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Lessons & Activities
Lessons & Activities
People you can trust
Your central point of reference is your snow sports instructor, the person who accompanies you across the snowy terrain and gives you instruction.
You can trust your snow sports instructor – they know the slopes, the terrain and the region like the back of their hand. Thanks to their experience on skis, they can also make a realistic assessment of the risks.
Your snow sports instructor is at home in the mountains. They know how to move around in the mountains and are familiar with the local conditions, customs and regional geography.
You become a snow sports instructor when you have successfully completed a federal diploma course. This training course not only makes challenging demands on the technical ability of the future instructor but also requires a high level of social and language skills as well as personal competence. Only someone who has these characteristics can take good care of our varied and exciting guests.
The training programme to become a “Snow Sports Instructor with Swiss Federal Diploma” is modular. It consists of modular courses and practical sessions. The structure is identical for all snow sports equipment.
From the time of starting the training programme to being awarded the Swiss Federal Diploma, a snow sports instructor must get through 137.5 training days!
Learn from the best!
The Swiss Ski Schools make use of a leading international ski and snow sports methodology.
The methodology – known as the standard technology – has been developed over a period of many years and draws on the same, practice-oriented model for all disciplines. A series of teaching manuals in eight volumes based on these methods was devised for the training of snow sports instructors in 2010, entitled “Snow Sports Switzerland”.
» The eight teaching manuals can be obtained from the Swiss Snowsports Shop.
Our guests report that the methods are results-oriented and accessible. You will be able to improve your moves in the snow quickly and easily, you will dare to try something new and have more fun.
This methodology also acts as a basis for our programmes: Swiss Snow Kids’ Village and Swiss Snow League.
We cultivate this methodology and constantly develop it – with the constant aim of bringing the snow sports experience even closer to you as guests so that you can benefit to an even greater degree.
Did you know that it takes three years to train as a Swiss snow sports instructor?
The training is key to being a good instructor. So the standards required are correspondingly high.
» Find out more about the training to become a snow sports instructor with Swiss Federal Diploma.
The not-quite-complete Swiss snow sports chronology
The first ski instructor law comes into force in the canton of Grisons and one year later in the canton of Bern.
The Interverband für Skilauf (official skiing association – SIVS) is founded in Davos on 7 November and the first assembly of delegates takes place on 3 September 1933.
12 ski instructor courses are already carried out in various resorts.
A Swiss Ski School working committee is established on the initiative of the Swiss hoteliers association.
The first course for ski school directors takes place in Engelberg in the same year.
54 ski schools now give a total of 100,000 half-day lessons.
The “Schweizerische Skischulverband” (SSSV – Swiss Ski School Association) is founded in Zurich on 13 September.
The standardisation of ski instructor training begins, previously having been carried out by SIVS and the individual cantons with differing content.
A snowboard instructor training course is created and the disciplines of cross country skiing and telemarking are integrated into the course.
A major goal is achieved with the publication of the teaching manual “Snow Sports Switzerland” which mainly covers what the various items of snow sports equipment have in common.
The customer retention programme Swiss Snow League (SSLE) is created for the disciplines skiing and snowboarding. It replaces the “Swiss Ski Test” which had been running since 1938.
The Swiss Snow Kids Village (SSKV) is created for the youngest snow sports enthusiasts. It is based consistently on the concepts of the teaching manuals, like the Swiss Snow League.
The two umbrella associations SIVS and SSSV are merged to form Swiss Snowsports on 5 September.
The first Swiss Snow Happening is held in Samnaun. The Swiss championships of the ski and snowboard schools are integrated.
The Interski congress takes place in Crans-Montana and is mainly organised by Swiss Snowsports.
The regulations of the professional training as a “snow sports instructor with Swiss Federal Diploma” are approved by the Federal Council. The first diploma certificates are handed over at the Swiss Snow Happening in Engelberg.
Swiss Snowsports and the Swiss Ski and Snowboard Schools have been shaping and promoting snow sports in Switzerland for 75 years. During the anniversary celebrations in the winter season 2007/08, various activities are carried out to promote snow sports throughout Switzerland.
The partnership with Switzerland Tourism is established.
The Snow Sports Switzerland series of teaching manuals is published.
It consists of 7 volumes and is produced in German, French and Italian. Three of these teaching manuals are inter-disciplinary (snow sports instruction, tourism + law, and off-piste + tours), the remaining four are specific to a discipline (skiing, snowboarding, telemarking and cross-country skiing).
There is a breakthrough in snow sports instructor training.
189 graduates receive the Swiss Federal Diploma Certificate. That is five times more than the previous year and sets a new record for the number of participants in the history of snow sports instructor training.
