Back to (ski) school

In the busy resort of Val D’Isère, there are plenty of ski schools vying for the attention of the thousands of visitors every year. Simon Moyes, a keen skier and regular visitor to Val D’Isère, discovered the Oxygene Ski School about five years ago. Even experienced skiers, he says, can benefit from instruction – in fact, one way to help avoid injury is to have an expert instructor assess style and help reduce the risk of injury through falls or loss of control. The gold standard of the instructors at Oxygene have consistently impressed Simon, to the extent that he will now make sure he gets refresher lessons from them every time he skis.

Oxygne is making a mark for itself among the ski schools in the region. It now has 250 instructors across the nine top resorts in the French Alps. They’ve also expanded their business to include ski clothing rental – a great success with first-time skiers who don’t want to invest in expensive kit before they know if they like it. “I first met Pierre the founder and owner of Oxygene Ski School in December 2013, and had one on one lessons from him for a week,’ says Simon. “He is a phenomenal instructor and has managed to achieve so much and runs a brilliant organisation which I cannot recommend too highly. I see him every year, bumping into him on the slopes