CSIA certification courses in Japan Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance Small groups · max 8 candidates Madarao & Kijimadaira
The certification you train for, awarded by the CSIA and recognised worldwide.
The programme
From skier to instructor
Turn the way you ski into a career.
Excellence Snowsports runs CSIA certification courses in Japan. The Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance is the body behind Canada’s ski instructor qualifications, and Canada’s sole ISIA member association. You train and are examined here, on the same snow you would go on to teach.
Groups are capped at eight candidates, and your course conductor is a working instructor who teaches every day of the season — not a visiting team who leave when the exam ends. Pass, and you join the CSIA as a certified member; the certification is yours for life.
Build the skills and confidence you need before your CSIA Level 1 course. Improve your skiing technique, understand the key fundamentals, and get familiar with what to expect during the official course.
Duration2 days on snow
LanguageEnglish
Dates & locationScroll down to the table
What the two days cover. Improve your skiing technique, understand the key fundamentals, and get familiar with what to expect during the official CSIA Level 1 course.
Who it is for. Skiers who want to build skill and confidence before taking the Level 1 course. It can be taken on its own, or as the first two days of the Level 1 CSIA Package.
Fee and dates. 2026 - 2027 Season
Participation standards: course conductors may modify, restrict or end participation where safety, skiing level, conduct or the ability to follow instruction requires it — without refund. Full details in the Course Terms & Conditions.
Get fully prepared for your CSIA Level 1 with two days of focused ski training, followed by the official three-day Level 1 course. Build your technique, confidence, and understanding of the key skills before putting them into practice during the Level 1 course.
Duration5 days (2 Days Preparation + 3 Days CSIA Level 1 Course)
You needConfident, independent parallel skiing on blue and black runs
Min age14 on day one — no exceptions
LanguageEnglish
Dates & locationScroll down to the table
CSIA publish the skiing standard as a video on their own YouTube channel. Watch it to see exactly what is expected of your skiing on a Level 1 course.
Format. Five days on snow: two preparation days, then the official three-day CSIA Level 1 course. The course itself is 17 hours in total — around 14 hours of practical work, roughly four and a half hours a day on snow, plus three hours of required reading. There is no e-learning module.
What is assessed. Both your skiing and your teaching, by ongoing assessment across the three days rather than one final exam. CSIA asks you to meet the standard most of the time, approximately 70% of the time, and grades each part ME (Meets Expectations) or NI (Needs Improvement).
What is covered. Safe teaching, the Canadian Teaching Approach, lesson planning, the CSIA 5 Skills — Level 1 works on rotary, edging and balance — and guest service, with a focus on teaching children.
Who it is for. No previous teaching experience and no previous certification are needed. You must be 14 on day one; CSIA states there are no exceptions. You do need to be a confident, independent skier, comfortable on blue and black runs and consistently parallel while controlling your speed — Level 1 is not a learn-to-ski course.
If you do not pass. You re-sit only the half you missed, Ski or Teach, as a two-day re-test within two years (730 days). After that the whole course must be taken again.
Afterwards. Level 1 is the entry point to CSIA membership, which carries liability cover plus accident, death and disability insurance. The certification is yours for life, with a recommended Recall — and CSIA notes that employers do verify membership, certification and recall status.
Fee and dates. 2026 - 2027 Season
Participation standards: course conductors may modify, restrict or end participation where safety, skiing level, conduct or the ability to follow instruction requires it — without refund. Full details in the Course Terms & Conditions.
Every course fact above comes from CSIA’s own published material at snowpro.com.
Join our CSIA Level 1 course with Thai language support throughout the course. A Thai translator will assist with explanations and communication, helping Thai-speaking candidates better understand the training, teaching concepts, and course requirements. Perfect for Thai skiers looking to start their professional ski instructor journey with confidence.
Duration5 days on snow
You needConfident, independent parallel skiing on blue and black runs
Min age14 on day one — no exceptions
LanguageEnglish with Thai translator
Dates & locationScroll down to the table
CSIA publish the skiing standard as a video on their own YouTube channel. Watch it to see exactly what is expected of your skiing on a Level 1 course.
