A lot of time was spent skiing without poles, which proved to be an excellent way to find your balance and proper body position. We were video taped daily, performing the drills as best we could. Immediately following the video session, we watched the tapes inside. There was plenty of critiqueing in slow motion, and a great deal of laughter as we watched ourselves in reverse and fast forward. When Rex and I both did face plants smack in front of the camera, you could hear our hysterics down the hall.
Video is a big part of Silver Star's camps.
In fact, the Long Slow Distance and High Intensity coaches carry a video camera with them all day, so they can stop at any point to film. After using video as a learning tool, I can't understand why more cross- country ski schools don't have video as an integral part of their programs. Silver Star has friendly, rolling terrain on one half of its network, and fierce, long climbing on the other. Every afternoon we did a long ski, each of us focusing on what the video had revealed. Our group was well-matched and we skied at a comfortable pace until dark.