Testimonials
"I got to ski in several of the most spectacular ski regions of Switzerland - if not the World (Saas Fee, Gstaad and Zermatt).”
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Ski Academy Switzerland - About Us
Our coaching team possesses great dedication and ability with experience teaching and examining at the highest level in Europe, North America, New Zealand and Australia. When you enroll with SAS, you can count on coaching that is customized to teach you the exact skills to progress and fulfil your potential. The coaches employed by SAS are English speaking; BASI,PSIA, USSA, APSI, NZIA, SSS qualified and are members of the ISIA and IVSI.
Ski Academy Switzerland sets a very high standard and over the past seven years we have mange to achieve a 98% pass rate on all our BASI and PSIA instructor courses.
SAS is proud to be associated with BASI (British Association of Snowsport Instructors), PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors' of America) , USSA (United States Ski and Snowboard Association) and SSS (Snowsport Scotland). SAS has many close links with European and USA Ski Schools and are always looking to improve worldwide relations to ensure future employment for our trainee instructors.
James Wilkinson - james@skiacademyswitzerland.com
Director
James has been in the Snowsport industry for over 12 years and has built up a worldwide reputation for his first class coaching and examining. He possesses international race coaching and instructor qualifications through USSA, SSS and PSIA.
Sam Gibson - sam@skiacademyswitzerland.com
NZIA trainer and USSA coach
Sam runs his own ski training programmes, but will be working with SAS throughout the year. Sam has a wealth of experience and knowledge from teaching all over the world. He has become one of the top coaches in New Zealand and Britain and possesses the international qualifications through NZIA and BASI. Sam is a race coach, examiner and has competed at a high level.
Jenna Barron
BASI Instructor
Jenna works for summit ski school during the season, but will be around to help out with the autumn SAS courses. She has been in the Snowsport industry over the last 7 years teaching at the highest level both in Europe and New Zealand. She has recently completed her ISIA qualification with BASI.
Iwan Fuchs
PSIA and Swiss Instructor
Iwan run his own ski school, Severn Springs, which is located on the eastern side of the States. Iwan, who is orginally from Engleberg in Switzerland, is a highly regarded professional in Switzerland and USA where he has taught and coached instructors over the last 15 years. We are excited to have Iwan on board as he brings a very high quality of coaching and experience as both a coach and ski school director. Iwan will be showing SAS students the Swiss way to teach and ski which will be an extra asset when taking any PSIA or BASI exam.
Duncan Adamson
BASI Trainer
Duncan runs his own company International Snowsports School which is recognised as a SAS partner ski school and will be providing a lot of work for trainee instructors! Duncan has been teaching and examining all over Europe for the past 10 years and more recently working as a ski school director and BASI trainer for one of the biggest ski schools in Europe. Duncan is at the very top of ski instruction and trains, assesses and examines ski instructors through all levels of Instructor qualification. This places him and SAS at the forefront of the coaching world. We are very happy that Duncan has chosen SAS to work for which will enhance the quality of our programmes further!
Regina Wilson
Office Manager
Reg handles all the office administration. Reg has been working in the snowsports industry (also as a ski instructor) for over 8 years and pretty much knows everything about the SAS programmes!
About BASI, PSIA, USSA and SNOWSPORT SCOTLAND
The British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI) and Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) are recognised worldwide as a provider of training and assessment of Snowsport instructors from all over the world.
BASI and PSIA qualifications are of the highest quality and they are part of the International Ski Instructors Association (ISIA) which sets the standards for the training of Snowsport teaching professionals.
We are also proud to announce that SAS and the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) will be working together to allow students the opportunity to take race coaching qualifications. USSA is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, and the parent organization for the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding. USSA Education is responsible for providing educational resources and opportunities to over 3,500 member coaches. A multi-level certification program provides training in sport-specific techniques and tactics, sport sciences, and sport management.
Snowsport Scotland (SSS) is the National Governing body for all Snowsports that take place on snow and artificial slopes in Scotland and the UK. SSS awards form part of the UK Snowsports Pathway. This exciting new development means that the same awards are given by the home nation governing bodies' across the UK and awards are valid throughout the UK.
The Ski Instructor Qualifications and Training
PSIA
We offer the PSIA Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 certification.
Outcomes
PSIA Level 1 - The certification is designed for those wishing to find employment in a mountain environment teaching beginner and intermediates skiers
PSIA Level 2 - Level 2 certified instructor demonstrates the ability to relate movements and skill areas to movement outcomes and to apply that knowledge to teaching situations common to Intermediate to advanced skiers.
PSIA Level 3 - Level 3 certified instructor demonstrates high levels of skill and knowledge which allow him/her to make an uncompromised contribution to the customer, the Association, and the ski industry. The International license can be applied for at this stage.
Ski Instructor Training
We offer training for all English speaking instructor systems including: BASI, IASI, CSIA, APSI and NZIA.
The training programmes range from 1 to 4 weeks and are available throughout the year including:
- Personal Development
- Mogul Development
- Race Training (euro test and test technique)
- Off-Piste Training
- ISIA and ISTD Training
- PSIA Educational Updates (refreshers)
Alpine Ski Leader
ASL - The qualification is widely recognised throughout the UK as the most appropriate award for skiers taken sole charge of groups (often children) in the mountain environment. This award will be done through Snowsport Scotland
Race Coaching Qualifications:
USSA
We will be offering the L100 and L200 coaching courses throughout the year. For more information please look under the 'Race' on this website.
United Kingdom Level 2 and Level 3 Performance Coach
We will be offering the Level 2 and Level 3 Performance Coach course throughout the year and this will be done through Snowsport Scotland.