Language. This is the same CSIA Level 1 course as the English course, run with a Thai translator.
Format. Five days on snow: two preparation days, then the official three-day CSIA Level 1 course. The course itself is 17 hours in total — around 14 hours of practical work, roughly four and a half hours a day on snow, plus three hours of required reading. There is no e-learning module.
What is assessed. Both your skiing and your teaching, by ongoing assessment across the three days rather than one final exam. CSIA asks you to meet the standard most of the time, approximately 70% of the time, and grades each part ME (Meets Expectations) or NI (Needs Improvement).
What is covered. Safe teaching, the Canadian Teaching Approach, lesson planning, the CSIA 5 Skills — Level 1 works on rotary, edging and balance — and guest service, with a focus on teaching children.
Who it is for. No previous teaching experience and no previous certification are needed. You must be 14 on day one; CSIA states there are no exceptions. You do need to be a confident, independent skier, comfortable on blue and black runs and consistently parallel while controlling your speed — Level 1 is not a learn-to-ski course.
If you do not pass. You re-sit only the half you missed, Ski or Teach, as a two-day re-test within two years (730 days). After that the whole course must be taken again.
Afterwards. Level 1 is the entry point to CSIA membership, which carries liability cover plus accident, death and disability insurance. The certification is yours for life, with a recommended Recall — and CSIA notes that employers do verify membership, certification and recall status.
Fee and dates. 2026 - 2027 Season
Participation standards: course conductors may modify, restrict or end participation where safety, skiing level, conduct or the ability to follow instruction requires it — without refund. Full details in the Course Terms & Conditions.
Every course fact above comes from CSIA’s own published material at snowpro.com.
Level 1 CSIA Course with Chinese Translator (mandarin)
Join our CSIA Level 1 course with Chinese language support throughout the course. A Chinese translator will assist with explanations and communication, helping mandarin-speaking candidates better understand the training, teaching concepts, and course requirements. Perfect for mandarin speakers skiers looking to start their professional ski instructor journey with confidence.
Duration5 days on snow
You needConfident, independent parallel skiing on blue and black runs
Min age14 on day one — no exceptions
LanguageEnglish with Chinese (mandarin) translator
Dates & locationScroll down to the table
CSIA publish the skiing standard as a video on their own YouTube channel. Watch it to see exactly what is expected of your skiing on a Level 1 course.
Language. This is the same CSIA Level 1 course as the English course, run with a Chinese translator.
Format. Five days on snow: two preparation days, then the official three-day CSIA Level 1 course. The course itself is 17 hours in total — around 14 hours of practical work, roughly four and a half hours a day on snow, plus three hours of required reading. There is no e-learning module.
What is assessed. Both your skiing and your teaching, by ongoing assessment across the three days rather than one final exam. CSIA asks you to meet the standard most of the time, approximately 70% of the time, and grades each part ME (Meets Expectations) or NI (Needs Improvement).
What is covered. Safe teaching, the Canadian Teaching Approach, lesson planning, the CSIA 5 Skills — Level 1 works on rotary, edging and balance — and guest service, with a focus on teaching children.
Who it is for. No previous teaching experience and no previous certification are needed. You must be 14 on day one; CSIA states there are no exceptions. You do need to be a confident, independent skier, comfortable on blue and black runs and consistently parallel while controlling your speed — Level 1 is not a learn-to-ski course.
If you do not pass. You re-sit only the half you missed, Ski or Teach, as a two-day re-test within two years (730 days). After that the whole course must be taken again.
Afterwards. Level 1 is the entry point to CSIA membership, which carries liability cover plus accident, death and disability insurance. The certification is yours for life, with a recommended Recall — and CSIA notes that employers do verify membership, certification and recall status.
Fee and dates. 2026 - 2027 Season
Participation standards: course conductors may modify, restrict or end participation where safety, skiing level, conduct or the ability to follow instruction requires it — without refund. Full details in the Course Terms & Conditions.
Every course fact above comes from CSIA’s own published material at snowpro.com.
