Choosing an adventure sports course with Base Camp is a life-changing decision. Whichever course you select, when you book with us, you have the guarantee that you’ll be taking part in one of the best instructor training programmes available.

With highly qualified, specialist instructors enlisted on every course, you’ll receive the ultimate training experience. You’ll notice a dramatic improvement in your style, performance and technique, and be in the ideal position to gain your internationally recognised qualification.

Including everything from teaching and technical skills, to work experience and group management – your course offers a full and varied programme that’s designed to increase your skill base to the maximum.

You’ll train in a small group, giving you extensive opportunities for one on one sessions with your instructor. Watching your progress on video and taking part in individual formal feedback discussions with your instructor will help you to track your progress and identify areas for you to focus on.

Our courses are designed to be comprehensive, and so we include additional training courses – such as first aid, avalanche and mountain safety, plus equipment and tuning sessions – to improve your mountain safety and enhance your all-round knowledge of the sport.

And while the training aspect of your course is crucial, we’re also about having a lot of fun too – both during and after training. Enjoy taking part in our exciting trips and activities, then recharge your batteries in your clean, comfortable and central accommodation, and once your energy’s back – venture out into the resort for some serious partying!

Instructor Level 1 & 2 Course

BASI/CSIA Qualifications

Length: 11 weeks

Start date: January

Location: France, UK & Canada

The course

You’ll spend a season in mountains learning to become an instructor. Your technique will transform as your highly trained instructor helps you to master the basics, and then takes you on to discover high-performance disciplines like freestyle or off-piste.

This in-depth course covers of a wide range of teaching and technical skills, getting you ready to pass your exams and helping you to develop your skiing.

Devoting 11 weeks to your training will give you an unrivalled opportunity to create a solid foundation to your skiing, which you’ll then have the time to build on. Your instructor will work with you to develop a technically correct platform – getting rid of any bad habits you may have picked up over the years and enabling you to make dramatic improvements.

From here, you’ll find that you quickly become a solid all-round skier, able to adapt to terrain and conditions as second nature, and ready for new challenges. The length of the course gives you this opportunity, and the time, to truly understand the theory behind skiing and what it takes to become an expert freestyle or off-piste skier.

And, as the course is designed to give you a complete seasonal experience, you’ll have loads of time to integrate yourself into resort life – meeting other instructors, representatives, bar and resort workers and getting a real feel for life in the mountains.

Enhancing your season even further, the course is totally flexible to suit you and also includes many exciting trips and activities.

Useful information: Courses in Val d’Isere, Meribel, Banff and Whistler offer performance development only options. Some BASI courses offer a UK/France destination spilt – contact us for more details.

Prerequisites: Confident on European red / North American single black runs.

Post course: Your qualification will be accepted in Australasia, certain parts of Europe, and all North American resorts qualifying you to teach intermediates.

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Instructor Level 1 Course

BASI/CSIA Qualifications

Length: 4 weeks

Start dates: Nov & Jan

Location: France, Switzerland, UK, & Canada

• Develop key fundamental skills

• Learn the basics of safety teaching and theory

• Gain an insight into high performance discipline

The course

This four week course begins with two weeks of performance development. Initially, you’ll focus on improving your technique and the fundamental skills of skiing. You’ll then concentrate on key skills while you develop the teaching ability needed to become an instructor.

During a week of exam preparation, you’ll learn about safety and group management, using both analytical and demonstration skills. In your final week, you’ll be continually assessed for your qualification, both on the slopes and in the classroom.

This is the ideal course to transform your skiing. Over a four week period, you’ll really have the time to develop and excel in elements of your technique, enabling you to reach your own targets and spend time focusing on the areas that you choose to.

At the same time, you’ll benefit from a crash course in the theory and understanding required to become a ski instructor, enabling you to practically apply this to your skiing whilst gaining a picture of what life’s like in this role.

