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Participant Requirements
This programme requires all participants to be active, so academy students need to ensure they feel relatively fit and able to join a programme of this nature. You should be an advanced beginner or intermediate skier/rider.
Programme Age Limit
Minimum age 18, maximum age decided upon potential participant’s health.
Course Outline
Working in small groups, you will have all practical and theoretical lessons on the mountain. The course operates 4 days a week, with the weekends off and one weekday kept free. This flexibility allows the course to make up for any lost days due to the weather.
As well as covering the main course criteria, there are additional informal courses that will benefit you for both your instruction and overall mountain awareness.
Back Country Safety and Avalanche Awareness
This course is covered at the start of the programme. It teaches the students to be able to identify dangerous ski areas and make safe route selections, as well as to be able to understand the risk of avalanche. You specifically learn:
- How to spot basic danger signs
- Where to obtain information about avalanche risk and how to understand this informatio
- Skiing and riding in safe back country check points
- Avalanche Beacon Training (takes a full day)
Although the course is informal, it is vitally important that you learn all of its content in-depth. Breaking of the mountain rules may lead to your pass being confiscated and you having to leave the course.
CSI Exam
You will complete your exam at the end of your course. This is to ensure you have had adequate time to meet all of the correct examination criteria and are prepared for all types of scenarios in a teaching situation.
Daily Transport
Because you will be accommodated close to the mountain lifts, you will not require transport to the mountain each day. However, transport is available on the local shuttle buses, which moves between the resort villages, if you wish to visit supermarkets etc. A return journey will cost you £2 approximately and during the evening the buses are free.
Programme Support
Throughout your programme, you will have the support and supervision of our qualified Instructors. Each are fully qualified and experienced, and are able to provide you with all the instructional and safety support necessary on a programme like this. They will also provide you with competent assistance and help you with any questions or advice you may need during your stay. The Academy staff will be on hand throughout the day and the Academy Director will be available to you 24 hours a day if you have any serious problems or emergencies.
In addition, we will provide you with a 24 hour emergency contact number before you depart, so that you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.
Orientation
At the start of your programme you will receive a local orientation, to go alongside your pre-departure handbook. This orientation will be conducted by our local programme coordinator, (your course instructor) the day after you arrive, covering the following areas:
- Course outline – structure of programme
- CSI and NZSIA Stage 1 exam criteria
- Local area: Niseko resort and it’s various amenities
- Safety: how to remain safe during the course; ski areas to avoid; how to read threat of avalanche and signs etc. More detail regarding mountain safety is covered in your course.
- Expected behaviour and course commitment
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