There are a few things to consider when beginning your job as a ski instructor. As someone who is now a few months into my first season in Austria, here are a few tips I learned when beginning to teach skiing for the first time. 

1. The Details of Your Guest

Whether it’s the age, level, or name of your guest, there are many things to remember and keep in mind before you meet the person you will be teaching for the first time. On the booking, there might also be their number, country of origin, the hotel they are staying in or nationality, which all can help you gauge the kind of guest you might have.  It’s also always a good idea to write down the most necessary information, such as the phone number of the client or their parent, or note if they have special needs. Always make sure you count the number of participants in your group to know exactly how many students you are responsible for. Get into the habit of doing a quick headcount at the top and bottom of every run, after stopping, and whenever the group changes direction. Regular headcounts help you quickly notice if someone is missing and allow you to act immediately. Having these kinds of deductive skills is important so you know what to expect when you meet the guest for the first time.

2. The Weather

Not every beginner wants to ski on a day where there’s barely any visibility or even blizzard conditions, so it’s important to consider the weather conditions and if there’s a chance you might have to take a break and take refuge in a hut. Several weather apps are good, but the best is usually the one for your ski area, the weather cams at the tops of mountains or lifts of apps like Bergfex so track the weather forecast for the coming days. This also helps to let you know about the snow conditions and possibly adjust your lesson plan if it’s planning on dumping powder or staying icy on the slopes. If you are feeling cold, there’s a good chance your clients are too. Stay attentive to their wellbeing, and check in with them whenever you are unsure.

3. Your Own Gear

Making sure your own gear is up to date and ready is essential because it’s the last thing you want to worry about when teaching. Unsharpened edges or unwaxed skis can cause a number of issues and likely won’t help you show your best skiing if having to demonstrate for your guest, so I would suggest making sure you are up to date on ski service and ensuring your boots are fitting correctly. Don’t forget to pay attention to your own clothing, as you’ll be spending long hours out in the snow. Wearing the right gear is crucial, it could be bringing an extra pair of gloves, since they tend to get wet, or interchangeable goggle lenses to adjust to changing conditions throughout the day.

4. Your Guests Gear

It’ll also stand you in better stead with clients if you know more about your own gear, so you can help them with theirs. If their boots are hurting too early in the day, or their poles are too long, or their DIN settings are too low, this can all affect what might be a person’s first day on skis and also affect the likelihood of them setting foot onto a slope again. I have seen guests with ill-fitting boots and bindings finish lessons early because they believe they are simply not cut out for skiing altogether, when it is, in fact, just the equipment that isn’t right. It’s our job to help those guests with these things too, to make their experience on skis as enjoyable and fun as we can, and that starts with the gear.

5. Lunchtime and Snacks

I would say this point applies more to kids’ groups, as often with much younger children or children that require more breaks, always check for allergies and likes and dislikes. Sometimes, kids with allergies won’t always remember they have them if being offered a gummy bear or a biscuit, so it’s important to ask the parents if their child has allergies before the day begins. If they do, it’s likely they have their own snacks with them, which you can give out, or they can handle themselves. With adults, it’s also important to gauge what kind of lunch they might want and what huts can offer. For example, in Kitzbühel, there are some huts that are cash only, some that are table or self-service or some with very different price points, so depending on the guest, you can suggest the right option. This might seem like a lot to think of, but it’s nice for the guest if you’ve already done your research on where to eat and if you need reservations for certain places to ensure the guest feels taken care of and that they trust you. It also doesn’t hurt to keep some emergency gummy bears for misbehaving kids on hand ;).

