Train to become a ski or snowboard instructor in one of the most beautiful  Ski resorts in the world. Val d´Isere has a huge stunning ski area, hundreds of kilometres of off piste and an enviable nightlife and atmosphere the other resorts only dream of. This is the ideal place to do your snow sports instructor course. Staying in central accommodation in resort, with state-of-the-art equipment we partner with one of the top ski instructor training centres in Europe

Ski Instructor & Snowboard Instructor Highlights Include:

Starting Ability & Eligibility Criteria

To apply for this program you should have a good base level. This means you should be able to comfortably ski parallel turns down red runs in most conditions, you will be comfortable on lots of different terrains including simple mogul skiing and easy off piste. On average course participants have about 8 to 10 weeks of skiing experience that many reached the required level in much less time. If you are unsure please do ask us.

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Full Details

So you’re contemplating becoming a ski or snowboard instructor. Congratulations on a fine life choice, you have our 100% support to enable you to do this! Please note we use the term ski instructor or snowboard instructor course interchangeably throughout this itinerary.

You deserve only the best for your ski instructor training

We run a very select number of ski instructor or snowboard instructor courses throughout the world, for the very reason that we only want you to have the best training, experience and location when completing the course. The Xtreme Gap Year Val d´Isere ski instructor course is no exception. This is the creme de la creme of all snow sports instructor courses. We do not wish to brag but we do feel the need to point out that no two ski instructor courses are the same and the course we have put together with our partners goes way beyond the normal industry standards. With 180 hours of training (as opposed to typically 100 hours), resort central – ski in ski out – accommodation that is not stretched to the limits of occupancy, world-class training and loads of extra inclusions (see the included section) which would all be local payments on other courses included in the course fee you may find cheaper ski or snowboard instructor courses out there, but none would live up to the experience of the Xtreme Gap Year training program. When you’re talking about value for money nothing comes close.

The extension option

As if this was not enough we also offer a great value extension for only £450 you can stay in Val d´Isere for the entire season with all of your accommodation and lift pass included bringing your total time in resort to a massive 17 weeks!

The season workers option

We also offer job assistance and a guaranteed job offer in resort for those that wish to work during the course. This is an optional upgrade please check pricing for the details.

Ski Instructor & Snowboard Instructor Course Val d´Isere Timetable

As a general rule of thumb the training takes place Monday to Friday with the weekends off for free skiing. Weeks two, nine and ten will run from 9am to about 4.30pm whilst weeks one, three, four, five, six, seven and eight will involve 15 hours of instruction and analysis per week.

Week 1:

Saturday and Sunday – arrival, orientation, admin, settling in.

Having settled in a bit after the trip to resort, there is an informal drinks reception on Saturday evening to meet each other and some of your team of trainers. On the Sunday lift passes are issued and there is a resort orientation tour from one of the mentors. The rest of Sunday will be pretty free until the evening so you’ll have plenty of time to get up on the hill and find your feet. That night there will be a short meeting with the in resort Xtreme Gap mentors and course director to go over course details and watch an injury prevention presentation from the physiotherapists.

Monday to Friday – Personal Performance training.

Hit the ground running with five days of instruction, working on your technique with a view to passing your BASI 1 qualification the following week. The BASI “Personal Performance” strands of Technical, Tactical, Physical and Psychological will be the main focus whilst covering the carving, bumps, steeps, variable snow and off-piste / freeride strands. We use video analysis of personal performance to enhance feedback and improve learning. If you need new skis then free ski testing will be arranged for you this week.

Week 2:

BASI Level 1 Instructor Course.

Monday to Friday will be full days on the hill doing your Level 1, and there will be classroom debriefs at the end of each day.

Weeks 3 to 7:

Monday to Friday – 15 hours training per week.
These five weeks will involve honing skills learnt from the previous two weeks and getting to grips with the more specialist aspects of off piste / freeride, race training and freestyle in the park and pipe. The instructors will be from Progression Ski & Snowboard School who are all hold the highest qualifications in snow sports instruction and other specialist instructors. The off-piste and freeride clinics will be run by Austrian Ski Federation Off-Piste Trainer and Aspirant Guide de Haute Montagne, Amigo Hermeler and James Dealtry, the only British Aspirant Guide de Haute Montagne in resort. Race training will be run by Amanda Pirie, ex-GB ski team and and one time World No.56, whilst freestyle and park clinics will be run by David Boutet, local legend and a demon in the park.

Week 6:

Monday to Friday – Ski School experience.
Students will shadow ski instructors in the workplace. This is an integral part of the BASI 2 qualification and will take place either with our partnering schools in resort.

Weeks 8:

Monday to Friday – 15 hours training per week.
One week with a BASI trainer to perfect your technique in all aspects of your skiing in preparation for the BASI Level 2 qualification.

Weeks 9 and 10:

BASI Level 2 Instructor Course.
As for the Level 1, Monday to Friday will be full days on the hill followed by classroom debriefs.

Week 11:

A last week in resort to relax, celebrate and enjoy the mountain. With plenty of options available to go heli-skiing, paraponting or simple do nothing at all.

