Become a ski instructor in six weeks.
The Peak GAP course takes you from confident skier to qualified BASI Level 1 and Level 2 instructor. Two intakes a year, coached by the people who run BASI exams.
How to become a ski instructor with Peak.
In six weeks you go from confident skier to qualified BASI Level 1 and Level 2 ski instructor. 100+ hours of coaching from the people who run BASI exams, both qualifications, and a job offer waiting at the end.
- BASI L1 + L2
- 6 weeks
- 8:1 max
Two intakes this year. Autumn pre-season in Hintertux, Austria, or our winter course in Morzine. Same course, same standards, same price.
For winter, the whole course moves into a private Peak chalet, students, coaches and the wider team under one roof. You train in Avoriaz, the heart of the 650 km Portes du Soleil, and come home to Morzine.
New to all this? Start with our plain-English guides: how to become a ski instructor, what it costs, and BASI Level 1 vs Level 2.
Hintertux, Austria
Sun 1 Nov – Fri 11 Dec 2026 · provisional
Morzine + Avoriaz
3 Jan – 12 Feb 2027
8:1 max · same price
Peak Snowsports is a BASI Business Partner, approved to deliver BASI training and assessments. Your Level 1 and Level 2 are coached and examined to the official BASI standard.
Talk to us about the course.
Tell us a little about yourself and we'll come back to you, no hard sell, just straight answers on dates, cost, kit and whether the course is right for you.
- Reply usually within 30 minutes in office hours.
- Not sure you're at the right level? Send a clip, we'll be honest.
- Prefer to chat live? Book a call or WhatsApp us.
Free skis + bindings. On us.
We've partnered with Fluid Lines, the UK outdoor sports store, to put together a kit package built specifically for what you'll need on course. Lock in your spot before the end of July and the skis and bindings are included. Yours to keep.
How much the course costs.
€8,999
Six weeks, all course content, private Peak chalet accommodation, transfers, kit deal, everything below.
Book the standard package →Staged payments. €150 deposit.
We've kept the 2026 course price and added a staged payment plan as standard, so you can spread the cost rather than finding it all at once.
- A schedule that works for you, balance paid in instalments before the course starts.
- 10-day cooling-off period, change your mind, full refund, no questions.
- All payments in EUR, by card or bank transfer.
If a payment plan still doesn't make it work, talk to us early. We've helped plenty of students piece it together: sponsorships, family contributions, savings, and we'll do what we can.
What the ski instructor course includes.
On-snow
- 100+ hours of training, BASI trainers only
- BASI Level 1 and Level 2 exams
- 8:1 student-to-trainer maximum
- Racing, freestyle, piste performance, demos, off-piste
- Mock assessment days
- Teaching sessions to nail the assessment models
Off-snow
- Outdoor First Aid Course
- Workshops on equipment, avalanche, career and more
- Video analysis sessions
- Theory sessions on technical + teaching concepts
- Team merch and team puffer
- Interview prep for teaching positions
Pastoral care
- 24/7 care line and WhatsApp community group
- In-resort pastoral care with weekly room reviews
- Weekly 1-2-1s with the training team
- Social events and supervised après parties
- Alumni channel
- Training mentality workshop
Living
- Private Peak chalet in Morzine
- Proper community, not a block of apartments
- Easy access to Avoriaz lifts each morning
- Pro discount on skis, boots, poles, helmets, goggles, clothing and packs
- Morzine bars, restaurants and après on your doorstep
- End-of-course party
- One-way transfer from Geneva airport
The ski instructor course kit list.
Exactly what to pack for six weeks on snow — hardware, layers, documents and the bits people forget. One page, print it, tick it off. We'll email it over and keep you posted on dates and places.
That's on its way to your inbox. Grab it now too:
Download the kit list (PDF) →
Four reasons it works.
- 01
Coached by the examiners.
Every session is delivered by current BASI trainers. You'll know exactly what they're looking for, because they're the ones looking for it.
- 02
8:1 max group size.
Real coaching, not crowd management. We keep groups small so every student gets proper attention every session.
- 03
A job at the end of it.
Our partner ski schools across the Alps take BASI Level 2 instructors directly from our course. The winter intake wraps just before February half-term, so you can be working a full week straight after.
- 04
Alumni for life.
Every Peak student joins the alumni network. There's always a space for you on our chairlifts.
From our graduates.
A great experience with Peak training. I highly recommend this ski school if you want to become a ski instructor. Excellent support and highly qualified instructors. In a word: I recommend PEAK.
The team at Peak are exceptional — they are extremely knowledgeable and can cater to a wide variety of levels and experience. Coming into the course I wasn't sure what to expect, but the team helped to outline the entire course with clear goals. They improved my skiing dramatically throughout the course and gave us all the tools needed to help through exams. Super professional and heaps of fun. Would recommend.
High quality of training first and foremost. Enthusiasm and humour of fellow students made it very memorable!
Six weeks. One crew.
Becoming a ski instructor: your questions.
