A ski school is an establishment that teaches

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

, typically in a ski resort. The modern version of the ski school was invented by the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n ski pioneer Hannes Schneider in the early 1920s when he formalized instruction methods and established these methods as teaching principles for all ski instructors at his school.

Overview

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, many resorts have their own ski school. In

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, a resort may have many different private ski schools. Instructors are usually trained and certified by their national organizations, such as the Canadian Ski Instructors' Alliance in Canada and the Professional Ski Instructors of America in the US, both of which may certify their instructors with an international level overseen by the International Ski Instructors' Alliance. In some cases, especially in Canada, some provincial organizations, such as OT3 in Ontario and PESQ in Quebec, may certify ski instructors. Lessons can be in a group or private. While instruction usually takes place on the slopes, some skiers are also trained with the help of ski simulators. More recently, virtual platforms such as Vimbu have emerged to provide a way for skiers to book lessons with certified ski instructors directly, without needing to go through a ski school.

References

{{Authority control School types Skiing organizations Skiing techniques