When people are choosing between instructor courses, and deciding which resort is the best one for them, we often get asked the question: what are the very best things about each course?
Well, here are the headlines... the showstoppers... and the top three features of the SnowSkool instructor courses in New Zealand's Cardrona! We can't guarantee that this info will help making that decision any easier (they all sound so good, dammit) - but hopefully it will give you a better feel of the vibe of the New Zealand course itself.
Southern winter
Whilst the northern hemisphere is baking in unprecedented temperatures exceeding 40C, you could be spending the northern summer in the cool climes of Wanaka, riding the ski fields of Cardrona & Treble Cone. The SnowSkool course in NZ takes place from July to September each year. This also means you can spend the southern winter getting trained up and qualified in time to work the slopes in Canada, Europe, Japan or the States in the northern winter.
Wanaka & Her peeps
There’s an Aussie joke that goes: “We are about to land in New Zealand, please adjust your watches… back 25 years!” but that is exactly why we love the place so much. First of all, it is a beautiful place with a stunning lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks, the town is clean and developed but in no way over-developed. The people are what makes it… remember the days when people looked at you and smiled as you walked by, when people turned in the supermarket queue for a quick chat or let you walk through a door in front of them. Well, that’s the people of Wanaka and if that’s old-fashioned, that is all good with us!
Off-snow activities
When you are not skiing or riding, you will want to make the most of the off-snow activities in and around this amazing part of the world. Wanaka has plenty going on, offering sports that take advantage of the beautiful lake and surrounding mountains, there’s also a super-cool cinema, Puzzleworld, sky-diving and a great nightlife with multiple pubs, bars and clubs. Integral to every SnowSkool NZ course, however, is the annual weekend in Queenstown which takes things to the next level. During the day, you can try-out bungee jumping, jet-boating, riding a go-kart down a mountain, luge and a huge bungee swing… and then, at night, it’s just as active!