snowboard instructor training courses NZ

Hi there,
I am thinking about doing a snowboard instructor course in NZ this winter.
Does any one have any advice? Has anyone done one before?
There seems to be a few advertised on the web.
In particular I was thinking of going to Queenstown, there is a course there called SITCo. sitco.co.nz

Anyone with any advice or experiences?

Looks cool but quite expensive.
Although I hear the riding in NZ is awesome.

Jonno

Hey Jonno,

The first thing you need to do is honestly assess your own riding. If your riding is at the standard required for the NZ level one course, then all you really need to do is attend the NZ level one certification course. This is the quickest and cheapest way to get certified. The NZ level one course takes five days and costs $575.00 NZD. If your riding is not up to standard then you might need to consider further training, either on your own or in a training course. The training courses tend to be very expensive. Generally the level one courses aren’t difficult, and you probably don’t need to spend thousands of dollars unnecessarily on a training course. Even if you aren’t at passing standard when you start the certification course, they teach and train you throughout the five days, and usually the final riding assessment isn’t till the final day.

Each country has their own association for snowboard instructors. In New Zealand it is the NZSIA. You should get in touch with the Snowboard Division of NZSIA, which is the SBINZ. They are responsible for certifying all snowboard instructors in New Zealand. They should be your first point of contact. Their website is: http://www.nzsia.net/snowboard/index

Have a look at the video below. These are the standards set by NZSIA / SBINZ which are required to pass the level one course. You need to be able to teach all those skills comfortably. They will look at not only your ability to ride, but your ability to teach the material to a class.

If you have any questions please let me know.

thanks man the info you gave is great, i need to look into this a bit more.
Jonno

let me know how ya go Jonno.
Im heading to Queenstown in august and will be doing my instructors course in Big White Canada in January.