Ski and Snowboard Instructor Training Courses - Winter Sports Company

Working with Ski Patrol

As part of our instructor training programmes we include some work experience with ski patrol. This has proved to be a very popular part of the schedule and is a great addition to any CV for anyone who is serious about working within the winter sports industry.

Read about our clients experiences at the bottom of this page.

A Patrollers Day

A Ski Patrollers day begins with signing on at 7.00. Then up the mountain before the lifts open to the public. All rescue equipment and ski areas are checked ensuring all the appropriate signs, fences and ropes are in place to warn skiers and snowboarders of any hazards that could cause injury, or inadvertently cause the participant to lose their way.                                                                         Sometimes due to adverse weather conditions or large overnight snow falls, or sometimes other factors, certain areas have to be closed, and it is the ski patroller’s job to close them.

All runs, fences and equipment are regularly checked throughout the day as skiing and snowboarding activity as well as changing weather can affect the conditions of the slopes. Throughout the day, Ski Patrollers continue to observe and rectify any hazardous situations on the slopes, as wells as attending injuries and accidents.

Top Priority

Provision of first aid and transportation of injured skiers or snowboarders to the Medical Centre is the highest priority on the mountain. The Ski Patrollers are in constant radio communication with each other, and are always positioned on the mountain so they can respond quickly to the needs of an injured party.                                                                                                                                 The response time to an accident is very important and it is the immediate time after an incident that can make all the difference to a person’s safety.

In addition to these activities patrollers are often involved in areas of training, replacement and maintenance of rescue equipment, planning and public relations.

Closing the Mountain

At the end of each day the Ski Patrollers are last to ride the lifts and make a final check ("sweep") of the mountain. Every run has to be checked to make sure there are no skiers or snowboarders remaining. They also assist tired skiers and snowboarders who are on their last run down the mountain.                                                                                                                                               During this closing sweep of the mountain, slow signs, fencing, ski/snowboard racks and park accessories are removed to make way for the piste groomer, and any changes or anomalies are noted for investigation for the following morning. 

For more details contact our office + 44 (0) 1736 763402 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Vicky Rutherford - CASI Level 2 and CSIA L1. Adaptive Sports L1- Sun Peaks Resort 2012

“My day shadowing ski patrol started early with a meeting at 7am where the patrollers are allocated sections of the mountain. I was teamed up with Kirston and we were stationed around the top of Crystal and Burfield lifts. We caught our first lift at 7.30am over an hour earlier than lift opening time. We then made our way over to the crystal chair (enjoying first tracks in the fresh powder) where we put up the slow signs and barriers. Once this was complete we checked out a couple of runs ready for the lifts to open. Once the lifts were open and the Patrol teams were in position we were free to ride and be visible to the general public, but all the time we were in radio contact should our assistance be required.

After a day of amazing runs and great company we prepared for the lifts to close around 4pm. On confirmation the lifts were clear and closed we set about the final sweep where all staff ride from top to bottom confirming runs are clear no one is left on the mountain.

Shadowing the ski patrol was a great experience that few people have. You get to realise that so much goes on that you don't even know about. I would highly recommend this day to everyone”.

David Gould – CSIA Level 2 instructor. CSCF L1. Adaptive Sports L1 - Sun Peaks Resort 2012

“I found my time with Ski Patrol to be a very interesting and rewarding part of the training programme. I attended an accident on the slopes and assisted the patroller in helping the injured party. We travelled around the mountain assessing dangers repairing fencing and putting warning signs in position. At the end of the day I attended the closing meeting and learned about important first aid procedures.

I would recommend this experience to everyone”.

For more details contact our office: + 44 (00 1736 763402 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

A chance in a lifetime experience!

This is an amazing evening out and all our clients come back exhilarated and exited by the experience.

Not many people can say they have been in a piste groomer and The Winter Sports Company include this educational trip as part of our training programme.

Read what our clients say at the bottom of this page

The Groomer drivers know their mountain intimately

When the lifts finally fall silent and the entire ski area has been signed off by the teams of ski patrol who have just skied every single run, it is time for the piste-groomers to begin their highly skilled overnight task of putting back what another day’s skiing and snowboarding has taken out.

It’s a tough life being a piste and every night someone has to repair all the damage us recreational skiers and snowboarders have caused.

During the dark cold nights - While you are sleeping...

Looking out of your apartment or hotel window during the the dead of night you will probably see their headlights in the distance. The piste preparation teams are mostly nocturnal, working two back-to-back night shifts to cover each dusk to dawn period. While you are sleeping soundly under the duvet you can bet that the groomers will be out there performing tasks restoring tired pistes back to near perfect flatness. Poor snow cover can be unavoidable in more exposed areas where prevailing winds can blow the fresh snow away as fast as it falls, and the piste groomers get to know where to find reserves of snow, whether drifted or nudged into sheltered spots for later use by the teams themselves.

Only the lonely...

