10 week combined ski instructor & off piste course

A warm welcome at the airport, and a coach ride to the resort to settle into your accommodation. Next morning, we’ll give you a welcome briefing, introduce you to our instructors and help you choose your ski equipment. We’ll show you around the resort and collect your season pass before bringing the group together for a welcome party with a couple of drinks and some of Whistler’s greatest pizza.

Meet at 9 where Guy will oversee the split into coaching groups and you’ll meet your personal instructor. Get ready to explore the whole of the Whistler Blackcomb resort so you know the lie of the land. With loads of miles under your belt in the first few days, your coach will already be able to analyse your technique – whilst you have fun! A always, we will finish the coaching week with group Apres Ski.

Building on your experiences in week 1, we’ll start coaching according to our Unique Training Formula which splits sessions into Component, Challenge and Free Range tuition. Using regular video analysis you’ll see your progress visually and also receive instructor methodology clinics too. We will also cover ski maintenance one evening so you keep your gear in the best possible condition. And don’t forget the weekly apres-ski socials!

Time for your first exam.  Our entire coaching team are qualified examiners so you’ll feel confident and well prepared.  We’ll be here to celebrate your success on completion too.  With the first step under your belt, you’ll get a few days off to free-ski and enjoy Whistler before moving on to bigger things.

Now that your skiing skills will have progressed significantly, we want to introduce you to backcountry safety. Despite being an “instructor course”, a large number of students are undertaking the course to improve their all mountain and off piste ski technique. Therefore, it is important to also gain an understanding of the mountain environment and avalanche safety.  It is only sensible to couple this advancement in ski ability with learning about the mountains and how to navigate avalanche risk. The Canadian Avalanche Association has an extremely well researched and considered way of teaching this to recreational skiers and this is included in your course. 

In addition to  the AST L1+, you’ll also continue with your all mountain ski coaching and hopefully enjoy some DEEP Canadian powder.

As we do with all our courses, the training will continue to follow the ALLTRACKS training formula combining high level technical ski improvement in off piste terrain. Your coaches will always seek out the best snow and ensure that you enjoy lots of Canadian powder and access all the terrain Canada’s biggest resort has to offer – including plenty of secret spots.

We will also continue to run video analysis sessions so you can visualise what is going well, and what needs to be worked on.

Off slope, this 10 week ski course coincides with lots of resort events. So in addition to our weekly socials, there are freestyle competitions with world class skiers to appreciate, the Peak to Valley Race, Martin Luther King Day, Australia Day (lots of Aussie’s in Whistler), Spring Break and lots more…

In either week 8 or 9, you will undertake the CAA AST Level 2. Ski touring through the Garibaldi Park backcountry, this part of the programme builds on what was covered in the AST 1+ and provides a more advanced decision making framework for skiing in the backcountry. Covering planning and travel techniques, more complex companion rescue scenarios and a deeper understanding of the snowpack and avalanche terrain, this week is critical to enable you to learn more about the mountain to get the most out of your skiing.

The cumulative week begins with more off piste coaching. You never stop learning and your coaches will continue to help refine your technique throughout this week, whilst also enjoying some iconic descents. Both Whistler and Blackcomb boast plenty and we’ll make sure to hit your favourites this week. We will finish off with a final Apres and hope that you leave the course skiing as confidently and gracefully in deep snow, down steep slopes as you do only the easy pistes. That, together with gathering mountain safety knowledge, is the overriding aim of this programme as well as making plenty of freidns who love the mountains too.

If you have undertaken the course with the aim of going on to work as an instructor, we want to help you. However, please understand that a job is not guaranteed. We are available to help you move forward in your career, and are best placed to do this if given plenty of time. If you are keen to instruct, please do contact the team (even before your course begins) so we can help begin the process.