Sail | Ski | Explore

Private coaching and guided days from a professional skier, sailor and paraglider. Based in the Alps but operational across the world, I bring a patient and meticulous approach to unlock your potential and share the adventure of a lifetime together.

See what I offer
Established 2006Coaching in the outdoors ever since
3 SportsExpert coaching across all disciplines
Verbier, SwitzerlandMy adopted home
Alps · Arctic · Japan · UKHandpicked bucket-list locations
Verbier · 46.10° N 7.23° E · 1,500 – 3,330 m

Ski coaching & guiding

Bespoke sessions that give you the tools to keep improving long after the day is over. I analyse your skiing on video, work on the movements that matter, and finish with a clear action plan.

Verbier is the freeride capital of the world and the perfect place to make the transition from the piste to marked itineraries, freeride terrain and ski touring. I take you from A to B, teaching the fundamentals of mountain safety and helping you build confidence in variable snow and powder.

As a local, I have my finger on the pulse: I know where to find the best snow conditions, a table on a sunny terrace for lunch, and the best après-ski venue. It's local knowledge that adds priceless value to your trip.

  • Ski instruction & performance coaching

    CHF 685 / day

    Understand fundamental movement patterns, then put them to work in dynamic long and short turns, steeps and bumps, with video analysis and a debrief.

    All levelsVideo analysisFamilies
    Olly carving a turn on a groomed piste in the morning sun

  • Off-piste coaching

    CHF 685 / day

    Explore Verbier's world-famous freeride terrain, with the chance to build your technical skills and understanding of mountain safety built into every day, all the while in search of fresh powder or pristine spring snow.

    Intermediate +Freeride
    Olly skiing fresh powder with snow spraying in the sunlight

  • Ski touring

    CHF 685 / day

    Skiing in its purest form, human-powered from start to finish. Escape the crowds and earn your turns, from a 45-minute skin to a mountain restaurant for lunch to summiting a remote peak in the Arctic.

    Fit skiersAlpsArcticJapan
    Two ski tourers skinning across a snowfield at sunrise

  • Resort guiding

    CHF 685 / day

    Explore the best of Verbier with a local: the right slopes for the day's conditions, the best snow, and the restaurants and après spots worth knowing. I can also help arrange accommodation, equipment hire and restaurant bookings.

    All levelsGroups & familiesCorporate
    Aerial view of the Verbier ski area with Lac des Vaux and Mont Gelé under fresh snow
The Solent · 50.77° N 1.30° W · sea level

Sailing

The UK south coast is a world-class sailing venue, with reliable wind and testing tides. Days run from Hamble or Lymington on commercially coded yachts with professional crew, so you can get fully involved in complete safety.

I'm a commercially endorsed yacht skipper and race coach, and I organise race campaigns and sailing holidays further afield.

Race yacht running under spinnaker in the Solent

  • UK sailing days

    from £950

    Coded yacht for up to 10, skipper and first mate, waterproofs provided. No experience needed.

    HambleLymington

  • Own boat race coaching

    from £350 / day

    Goal-setting consultation, on-the-water coaching, video analysis, debrief and a plan for your season.

    Your boatVideo analysis

  • Race charters

    on request

    A fully managed campaign on a race-prepared yacht, from Round the Island and Cowes Week to regattas worldwide.

  • Sailing holidays

    on request

    The right yacht in the right place. Past trips include Oman, Dubai, the Caribbean, Greece, Croatia and Italy.

Yachts racing into the evening sun
A fleet of race yachts under sail
Val de Bagnes · fly above Verbier · 46.10° N 7.23° E

Paragliding

I'm an aspirant FSVL paragliding instructor, working with three paragliding schools in Verbier. I teach new pilots from their first contact with a paraglider all the way to their Swiss licence, and coach qualified pilots to keep moving forward with thermal flying, dynamic soaring, acrobatics and SIV training.

Flying solo isn't for everyone, and that's fine. You can still experience the magic of flight with a qualified tandem pilot, high above Verbier. Through my network of tandem pilots, I can organise flights for you, your family or your whole group, and fit them around your days on the mountain.

Olly paragliding high above Lake Geneva

  • Tandem flights

    CHF 190 / flight

    No experience needed. I organise your flight with a trusted tandem pilot from my network: take off above Verbier and fly over the Val de Bagnes.

    No experience neededGroups & families
    A tandem paraglider flying above Verbier with the Grand Combin massif behind

  • Learn to fly

    from CHF 600

    From your first flight to your Swiss licence. Minimum 50 flights across several sites, then the FSVL theory and practical exams.

