Become an instructor and help new riders take their first turns

You can achieve a lot by going to the mountains for a few months - improving your riding, making some new friends and learning some new drinking games.

You can also give your CV a boost by earning some instructor qualifications. Preparing for the exams will help refine your snowboarding technique and give you lucrative skills you can put to use in future seasons.

You'll also find that many of the qualifications you gain can be used in other countries. However it's best to check what exams you'll be sitting and whether the qualifications will be accepted in countries you may want to teach in, in the future.

Courses range in length from three to 12 weeks and can help you build up good selection of qualifications, depending on how long you’ve got to prepare.

Here's our guide to some of the most popular instructor courses and academies around the world. School was never this much fun...

Many courses offer the chance to get some big mountain experience

PowderTrip - Canada - www.powder-trip.com

PowderTrip offer 12-week instructor courses in the Canadian resort of Kicking Horse. Their courses prepare participants for the CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors) Level 1 Instructors exam - and you can take further exams later in the season. Their courses offer instruction five days a week and pupils are taught in groups of six or seven, organised according to ability. Packages include a variety of accommodation and catering options and you can add extras to your trip such as avalanche and first aid training, heli-boarding, ice-climbing, snowmobiling and mid-season trips to other Canadian resorts.

Powderroom.net readers get a £250 discount on all instructor courses during the 2007/8 season. Just mention the offer when you book.


Nonstop Snowboard - Canada - www.nonstopsnowboard.com

NonStop Snowboard run 11-week instructor courses in the Canadian resorts of Fernie, Red Mountain, Banff and Whistler. Their courses include 25 hours of coaching per week, video analysis and weekly seminars on topics such as snowboard maintenance, instruction techniques and the history of snowboarding. You can prepare for the CASI Level 1 qualification and further qualifications afterwards. There are also three week courses to build up to the CASI Level 1 exam.


Alltracks Academy - Canada - www.alltracksacademy.com

A family-run company offering instructor courses in Whistler lasting four or 11 weeks. Course packages include flights from the UK, transfers, all tuition, off-piste guiding, avalanche training, exam fees, accommodation and season ski pass. The accommodation is in central Whistler/Blackcomb condos and chalets with evening meals included from Mondays to Thursdays.


Base Camp Group - France, Canada and New Zealand - www.basecampgroup.com

Off-piste and avalanche safety skills are among the classes and sessions you can take on many courses

Base Camp Group offer four, eight and 11 week instructor courses in several French and Canadian resorts and in New Zealand too. The Canadian courses lead to CASI qualifications, while the European ones are for BASI and the New Zealand courses lead to NZSIA qualifications. All courses include transfers, accommodation, 25 to 30 hours a week of coaching, first aid course, video analysis and evening workshops.

SnowSkool - Canada and New Zealand - www.snowskool.co.uk

SnowSkool has been operating snowboard and ski instructor training courses in the Canadian resorts of Banff, Big White and Cardrona, New Zealand for more than four years now. Courses on offer range from four to 10 or 11 weeks and skiers and snowboarders of all abilities are welcome. Tuition takes place in small groups with people of similar riding ability and experience. Their website also offers a forum where you can find out who else will be on your course. Snowskool can also help you find work using your new qualifications.

Rookie Academy - New Zealand and USA - www.rookieacademy.com

Rookie Academy have been running instructor training since 1992. Their course options include a 20 week internship course at Keystone, Colorado where you gain practical work experience while training for your PSIA or AASI Level 1 and 2 exams.  There's also a 13 week dual qualification course at Treble Cone, NZ on which you gain your BASI instructor qualification and your NZSIA CSI qualification on the same course.  All courses include airport transfers, accommodation, 20 hours a week of coaching, exam fees, video analysis, evening workshops, ski and board tuning and a Heli Ski day (NZ only). The Rookie Academy has also established a network of ski schools throughout North America and New Zealand that will employ their graduates based on their recommendation.