Snow Adventure

What to Look for in a Ski Instructor Course and Snowboard Instructor Course

November 13th, 2009 / Ski Instructor Courses & Snowboard Instructor Courses

So you are planning on getting a ski instructor qualification or snowboard instructor qualification in Canada. But how do you choose from the multitude of ski instructor courses and snowboard instructor courses on offer by different companies and at different ski resorts? What are the differences between these instructor courses? It’s a lot of money that you are planning to spend so I’d like to help you choose wisely.

First of all it’s important to know what it is that you’d like to achieve and how much money you have at your disposal. Generally there are 2 kinds of instructor courses. There are shorter courses that range from 4 to 5 weeks and longer ones that range from 10 to 14 weeks the latter of which are naturally much more expensive. If you are after only the first level of qualification (CSIA or CASI level 1) a shorter instructor course would do. However if you’d like to gain the second level (CSIA or CASI level 2) you have to choose the longer option.

Even so there are quite substantial differences in cost when you compare instructor courses of similar duration. The cost will depend on the number of instruction hours offered by the course, the number of skiers/snowboarders per group as well as the type of accommodation. Some courses include flights (mostly from the UK), airport transfers, meals etc. and these will affect the cost of the course but not necessarily the total amount that you would spend if these were not included.

Some of the most important variables that affect the quality of tuition on ski and snowboard instructor courses are group sizes, total hours of tuition and the certification level of the instructor. Make sure that the course you enroll in guarantees group sizes of maximum 6 skiers or snowboarders to 1 instructor. Any more than this and the quality of training will suffer. 20 - 25 hours of tuition per week is preferred but I would urge you to consider group size before hours of tuition. Also make sure that the instructors are at least CSIA level 3 or CASI level 3 certified instructors.

When it comes to accommodation, meals and additional activities it really is up to the individual to decide. If you’re after luxury, look for a course that offers ski-in/ski-out accommodation, private hot tubs etc. Catered meals are a big plus. I can assure you that you will not feel like cooking or dining out every night and generally this option works out less expensive. Perhaps a good middle ground is an instructor course that offers 5 dinners per week. This will allow you the freedom of doing as you please for the other 3 nights.

Read up on the resort. Some resorts are more commercialized and some are less so. How many bars and restaurants do they have? What about access to a grocery store. Also check the terrain. Is there enough of it and enough variety to suit your liking? How many lifts does the resort have and how new are they. Slow lifts can eat up a significant amount of time that could otherwise be spent skiing or boarding. Most of the courses in Canada are offered in Western Canada and this is exactly where the best snow quality is to be found. So no difficulty in deciding there!

I hope that this will give you an idea of what to look for when you are researching ski instructor courses or snowboard instructor courses.

Have a look at what Snow adventure offers: Ski & Snowboard Instructor Courses

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Snow Adventure Launches Ski & Snowboard Instructor Courses at Big White Ski Resort, BC, Canada

November 7th, 2009 / Press releases

“In season 09/10 skiers and snowboarders of intermediate level and above will be able to gain an instructor qualification in 4 weeks at Big White Ski Resort…”

After experiencing huge success with their ski and snowboard improvement courses Snow Adventure has decided to launch ski and snowboard instructor courses at Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada. Skiers and snowboarders who are interested in gaining an instructor qualification will now be able to train for 3 weeks in preparation for the CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance) and CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors) level 1 and level 2 certification courses.

“At the moment it is quite challenging to enter the ski and snowboard instructor course market. Many companies that offer more or less the same products have sprung up in the last few years. However the courses are very popular and offer a great opportunity for those who want to enter the field of ski or snowboard instruction and also to those who want to spend a few exciting weeks in the mountains and work towards a goal at the same time.” says Eon van Zyl, director of Snow Adventure. “We believe in a personalized approach and decided that smaller group sizes would offer greater quality to our clients. We guarantee a maximum of for skiers or boarders per group, which is the smallest number within the industry that we know of.”

Snow Adventure will run two 4 week ski instructor and snowboard instructor courses this season, one starting in January geared towards the level 1 and one starting in February geared towards the level 2.

Interested parties can contact Snow Adventure at info@snow-adventure.com and visit www.snow-adventure.com for more information.

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Snow Adventure Ski & Snowboard Courses at Big White Resort a Huge Success

November 7th, 2009 / Press releases

“Season 08/09 saw the launch of Snow Adventure Ski and Snowboard Improvement Courses at Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada. In stall for this coming season are intensive ski and snowboard instructor courses. …”

For_Immediate_Release:

September 3, 2009 —
Snow Adventure hosted over 5 weeks of courses at the spectacular Big White Ski Resort
including a 3 week Master the Mountain Course, a ski and snowboard Boot Camp as well as an intensive Bump Clinic.