Food

The standard eleven week package includes breakfast and evening meals five days a week. Dinner is served in a variety of restaurants in resort. For the other two nights there are cooking facilities in the apartments or you can eat out in any of the amazing restaurants in Val d´Isere. Please note lunch is not included but during your arrival orientation briefing you will be briefed and taken to the best places to buy your groceries and there’s nothing like a fresh warm French baguette sandwich for lunch up the mountain.

Airport pick up

Airport transfers are arranged for a specific time from Geneva Airport to Val d’Isère at the start of the course and back to Geneva at the end of the course. Arrival outside of these times then transfer is not included.

Full lift pass

An Espace Killy lift pass is included in the cost of your instructor course. It covers the whole of the Val d’Isère and Tignes ski areas, which comprise over 300km of piste runs. Val d´Isere also offers some of the best off piste access in Europe so let’s just say you will never have enough of all the places you can go. It was not just the quality of the training and quantity of inclusions that we offer this course, Val d´Isere and the Espace Killy ski region is one of the most beautiful skiing areas in the world. What better place to train for your snowsports instructor course?

Xtreme Gap Representation In Resort

At the beginning of the course everyone will have a detailed arrival orientation. You will meet your mentors the Xtreme gap representatives in resort, it’s a mixed team of guys and girls who have plenty of experience up the mountain. They are available to you 2-7 if you need.
If you have questions on anything from basic advice about kit and the course to a shoulder to cry on, we are always there to help.

Before You Arrive

Xtreme Gap Year´s team will be there for you every step of the way from the first phone call or e-mail to the wave goodbye and beyond. You’ll receive a detailed predeparture pack with information such as what kit to bring, kit discounts, insurance suppliers, travel advice, resort information, handy telephone numbers and websites, and much more. We are here to help and easily accessible, so if you have a specific question then please do pick up the phone or drop us an email.

Post Course

Many of our previous course participants have gone on to find ski instructor or snowboard instructor jobs all over the world. It’s not an easy journey to get there, as by their very nature ski instructor courses or snowboard instructor courses require quite a large financial commitment. However feedback from practising ski instructors and previous course participants have all shown the time and effort required to get the money to do the course is certainly worth it. This is a life changing opportunity to have one of the best jobs and lifestyles in the world. Nothing in this world comes hand in on a plate though, so after the Xtreme Gap Year Val d´Isere ski instructor course you will be given assistance if you want it to help launch your career.
We are there to help with your CV and / or professional references. If you want to go and work immediately or the following season we can point you in the right direction and help you find work through our extensive industry contacts. Nothing is guaranteed in life but we can certainly give you a boost in the right direction.

Future progression

This course ends at BASI level II but this is just the start of what could be an amazing career.
If you want to further your qualifications we can offer advice on which BASI modules to take and your best pathway to successfully becoming a BASI 4 instructor – or even a trainer! What does this mean? Well apart from a lifetime of skiing and earning decent money doing something you love (a BASI level IV instructor can earn up to £60,000 in one ski season!)
Of course the road to level IV is not easy, it requires incredible standards and lot of time and dedication and experience, but you have to start somewhere and this is the place to do it. Good luck.
Please sign up for trip notes for further details on the trip.

Discounts
We have arranged a variety of discounts on equipment and clothing through BASI, Surefoot, Action Cameras, Head, LD Mountain Centre and Climate for all students. A detailed list is provided in the pre-arrival information pack.

In-resort discounts also apply. These include seasonaire prices in bars and some restaurants, and additional ski school, physiotherapy, massage and pilates discounts. Many discounts also apply to your family and friends.

Accommodation

During your stay in Val d´Isere your home will be in a shared apartment centrally located in the main resort. Being located in resort we get to know gap year students well every year when they come to Val d´Isere. There can be upwards of 100 gap year students on ski instructor courses (through various companies) in resort every year so we get to know the stories about what everyone has to put up with accommodation wise! When setting up the program we ensured we paid special attention to providing great accommodation, ski in ski out and most importantly ensure that your experience is not soured by cramming too many people into a tiny apartment. There are a variety of flats that we use, all of them have cooking facilities and will be in a great location.
We want to reiterate you will be housed in Val d’Isère rather than down the road in La Daille.
The majority of GAP students in resort through other companies stay in La Daille- an ugly satellite village / communist block style development away from Val d’Isere itself. The biggest complaint that we have heard from previous GAP course students is about accommodation, particularly when it’s out of town so we provide central accommodation of the highest quality of any GAP provider.

Price

• Ski instructor or snowboard instructor course 11 weeks -£8100
• Upgrade to the Ski instructor or snowboard instructor course Xtreme pro option £8900

Additionals:

• December option (an additional five weeks in resort) + £550
• End of season option (additional four weeks) + £550

Dates

Course Start Date – 4th January 2015 – 22nd March 2015

Get more by extending with these upgrades:

• Preseason start date additional 5 weeks on the slopes:  29th November 2015 (Additional £550)
• End of season option March 21, 2014 to April 18, 2015 (Additional £550)