INSTRUCTION

Our ski Japan tour is ideal for those who want to develop their all-round skiing and especially their powder, freeride & backcountry skills. Presently, we do not offer telemark instruction.

Beginners
Our ski Japan tour is not suitable for those who have never before skied. If you can comfortably ski blue trails, however, you will be able to enjoy this trip. For more information about our coaching, please see our intermediates section below.

Intermediates
Our intermediate ski program is designed to ensure that intermediate skiers optimize their overall technique, develop their style, and challenge their performance. At the beginning of our trip we`ll assess your particular development needs and then work with you to achieve them. To increase your confidence, speed and technique you will be taught to exercise more control of your skis by doing 360 slides, riding switch, doing ollies, and riding steep terrain. We will also check to ensure that you ski using the optimal technique and body positioning. A major focus of our instruction will be on freeride techniques and especially on skiing powder and off-piste terrain. Depending on your ability and interests, we will cover such skills as: powder skiing, tree skiing, backcountry skiing, transceiver use, general backcountry safety, and picking lines. We will also work on your freeride technique by developing such skills as carving and fakie skiing, and we will encourage you to test your skiing by taking advantage of natural hits, bumps, steeps and walls. To minimize your chance of injury, we will start each day with a warm-up session targeted specifically to skiers.

Advanced
Our advanced program is for proficient skiers and who would like to push their skiing by riding with world-class athletes. It will cover the skills taught by our intermediate program, but to a much higher level. You will be accompanied by a professional or former professional skier who will help you to develop your backcountry skills and knowledge, push your skiing, refine your technique and work on whichever skills you wish to develop.

Please note: To better cater to your level, coaches may not always choose to work with their entire group at the same time. This will result in more tailored coaching but may mean you are left to practice on your own for some periods of the day.

WE BASE OUR SKI INSTRUCTION ON THE FOLLOWING POINTS:

* Individual attention: Most ski schools process so many clients each week, they cannot afford to give students the individual attention they deserve. Although our instruction is group instruction, we treat each client as an individual, identifying their particular development needs and learning goals and working with them to ensure they receive the necessary advice and instruction to meet their learning goals.

* Low instructor-to-guest ratio: In order to ensure clients receive the attention they deserve, we use a much more favorable instructor-to-guest ratio than do most ski instruction programs. Our instructor-to-guest ratio is a maximum of 1-to-5 (often it is much lower), whereas many ski schools use a ratio as high as 1-to-10.

* Proprietary coaching program: Our team of expert instructors has worked hard to develop a proprietary coaching program that maximizes client learning and contains all the tips and advice necessary for develop your skiing.

* Maximum flexibility & All-day coaching: Although we base our ski instruction on a comprehensive plan, we nevertheless keep it as flexible, relaxed, and tailored to the individual as possible. The atmosphere we create is more one of skiing with friends than partaking in a lesson. Our instructors will ski alongside you giving you tips and encouragement; they won`t line you up in a group and teach from a generic lesson plan as you find in a typical ski school experience. Also unlike typical ski schools, we don`t limit you to just a few hours of instruction per day; our instructors are available to encourage you and give you advice all day long. You can use our instructors as little or as much as you like, and you can push yourself as much as you choose.

* Highest quality instructors: We work hard to select the best possible instructors. Our coaches are expert skiers (many are professional or competitive skiers) who have extensive coaching experience. Perhaps even more importantly, our instructors are fun, open and easy-going people who love to teach.

* Long-term improvement: Skiing can be a challenging sport. There is so much to learn and you may not master all the skills and techniques you desire during your short time with us. One of the goals of our program, therefore, is to give you all the skiing tips, knowledge and advice that you need to be able to continue to learn from us months and even years after you`ve left us.

* An unforgettable experience: Although we want you to maximize your ski performance, our most important goal is that you have a fantastic time while traveling with us. For this reason, we work hard to create a supportive, relaxed and fun atmosphere and to create an itinerary that is unique and full of variety.

OUR INSTRUCTORS