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How do you become a ski instructor? +
You qualify through a recognised instructor body, in the UK that's BASI (the British Association of Snowsport Instructors). The usual route is BASI Level 1 then Level 2: Level 1 lets you teach on indoor and dry slopes, Level 2 is the first mountain qualification and lets you teach parallel skiers on marked pistes. Our GAP course takes you through both in six weeks: 100+ hours of on-snow coaching from BASI trainers, the Level 1 and Level 2 exams, Outdoor First Aid, and the career workshops to get you working straight after.
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Do I need experience to take a ski instructor course? +
No teaching experience, just solid skiing. You should arrive a confident parallel skier who can comfortably ski most red runs and link parallel turns. You don't need to be an expert or a racer, our coaching takes you from that level up to the Level 1 and Level 2 standard. If you're not sure whether you're ready, send us a video clip or book a call and we'll tell you honestly.
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How much does it cost to become a ski instructor? +
The Peak GAP course is €8,999 for the standard package, or €9,499 for a single-occupancy upgraded room. That's all-in: 100+ hours of coaching, both BASI exam fees, Outdoor First Aid, six weeks in a private Peak chalet, kit discounts and your Geneva transfer. Staged payments start from a €150 deposit, and book before 31 July 2026 and we include free skis and bindings. On top of the course you'll budget separately for BASI membership, travel insurance, a lift pass and personal kit.
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How long does it take to qualify as a ski instructor? +
Six weeks with us, start to qualified. Our GAP course runs the BASI Level 1 and Level 2 training and exams back-to-back, so you finish the six weeks holding both qualifications. The winter intake wraps just before February half-term, so you can be teaching a full week post-course.
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What is the difference between BASI Level 1 and Level 2? +
BASI Level 1 qualifies you to teach beginners on indoor snow centres and dry slopes in a controlled environment. BASI Level 2 is the first mountain-based qualification, it qualifies you to teach parallel skiers on marked pistes at a resort, and it's the level most alpine ski schools hire from. Our course delivers both, so you leave able to work on the mountain, not just on indoor slopes.
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How fit do I need to be? +
Reasonably fit, you'll be skiing six days a week for six weeks. You don't need to be an athlete, but the fitter you arrive the more you'll get out of every session and the faster you'll progress. We send a pre-course conditioning guide on enrolment so you turn up ready to ski hard from day one.
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What do I need to do to pass? +
Trust the training. We've built a tested programme of technical and teaching sessions, off-snow workshops, and weekly benchmarking. The assessment criteria are set by BASI, for Level 1 and Level 2, and our curriculum is designed to get you above the required standard for both. Attendance at every session is what gets students through.
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What’s the training system? +
Learner-centred. We use a benchmarking approach so the wider curriculum stays consistent across the cohort, but every student gets personalised sessions within it. Open and closed skills are tested at regular intervals so you always know where you are.
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Where can I work after qualifying, and can you make a living as a ski instructor? +
Level 1 lets you teach at UK snow centres and dry slopes. Level 2 is the first mountain-based qualification, you can teach parallel on marked pistes, and it's the level most alpine ski schools hire from. We've a partnership with a Champéry ski school that interviews on-course and takes BASI L2s directly, so plenty of students walk into paid work straight after. The winter intake finishes just before February half-term, so you can be working a full week post-course. Many instructors build a career chasing winters in the Alps and summers in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand, Switzerland, USA, Italy and Andorra all require work permits and have country-specific routes, we cover all of this in career workshops on course.
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What do I pack? +
Avoriaz hits -20°C with a -30 wind chill in deep winter, bring warm, waterproof, layerable kit. The essentials: skis + boots + poles (or rent through our hire partners), helmet (mandatory), goggles, Gore-Tex jacket + pants, merino base layers, two sets of gloves and beanies, five pairs of ski socks, a 15L pack. A team down jacket is included with the course. You'll get the full checklist on enrolment.
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What insurance do I need? +
At minimum: travel insurance covering medical and evacuation, accident/personal accident insurance for ski-related injury, and equipment cover. Liability insurance for instructing comes free with your BASI membership once you qualify. World Nomads, Allianz and AXA all cover sports professionals, confirm geographical scope (France + Switzerland) and off-piste coverage if applicable.
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What if I fail an assessment? +
Rare, but it happens. If you fail Level 1, we organise a reassessment within your six-week window (small additional BASI fee, possibly extra training fees). If you fail Level 2, the official GAP programme has concluded, you book a standalone reassessment with BASI directly. Either way, reassessments must be taken within two years. We continue coaching at an additional fee if you need it.
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What is the Peak community like? +
Important to us. You join the Peak alumni from day one, private Slack channels for trainees, instructors and mentors, ongoing workshops, mentorship pairings with seasoned coaches, peer learning groups. The community runs well past graduation: alumni stay in touch, share work opportunities, and there's always a space on our chairlifts for you.
Book a call.
Book a video call with us and we'll walk you through the course, the chalet, the kit, and how to get the most out of your six weeks.