Enrollment expected to double at ski and snowboard instructor school

The Canadian Rockies Academy, a ski instructor school that takes place at Marmot Basin, is expecting double the 96 students it had last winter to come to town next January.

Managing director Catherine Lewis said the “amount of interest is absolutely incredible” for the UK-based program now in its third year, that started with just 16 participants in its pilot run.

That interest spans the globe, bringing students from Alberta to South Africa, the US and Europe, including Norway, Britain, France and Sweden to name a few, and Lewis said there are a number of reasons people want to come.

“It’s the draw of Jasper, of being in the national park, the quality of the course being delivered there and the friendliness of the town of Jasper,” she said. “You put all of that together and you’ve got an A-class program running there.”

One hundred and eight students are currently registered, a number Lewis said is likely to grow to 200 by the time the 11-week course begins next January.

The list is long of what students get for their CDN $12,000 entry fee, including a flight to Calgary from England, accommodation at a Mountain Park Lodge hotel with two meals per day, and Level 1 and Level 2 training with the Canadian Ski Instructors Association or the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors.

Though it’s relatively young, the program has run smoothly so far and will only see minor refinements this year. “We’re just trying to add more and more,” Lewis said. “Parks is going to provide first aid and avalanche training.”?Students will also tune equipment, complete a customer service module and gain work experience.

“Our guys won’t be getting a training course five days a week, they’ll become part of Marmot Basin,” she said. “That’s a big selling point as well. It’s not just the training, it’s the whole package.”

Colin Borrow, snow sport school director at Marmot, said the resort works closely with the academy and helps integrate the students. “We provide lifts, lessons, instruction, and other services,” he said. “In many ways we become the face of the Canadian Rockies Academy here in Canada.”

He said 200 is the current enrollment cut-off due to factors such as transportation and accommodation. “More isn’t necessarily better if you can’t provide the service,” he said. “At this point in time we’ve set the ceiling at 200. We do not want to compromise the service we provide.”

Local businesses can benefit from the visitors, Borrow said. “They come to town just like any other tourist to enjoy Jasper National Park and the town of Jasper,” he said. “They go to clubs and pubs and restaurants at night. They buy equipment, from helmets to goggles, skis and boots.”

Borrow said the town and resort are what make people want to come to Jasper and why academy graduates love the program. “It’s a friendly, open, personal resort when you compare it to others,” he said. “Before long the students will be known in restaurants and bars, they become members of the community quite easily.

“I’ve had multiple applications from students in the last couple years that want to come back to Jasper and work now as instructors,” he added.