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Banff is an amazing resort that offers as much excitement off the hill as it does on the hill…and that’s saying something! Light fluffy powder, pristine pistes and a nightlife that rivals the likes of St Anton and Verbier; what more do you want?!
Photo: Jake Bauer
ACCOMMODATION
All of our trainees stay at the Rundlestone Lodge, which is right in the centre of Banff. Rundlestone Lodge has a gym, swimming pool, free wi-fi, beautiful spacious en suite rooms (not communal) and serves some of the best food in town! You can also expect an American style breakfast every day and dinners in the hotel restaurant 5 nights per week.
Rundlestone Lodge
BIG 3 LIFT PASS
We know that you don’t want to fly to the other side of the World just to ski one resort so we’re giving you a pass that works for all three resorts around Banff. Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Mount Norquay are all included!
TOP COACHING AND AN AVALANCHE AWARENESS COURSE
Peak Leaders have had a 100% pass rate in Banff for the past 2 years! We’re adamant that we’ve created a top-notch course that will take your skiing or snowboarding to the next level. An Avalanche Awareness course is included which will give you the skills and knowledge to stay safe on the slopes.
TOP QUALIFICATIONS
On this course you’ll be trained to the standard of a level 2 CASI/CSIA instructor which means you’ll be able to teach all over the world! The Level 1 exam is included and then you can decide what you want to do afterwards; train or take more exams –the choice is yours!
A DAY OF CAT-SKIING/BOARDING
There’s nothing like getting fresh lines on the morning after a big dump of snow! But just imagine getting fresh lines all day long! Well for one day during the course we take our trainees up to Alberta’s freeriding Mecca ‘Fortress Mountain’ where the only way to get to the top of the Mountain is by a Piste Basher…it’s probably the most fun you’ll ever have in your life!
Cat Skiing at Fortress Mountain is included!
SOCIAL EVENTS TO KEEP YOU BUSY
We have a course leader in resort whose main job is to ensure the course runs smoothly and that you have the best time of your life. When you’re not on the hill the likelihood is that your course leader will have organised something equally as fun and entertaining for you to do! Bowling, trips away, pub quizzes, social events, icehockey… there simply aren’t enough hours in the day on a Peak Leaders course!
INSTRUCTOR JOBS
We’re really proactive about helping our trainees find work as ski and snowboard instructors. It’s a competitive industry but with our knowledge and contacts you could be teaching anywhere in the World after you pass.
PEAK LEADERS IN BANFF – WHY SETTLE FOR LESS?
Peak Leaders is a company with a passion for delivering fantastic instructor courses, with quality accommodation, great food and first class ski and snowboard coaching. Most people only have the time to do this type of course once in their lifetime … so we’ve gone that extra mile to make sure that our instructor trainees have the time of their life. Do some research and you’ll see that Peak Leaders have the best quality course in Canada!
ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD
With our 7 years of running courses in Banff, we know the area like no one else! In our client feedback survey, 100% of the group voted 'excellent' for the accommodation in 2012! We differ from other companies, our accommodation is awesome! The location, facilities and restaurants guarantee you the best overall experience in Banff. Welcome to the Rundlestone Lodge your home for your time in Banff!
BIG BANFF - RUNDLESTONE LODGE
You will have huge twin ensuite rooms. The hotel has free WI-FI throughout the whole building.
Rundlestone bedroom above.
And the in-hotel swimming pool - yours to use at the end of the day! Ideal for chilling out in to rest those weary muscles! There is also a whirlpool and large fitness centre which you can use anytime. 
Breakfast and dinner at the Rundlestone hotel's Bistro & Bar. Other companies offer meals outside of their accommodation - who wants to have to walk for their dinner after a day on the mountain? We sure don't!! Sunday dinner is known as 'Steak Sunday' or 'Snowcrab Sunday' depending on choice! Epic.
Breakfast consists of 5 choices, including cereal, porridge, pancakes, cooked breakfasts.
Dinner has 8 regular choices and 2 daily specials. The food is 'really good, massive portions and a real variety'
You are less than a 15 minute walk from the town centre – far enough away not to be bothered by noise, but close enough to easily get involved if you want to!
'Thanks for a very successful partnership again whilst your crew stayed with us. They become a part of the place and it’s empty and sad when they leave. Our staff become attached. You had an amazing team this year.' General Manager.
Also in the hotel are ski / board lockers, coin laundry, snack and drinks' machines, ski / board waxing area. In the mornings, the bus stop to Sunshine Village is right at the front door, so no lugging gear and bags around. One thing you can expect from your stay in Canada is to be pleasantly surprised by how polite and friendly everyone is!
Our BANFF course includes the Big 3 area pass. Why come all this way and not be able to shred the whole area? You'd be mad to choose otherwise! Sunshine is where the majority of the mountain coaching takes place. The mountain allows you to experience all aspects of skiing and riding - easy terrain to practise teaching, steeps, chutes and secret powder runs as well as a terrain park and some of Canada's most exciting freeride areas such as Goat's Eye Mountain, Wild West and Delirium Dive. We use the ski & board school's best coaches and have established a great, long term relationship with the team at Sunshine.
