New Zealand ski instructor course diary - week 3

Here's the latest update from our NONSTOP New Zealand crew. Thanks to Michael for this "week in the life on a ski instructor course":

Week three, and everyone is nicely settled in.

MONDAY

We had some one-on-one teaching with Jase, during that time we got to either free ski or teach the others a bit of the level one progressions while we waited for our turn.

TUESDAY

We got our first experience of teaching, well shadowing a lesson and getting hands-on too in some cases. Things get pretty crazy when you get a group of kids together on skis. Hardest part is trying to remember who’s in your group!

WEDNESDAY

We had the privilege of becoming the first group to put tracks down to the new shuttle run at Porters, called “Pete’s Gut.” But first I had to stack it on the first part of “Big Mama” and slide 30m down on my face before I managed to get my remaining ski round to stop myself. After Jase returned my ski to me, we continued on our way down to find some untouched corn with a massive 800m vertical descent. "Awesome". Down at the road we jumped onto the awaiting shuttle.

THURSDAY

Thursday was avalanche day. Learning how to use the transceivers and all the techniques for recovery. Learning how to trek to safe points using ridges and high points. Finally we learnt how to read the snow conditions by digging down and finding the different layers. This then just turned into a snow fight with big lumps of snow that we had just dug out.

FRIDAY

We went on an adventure to another of the club fields. This time was Mt. Cheeseman's turn to have us. We started the morning with a bit of training and videoing. Then we got to play on the ski cross track. Which if you have never done, is super fun. First we had a quick run through all the techniques, jumps and corners. Then it was race time. We started with small with just two, then going up to four. Getting pretty competitive too. James nearly getting the better of Jase, overtaking him at the corner before Jase pulled through at the end to the defeated cry of “you bastard.” Free skiing for the afternoon, we went and did a bit of exploring round Cheeseman, finding some moguls or just heading back to the track to get our race on. It ending with Andrew and Jack skiing head on into each other, after somehow managing to turn into the exact same line. Great day of ski fun had by all.

SATURDAY

Saturday was a chill out day. Some going off to play some touch rugby with the Porters staff, as Porters was closed. Others choosing to chill or tune their skis. Saturday night was taken up with a night in the pub explaining the rules of rugby to the Swedish instructors from Porters, while the All Blacks embarrassed the Wallabies. And a few jugs.

SUNDAY

Sunday just happened to be my 23rd birthday. Was very strange for it to be snowing on my birthday. Being from the good old Blighty (England), its usually sunny(ish) and warm round this time of year. Once the weather had cleared up we went to try and catch dinner at a lake. This failed, so we went for a curry instead. Then back to the pub for a few jugs.

And that’s week three.