    Initiation
    CHF 600
    Theory, ground handling, instructional tandem, first solo flight
    Training flights
    CHF 35 / flight
    Supervised, with radio guidance. +CHF 10 with minibus. 70-flight package available
    FSVL exams
    CHF 125 each
    Theory and practical
    Equipment hire
    CHF 35 / flight
    EN A wing and reserve. 20% off new kit bought through the school

  • Coaching for pilots

    on request

    Already qualified? Keep moving forward with thermal flying, dynamic soaring, acrobatics and SIV training.

    ThermalsSoaringAcroSIV
    Olly flying with the wing tips folded above the Val de Bagnes
Olly flying with skis on his harness above a winter sea of cloud
Olly paragliding above the village and fields of the Val de Bagnes
Paraglider wing flying above a glaciated ridge
Flying on skis low over snowy forest above Verbier
Arctic & beyond

Expeditions

Take the sport you love beyond the lift lines and marinas, into wild, untouched corners of the world. Whether it's one discipline or a mix of skiing, sailing, climbing and hiking, each expedition is about real adventure: remote peaks, empty coastlines and days you'll remember for the rest of your life. Every trip is planned with you and led by qualified professionals in each field.

First light on high alpine peaks above a glacier
Snowy peaks of the Troll Peninsula rising above a sea of cloud

Ski touring on the Troll Peninsula, Iceland

Siglufjörður · 66.15° N 18.91° W11 – 17 April 2027from CHF 1,950 pp

Ski touring above the Arctic Ocean on a stable maritime snowpack, with no crowds and a base in a fishing village by the water.

Ski tourers on a snowy ridge above the fjords near Tromsø

Ski and sail in the Lyngen Alps, Norway

Tromsø · 69.65° N 18.96° E20 – 27 March 2027, 27 March – 3 April 2027 · 6 peoplefrom CHF 2,950 pp

A week of ski touring from a 47 ft sailing yacht. Sail between the fjords, ski summit-to-sea lines straight from the boat, and come back aboard each evening.

A climber on a rocky Scottish ridge above a mountain loch

Mountaineering in the Scottish Highlands

Isle of Skye · 57.21° N 6.22° Wor the Cairngorms · 57.12° N 3.64° W10 – 16 May 2027from CHF 1,600 pp

An introduction to hill walking, scrambling and mountaineering, based on Skye or in the Cairngorms depending on conditions. Expect classic ridge climbs and easier multi-pitch routes. Suitable for anyone with good fitness and some basic climbing experience.

A group in deep powder among snow-covered birch trees in Hokkaido

Ski trip of a lifetime in Hokkaido, Japan

Hokkaido · 42.86° N 140.70° EJanuary – Februaryfrom CHF 1,950 pp

Japan's famously deep, light snow, with tree skiing and quiet backcountry by day, then onsens, steaming bowls of ramen and udon, and the legendary convenience stores.

Olly smiling on a snowy mountainside, gloves held out to each side
Le Châble · Val de Bagnes · 46.08° N 7.21° E · 821 m

About me

I'm Olly, a professional skier, paraglider and alpinist. I've climbed up, skied down and often flown off mountains across the world, and I've been coaching people in the mountains and on the water since 2006, from my home in Le Châble at the foot of Verbier.

On snow, I taught with the Swiss Ski Schools in Crans-Montana and Verbier, where I was a member of both demo teams and organised race events, before going independent. At sea, I'm a commercially endorsed yacht skipper and race coach. In the air, I'm an aspirant FSVL paragliding instructor with three schools in Verbier.

I also have a knack for mountain logistics: getting the right people to the right place when the conditions and the light are perfect. Whether it's your first lesson or the line you've dreamed about for years, my approach is the same: patient, meticulous coaching that keeps you safe and makes your progress last.

Qualifications

Skiing
Swiss federally certified snowsports instructor (Swiss Snowsports, ISIA)
Former demo team, Swiss Ski Schools of Verbier and Crans-Montana
Sailing
RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore, commercially endorsed
RYA Racing Keelboat Coach, Level 2
RYA Powerboat Level 2, commercially endorsed
RYA/MCA Approved Engine Course (AEC)
RYA VHF radio (GMDSS SRC), First Aid at Sea, Sea Survival
Paragliding
FSVL Paragliding Instructor (Aspirant)
First aid
Level 3 Award in Activity First Aid (FAA, valid to 2029)
Level 3 Award in Basic Life Support, AED and anaphylaxis: adults, children and infants (FAA, valid to 2029)
Get in touch

Plan your days

Tell me what you'd like to do, when, and how many of you there are. I deliver most sessions myself and work with a team of experienced professionals, so I can take on as many requests as possible.

Emailolly@ollynorris.com
Phone+41 79 854 31 41
WhatsApp+41 79 854 31 41
BasedVerbier, Switzerland