The majority of the 3,358 acres of skiable terrain spread over 3 mountains is above 7,000 ft which means the average annual snowfall of over 30 feet stays soft, dry and lasts until May / June. Your season pass is included in the cost and lasts until the end of May when the resort closes!
You can expect great views, few people and fresh tracks. The Canadians prefer their green runs wide and quiet – think motorway as opposed to narrow, winding country roads sometimes found in busy Europe. Also within Sunshine, Goat's Eye Mountain offers a huge area of glade (tree) runs and steep black diamond runs. Freeride is covered by areas such as 'Delerium Dive.' Your coaches will also let you into the best, secret backcountry powder spots.
The variety of terrain on offer will keep you entertained all season and you could stay on to enjoy spring snow in the Rockies, which lasts right into May. The snow only starts to melt at the end of May, allowing for Sunshine's annual slush cup competition which is always good fun. See below photo for details! Stay on after the course finishes and enjoy spring skiing, sunshine and BBQs.
'Roger's' Terrain Park at Sunshine is the only intermediate / advanced park in the wider Banff area with a progression of both kickers and rails. There are no equivalents to be found now in Lake Louise, Norquay, Fernie, Kimberly nor Nakiska – they have rail parks only.
Banff is renowned for its great bars, restaurants and and lively nightlife with plenty of live bands and guest DJ's . Regular haunts include Mel's for a warm up and Hoodoo Lounge or Aurora's. There's also the opportunity to explore the area with dog-sledding, ice-walks, snow mobiling, climbing wall, cross-country skiing, great shopping, and nice coffee shops for chilling out.
The Park is a vast untamed territory. Because the Town of Banff is surrounded by mountain parkland and wilderness you have the chance to see incredible wildlife - grizzly and black bears, moose, wolves, mountain goats, deer, cougars, beavers, porcupines and coyote!
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The Canadians are the best in the world when it comes to ice hockey; everyone plays! You can watch the Calgary Flames in action during your course.
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You'll focus on training for CSIA/CASI Level 1 and Level 2. The Canadian Ski Instructor Alliance (CSIA) is the ski instructor system in Canada, and the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors (CASI) looks after the snowboarding. Both have a very strong reputation worldwide and are often seen as leading the way in terms of instructional standards.
Included in the cost is the Level 1 assessment, plus intensive training for Level 2. You'll then have the option to take the Level 2 assessment after consultation with your instructors and the course leader - most people are ripping it up by this time and go for it.
There will also be the option to do an Avalanche Awareness (AST1) and First Aid Course to set you up safe on the mountain. There is also the option to book on Race, Carving, Freestyle, and Disability courses and certificates.
AVALANCHE AWARENESS
You will learn to recognise the conditions under which avalanches take place and how to implement the correct procedure in an emergency. You will be given the essential knowledge and skills to feel confident with a guide in the backcountry away from marked trails and patrolled areas. This module provides essential training for off piste skiers and riders and covers avalanche theory, snow stability and search and rescue techniques. There will be classroom sessions and practical work on the mountain.
BACKCOUNTRY INTRODUCTION
You will be shown how to bring together the skills you have learned on the avalanche awareness course and will be introduced to navigation and route selection with a view to backcountry travel. You will learn about risk assessment, using a beacon, shovel and probe, avalanche dangers, snow conditions and building shelters. There will be an optional trek and overnight in the backcountry.
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FIRST AID COURSE
The Emergency First Aid course covers: emergency action principles; airway and breathing emergencies; cardiovascular emergencies/strokes; CPR; bleeding management; shock and prevention of disease transmission.
ILM LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT LEVEL 4
This first year university level training in leadership is designed to help you lead groups on the mountain or in the board room. The course is delivered by an ilm accredited tutor and is conducted in a thought provoking interactive way. The ilm level 4 qualification looks great on your CV and is recognized by blue chip companies. The training module is an optional extra.
FREESTYLE COACH:
This is an optional extra 3 day course. On qualifying, candidates can coach entry level freestylers.
PARK AND PIPE COACH:
This is an optional extra 3 day course. The successful candidate is certified to teach park and pipe up to and including intermediate skill level
CSCF ALPINE RACE COACH:
This is an optional extra 3 day course. On successful evaluation on the course, candidates receive recognition as 'Entry Level - Trained' and membership in the CSCF - Canadian Ski Coaches' Federation.
ADAPTIVE SKI COACH CADS LEVEL 1:
Canadian Association of Disabled Skiers - This is an optional extra 8 hour course. Candidates will learn about 3 and 4 track adaptive skiing; blind and sitski.
After qualifying as Level 1 instructors, students take an option in their progression path with the majority taking their Level 2 qualification. Many of these optional modules are usually taken in lieu of the Level 2 qualification.