Useful information: Courses in Val d’Isere and Whistler offer performance development only options, including the option to join the course for just the first two weeks. The final two weeks are available as a fast track for clients who are ready to go straight into instructor training and their exam – contact us for more details.

Prerequisites: Confident on European red / North American single black runs.

Post course: Your qualification will be accepted in the UK and in North American resorts, qualifying you to teach beginners.

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Instructor Level 2 Course

BASI/CSIA

Length: 6 weeks

Start dates: Nov & Feb

Location: France & Canada

• Concentrate on high-performance disciplines

• Train in the finer technical points of skiing

• Gain hands-on work experience

The course

A professionally structured course that’s ideal for those who want to learn more.

Having already completed your Level 1, this course is highly vocational and very much focussed on passing Level 2 – preparing you to become a highly-qualified instructor.

During your six week course, you’ll develop both your teaching and technical skills as you learn more about high performance training. With an in-depth technical approach, you’ll explore skills such as stance and balance, edging, body movements, timing, coordination and adjustments for terrain and snow.

You’ll develop your communication skills and ability to provide well structured and relevant lessons through hands-on work experience throughout your course. Group leadership, analytical techniques and constructive feedback sessions are just some of the areas that you’ll cover during this all-encompassing course.

And of course – despite all the hard work involved – you’re here to enjoy yourself, so we never miss a powder day!

Useful information: Courses in Val d’Isere and Whistler offer performance development only options. The final 4 weeks are available as a fast track for clients who are ready to go straight into instructor training and their exam – contact us for more details.

Prerequisites: BASI Instructor Level 1, CSIA Level 1, or confident on all pisted runs.

Post course: Your qualification will be accepted in Australasia, certain parts of Europe, and all North American resorts qualifying you to teach intermediates.

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Instructor Certificate & Level 1 Course

NZSIA

Length: 8 weeks

Start date: July

Location: New Zealand

• An intensive, fast-track programme

• Gain a qualification in your summer holidays

• Combine your course with some travelling down under

The course

This truly unique, intensive eight weeks in New Zealand gives you the opportunity to fast track to qualifying in the Northern hemisphere summer. You’ll discover the stylish, cool and totally adrenaline-packed approach to skiing in New Zealand, with its great snow conditions and steep, challenging environment.

Instructed by highly experienced British and Kiwi instructors – all of whom are examiners for governing bodies – you’ll be put through a demanding, technical programme as you prepare to pass your exams, achieving a highly respected qualification above the British and Canadian Level 2.

During your intensive course, you’ll work on and really improve your technique to develop exceptional all-round skiing skills. You’ll also develop a thorough understanding of the teaching skills required in snowsports, preparing you to pass your exams and be ready for work during the northern hemisphere winter.

Despite being instructor focused, the course also includes the unrivalled opportunity to try freestyle, racing and backcountry sessions, as well as a day’s heliskiing.

All in all – a great way to spend your summer!

Useful information: While you’re based in New Zealand, why not make the most of your trip by travelling and seeing everything that the adrenaline capital of the world has to offer? Contact us for more details.

Prerequisites: Confident on all pisted runs.

Post Course: Your qualification will be accepted in Australasia, certain parts of Europe, and all North American resorts qualifying you to teach intermediates.

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Accommodation Packages

Ski/Board Seasonal Accommodation

Length: One week to one month

Start date: To suit you

Location: Various

• Spend a season living in the mountains

• Have the flexibility to control your own time, allowing you to work part-time and ski part-time

Whether you’re looking to stay for a week or a month during the season or Easter, we can help. Our flexible accommodation packages are there to give you just what you need to help you make the most of the slopes, without costing a fortune.

Located across the major snow resorts, our varied accommodation has been hand-picked by us to give you exactly what you’re looking for. Always close to the action, you’ll never have to venture far to reach or slopes or the main resort bars and entertainment.

And as we’re more than happy to cater for specific requests, such as private apartments and en-suite rooms, you’re guaranteed to find what you’re looking for.

For more information on specific resorts or properties, please use the search function or contact the Base Camp office.

