Ski Instructor Training

orl11

Hi there,

I am very interested in doing a course this coming winter (or sooner) to become a ski instructor. I have about 8 weeks experience on snow but 4 of those were on blades. I have read up about the ski academy Austria, and peak leaders, but just wondering if there are any other suggestions out there. Would love to hear from someone who has done this before, and how they got on, etc.

Thanks a mill....

SnowSkool

Hi Orl11

There are many companies that offer instructor training programmes throughout the world and your choice of operator largely comes down to what qualifications you want to get (BASI, CSIA, NZSIA etc) and in which country you fancy doing your course. Do you have any idea about the answers to these questions or are you just looking for some ideas at the moment?!

Cheers for now,
Phil Purdie
SnowSkool

Fattes

orl11; I am guessing you are looking at a gap course the standard between an 8 week skier and a level 1 instructor is signigicant but do able with the right training.

Try having a look at Warren Smith and his guys

http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/

You may even be able do do the qualification over hte summer and be ready to go for next season.

TheoBane

http://www.icesi.org/

Rebrabuk

www.nonstopski.com
www.rookieacademy.com
www.snowtrainers.com
www.peakleaders.com

All of the above offer a mix of the BASI/CASI/NZSIA cert courses. Being honest there is little point getting just the level 1 in any cert as it is less likely to get you work outside of their country of origin you should really aim for level 2 but it is of course up to you I can't be certain about the level 1 BASI I think it is fairly well recognised in Europe(bar France). That being said when I was doing my own course in Canada I did meet a couple of people who had done a level 1 course a month before I came out and had gotten employed at the resort they were doing the course at. This won't happen for everyone but if you choose a decent course provider they will very likely have a good reputation with the local resort and town. It'll all depend on the season and how many instructors have been taken on already.

I have personal experience with nonstop, they're a great group. Everything was really well organised and the instructors we had were great, every single one of them was level 3 or level 4 and had been snowboarding for years the ski instructors were all of the same level if not even more experienced. I was doing their 11 week course so I was aiming for level 2. By the level 1 exam I was feeling very confident about it and after looking at the people who did pass the exam from my group I feel I could have gotten it easily. Unfortunately I suffered a bad injury before getting to sit my exam which pretty much ended my season right then and there. But that injury was my own fault and noone elses I couldn't find any fault with the nonstop course or any of the guys running it and would definitely recommend them.

The main thing you have to look out for with these courses really is the price. There's a few variations between courses but really you come out with the same qualifications so you're best bet is to try to find the one that's the best value(but still from a reputable group!).

I do know www.snowboardcoach.co.uk do a BASI course for significantly cheaper than most others primarily because they run it in Bansko which saves a lot on accommodation and expenses and I have heard a lot of good reviews on them also. Obviously that's a snowboard group and they don't offer ski courses however I would advise emailing them to see if they have any information on a decent ski course they may know of some being run in Bansko as well.

robinph

I did Peak Leaders course in New Zealand a couple of years ago which was excellent. There were other course providers on the same mountains at the same time, and they all got the same training from the same instructors. the difference between buying from the likes of Peak Leaders or SitCo or whoever is what extras they might throw in. Like accommodation, meals, location and things like that.

I did a couple of weeks with Non Stop as well in Canada and that was also excellent.

The different companies are really just tour operators. Pick where you want to go, and possibly what nationality of qualification if you know where you want to work, then see who operates packages to there and what they bundle in for the price.

markhenry5

Hi Orl11
Check out our programmes on www.proskitraining.com. We are totally Irish owned and offer top quality gap courses in Soldeu that are great value. We will be updating our website in the next month and will have testimonials from all the guys who trained with us this season.
We will also have a section of 10 questions to ask a potential gap course provider. This could be helpful in deciding who to choose.