First off – congratulations! As a certified Level 1 Snowboard Instructor, you’ve shown that you have a good handle on the fundamentals of teaching and riding techniques. The question now is…what’s next?

Get Your Feet Wet

If continued development and improvement is your goal, then there’s no substitute for “in the field” teaching experience. The CASI training and certification system is built upon the expectation that members are furthering their skills through resort-based teaching experience and training sessions. Spending time working as a snowboard instructor, teaching real students, is the best way to learn the finer aspects of teaching. Exposure to a variety of different beginner and novice students will help you to build, develop, and fine-tune your own teaching skills and style.

Take Advantage of CASI Training Opportunities

As a CASI member, you have access to some world-class training opportunities. From our library of video resources available on our YouTube channel, to free virtual training sessions delivered online (also accessible on our YouTube channel), to on-snow training sessions – we want to see you improve!

CASI members are entitled to a FREE Member Session each season, and these can take a couple of forms – your resort snow school can request a QuickRIde Update session at your school, or you can attend a topic-specific training day with a CASI Evaluator. Topics include freeride skills, freestyle training, toolbox building sessions (perfect for Level 2 prep!) and other various topics. Can’t get enough? Additional sessions are only $60. Take advantage of these benefits of being a proud CASI member!

Decisions, Decisions…

Looking for more formal training on a course? You have a couple options…

With some teaching hours under your belt (we recommend about 40-60 hours), the Level 2 Instructor certification is one of the options you have to open up some professional doors at your snow school. The Level 2 Instructor course will give you some new info to use when teaching intermediate students, including carving and basic freeride and freestyle skills, as well as tips and tricks to teach better beginner lessons. Level 2 instructors are the usual go-to to teach students who can snowboard already, so if you’re looking to break free of the magic carpet beginner zone, this is the next step for you.

As a Level 1, you’re also eligible to take the Park Instructor 1 course. If you love to spend your free time in the park, and want the info to take your students in the park for the first time, then the Park 1 certification is the best next step for you.

The Park 1 course will develop your ability to safely introduce your students to freestyle terrain and riding fundamentals around park/freestyle riding. The course is structure in a similar fashion to the Level 1 Instructor – it’s all about safe progressions to basic park tricks. The Park 1 course is also a pre-requisite to the Level 3 certification, if that’s on your list of future goals.

Psst…once you’re a Park 1 instructor, you can take the Park Instructor 2 course.

In short, you have options…don’t stop with Level 1! Your CASI membership comes with lots of ways to continue to improve and up your skills.

Jeff Chandler
Director of Education & Programs