
Goatstown is a suburb of Dublin located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. To the west is Dundrum, to the east is Mount Merrion and Stillorgan, to the south is Sandyford, and to the north is Roebuck and Clonskeagh....
to its present location in Kilternan
Kilternan
Kilternan is a village in County of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains south of Dublin, near the border with County Wicklow....
.
Facilities
The ski club has four ski slopeSlope
In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line describes its steepness, incline, or grade. A higher slope value indicates a steeper incline....
s: a main slope
Slope
In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line describes its steepness, incline, or grade. A higher slope value indicates a steeper incline....
(180 meters long), an intermediate slope (130 meters long) and two nursery slopes. The slopes' surfaces are covered in Dendix, a by-product of brush manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
which is similar to a short haired brush with the bristles sticking upwards. Dendix is manufactured in Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, however it can be found on slopes throughout the world. A water misting system lubricates the main and intermediate slopes, which helps increase speed and reduce friction.
The ski club has a clubhouse located beside the slopes which houses an office and equipment dispensing area.Rental equipment is included in the price of class tickets or practice passes. Boots are Salomon and skis tend to be Rossignol or Head.
There is also a Kitchen with basic Tea & Coffee facilities and a microwave.
The club is currently working on a large redevelopment plan which will see the instillation of two new snowflex slopes for beginner lessons.
Ski School
The Club offers ski lessons ranging for new and first time skiers through to advanced ski technique and competitive race training. Instructors in the ski school are of the highest standard with a number of ISIA qualified instructors available. Most of the instructor’s qualifications have been obtained through the Irish Association of Snow Sports Instructors or BASI. There are however are a few native Austrian, German and Spanish skiers amongst the instructors.Class groups consist of four, 1.15 hour classes and 30 minutes free skiing afterwards.
The classes are broken down as follows
A1-A4: Introduction to skiing through to basic Plough Turns and learning to use a drag lift.
B1-B4: Refining plough turns and progressing to swing turns.
C1-C4: Progression through swing turns and includes traversing, side slipping, effective use of ski poles, and introduces elements of the parallel turn.
D1-D4: Working towards linked parallel turns from the top of the main slope.
E1-E4: Teaches variations on the parallel turn, practicing techniques for confident and efficient mastery of the piste. This includes carved turns and short swings.
Clinics: The Ski School runs a number of clinics on Wednesday and Friday nights for more advanced skiers. These clinics focus on high end skiing and adult race training including Slalom and GS race courses through gates.
One Day Courses: A number of one day courses are run on Saturdays through the ski season. Normally compacting 5 lessons into one day for example new skiers would be taken form class A1-B1 in one day.
Snowboarding: There is a snowboarding school run on Tuesday and Thursday nights with a Sunday evening Jam for Boarders only.
Race Squad
Race Squad TrainingThe Race Training Squad currently trains on Wednesday evenings, 7:30pm to 10:30pm and Sunday mornings, 9am to 12pm under the guidance of Head coach Shane O'Connor. The coaching panel is made up of Carolyn Dent-Neville, Stephen Dent-Neville, Kate McShera, Suzanne Reidy, Jim Devlin and Brian Byrne.
The Race Training Squad caters for those wishing to further develop their racing skills and are interested in committing to an intensive training program.
Training sessions are divided into 2 areas:
1. Ski Training
Working towards more complex aspects of skiing such as weight distribution in the turn, loading the ski, hip and knee angulation, etc. but can include some basic exercises where necessary. In addition a large amount of time is spent working in slalom courses (on Sunday mornings).
2. Fitness Training
This consists of activities such as dynamic warm-ups, anaerobic fitness, and speed training. Also includes regular fitness testing. Fitness training sessions vary from anything between 30 and 60 minutes.
Shane O'Connor, Brian Byrne, Peter Byrne and Kirsty Mc Garry all competed at the World Championships in Val d'isere in 2009 with Shane O'Connor also competing in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010.
Development Squad Training
Development squad training currently runs on Wednesdays and Sundays alongside Race Squad training, coached by Tony McGuiness under the direction of Shane O'Connor. This training session caters for juniors aged 11 years old and upwards who are looking to further develop their skills towards joining the race training squad. Prospective trainees should have the ability to ski from the top of the slope and should be comfortable skiing at speed.The development training sessions focus on improving basic technique in progression to carving parallel turns. Over time trainees may graduate to the Race Training Squad (dependant on assessment).
Children's Race Training
Children's race training currently runs on a Saturday morning under the guidance of Ciaran Columb. This race training session caters for children aged 7 – 10 years old. Prospective trainees need to have the ability to ski from the top of the slope and should be comfortable skiing at speed.The Children's Race Training sessions focus on improving basic technique, progression from snowplough to parallel skiing (including carving) introduction to slalom training and racing. Over time trainees will graduate to either the Development Squad or the Race Training Squad.