10 week Freeride Course in Revelstoke

10 Week Freeride Program in Revelstoke

The name truly says it all… Revel (A verb: meaning, to take great pleasure) + Stoke (a verb: meaning, to feel real excitement) = Revelstoke. 

With over 120 years of skiing history, the longest descent in North America, and an annual average of 10,5 meters of powder every winter season Revelstoke is known as one of the powder havens in Canada, if not the World. Add an ever-so-charming village with a community formed by life in the mountains and you have the perfect location for a winter season of a lifetime.

With our 10-week freeride program in Revelstoke you will sample the best of what powder skiing in Canada has to offer, guided by passionate and experienced, local freeride coaches, who are ready to provide you with the time of your life. The question is; are you?

Pssst.. check out our reviews from our happy participants on Trustpilot.

A winter in Revelstoke

For a total of 10 weeks, starting either in late November or early February you will be shredding the amazing terrain at Revelstoke Mountain Resort with a crew of like-minded powder hunters and your professional trainer. Together with our experienced partner from Revelstoke Mountain Resort, whom we have worked with since 2016, we have created a training program that will take your freeride skiing and knowledge about mountain terrain, avalanche hazards, first aid, and much more to a completely new level.

You will train in groups of up to 8 people and receive training 4 days a week with a black-out week perfect for a long road trip to neighboring resorts. In total, we have set you up with 200+ hours of training during the winter, which will secure a development second to none! On your off-days, you have the ability to free-ski with your new friends, visit other resorts, or simply chill in the cozy house that you will share with the other participants. It goes without saying that we will set you up with a season pass, so you can enjoy the freeriding day in and day out. During the program, our Snowminds program manager will organize social events to keep the team spirit high and take you out to experience the best of Revelstoke.

Uhh, and did we mention that Revelstoke can pride itself on some of Canada’s best Heli Skiing? Hence, we have planned our yearly Snowminds Heli Skiing Camp here, which is a natural gathering for many Snowminds participants from all over Canada. Obviously, this is just our opinion, so here is a quote from someone else that has been lucky enough to try heli-skiing in Revelstoke:

“REVELSTOKE IS THE HELI-SKIING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD”

– THE NEW YORK TIMES

What’s included?

With our 10-week freeride program in Revelstoke, we have organized “everything” for you, so you can relax and experience the best of the famous Canadian powder.

In this course, you can look forward to the following:

• 10 weeks in Revelstoke, Canada from the end of November or the beginning of February
• Roundtrip flights to and from Canada (from a major international airport)*
• Local transport from the airport to resort and back
• 10 weeks of shared accommodation in a house shared with the other participants
• Season lift pass to the Revelstoke Mountain Resort
• 10 weeks of freeride-oriented ski training (typically 4 days per week with one blackout week) – a total of +200 hours of training!
• Avalanche Safety Training (AST) Level 1 certification
• 1 day of Companion Rescue Course
• 1 day of Occupational First Aid & CPR Certification
• All-Mountain ski improvement
• Intro to Back Country Training
• Snowminds Program Manager
• Social activities during the program
• Welcome Dinner to kickstart the program 
• Opportunity to finish the experience on our Season Finish Trip to Hawaii
• Help with visa application (if needed) and other practical formalities before departure
• Pro-deals at Snowminds Store
• Preparation material and pre-travel fitness program 
• Online kick-off event prior to departure with team building and more
• Invitation to Snowminds Reunion Party after your course ends
• A strong community with fellow Snowminders
• Confidence in an established travel company that is a member of the Danish Travel Guarantee Fund
• Travel protection with Snowminds Money Back Guarantee

What is not included?

• Extra luggage beyond the two (2) bags included with your roundtrip flights
• Cancellation insurance, travel insurance, and potential visa fees
• Equipment required for the course, such as ski equipment and touring gear (including Beacon, shovel and probe) etc.
• Food, pocket money, and anything else not mentioned above

*Return flights are included from major international airports including London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, or Copenhagen. We will happily arrange flights from other areas, such as Edinburgh or Sydney, upon request and likely extra charges. In all cases, please be aware that there may be additional costs depending on the departure airport, flight availabilities, and price increases! We will notify you before final flight bookings are made in such cases. You are also welcome to book your own flights, in which case we provide a 700 euro discount on your trip. If you have any questions please just reach out to us.

Travel itinerary

Our 10-week freeride program in Revelstoke is perfectly designed for those looking to take a gap year, a career break/change as well as those wanting professional training to improve their freeride skiing and take it to the next level in some of Canada’s best freeride terrain.

This course is offered twice during the season with dates subject to change, typically: 

• Departure around the 28th of November 2023 to the 3rd of February 2024
• Departure around the 3rd of February to the 17th of April 2024

The program will include the following blocks: 

All Mountain Ski Improvement (3.5 weeks)

• All-Mountain and Freeride Skill development training
• Terrain adaption and mileage in Advanced and Expert Terrain
• Off-Piste skill development
• Technical Ski Improvement in steeps, glades, moguls, powder

Intro to Back Country Training (4.5 weeks)

• All Mountain Safety
• Fundamentals of backcountry touring
• Terrain Assessment, hazard analysis
• Equipment familiarization
• Basic backcountry tour

AST Level 1 (1 day)

• Avalanche formation and release
• How to identify avalanche terrain
• The basics of trip planning
• Optimal use of tools and resources like avalanche forecasts to mitigate your avalanche risk
• Use appropriate travel techniques in avalanche terrain

Companion Rescue Course (1 day)

• Companion rescue protocols
• Use of shovels, transceivers, and probes
• Rescue strategies

Occupational First Aid Level 1 (1 day)

• Training in basic First Aid including CPR
• First help of an injured patient
• How to stabilize the patient
• Video, lectures, and practical training, covering bleeding control, artificial respiration, examining an unconscious patient, and choking
• WorkSafe BC certificate

Blackout week (activities not included)

• Opportunity to join the Snowminds heli-skiing camp
• Round trip to other resorts
• Freeski in Revelstoke

The program is approximate and can be subject to changes. Please note that the training program consists of on-slope days, off-slope days, and off days. The exact planning is made in accordance with the weather conditions during those weeks.

Who can join the Freeride program in Revelstoke?

You don’t have to be an expert in freeriding yet. The most important thing is that you want to learn and are not afraid of being challenged. If you already are a qualified ski instructor and you want to do a season in Canada, you are also very welcome to join this program.

To join the course we expect that:

• You are comfortable on red slopes on ski 
• You are kind, positive, and respectful to others
• You are responsible and motivated to learn in a serious training environment
• You speak English at a conversational level
• You are 18 years or above
• You are eligible to enter and stay in Canada for the duration of the program (tourist visa)

There is a lot of interest in the course and the places fill up quickly. We only have a minimum of spots on this course, which is the reason we use a “first come, first served” arrangement. This means that the sooner you can reach us, the greater the chance that there is still a spot available for you on the course.

You can sign up via the link here