These courses have drawn additional visitors to the already popular resort and are making sure that the ski and snowboard industry caters to needs of the ski and snowboard public. There are lots of skiers and snowboarders out there who feel that they want to take their skills further in order to derive more satisfaction from the sport. An intensive week or so of expert personalised tuition, goal setting, video analysis, fun and team spirit is an excellent alternative to regular ski school lessons that is guaranteed to take you to that next level.

Snow Adventure is running regular ski and snowboard Boot Camps for the upcoming season as well as two 3 week Master the Moutain courses and several Bump Clinics.

In addition to these improvement courses Snow Adventure is also launching intensive ski and snowboard instructor courses. Skiers and snowboarders who are already of at least intermediate level will be able to gain an instructor qualification in only 4 weeks training with experts in the field. CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance) and CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors) level 1 qualified instructors now also have the option of attending a 3 week level 2 preparation course before sitting the level 2. Snow Adventure believes that personalised service is the key to superior quality and therefore the instructor groups are limited to 4 students per instructor.

Snow Adventure was the initiative of Eon van Zyl, CSIA level 3 instructor at the Big White International Ski and Board School. Eon is a former world championship medallist in Tumbling Gymnastics as well as a qualified physiotherapist. Eon made the transition from gymnast and gymnastic coach to ski instructor after going on a skiing holiday and falling in love with the sport and lifestyle.

Interested skiers and snowboarders can contact Snow Adventure at info@snow-adventure.com or visit www.snow-adventure.com

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Powder Perfect

October 29th, 2009 / Ski Improvement

I am often asked by clients: “How does one ski powder?”, as though there might be some secret trick that good powder skiers have up their sleeves so they can float gracefully and seemingly effortlessly in the wonderfully fluffy snow.

The fact is that good powder skiers are simply good skiers who have had enough experience skiing in all snow conditions to apply their technique to powder. In order to ski well in powder one must also be able to ski well on hard packed groomed snow just as is the case with skiing well on steeps or bumps. But being good on groomed terrain does not automatically guarantee that powder will be easy. One also needs to clock the miles in powder. The problem is that we don’t always have consistent access to fresh snow to gain experience. So how can we prepare ourselves best in other snow conditions so that when the heavens open up we are ready to seize the opportunity to learn the adaptations necessary in powder?

Solid ski technique forms the foundation. Seek the advice of an experienced ski instructor who will be able to pinpoint your weaknesses and implement a plan to develop your skills. It might be improved balance, mobility, turning effort or coordination that you need. What you struggle with most on groomed terrain will be your greatest challenge in powder as well.

Though experienced skiers make powder skiing look effortless the truth is that it is more demanding than skiing on hard packed snow. Powder provides greater resistance to the turning of the skis and therefore a stronger turning effort is necessary. We also use more mobility in the legs to free the skis up from the snow momentarily in every turn. Snow resistance against the front of our legs changes throughout the turn and this requires constant adjustment in our stance and balance. All this calls for harder work but when you get it right it feels so good!

Here is something for you to practice on days when we don’t have fresh snow:

Developing a centred and mobile stance is ever so important. Hopping throughout your turns will help you achieve this. At a moderate pace and in a medium size turn shape start doing some hops. Make sure that the movement is coming from all three leg joints namely your ankles, knees and hips and that you keep your upper body quiet. Every time you hop you should feel your shins coming away from the front of the boot and on every landing your shins should make firm contact with the boot again. This ensures that you are using your ankles correctly. The whole ski should lift off the snow evenly and the hops should be continuous in order to create a rebound effect. Once you get the hang of this try it in some smaller turns until you can do them in really short turns with one hop into every turn. When you do the short turns you should keep your shoulders square to the fall line and your legs should do the turning.

If you work on this consistently you will notice a real difference when you apply your new found balance and mobility the next time champagne powder descends from the sky.

Here are some other pointers for skiing in powder:

