Where do I start?
Dave Francis
I am a man of travel and food, and thankfully my careers have allowed me the opportunity to indulge in both.
My work has taken me all over the world, and as a result I have eaten an interesting range.
I grew up in Birmingham, born 5 months before the outbreak of WW2. Growing up in war, our family had to use the State Ration Books for food and clothes!
My first travel experience was cycling from South Birmingham to Bristol in a day. I was knocked off by a bus, but that did not stop me enjoying the experience.
So for several years, we continued to cycle across the south west, camping or staying in Youth Hostels.
The Human mind is like a parachute - it only works when it opens!
Anthea Cove
Timeline
- 1950s
1954 – At the age of 14, I went to Paris, leaving the country for the first time.
1957 – I travelled to Canada for a two month Scholarship. This and the trip to Paris sparked my love for travel.
- 1960s
1962 – April in The Cairngorms was my first time on skis; this began my love affair with the sport. Then, as a new member of the PE staff at a Birmingham comprehensive school.
1964 – I was encouraged to expand my qualifications in coaching. One took me to the first Mountain Leadership Certificate introductory course at Ogwen Cottage in 1964 and in the middle of December 1965 I qualified in Snowdonia.
This was the beginning of mountain training as it exists now.
I became Head of Department for Physical Education in Shrewsbury, educating both boys and girls – an unusual position at the time. This was how my vision of ‘sport for all children’ began, bringing in specialist coaches to help expand the physical education programme.
- 1970s
1970 – My transition from teaching was inspired by my vision for having a wider impact on larger groups of people. After applying for various posts, I saw an advert by the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR) for a Technical Officer. Having attended courses with the CCPR in my youth I had fond memories, so I applied and got the job at HQ London.
1972 – However, In 1972 it was all changed and I became a technical officer for the new Royal Charted Sports Council GB (what is known now as UKSport).
1975 – I was promoted to Head of Sports Development in the West Midlands regional office.
As it happened, West Midlands Ski Association had just been formed, and at the time we provided secretarial support – as acting secretary – representing them at National Ski Federation GB meetings.
It was at one of these meetings that I asked the question, what national conferences does it run? With the answer being none, I proposed organising such a conference and in 1975 I set up and ran the first national conference for British skiing.
1979 – That, amongst other things, gave me an insight into British Skiing, which led to me becoming the first Director of the English Ski Council in 1979 (England’s Governing Body).
Alongside my Director of Coaching, we set up and shaped the beginning of the English Ski Council. until I left in 1984, to establish my own business and Creative Leisure Associates Ltd was born.
- 1980s
1984 – I left the English Ski Council to establish my own business and Creative Leisure Associates Ltd was born.
Creative Leisure Associates was initially a design development consultancy, with significant clients including the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service. They liked the idea of having ski slopes and associated facilities on ‘set aside’ farmland.
However, the world stock market crash in 1988 had a resounding effect on local authorities; reduced finance meant cutting ties with consulting agencies. This meant we had to rethink to survive.
1986 – In 1986 an old friend had launched the British Ski Show at the NEC and asked me to build a ski slope; we continued to do that and all the other public Ski and Snowboard Shows in the country for 18 years.
This became the new focus for CLA, building snow, ski and extreme sports facilities. We built ski and snowboard facilities alongside companies such as Mitsubishi Monsanto. We eventually became involved in the production of real snow.
1987 – Christmas 1987 I took a trip to The Galapagos where I met my future wife, Graciela. We were married in 1989, and had our daughter, Bex, in 1990. CLA became a true family business when Graciela joined the company full time in 1996.
During our years we were fortunate enough to work with some fantastic public exhibitions and events, including Daily Mail, Post and Mail, Board X, and NASS, which helped legitimise what was considered “extreme sports” at the time.
- 1990s
1990 – From the World Financial crash in ’88/89, the company had to change the emphasis of it’s work, from a design, development consultancy to principally a design, build, management business, which embraced existing skills within the team and used the creative knowledge that had been demonstrated in its earlier work and developed upon.
