Banff Instructor courses, whats it all about?
Day to day life on the ski and snowboard courses
So you’ve seen the blogs and heard about life in Banff, the accommodation and restaurants, but what about the real reason you’re thinking of heading to Canada; the skiing and snowboarding? How much will you get done? How do the lessons work? How good will you get? This post will detail how the on-hill programme works and give you more of an idea of what you’ll be getting up to each day.
Weekly Schedule
The lessons run from Monday to Thursday, giving you about 18 hours of group training each week. As well as this your instructor will take you for an hour and a half private lesson every couple of weeks on Fridays so that you can have someone to one tuition and really focus on your own areas for improvement. This gives you at least 5 days on snow a week and still allows you plenty of time for practice and doing your own riding. Each day you’ll get on the bus at 9.10am (although there is a 7.45am option if you’re feeling keen or we have a fresh dump of snow!) which will get you up to the slopes in plenty of time for your 10.30am lesson start. Once you’ve met your instructor you’ll ski the full day with a break for lunch and jump on the 4.30pm bus home. At the start of the course you’ll be put into groups that you’ll stay with till the end of the level 1 exam. Each Monday you’ll head to the meeting point with your group to meet your new instructor. Once you’ve passed the level 1 we’ll rearrange the groups so you get the chance to ride with the rest of the Basecamp crew.
Group Size and Instructors
In each group we have limited the numbers to no more than eight students per instructor. This means that you’ll never be lost amongst all the others and the instructors can get to know everyone individually. We work with some of the most senior instructors at Lake Louise so you can be sure you’ll be getting the best possible tuition. Every trainer has many years working at the Lake under their belt and is at least level 3 qualified. You will also be taught for a couple of weeks by some of the level 4s who work out here meaning you’ll be riding with some of the best instructors in Canada! These instructors will rotate around take a different group each week so you’ll get to experience their different styles and benefit from a fresh perspective. You’ll always have something new to think about and work on!
Exams and Registration
Before you can take either the level 1 or level 2 exams you must register to become a member of the CSIA (for skiers) or the CASI (for snowboarders). This is very straightforward and can be done online once you get to Banff. We will guide you through the process during our first weekly meeting with you, so bring along your tablet or laptop! For the skiers there is also a short quiz that you’ll need to complete before you’re eligible for the test, but this can be done in your own time and once you’ve had a couple of weeks of lessons. The exam itself will take a very similar format to the lessons you’ll have had in the weeks leading up to it, so it should be quite familiar. You will be assessed on both your riding and your teaching, but you’ll have plenty of opportunity to demonstrate your skills. Each student will take a couple of mock lessons to teach the others in the group a certain skill as well as showing that you can analyse somebody’s riding and decide what needs to be changed and what drill they can use to help. You’ll also be showing that you’ve mastered certain turn shapes and have the ability to develop your skiing or boarding. The exams last three days and all the results will be announced once you’ve finished on the final day.
With all this time on snow, and with the focused attention you’ll be getting from the trainers, this is the perfect opportunity to really take your riding to the next level. The classes aren’t all drills and practice teaching and the instructors will be taking you all over the mountain to explore places you may never have found otherwise and which will help you to change the way you look at the slopes. From wide open powder bowls, to narrow chutes and gullies and endless tree runs, Lake Louise has it all and there’s no better place to push your riding to the limit.
Would you like to find out more information on our Ski/snowboard instructor courses in Banff?
So you’ve seen the blogs and heard about life in Banff, the accommodation and restaurants, but what about the real reason you’re thinking of heading to Canada; the skiing and snowboarding? How much will you get done? How do the lessons work? How good will you get? This post will detail how the on-hill programme works and give you more of an idea of what you’ll be getting up to each day.
Weekly Schedule
The lessons run from Monday to Thursday, giving you about 18 hours of group training each week. As well as this your instructor will take you for an hour and a half private lesson every couple of weeks on Fridays so that you can have someone to one tuition and really focus on your own areas for improvement. This gives you at least 5 days on snow a week and still allows you plenty of time for practice and doing your own riding. Each day you’ll get on the bus at 9.10am (although there is a 7.45am option if you’re feeling keen or we have a fresh dump of snow!) which will get you up to the slopes in plenty of time for your 10.30am lesson start. Once you’ve met your instructor you’ll ski the full day with a break for lunch and jump on the 4.30pm bus home. At the start of the course you’ll be put into groups that you’ll stay with till the end of the level 1 exam. Each Monday you’ll head to the meeting point with your group to meet your new instructor. Once you’ve passed the level 1 we’ll rearrange the groups so you get the chance to ride with the rest of the Basecamp crew.
Group Size and Instructors
In each group we have limited the numbers to no more than eight students per instructor. This means that you’ll never be lost amongst all the others and the instructors can get to know everyone individually. We work with some of the most senior instructors at Lake Louise so you can be sure you’ll be getting the best possible tuition. Every trainer has many years working at the Lake under their belt and is at least level 3 qualified. You will also be taught for a couple of weeks by some of the level 4s who work out here meaning you’ll be riding with some of the best instructors in Canada! These instructors will rotate around take a different group each week so you’ll get to experience their different styles and benefit from a fresh perspective. You’ll always have something new to think about and work on!
Exams and Registration
Before you can take either the level 1 or level 2 exams you must register to become a member of the CSIA (for skiers) or the CASI (for snowboarders). This is very straightforward and can be done online once you get to Banff. We will guide you through the process during our first weekly meeting with you, so bring along your tablet or laptop! For the skiers there is also a short quiz that you’ll need to complete before you’re eligible for the test, but this can be done in your own time and once you’ve had a couple of weeks of lessons. The exam itself will take a very similar format to the lessons you’ll have had in the weeks leading up to it, so it should be quite familiar. You will be assessed on both your riding and your teaching, but you’ll have plenty of opportunity to demonstrate your skills. Each student will take a couple of mock lessons to teach the others in the group a certain skill as well as showing that you can analyse somebody’s riding and decide what needs to be changed and what drill they can use to help. You’ll also be showing that you’ve mastered certain turn shapes and have the ability to develop your skiing or boarding. The exams last three days and all the results will be announced once you’ve finished on the final day.
With all this time on snow, and with the focused attention you’ll be getting from the trainers, this is the perfect opportunity to really take your riding to the next level. The classes aren’t all drills and practice teaching and the instructors will be taking you all over the mountain to explore places you may never have found otherwise and which will help you to change the way you look at the slopes. From wide open powder bowls, to narrow chutes and gullies and endless tree runs, Lake Louise has it all and there’s no better place to push your riding to the limit.
Would you like to find out more information on our Ski/snowboard instructor courses in Banff?
Banff ski instructor courses
Ski instructor courses in Banff -11 week CSIA level 1 and 2 Instructor course
Ski instructor courses in Banff – 4 week CSIA level 1 instructor course
Banff snowboard instructor courses
Snowboard instructor courses in Banff – 11 week CSIA level 1 and 2 instructor course
Snowboard instructor courses in Banff – 4 week CSIA level 1 instructor course
Blurb
Schedule, groups and exams, everything you need to know about Basecamp’s on-hill program at Lake Louise.