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Holiday Accommodation

Length: One week to one month

Start dates: Nov, Dec, Mar and Apr

Location: France & Canada

• Comfortable, fully-furnished and central accommodation

• Flexible start and end dates

Further details

Our ski accommodation packages are ideal for flexibility and independence. You’ll share your fully furnished living space with like-minded people, have a comfortable bedroom and all the bills included.

Making sure you make the most of your time away, Base Camp’s self-catering accommodation is located centrally. It also has the added bonus of a very knowledgeable resort manager on hand, ready to share with you anything you could possibly want to know about the area.

Useful information: Properties in Europe typically sleep four – those in Canada typically sleep eight or more. Discounts are available if you’re looking to start your season late or finish early. Month long and week long accommodation is available at the start and end of the season, particularly over the Christmas/New Year and Easter holidays.

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Performance Camps

If you’re looking to discover how to get the absolute maximum from your skiing, a Base Camp Performance Camp is ideal.

Working in small groups coached by highly trained instructors, your technique will transform as you master the basics to move on to focus on the discipline that interests you.

Often running alongside our Instructor Courses, Performance Camps give you the time to concentrate on the areas of your sport that you want to improve, without the pressure of an exam. Coaching is less structured and more geared towards exactly what you want to achieve from the course – enabling you to have a fantastic time, whilst rapidly improving your skiing.

And, making sure you make the most of your time away – the course is designed to give you a plenty of time to integrate yourself into resort life – meeting other instructors, representatives, bar and resort workers and getting a real feel for life in the mountains.

Improvement Camp

Length: 2, 4, 6, 8 & 11 weeks

Start dates: Nov, Jan, Feb & July

Location: France, Canada & New Zealand

• Focus purely on developing your performance

• Build confidence and ability on various terrain

With less emphasis on theory, you’ll concentrate on developing your all-round skiing skills, and see a fast and dramatic improvement to your technique.

Our coaches help you to build on your existing level of skill and expand your comfort zone – working with you to increase your ability in the steeps, off-piste and on varied terrain.

Useful information: Performance Camps usually run alongside Instructor Courses, but during the second half of a course the Performance Camp continues to focus on personal development while the Instructor Course concentrates on exam preparation. Contact us for more details.

Prerequisites: Confident on all European red / North American single black runs.

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Freestyle Camp

Length: 1 week

Start date: April

Location: Val d'Isere, France

• Perfect new manoeuvres with the help of international pros

• Learn perfect composure in the air

The course

During camp you’ll learn both park and ppe manoeuvres, including grabs, flips and rotations. You’re here to have fun, so whether you’re attempting your first rail or looking to perfect your 540’s, you’ll get the best possible help from our international pro’s.

You’ll be trained by some of the best coaches in the industry, as we only work with the most experienced, professional riders who have all posted excellent competition results. These exceptionally cool individuals are utterly inspiring and consistently entertaining, always with an amusing tale to tell.

They’ll help you to progress quickly, as you master your composure in the air – and once you’re happy with the park – taking you out into the backcountry. Freestyle skiing is all about trying new tricks, expanding your horizons and pushing yourself to the limit – all whilst having a laugh.

Prerequisites: Confident on all European red / North American single black runs.

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Powder Camp

Length: 1 / 2 weeks

Start date: Jan & Mar

Location: Verbier, Switzerland and Kicking Horse, Canada

• Push yourself on new terrains

• Learn techniques to help you tackle the most challenging of situations

The course

Discover the endless possibilities of free-ride skiing in Europe and North America’s leading backcountry resorts. Our highly skilled coaches will help you to become in tune with the environment, learning the various tricks and techniques to help you tackle it.

Whether you’re just trying short radius turns or practising more progressive forms of riding, our coaches will push you to the limit and teach you to develop the control and energy to ride down steeps and master big mountain riding. Contact us for more details.

Pre-requisites: Confident on and off-piste.

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For more details on any of these courses or locations, please contact the team and we’ll tell you everything!