Rebecca's Blog - My Ski Season, Part 1

So with just over 4 week left to go, it’s sinking in that I’m finally about to do an instructors course. It’s something I’ve toyed around with the idea of doing for a few winters now since I first got on a snowboard during my first winter season. Not to actually become an instructor, but to improve my snowboarding and help me get more out of it. It wasn’t until I got the chance to work in a ski school teaching the minis (4 and 5 yr olds) how to ski that I realised I wanted to do an instructors course to teach as well. The looks on their faces when they managed a button lift for the first time, or put a few snowplough turns together without falling (or indeed managing to pick themselves up after falling!) made me want more, and so I started looking again at what instructor courses there were on offer.

From research several years ago I knew there were plenty of different course locations and instructing bodies available, but as I wanted to work in Austria having spent 6 winters and 2 summers there already, it made sense to go through the Austrian system. Next came the other issue, I’m predominantly a snowboarder, although I started off a skier, and snowboard instructor jobs tend not to be in as great a demand. I just didn’t want to do solely do a ski qualification. Reason number two for the Austrian system: they offer a dual Anwärter, the successful completion of which would enable me to teach both skiing and boarding, perfect! This is where SIA fit the bill, unlike all the other course providers I looked at, they offer the dual qualification and so I paid my deposit and signed up for the course.

All that seems so long ago now, the course is only a few weeks off. The ferry and overnight accommodation en route are booked and the German is sinking in. Just a few more weeks at work then it’s Auto gepackt, auf wiedersehen England, hallo wieder Österreich!

www.SIAaustria.com