Pole plant: A firm pole plant in between every turn will help stabilize your upper body providing you keep your hands stable too.
Let the skis run: Skiing a little faster in powder overcomes some of the resistance because you float more on top of the snow.
Keep your hands forward: This will help you maintain a centred stance on your skis.
Make yourself more compact: If you look at yourself in a mirror from side on you should see your back make an even C-shape. This will lower your centre of gravity which will add to your stability.
Get the first lift up and make some fresh tracks: Skiing untouched snow is much smoother and less demanding than skiing in snow that has been cut up by other skiers and snowboarders.
Ski the groomers: Fresh snow makes changes in terrain less obvious and this can catch you out. Ski the fresh powder on the groomers where you know what lies underneath until you are more advanced.
Play around with your turn shape: You can do any size turn in powder so play around with it to develop your versatility. In larger turns the pressure is more evenly spread throughout the turn which means the floatation is more constant. They also allow more time to turn your skis. Pressure changes happen more rapidly in short turns resulting in sinking deeper towards the end of the turn and they require a stronger turning effort making them more challenging than larger turns.
Narrow your stance: Skiing with your feet closer together will create the effect of skiing on one platform. A wider stance makes it more likely to get one ski caught up in the snow. Just make sure that there is still a wide enough space between the tips of your skis so that they don’t ever touch while you are skiing.
Let your next pair of skis be all-mountain skis: Skis that are wider underfoot will aid floatation. Aim for something in the region of 74 – 78mm underfoot. This type of ski is a good all-rounder.

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From Fear to Confidence

October 2nd, 2009 / Ski Improvement

Under-estimating or over-estimating your skiing ability can have undesirable consequences. Jumping over-confidently off the edge of The Cliff, a double black diamond run at Big White Ski Resort, for the first time can be risky. But, on the flip side, having very little belief in your ability can allow fear to take over with equally disastrous results. Fear puts us in panic mode and we become incapable of using the skills we have at our disposal. Basic technique crumbles and when this happens we are at risk of injury.

No skier who skis something as steep as The Cliff for the first time feels completely confident that they will make it down in one piece. How can we have total confidence when we have never done it before? At this point it’s not only confidence that we need, but also courage. Courage helps us to overcome fear and enables us to be assertive. And once you’ve made it down The Cliff for the first time all the courage that you had to scrape together will be transformed into glorious confidence because then you will have proof that you can do it!

Have you ever faced a ski-run that is more difficult than you have ever been down before hoping that you will somehow be able to find the confidence to step into the unknown? But then you turn away from the challenge, promising yourself that you will return another day when you will have more confidence? Chances are that you have not done the necessary preparation. Confidence will not magically appear at your door step but it is much easier to get than you might think.

It really is a very good thing that confidence is not readily available to us. We are forced to follow a rational approach of gradually pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, bit by bit, as we become better skiers so that we build confidence that is based on good experiences. This is clearly the safest way to progress.

I’m going to give you some tips on how to continually top up your confidence as you improve so that when you arrive at the top of The Cliff you will be able to draw on past experiences to find the confidence and courage to drop in and be assertive.

As yet I have been too afraid to try bungee jumping but I’ve always thought that if I could start with a 4 meter drop and work my way up little by little I would eventually be able to do a 100m jump. Unfortunately, for me, this is not a very practical way to bungee jump. Fortunately in skiing it is possible and also necessary to take this approach if you want to increase your confidence and your ability while staying safe. Sometimes, though, because of the available terrain it is necessary to take a little leap of faith. And the very first bit of the Cliff is an example of that. But only once you have progressed through the following steps.

Let’s assume you are already skiing single black runs comfortably. Make your way up the Bullet Express Chair and traverse into the Cliff area through Camel’s Back. Familiarise yourself with the environment and look up to the top of The Cliff. The view from here isn’t nearly as intimidating. From this vantage point you will also be able to start planning where you will drop in from the top and which route you will take on your way down. Now at least you’ve been on The Cliff and you have some experience of it. This is a confidence top up. Yes! Continue to traverse to the other side of the Cliff Chair lift line and make your way to the chair and travel back up. Do this a few times and feel your confidence and excitement grow. You are making great progress.

Now it’s time to ski down from the top of Camel’s Back. You can get there from the Alpine T-bar or the Cliff Chair. It is a lower starting point than from the top of The Cliff and not as steep. You’ll also find that since you traversed into the bowl just a little below this run it will seem quite manageable. The difference this time is that you will make some turns on your way down! It is important to remember the basics of good ski technique. Acceleration will be quicker than you are used to through the part of the turn where your skis are pointing straight down so make firm contact with your shin on the front of the boot to stay on top of your feet. Use a strong pole plant just before every turn. This serves the dual purpose of stabilizing your upper body and helping you to stay balanced on your downhill ski. You can also start your turn in a snow plough and bring your skis parallel as you come across the slope. This is your second confidence top up. Yes!

After having done this successfully as many times as it takes to have complete confidence it is now time for you to make the next little leap of faith! This time you are going to ski from the top of The Cliff. Now when you are standing at the top overlooking the glorious bowl below you will feel confidence, courage and exhilaration. Be decisive, make assertive pole plants and ski your way to the bottom. And once you’ve done it you will probably utter exactly the same words as many skiers before you: “It wasn’t that bad! Let’s do it again!” Major confidence boost. Yes, yes, yes!

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