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Want to ski for over half of the year?

2nd January 2013 Print
Top of Cardrona

With International Academy you can start you season in July and teach on the slopes of the Alps for the winter in Europe or North America. International Academy has been offering ski instructor course of the highest standard for over 15 years. With courses operating through July in Cardrona, New Zealand, there’s the chance to become qualified over a 10 week course allowing for a whole winter enjoying the Alps or Rockies whilst earning as a ski instructor.

International Academy was one of the first companies based in the UK to offer ski instructor courses and therefore has built a great reputation amongst ski schools in the best resorts around the world. In 1997 International Academy began providing courses in New Zealand enabling keen skiers to gain a qualification out of the usual season and in unrivalled locations in a beautiful country. Summer ski and snowboarder instructor courses in New Zealand present a great opportunity to be in the best place possible to secure an instructors job for the winter season.

Cardrona, in New Zealand, is the highest resort in the Southern Alps and allows for great ski or snowboard instructor training and exploration of the Wanaka area. With two basins Cardrona has plenty of wide open pistes which are ideal for practice and learning the best teaching techniques. With a variety of black runs and a freestyle park there is the potential to progress through the weeks and gain those vital freestyle skills. The NZSIA/SBINZ qualified instructors and examiners are experts in their field and dedicated to ensuring participants are in the best position to secure employment in the Northern Hemisphere. There are sessions on the subject of gaining further employment on the other side of the equator allowing for networking with key employers in premier resorts. Shadow lessons allow for real experience of teaching others and the processes involved adding essential knowledge when applying for Northern Hemisphere jobs.

Accommodation is in the resort town of Wanaka within easy reach of shops, restaurants, bars and the stunning vistas of Lake Wanaka. It’s the perfect base to rewind and chill out after an intensive day’s skiing or boarding and learning with your fellow instructors in waiting. New Zealand, as we all know, is one of the greatest countries to explore, beginning in Wanaka you can tour other areas of the South Island and NZ easily before or after your training course.

James Hopkins, 19, said of the course: “In one word, immense! I had the best 10 weeks of my life doing what I love every day and it allowed me to take these skills into a season in the Alps. Everyone’s skiing improved in all aspects of the sport; on piste, in powder, steeps, moguls and in the park.”

A place on a 10 week course beginning on 13th July 2013 in Cardrona, NZ, costs £7950 and includes accommodation at the Apollo Lodge with breakfast and weekday evening meals. Return flights start at £1500 from Heathrow to Queenstown.

For more information, visit international-academy.com.

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Top of Cardrona Chairlift Cardrona Cardrona