I was born in Prague (Czech Republic) in March 1986. It all started when I was three years old. I did not want to ski, I threw my skis away, I was crying. I just wanted to do sledging and to build a snowman. Thirty five years have passed and during that time I managed to race on skis, test them, teach people how to ski, train people how to race on skis, sell the skis, serviced them, I skied almost all continents, and for the past 15 years I have doing skiing for living.
All my life I have been a bit of a slacker. Very often I just do what I really like. At high school I had every year the highest number of absences (I was in the mountains all the time). Next step was Charles University in Prague. I studied Physical Education & Sport Science and the Faculty of Natural Science. Nearly ten years instead of five (I skied rather than studied). But Master degree is done.
Already during my university studies I traveled a lot and started working as a ski instructor. The first season was in the Ore Mountains at my dad's ski school. After that I worked in different countries, organizations, associations and clubs. I think I have collected some nice experiences all over the world. And then APUL courses and events showed me that there is always room to move forward and improve yourself. Right after the first course at APUL, I felt that I wanted to go as far as possible. And everything went smoothly and now I'm a Level 4 trainer and examiner. So all good. :-)
I really enjoy riding everywhere, from chest deep powder to hard groomed steep slope. And I enjoy riding everywhere on telemark skis, which are my big love. And a few times during the winter I will also take XC skate skis.
It really depends on the situation. Quite often I check myself and I try to be strict to my performance. But in a freshly fallen powder at Hokkaido, it is only me and my line. And the only thing I have to manage is keeping the flow and not hitting the tree.
If you love skiing and the mountains I recommend you to check out the APUL website, sign up for a course, pack your skis and go to the mountains. I know some people who acted like that, never returned to the city and mountains became their new homes.
Yes I do have many. Sometime in 2013, one of my first lessons in New Zealand was like:
Me: "Hello, you are going to ski lesson, right?"
Client: "Yes, that is right."
Me: "Ok, but you have a snowoboard boots on and pair of ski in your hands. It is not gonna match together."
Client: "Oh, realy? I thougt it is the same."
I prepared myself for L4 exams during a very busy winter in Japan (in less than 3 months I made 510 teachning hours). I guess I'm more an exam type (on the hill, not much at video analysis. :-) I am nervous of course, but on the slope I think it helps me quite a lot.
Training and examining is a great job with great people, who are usually at the same vibes like me. I think training new instructors is the highest level what you can achieve in ski industry. I have this possibility and I appreciate it so much. And I am also proud that I managed to get my career to this level. Before I started to train instructors I never thought it would be so hard to tell somebody he/she failed on the course exams. But it is how it is and situation is sometimes uncomfortable for both sides. It is really necessary to look at the positives and take always good feelings and continue to work on themselves. Just the way to improve could be a goal.
I do biking a lot. XC, enduro and road bike as well. Last few summers is also paddleboarding my activity. And sometimes I guide the raft boat or paddle wild water on kayak.
Well, I'll see. The Covid situation slowed me down a bit, but I stayed in the industry. Since then I also started training young skiers. But in general, it depends on what you want from life and how you set your goals. You have to live for 100%, life is short. It's good to have a life choice and follow your passion.
Every kind a sport is great. I think for overall physical ski fitness is good to have a perfect coordination, feeling of your own body and stable core. Paddleboarding is a great choice for summer.
We'll see ... Why not ... It depends what one wants from life and how to set goals. It is necessary to live fully, life is short ... But then again, everything in moderation :-)
I guess I agree a little bit. It is a differnce between little tumble and huge crazy crash. But sometimes it is a part of the game. For me it is always about one or two solid crashes in a season. In ski racing, for example, crash is sometimes a proof you go on the edge and at the border of your comfort zone. Which is needed in racing. At my lessons with a clients we always try to learn from the mistakes and little falls.
Back in the early days, I was doing exactly this. But recent years I'm trying to think primarily about my trainees or clients or students at the courses.
Yes. :-) And definitely not once.
Telemark ski boots.
3 languages in one lesson was the most.
It depends on the destination I'm at and the people I'm skiing with. When I'm in a ski racing environment, the day usually starts very early and can sometimes last 12 hours. When I teach people how to ski, I usually work 5-6 hours a day. When I train the instructors on the course, the day is about 9-10 hours. 6 hours on the hill and then an evening program with video analysis and other activities. If the conditions are good outside, I like to go for a few runs before work. But only if the condition is really good. Or coffee with a pretty female colleague is also a good start of the day. :-)
There is always some room for improvement. I try to make my skiing smooth, natural and functional. I try to make it as effortless as possible. Not always quite successfully. Need to work on turn roundness, early activity on my outside leg, especially when turning right. And my big focus needs to go to steeper hills and long dynamic turns. I look for an inspiration from my colleagues from the ski schools where I used to work, but in recent years my biggest source of inspiration and motivation are discussions with my more experienced colleagues from the APUL trainers team.
I like the functional and technical trend. I prefer a hardshell jacket with a good membrane. Pants matter too. When it's -25 degrees Celsius, you like warm insulated pants. But the clothes must fit well mainly and be functional. And a bit of fashion too?
A few years ago I was quite impressed by freeriding movies like Claim, Every day Saturday or In Deep. Freeride movies used to be my favorite. But for an undemanding evening and winter mode, I like, for example, "Ski academy" or "Aspen Extreme". You know them?