6. The Theory

Now for my season, I completed the Austrian Anwärter course to become a ski instructor, but there are many different exams depending on the country you decide to visit and do a season in. The theory is the different teaching techniques you learn within your respective ski instructor exams and the exercises you can teach to your guests, so it’s important to brush up on these before your first days with your guests, so you know what and when to teach certain exercises. Now that you know the slopes too, you can choose which exercises suit which slopes best and therefore help your guests progress. Now this doesn’t mean having your theory books on hand to read mid-lesson, as it wouldn’t exactly look very professional, but it’s important to remember the exercises, so quizzing yourself on them, maybe once a week, is a good way to keep the exercises fresh in your mind. During my Anwärter, I used the Quizlet app quite a lot, which had great digital cue cards and ways to refresh the theory on the slope rules, teaching exercises, emergency protocols and snow types. Although you are teaching skiing, learning is not at the top of the list of priorities. The three most important elements of a ski lesson are the following – in this exact order: Safety, Having fun, Learning. Learning has little value if safety and enjoyment are not part of the experience.

 7. Adaptability

Being adaptable is one of the biggest parts of being an instructor because once you leave the comfort of a training regime which teaches you how to teach effectively, the next step is starting to be an instructor, and you don’t know what kinds of guests you will encounter. It could be adults and their first time on skis, kids groups who don’t listen very well, teenagers who don’t want to be told what to do or people who have previously had horrible experiences skiing and are now terrified of skiing again. You need to be able to adapt. That could mean being a bit clearer and more stern with kids to make sure they listen and stay safe on the mountain or friendly and supportive with clients whose fears prevent them from wanting to progress when skiing. Adapting can also mean finishing early, sometimes with clients who are just tired or taking regular breaks for small kids who have little legs. Being an instructor is simply about being open to any possibility since people can often surprise you with how they react to things when skiing and you can’t anticipate everything. There are few greater feelings than when someone starts smiling and really enjoying themselves on the slopes, and you helped get them there.

8. The Ski Area

Knowing the ski area is arguably one of the most important things to remember during your first few days as a ski instructor. I was lucky that when I arrived in Kitzbühel for my first season, I had 2 weeks to get to know the resort before I began teaching and therefore was able to recognise the beginner slopes and which ones required more help or more experience and the stark differences between blue, red and black slopes. On my first day, I knew that I had beginners who I would likely spend a lot of time on the beginner slope, with the magic carpet lift as our main transport back up, so I knew where I could begin with my guests and what lifts I would have to explain how to use if they had never used them before. Respect the mountain, as it can be a truly dangerous place if you don’t know what you’re doing. Always prioritize safety, whether you’re with guests or on your own. Key considerations include choosing the right terrain, stopping in safe spots with good visibility, and constantly keeping an eye on your group. It’s good to ski the area yourself beforehand and maybe test each other on the names or numbers of slopes and lifts so you know the area and in the rare case that you have to call the emergency services, you know where you are and are able to communicate this effectively.

9. Starting and Finishing

Knowing where the lesson begins and ends is essential to planning the lesson itself. Always be early to the meeting point at the start of the lesson. Typically, I am always 15 minutes early, so the lesson can start on time if the clients aren’t quite ready when they arrive, e.g. need to rent ski equipment or buy a lift ticket. At the end of the lessons, it is the same, always plan accordingly how much time you need to get back if you are further away and need to ski back to a lift or down a valley run in time before the lesson ends. It is for your own and your guests’ convenience that they get back on time, and you don’t work longer than your designated hours. When ending a lesson, it’s always a great extra touch to briefly sum up what you’ve worked on together. Highlight the key focus areas, the exercises you practiced, and the progress that was made. Remind your students what they have learned and what they improved during the session.

10. Overall Positivity and Attitude

Greeting guests with a smile and a friendly “good morning” isn’t just a nice start for them but also for you. A positive attitude will always guarantee a good day, even if the guest doesn’t achieve as much as planned or falls a hundred times; they can still have a good time if you support them with a positive outlook and a smile on your face. Being an instructor takes patience as well because not every guest will be the dream guest. A good attitude is essential from the first to the last day with your guest.

While this may seem like a lot to remember for the first days, these are all things you can prepare for and learn throughout your season. Within this, it’s also important to have fun and enjoy the feeling of being a ski instructor because it’s one of the best jobs in the world! The mountain is your office, and the skis are your transport to a career in teaching people the art of one of the most scenic and enjoyable sports you can learn.

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