FAQs
You'll probably have lots of burning questions about Basecamp, whether it's wondering what accommodation you'll be staying in to the salary of a ski instructor. We've tried to answer all possible questions you may have about this experience, so take a look below. If we haven't managed to satisfy your concerns, then don't hesitate to get in contact with us for more help.
You must be a minimum of 16 years old before you arrive into resort on our Austrian Courses.
You must be a minimum of 18 years before you arrive in resort for our Canadian and Argentinian Courses.
Absolutely not! The oldest student we had was 69 years young. He enrolled on a Level 2 course and smashed the exams!
We see the largest group between 18 and 24 and recently have seen a large number that are between 24 and 40. On our courses we expect approx. 15% to be over 40 years old. As more people are taking a sabbatical from working life our courses are more popular with professional business people or persons who have retired. Don’t be put off by age and ski schools are always looking for mature instructors who can generally deal with adults easier than younger instructors.
In Europe we are proud to be partners with Snowsports Academy who are the Vienna Ski and Snowboard Association (WSSV).
We also have the privilege of offering exams with the Snowsports Tirol for those that attend our courses with Kitzbühel Job Guarantee.
In Canada, with work closely with the CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance) and CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors).
Although SIA courses are amongst the largest in the World, we manage to maintain very intimate training groups of between 4 and 8, but with no more then 8 students per trainer. This allows us to match similar ability levels per group and means no student should ever feel as if they are falling behind or being held back because of the group they are in.
Holding an Austrian qualification may be of a huge advantage after BREXIT as it is unclear if Austria, together with other ski nations, will accept all qualification outside of the EU. In terms of employment, it is still unknown as no terms have been agreed at this stage. It may become a requirement from UK residents to gain a suitable VISA to work in the EU.
If you want to put the doubts to one side stick with the rule that you need the qualification from the county where you would like to work and pursue a career.
We have a number of options which allow you to enjoy a winter season which is not affected by BREXIT, including our Japan Internship or our BASI L1&L2 Courses in Morzine, France.
We have no rules against bringing your own vehicle – we have ample parking spaces. Just make sure you know the laws in the country you are visiting. Make sure you’re informed on insurance and safety requirements.
Basecamp does all the work for you when it comes to accommodation, scouring the best resorts for your stay. Generally speaking, the accommodation you’ll stay in will be shared, self-catered houses, chalets, or apartments. In some cases, you can pay extra for a single room, a spa hotel, or half-board pension.
If you’re keen to bring your partner on your Basecamp journey, we can accommodate them for the length of your course at an additional cost. This is subject to availability.
When it comes to employment at a ski school, this may not be possible and is down to the discretion of the ski school, not Basecamp.
While we wish we could say yes, unfortunately dogs are not allowed within our accommodation. Other ski schools also have rules against pets.
Yes, you can find your own accommodation for your Basecamp course or your place of work once you’ve qualified. But, while you can do this, we strongly recommend sticking with the accommodation we provide. We spend time sourcing the best accommodation so you don’t have to, and the price is included in your course fees – saving you precious time and money.
If you like to enjoy your own space, you can pay an extra fee for a single room instead of sharing a room with others. You can expect to pay around €26 per night in Austria extra for a single room – these are very limited so are subject to availability.
We must stress that this is only an option on our courses and not in the ski school if you go on to be employed. That’s why we think it’s best for you to get used to sharing with others – you’ll have so much fun, you won’t miss a single room! We place people together in rooms based on age and gender, so you’ll be surrounded by likeminded people. As you begin to make friends, it’s possible to swap around the rooms.
Most of our Austrian rooms are twin bedrooms, which contains two single mattresses on a large bedframe.
