Snowsport England have announced details of their summer rollerski coaching courses. These are well worth doing, especially for anyone planning to race this winter on snow. They have a great line-up of coaches and their training weekends also coincide with rollerski races.

SSE will be running four roller ski training/race weekends this year. Two of the four events will take place in County Durham, which will allow you to experience one of the best roller ski circuits in Britain; the third will take place in Hayes, London and the fourth at Lancaster, Lancashire. The events are:

• Saturday-Sunday 26^th-27^th June, Hetton Lyons, Durham
• Saturday-Sunday 7^th-8^th August, Hayes, London
• Saturday-Sunday 28^th-29^th August, Hetton Lyons, Durham
• Saturday-Sunday 2^nd-3rd October, Lancaster, Lancashire

At each of these events you will improve your skiing technique (classic and skating), gain confidence for skiing, pick up loads of helpful training tips and just have a fantastic time. The courses are open to everyone, whether you are beginner, intermediate or expert; whether you are a tourer, a racer, a downhiller or whether you just want to try cross-country skiing.

We have assembled a first-rate coaching team and are hoping to run the following course groups:

      - Race Training/Advanced, Intermediate and Beginners/Improvers

If you attend all courses, continuous technical improvement is guaranteed.  Confirmation of the coaches attending each event will be sent out with the final joining instructions two weeks prior to the course commencement.

Also this year there will be a Roller Ski Instructor course running at the Hayes event in August.

For more details and booking form please contact Helen Bell at xcskiinfo@btinternet.com 

As in previous years, there may well be dry land training, so you should bring running shoes and for racers, a heart rate monitor if you have one.  Most of the time on the courses will be devoted to roller skiing. We will also be using video analysis and feedback, so please bear this in mind and avoid baggy clothing.

There will be the chance for you to be assessed, during the course, for an SSE Proficiency award.     If you are interested in this, please circle Yes on the application form.  For more information on these awards refer to the SSE website :

www.snowsportengland.org.uk/proficiency_awards-1226.html

The year we will be strict both with numbers and ability levels in each group and will allow only eight people per coach.  The application form invites you to say which group you would like to join and your level of skiing.  As a guide, the race training and advanced groups are for those with or interested in attaining a four or five star proficiency award, the intermediate group for those with or interested in a three star proficiency award and the beginner and improver groups for those interested in the one and two star awards.

We will try to assign you to the group of your choice, on a first-come-first-served basis as long as the application is accompanied by payment. You will be told before each course which group you will be in, but if your group of choice is full you may be offered a place in another group. 

As you improve, you may move to a higher group from one event to the next, and better skiers can choose between the Racing and Advanced groups. Racing/advanced groups and improver/beginner groups may be amalgamated if there are not enough participants to run separate groups.                         

You may decide to put all your newly-learned skills to the test in the races on Saturday afternoon, which are the British Roller Ski Series races 5, 7, 9 and 11 and will be over 10 km in classic style, 2 x 7.5 km pursuit, 15 km classic and classic/Freestyle sprints respectively, beginning at 4:00 pm.  

Just a reminder, wearing a helmet and eye protection in the race is compulsory. There will be races for juniors/novices at each event, but the details and timings of these races have yet to be finalised.

Interested? You should be by now, so the details are as follows: 

Hetton Lyons Country Park 

Where : Down Pit Lane, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton Le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 0RH.  

The Country Park is reached by leaving the A1 at Junction 62, heading northeast on the A690. After a few miles, turn right towards Hetton-le-Hole, and the park is signposted from the centre of Hetton-le-Hole (beneath the wind turbines). 

Times : Starts on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and finishes on Sunday at around 4:00 p.m. 

Accommodation: We will be staying at the Premier Inn Durham East, handy for the A1 and Durham railway station. The address is Broomside Lane, Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham, DH1 1GG, which involves leaving at junction 62 of the A1(M). At the roundabout, take 1^st exit toward Durham, take next exit, at T-junction turn left onto Broomside Lane then first left. The cost is £27 per night based on two people sharing, available Friday and Saturday (plus £5.25 or £7.50 per day for breakfast), and you can request a room on the course application form. 

Price: if booked more than two weeks in advance and including race entry: £90 for the weekend or £50 for one day (excluding meals and accommodation), otherwise £100 or £55 respectively on the day. 

Hayes 

Where : Hillingdon Cycle Track, Springfield Road, Hayes UB4 0LT  

The Hayes circuit is off the A312, between the A40 and M4/A4. From the M4, leave at Junction 3 and head north. At the roundabout with Sainsbury's on the left, turn right then take the first right (Springfield Road) at the traffic lights. The entrance to the circuit is about 300 metres on the right. 

Times : Starts on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and finishes on Sunday at about 4:00 p.m. 

Accommodation: No hotel will be booked in advance for this course but there are several hotels in the immediate vicinity of the circuit. We will find a local restaurant and eat together on Saturday evening, although this is not included in the price. 

Price: if booked more than two weeks in advance and including race entry: £80 for the weekend or £45 for one day (excluding meals and accommodation), otherwise £90 or £55 respectively on the day. 

Lancaster 

Where : Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, Doris Henderson Way, Salt Ayre Lane, Lancaster, LA1 5JS. 

Leave the M6 at junction 34, then turn right onto the A683 (signposted Lancaster).  Bear left into one way system on the A6 (signposted Heysham/Morecambe).  At traffic lights continue onto the A589 (signposted Heysham/Morecambe).  At roundabout take 1^st exit onto B5273 – pass ASDA on your left – then take next left. 

Times : Starts on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and finishes on Sunday at around 4:00 p.m. 

Accommodation: To be confirmed 

Price: if booked more than two weeks in advance and including race entry: £90 for the weekend or £50 for one day (excluding meals and accommodation), otherwise £100 or £55 respectively on the day. 

If you want to turn up and pay on the day for any event, please check beforehand that there is a place available. Entry fee for the race only is £10. Equipment hire is available. 

If you are not a member of a registered SSE or SnSC club, you will need to pay £10 per course Day Membership to cover your insurance. However, you can do this for only one event, after which you must become a club member. 

Even better, why not take part in all four SSE events this summer and save £40! 

Please complete the form below and send it, with payment, to the address indicated. But, remember, book early, because groups will be closed when full. Also please note that if you pay for one or more courses and then withdraw, you will be offered a refund minus £10 per course (we have certain fixed costs which we need to cover). 

Further details: contact Sue Bambridge, 07595 499202; sbambridge@tiscali.co.uk