A Winter’s Ski Tale: Performance and Progress on Snow

The winter term brought a busy and demanding competition calendar for Aiglon’s ski teams. Athletes competed across levels, countries and formats, from early FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski et de Snowboard) races to large inter-school events. The season showed progress at the top and steady development across the programme.

A clear structure supported that progress. At the helm of this evolution is Jamie Willcocks, Head of Competitive Snowsports and Performance Athletes. With a background in leading school sports programmes, a certified strength and conditioning coach, and leading performance programmes, Jamie oversees the broader programme management. His focus on sport innovation ensures that Aiglon’s athletes are not just skiing, but training with a modern, data-driven approach to performance. This vision is designed to take the Aiglon Ski provision beyond the realms of the standard school ski programmes seen almost everywhere else.

Elite Leadership on the Slopes

Translating this high-level strategy into results is Maruša Ferk Saoini , the Ski Team Head Coach. Maruša brings an immense depth of experience to the mountain, having competed as a professional athlete from 2005 to 2022 in both the World Cup (WC) and the Olympic Winter Games (OWG). Before joining Aiglon, she honed her leadership skills coaching professional ski teams such as Team ISRA and LIT. Today, she is responsible for the core coaching, planning, and leading of theory and review Basecamp sessions.

Technical Excellence and Support

Working closely with Maruša to deliver this vision is Mike Barker, Snowsports Assistant Coach. Mike’s pedigree is equally distinguished; he is a former National Team Head Coach (European Youth Olympic Festival) and has served as an National Governing Body (NGB) coaching advisor and International Education Director for the Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors (IASI). His expertise ensures that the technical development of the students is aligned with international standards. Together, the coaching team focuses on organisation as much as performance, ensuring that athletes at every level—from FIS competitors to inter-school racers—have the right support during training and preparation on and beyond the snow.

“We are working very well together as a team,” she says. “There is a clear structure, and that allows us to support each athlete in the right way.”

Creating from the Ground Up

Preparation for FIS competition shaped the early part of the season with the Aiglon competitive ski programme running from August and pre season camps, all the way through to Easter. “It is important for our student athletes to understand that the competitive Ski programme at Aiglon reaches far beyond that of the normal winter season” says Jamie Willcocks.  Entry into these races requires coordination with national federations and the acquisition of FIS licences, which takes time and planning, and training needs to reflect this preparation.

But by January, Aiglon had athletes competing at FIS level, with many racing internationally for the first time. The grading system required some adaptation, as skiers begin with high penalty points and work to bring them down over time. “It’s a completely different environment,” Maruša explains. “There is pressure, there are expectations, and everything is very structured.”

One of the team’s performance racers, just 16, showed strong potential in his first FIS races. He did an excellent job on the descent, despite a case of nerves—something that is extremely common at that stage and can only be lessened with time and experience. “You could see he was capable of much more, but we are so proud of him—as we are of all our racers,” says Maruša. “At that stage, finishing the run is already important. The confidence builds from there.”

Younger athletes also gained exposure to this level by acting as forerunners during races on the home hill (Bretaye). This gave them a first experience of race-day expectations, including timing, inspections and discipline.

Racing Across Borders

December brought an international opportunity, as Aiglon was invited to compete in the Canada Cup, sending nine athletes to race in temperatures as low as -20°C. The team adapted quickly to unfamiliar conditions and a new competitive environment. “We were looking forward to this event,” Maruša says. “The organisation was excellent, and the other schools were very welcoming.” "It is important that Aiglon spreads its wings outside the regular competition calendar. To give our racers this experience is invaluable” stated Jamie."

Strong performances followed across the competition. The highlight came in the parallel event, where Aiglon secured the win and brought home the overall trophy. “It was a big achievement for the team,” she adds. “It also helped us understand how different competitions are organised.”

Contests Build Excitement and Momentum

At the end of January, the team competed in the SKI Wengen EISSR race. The programme included giant slalom, slalom, Super-G and a parallel team event. Results were consistent across disciplines and the athletes showed growing confidence and control in their racing. The team took their parallel slalom dominance into this competition, taking the win again, and finished 2nd in the overall team event.

“There is a rhythm that comes with regular competition,” Maruša explains. “You can see athletes becoming more focused and more comfortable.”

As always, March’s Aiglon Cup was a key moment in the season. This year saw record participation, with 470 racers from 19 schools. Organisation on the home hill ran smoothly, and conditions were excellent. The level of competition remained high throughout.

Aiglon finished just two points behind the winning team—a tremendous success considering the score just 24 hours earlier. The first day left the team 27 points behind after several small errors, including missed gates and equipment issues. “We had a few situations where races didn’t go our way,” Maruša shrugs. “That happens in competition.”

The team responded to the challenging situation strongly and steadily closed the gap over the following races, showing focus and determination. “To come back like that shows real character,” she says. “The athletes stayed committed.”

Developing the Next Generation

The junior and development teams continued to grow during the winter term. Younger students, including those in Years 3 to 6, took part in regular Sunday training sessions, and progress at this level has been made. "The junior programme is a real focus for us now as we look to invest our senior team with a steady flow of younger racers who have excellent skiing skills and who have come through our own programme.” says Jamie. “They now have lots of access throughout the school year to our race coaching team”

“When you compare last year to now, the improvement is significant,” Maruša says. “Several athletes are already on track to move into the high-performance team next season, and their commitment has been consistent both on and off the snow” The programme is also expanding its approach. Plans include introducing ski cross and adding more competitive opportunities such as cross-country skiing to support technical development. “These activities help build important skills,” she explains. “They also keep training engaging.”

A total of 53 Aiglon athletes competed this season and the team achieved a whopping 64 podium finishes and 152 top-ten results over a massive 28 event calendar . These results reflect a strong overall performance, and they also represent the work that takes place every day in training and preparation. Students continue to balance sport with academic and extracurricular commitments. Training sessions, competitions and school life all run in parallel.

“The podium is one part of it,” Maruša says. “We look at how athletes train, how they improve and how they support each other. Their skiing and their studies are both finely tuned.”

New Reasons for Excitement Next Season

Planning for next season is already underway now that the ski season at Aiglon has officially ended. The aim is to begin racing earlier, strengthen the FIS pathway and continue developing opportunities for younger athletes.

Maruša and colleagues Jamie and Mike will continue their close collaboration to expand the ski racing programme, and will support athletes as they progress and gain experience. And while this winter’s excellent results are important, the coaches emphasize that winning isn’t the only goal.

“When you see the smiles after a good run, that says everything,” Maruša says. “That’s what we are working for.”

 

AI Disclosure: First draft written by human, edits supported by AI. Quotes original.