It can be very lonely up there. Even in daylight, when visibility drops suddenly, skiers can lose their bearings in seconds, but the groomer drivers must know their mountains intimately even at night and in blizzard conditions. In big ski areas like Sun Peaks Resort this ultimate local knowledge can take a couple of seasons to acquire. Even then, the unexpected can still happen, so to keep the drivers in constant contact with their control centre (and each other) they are armed with GPS, avalanche transceivers and of course mobile phones. And just to keep spirits up they also have hi-fi systems and formidable cab heaters.
Life here isn’t exactly a picnic. Riding on wide metal bladed tracks means progress even on soft snow, tends to feel very firm – not ideal when the controls are light and amazingly sensitive thanks to power assistance controls for all the main functions. Naturally this includes the massive bulldozer-style front blade capable of shifting whole walls of wind drifted snow or reserves created by the snow cannons.

A light touch...

Once an even snow base has been established the real process of grooming (or piste bashing) begins. This requires sensitive and precise handling, with the front blade in minimal contact with the surface, and merely flattening it sufficiently to allow the rotating blades at the rear of the vehicle to whip up compacted snow, aerating it before finally smoothing it with a heavy serrated rubber blade. The end result is the trademark corduroy surface which tells skiers and snowboarders that the groomers have done their work well.

It comes at a price...

Grooming doesn’t come cheap. A CAT or Groomer costs around £250,000 and Sun Peaks Resort have seven (Piston Bulley's) of them, including a few with a neat trick up their sleeve. Two of them have a beefy 3.5 tonne winch and around 1000m of steel cable (a worthwhile option at £50,000) and attach the cable to a secure anchor point and you can happily wind your way up and down otherwise impossibly steep pistes in perfect safety. Believe it or not, that is how they do it!

With a 12 litre 435bhp engine consuming fuel at the rate of 250 litres per shift, and eye watering prices for the inevitable replacement parts (a winch cable alone can cost up to £6000), a clear picture is emerging. Sun Peaks Resort run two 10 hours shifts per night making a total grooming time of around 100 hours. It is hardly surprising then, that Sun Peaks Resort have won many awards over the past few years for the quality of their grooming.

With all that in mind - Your lift pass price doesn't sound too bad after all!

You only select a training course once and The Winter Sports Company provide everything you need to ensure a great time. Our “All Inclusive” courses provide you with more opportunities to work in the industry than any other company.

For more details contact our office: 01736 763402 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Vicky Rutherford - CASI level 2, CSIA L2. Adaptive Sports level 1 - Sun Peaks 2012

"After years of being in ski resort and wishing I could have a ride on one of the groomers, this year I was given that chance. After being picked up at the bottom of the piste we cruised up and down the slope while the driver Joe answered any questions I had. This was one of those once in a life time things I will always remember".

Roy Horton - CSIA L1 ski instructor and BASI ski instructor - Sun Peaks 2012

“The groomer arrived at 6.00pm as scheduled.

It was a lot larger than I had imagined and as I climbed up into the heated cab the senior operator introduced himself - Peter.

The front part of the groomer is like a conventional bulldozer but with a wider blade and 4ft adjustable wing on either side to move and channel the snow.

Behind the cab is the clever part which drags through the snow and levels and compacts it to the smooth corduroy we all love.

We pushed snow mainly uphill but occasionally downhill for 2 hours. Throughout the day skiers move the snow down the hill and to the side of the piste, so the groomers job is to reverse this process.

Their nightly schedule is to groom all of the green runs, 60% of the blue runs and 25% of the black diamond runs.

Some of the black diamond runs at Sun Peaks are very steep - up to 38 degrees. When these runs are groomed they have to anchor the groomer to a metal post at the top of the piste. They have a 1000m cable on a winch that is geared to run at the same speed as the groomer – Awesome!

Peter clearly loved his job and was very knowledgeable about skiing and the mountain. The two hours I spent with him were very informative.

I recommend a ride in the groomer to everyone”.

For more details contact our office: 01736 763402 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Career Choices

Do you want to work for free at Tesco? Or do you want the chance to live your dreams and become a ski instructor or a demon on a snowboard?

With the increased cost of a University education and Tesco using the unemployed claiming Job Seekers Allowance to fill their shelves, it is time for the youth of today to think about and question the traditional pathways to a career.

Are there other ways to obtain qualifications and skills?

With the Winter Sports Company there are two avenues to entering the adventure or snow sport industry.

We offer genuine paid internships for an investment of under £4k, half the cost of one year’s university fees, and we provide some of Canada’s best ski instructor training courses and snowboard instructor training courses, lasting between 4 and 11 weeks.

Working out of the Monashee mountains in Canada we coach our clients to attain internationally recognised qualifications and then assist them in finding work in the industry not only for the season in which they learn but in subsequent seasons. 

Career Development

Do you really want to learn how to push trolleys around Tesco’s car park when you could be gaining the techniques of riding the powder on the slopes of Sun Peaks Resort? Why gain customer service experience showing people where to find their baked beans when you can be learning to guide fellow skiers or boarders around the mountains?

Career Investment

A ski instructor course or snowboard instructor course provides life skills, teaching skills, sets physical and mental challenges. Learning to become a snowboard or ski instructor opens up a world of opportunity and not just in the sport you love. 

So make your own choices. Give us a call for help and advice on how to become a ski instructor or a snowboarding instructor.

To find out more go to www.wintersportscompany.com or call 01736 763402