 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey all
I’m lucky enough to be spending the upcoming season in Whistler. I want to use the opportunity to improve my skiing as much as I can and so looking for recommendations as to how to go about that. I have been looking at potentially getting my L1 or L2 instructor qualification with CSIA; not with any real intent of becoming an instructor (although open to the possibility for a future season) but more as a nice thing to have. The L1 looks straightforward enough and from a bit of reading I think I’m at a level where I could probably give it a go just by doing the mandated course.
But, after that, is where I’m looking for some advice. I imagine I’d likely need some instruction/coaching to get me through the level 2. As I’ve already got accommodation (and work) sorted for the season, I’ve found a school who offer an ‘upgrade’ program lasting 3 weeks from L1-L2 for approx £1500. Whilst this would be affordable it does beg the question of whether, for that same amount of monetary investment I’d be better off spending it on lessons/coaching as really I’m looking to improve my ski ability, particularly off piste. Lessons through WB mountain do seem incredibly expensive compared to Europe.
So my ask is twofold, first am I likely to improve more through a L2 instructor programme or through putting the money to use in other forms of lessons. And, if so, does anybody have contact of a good coach/guide or recommendations of what I should be looking for?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Do you have a work visa? Easiest thing, particularly if you have accomodation sorted is pick up some hours teaching kids with WB ski school and then get access to their coaches for free professional development.
£1500 is pretty good for 3 weeks coaching as a punter though.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I agree with Dave. Where I live in Canada the course for instructors is a fairly common route to take for lifelong Skiiers who want to get better.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
£1500 is pretty good for 3 weeks coaching as a punter though. |
Agreed, it's pretty much what you'd pay on a weekly basis with Warren Smith in Verbier.
Private lessons in Whistler are pricey, and I don't think you can teach without going through the official schools, so the £1500 offer sounds a good bet.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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As everyone above has said
Good luck
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Bordtea, have you got your accommodation sorted? If not, get into that asap as it's not easy to get accommodation.
Lessons are very expensive in Whistler, so as others have said £1500 sounds good. If you do end up instructing, the Whistler ski school are good at putting you through and rebating the majority of costs of additional qualifications.
My daughter has been out for 2 years and about to do her 3rd, so feel free to PM me for more info
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From personal (albeit BASI not CSIA) experience I'd definitely recommend going through to the L2 as a means of significantly improving your overall skiing. At that level, although there is a fair amount of other content, the prime focus is on getting you to ski well enough, consistently enough, to be able to accurately demonstrate the skills you'll be expected to be teaching. It will cover short and long on-piste turns, why they're so different (the Swiss refer to them as carved vs. skidded turns, which I think is a useful way of thinking) and how they can be combined, as well as bumps, "variables" (i.e. off-piste) and steeps.
I haven't studied the CSIA syllabus but am sure that all of those elements, oh and perhaps some freestyle as well, will be included, and doing it all within the same system, ideally with the same one or two instructors, such that you come to realise how transferrable some of the basic skills are across apparently differing techniques, is invaluable, IMO.
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Doing an instructor course will likely improve your own performance. Is it the best option? Probably not. There's a reason no future Olympians are getting sent to do instructor training. You would be better having instruction based solely on improving your skiing rather than training you to become an instructor.
Of course it depends on your goals and other factors. As pointed out if you fancy doing some instruction work and get access to some quality coaching on the cheap through a related development program it might be the best option.
If you are there for a whole season I'd probably skip an intensive course. Better doing a lesson every week or 2 and working on things in between.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thank you all - really appreciate it. I like the idea of doing the L1 then trying to pick up some work with a local school. If I can keep my hours low enough without losing accommodation(!) in the job I have lined up this sounds like the way to go.
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@boabski, Still there then. Good for her. Mine's off to NZ in November.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@RedandWhiteFlachau, yeah. Has got an employer Visa extension and she solely teaches adaptive now. She's hoping to coach for the Invictus games when they come. Doubt she'll leave Canada tbh. Hope your daughter enjoys NZ
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Bordtea wrote: |
I’ve found a school who offer an ‘upgrade’ program lasting 3 weeks from L1-L2 for approx £1500. Whilst this would be affordable it does beg the question of whether, for that same amount of monetary investment I’d be better off spending it on lessons/coaching as really I’m looking to improve my ski ability, particularly off piste. Lessons through WB mountain do seem incredibly expensive compared to Europe.
So my ask is twofold, first am I likely to improve more through a L2 instructor programme or through putting the money to use in other forms of lessons. |
Sounds like you have found either Alltracks and/or Yes improvement camps, as both offer instructor courses. If you don't really intend to work as an instructor in the future, you could just do their ski improvement courses instead. I haven't looked at the pricing for Alltracks as their offerings are a minimum of two weeks, but last year Yes! looked very competitively priced at ~C$950/week. You can stack your weeks together to make it a 3 week long course, or take breaks in between to put what you've learned into practice. That way you'd be solely focused on improvement vs spending some of your course time on pedagogy and lesson construction.
What might better with your work schedule is getting the lesson pass - 15 group lessons for C$2250. If you go midweek outside of peak weeks, you have a decent chance of having your lesson converted into a private or at least having only 1-2 other classmates in your group. In the level 5/6 classes, you're quite likely to get a CSIA4 qualified instructor, so you'd get the same calibre of instruction as at the camps....just not the social aspect or the video analysis.
Once you find an instructor that you click with, you can request them / make plans to be in their class the next time & start to progressively build on what you've learned. In your shoes - and depending on your work schedule of course - I'd do 3-5 consecutive days at the start of my season and then 1x a week thereafter. It's really YMMV with recommendations - we all learn in very different ways.
(Btw, I hope you have bought your season pass already! You need to get it before the end of November - unless you can get a Spirit Pass through your work, that is.)
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