Ski Instructor Course Banff, Canada Review

A snowHead

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share an experience I had with a 'Gap Year' company I used this winter in Banff, Canada to get my Ski Instructor Certifications. I used this smaller company called Timberline Canadian Alpine Academy. I enrolled in their Instructor Internship Program. The company is run by two really nice local guys named Brett and James. They had jobs as instructors lined up for us before we arrived and we got the absolute best training while we were there! Many of their competitors seem to put their clients up in hotels or hostels. Brett and James had us sorted with proper houses and apartments in the city centre. Its a season long program so having your own place was ideal over staying in an overcrowded hostel or hotel. We went on lot's of fun group trips together, learned avalanche rescue, wilderness first aid skills and even had a Christmas Dinner together complete with Moose! This is a great local company run by guys who really cared about us. I would recommend them 10 out of 10! Their website is http://timberlineacademy.com and we made this sweet video together

Timberline Canadian Alpine Academy from Timberline Alpine Academy

https://vimeo.com/164757650 Laughing

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A snowHead

Your post reads like spam which ultimately won't be good for the business. Good points, bad points, things which weren't ideal. Value for money - sense of what you spent on the course v what you earned teaching. Did you have to organise your own work visa etc?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Dave of the Marmottes. You're right haha. I dont work for them. I just wanted to write a nice review online for them as a thank you. The trip cost about £4000 plus about another £1500 in flights, insurance and kit. Canada is far less expensive than the trips I did in Europe with uni. Drink and food seem to be a much less expensive. The most difficult thing in setting it all up was the Working Holiday Visa to be honest. The Canadian government makes it really difficult and its basically a lottery. I enrolled with these guys after I had already secured mine.

I didn't make much as an instructor. There would be no way of paying off the course with the money I earned. Probably only worked about 3-4 days a week but it was a fun experience. I worked at Mt. Norquay which is the smallest of the three resorts in Banff. I wouldn't personally ever recommend on going to Norquay on a vacation but it was a fun place to work and the closest of the three resorts to Banff.

We went to visit Kickinghorse and Revelstoke. Those places are incredible skiing but didn't seem to have much of a nightlife or anything really going on in the towns. I had gone to Whistler with my family at the end of 6 form and I think I liked the actual mountain better but Banff seemed to have less tourists.

All-in-all the key for me was probably the housing. There was another group of interns working at Norquay from a company called EA and they had them all staying up at a hostel 6 to a room or so. We lived in a nice house in the city centre. I'm 23 years old so that was important for me. Especially because the course was almost 5 months long.

Thanks,

B

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Good points raised by bfrost. I did my first level CSIA course independently of any of the Tour Operators. That is what the companies offering these courses from the UK are usually. T.O. selling you a dream. The actual cost of the CSIA course I did in 2005 was $275 I think from memory. If you are already a good standard skier there really is no need to sign up for one of the commercial 10 or 12 week "courses". You will learn all you need to know on the CSIA course. Go to their website and check out today's courses/prices. Obviously I had to make my own way there, pay for my accommodation, food, lift pass etc., and I admit I had NO intention of wanting to work as an instructor in Canada at that time, just wanted to improve my own skiing. Sounds like the bfrost experience was a better bet than some. Well done for taking the time/trouble to find out about Tmberline Academy. PS. I did actually end up teaching for a few months in 2012-13, at a local hill in Edmonton after my partner got a job in Canada!

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Ski Instructor Course Banff, Canada Review

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