The knowledge it already had of snow sports gave it its USP against other competitors, which proved invaluable to CLA in this particular market, where the ability to offer both excellence as well as public play, was second nature to its Principal.
Therefore, the 1990’s were to be exciting in all aspects of this new mode of operation, which now took priority over consultancy – Particularly in Snowsports. This began with public activities, based upon ski teaching on artificial ski matted slopes, designed, constructed and managed with professional ski teachers, as a full service package. From there, CLA became the first company to design and build the first International standard, ‘BIG AIR’ ramps, covered in man-made REAL Snow. This became an annual event and bigger by the year.
1999/2000 – we designed, built and managed, the first PUBLIC real snow, skiing and snow tubing outdoor slope feature, in Manchester, which ran for a month. However, the 90’s decade brought, public participation to a wider range of activities at a variety of venues, including – Rigging Challenge, Artificial Climbing walls; Artificial Ice Climbing walls, using real ice axes; Children’s Bouldering Walls, both temporary and permanent; temporary ‘Via Ferrata’ courses; UK Licensed ‘Bobo the Penguin’ children’s self discovery artificial ski areas.
Plus of course, all the World and International Ski and Snowboard aerial specialists at carefully staged events annually, as well as the first ‘World Syncro Ski Championships’ – indoors on artificial ski mat surfaced, 75m long ski slope.
- 2000s
2006 – We made the decision as a family to sell CLA and move to Ecuador in pursuit of a more comfortable and less hectic life.
Having been introduced to Astroturf snow sport surface many years prior, I was contacted by the new head of sales of the Belgian manufacturer and landed my first design job in Brazil.
I have been working as a freelance advisor and designer since then, running seminars and advising on snowsport centres across the world including Belgium, France, Turkey, Brazil and numerous others.
2009 – Working in Taiwan, where several years earlier, we had been asked to design and build an extremely large real snow and ice feature. Much delayed, I flew out to assist in its building which took over a month!
- 2010s
2010 – 2014 – I took four fights to Brasil – Sao Paulo and Rio de Janiero. Two very different projects! The first was, at the time, the tenth longest slope complex in the world and I was asked to develop it more! In Rio I was required to look at a proposed indoor facility in the most creative theme park I had ever seen anywhere in the world.
2012 – 2017 – I assisted in the designing of a series of small indoor, children’s ski and snowboard learning centres, called ’Shredders’. By the end of my involvement, ’ Shredders’ had grown to 6 centres in Colorado. In the last three years, it has become a franchised operation, now covering 6 USA States.
In the same period of time, I worked closely with a French company – Prisme Events – similar to CLA, who came to ’ the table’ on the building of Astroturf Snowsport matting. This close association gave me the opportunity to draft designs for several opportunities in Turkey and two more in Europe. Ultimately one in Southern Turkey was built, which included a Ski Teaching area, 2 main slopes with moving carpets access and a special snow tubing area of numerous runs. Total area of around 10,000m2.
Back in Europe I visited a site in Belgium, agreed with the National Federation, to include XC and Biathlon, Skiing and Snowboarding. 600ms of slopes fed by a chairlift and moving carpets. Situated close to the German border in a town called Malmedy. The visit included a stay at the company’s HQ in Clamecy, Burgundy, working on the designs and a new watering system.
The last set of design work I did for that company, was to design the profile of a ‘year round’ ski run at a famous French Snowsports resort, in 2017.
- Present
Now being semi-retired, I have embraced my long standing role as a Consular Warden at the British Embassy here in Ecuador.
I also spend time in my garden with my dogs and my lovely wife Chela.
Books I've Written
Memorable Meals
I first ate guinea pig, an Andean delicacy, in 2008 which inspired my first foray into writing – ‘Memorable Meals’. Inspired by the book ‘Memorable Dinners’. I completed it in 2023.
The Pyramid of Opportunity
I am currently working on my biggest book – ‘The Pyramid of Opportunity’- the background to British sport today – which will be available this year.