Gap Year Ski Instructor Courses

During the last several years there has been a proliferation of courses that specialise in the training of skiers with the aim of preparing them to qualify as ski instructors. Many of these courses are designed to improve the performance of the skiers which enables access to those who only wish to increase their skill, as well as those who plan to make a career out of teaching the sport they love.

Becoming a fully qualified ski instructor can take many years, but the first stage is to get the minimum qualification required to teach and go from there. This can be achieved fairly easily within a winter ski season (December to April in the Northern Hemisphere or June to September in the Southern Hemisphere). This means one of the increasingly popular methods of becoming a ski instructor is to take a Gap Year Course.

A gap year is traditionally a period of time taken before embarking on a university education. Many opt for volunteer work overseas or simply travelling and having fun. Learning to become a ski instructor combines the possibility of gaining a qualification with the chance to do something fun at the same time. Of course, you don’t have to be a student to take a gap year and increasingly it is more common for higher age groups to take some time to do something different.

Before embarking on a gap year ski instructor’s course it is worth finding out what kind of level your skiing should be. In general, most companies that offer courses state that you should be able to ski competently on most slopes and be able to handle a black run. You do not have to be a world class ski racer or an off piste powder expert to start your career as a ski instructor. Peak Leaders, one of the largest companies offering comprehensive training towards ski instructor qualifications state on their website, Ideally you should be intermediate or better. Although some athletic trainees have not quite been up to this standard they reached Canadian level 1 in 9 weeks. By intermediate we mean, able to link turns down an intermediate slope and not to too fazed on black.

The next decision to make is what time of the year you want to take to complete your course. Typically, to reach the minimum qualification to work as a ski instructor with a ski school, the courses on offer last about 10 weeks. This fills up the majority of the ski season, although often there will be a few weeks either side of the course to stay in the resort. You have several options when deciding when to take your course.

Northern Hemisphere European Winter season: December to April (European Alps and North America)
Southern Hemisphere Winter season: June to September (New Zealand, Australia and South America)
Northern Hemisphere Summer: July to September (European Alpine Glaciers)

Many courses also offer accommodation in resort and although this is not always compulsory to take, generally it makes sense as you become part of a team and all the activities will be based around where you are staying. Should you choose not to take accommodation then you will have to find your own in resort and probably have to take something for the entire season. This will often be more costly and it can also prove tricky to find something suitable.

Why take a gap year course? Companies that offer these type of courses have grown in the last 10 years and cater mainly for skiers who live outside of the traditional alpine nations (EG: UK, Denmark, Australia). The courses prepare skiers for all aspects of dealing with the training and examinations that the various national bodies for the assessment of ski instructors require. The trainers who run the courses are highly qualified ski teachers who are there to pass experience onto their trainees and cover all aspects of what is required to become a ski instructor. This includes, personal skiing development, training in teaching techniques, first aid qualifications, off piste mountain safety and physical and biomechanical training. For someone who has never had any experience of ski instructing, this method is a fast, fun and action packed way to achieve results.

There are various companies which offer high quality Gap Year ski instructor courses and I have picked out a few to check out:

The Warren Smith Ski Academy: www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com

Warren Smith is a UK skier and runs courses in Switzerland throughout the winter and summer. Warren has a team of expert ski teachers who have developed a unique high profile program and have an excellent reputation for delivering results. Qualifications achieved are through BASI (British Association of Snowsports Instructors).

NonStop Snow: www.nonstopsnow.com

NonStop Snow is a family run UK founded company which runs courses in Canada and New Zealand. They work towards qualifying ski instructors through the Canadian and New Zealand associations.

Peak Leaders: www.peakleaders.com

Peak Leaders offer courses in various locations including the European Alps, South America and New Zealand. They work towards qualifying ski instructors through the Canadian, British and New Zealand associations.

We would love to hear from anyone who has been on a Ski Instructor Gap year course, with feedback on their course.