Alison Culshaw - Jöttnar Pro Team

Living and breathing the outdoors in both work and play, I'm passionate about the world’s wide open spaces.  Whether fine tuning my ski technique to tackle a steep off-piste descent, developing my fitness to travel faster across the Scottish hills or working with others to achieve their goals in the outdoors, are all equally as satisfying.

Having first strapped on a pair of skis as a 2-year old, I raced between the ages of 6 and 18 winning national titles and representing the British Children's Team and then the Scottish Team at international level.  I then completed the BASI International Ski Teacher Diploma, becoming the youngest person to hold this award at the time.

Following my racing career I pursued ski mountaineering with a passion and have completed classic tours in Europe, wilderness peaks in Patagonia, Chilean volcanoes, a ski ascent of Mont Elbrus and most recently spring skiing in Norway’s Lyngen Alps.  I competed in the prestigious Patrouille Des Glaciers as part of the British Women’s Team in 2011.  Climbing expeditions have taken me to Peru, Lesotho, Wadi Rum and Nepal.

I run Off Piste Performance, based in the Chamonix Valley, where I’ve been teaching and skiing since 2004.  I pride myself in tailoring my tuition to the needs of my clients, using simple yet effective instruction.  My philosophy is that skiing is about going from A to B as efficiently as possible whilst maximising the fun on the way, whatever the conditions.  I deliver Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to the British Mountain Guides and work as a trainer on the BASI Mountain Safety Courses tutoring aspiring instructors.

Qualifications

• BASI Level 4 International Ski Teacher Diploma
• International Mountain Leader Award
• Mountaineering Instructor's Award
• Winter Mountain Leader Award

Spending the winter skiing off-piste for over 100 days places huge demands on the gear that I use.  Having kit that works is essential for both my work and play. It needs to meet the demands of the environment and the volume of usage. That's why I am pleased to have teamed up with Jöttnar as they understand these challenges and design kit that can meet the demands.

It is our pleasure to welcome Alison onto the team and we look forward to a close collaboration, developing gear that lives up to her expectations.

Jöttnar's Pro Team pass on their frontline experience in helping us create the exceptional gear that bears the Jöttnar logo.  Their ideas and feedback allow us to focus on the demands of those who live and work amongst the mountains and to ensure that what we produce has been validated by the most challenging of users in the most demanding conditions.

To get in touch with Alison, please click here.