For certified Level 1 instructors: consolidating your skiing on groomed and ungroomed blue terrain, and teaching a broader range of student skill levels.
Duration8 days · 2 days prep + 4 days course + 2 days exam
You needCSIA Level 1 · current CSIA membership
LanguageEnglish
Two of the four videos in CSIA’s official Level 2 ski standard playlist, published on their own YouTube channel. Watch them to see what is expected of your skiing.
Format. Two preparation days, then Skier Development (2 days), Teacher Development (2 days) and the exams (2 days) — eight days in total. The exam block is teaching on day one and skiing on day two.
Two tracks. Level 2 is split into a Skiing Track and a Teaching Track. Both are needed for full certification, and either can be taken on its own.
The skiing standard. Consolidation on groomed and ungroomed blue terrain. The ski exam is four marked runs: a demonstration parallel at 9–11 metres, short turns, a free run on unprepared, bumpy or choppy snow, and one tactic run on green terrain.
The teaching standard. The course is built to address a broader range of student skill levels than Level 1.
What you need first. CSIA Level 1 or Snow Park Certification (or ACA Entry Level Certified / ACA Development Level Trained), and current CSIA membership.
If you do not pass. You re-sit only the portion you missed; the development course does not have to be repeated.
Worth knowing. Level 2 instructors make up the majority of CSIA membership, and of the instructors working in Snow Schools across Canada.
Fee and dates. 2026 - 2027 Season
Participation standards: course conductors may modify, restrict or end participation where safety, skiing level, conduct or the ability to follow instruction requires it — without refund. Full details in the Course Terms & Conditions.
Every course fact above comes from CSIA’s own published material at snowpro.com.
A private lesson to get you ready for your course, with one of our top trainers. Full day only, and the trainer is guaranteed.
Duration6 hours · full day only
You needNothing — take it before any Level 1 or Level 2 course
TrainerGuaranteed — a specific trainer, not a general instructor
LanguageEnglish
What it is. One private day on snow with one of our top trainers, to get you ready for your course. It can be booked before a Level 1 or a Level 2 course, or on its own.
Why six hours. This is a very technical lesson with a very specific trainer, so the day is shorter and more focused than a standard private lesson.
Fee and dates. 2026 - 2027 Season
Participation standards: course conductors may modify, restrict or end participation where safety, skiing level, conduct or the ability to follow instruction requires it — without refund. Full details in the Course Terms & Conditions.
Certificate and membership registration on passing
Not included — plan for these
Lift pass for the course days
Accommodation and meals
Skis, boots and personal equipment
Travel to Japan and personal insurance
Questions
Everything you need to know.
No, but Level 1 is not a learn-to-ski course. CSIA asks for a confident, independent skier who is comfortable on blue and black runs, consistently parallel and controlling their speed. If you can do that, the course will do the rest. If you are close but not certain, send us a short video with your application and we will tell you honestly.
It is the qualification ski schools ask for when they hire, and CSIA notes that employers do verify membership, certification and recall status. It is not a work permit: CSIA states that its international relationships “do not guarantee employment rights or certification transfer”, so you remain responsible for holding the correct visa for wherever you work. Employers hire on certification plus attitude, and Level 2 opens a broader range of contracts.
You can apply, and we genuinely do hire from our courses — we see how you ski, teach and work with people for a full week, which is more than any interview shows. A place is not guaranteed; it depends on your result, your attitude and the vacancies we have that season.
All courses are delivered in English — you do not need Japanese — and Level 1 also runs with a Thai translator. For the course itself, most nationalities can enter Japan on a short-stay tourist visa or visa waiver. If you go on to work in Japan you will need the correct working visa, and we will talk you through the options. You remain responsible for meeting Japan’s entry requirements.
Lift passes, accommodation, meals and equipment are not included in the course fee. Bring your own skis, boots, poles and a helmet — helmets are compulsory on all our courses. We can point you to discounted multi-day passes and nearby accommodation at Madarao and at Kijimadaira (Snow Resort The Cupid of Romance); just ask when you apply.
You will receive a written debrief setting out exactly what to work on. You can re-sit the assessment on a later course date at a reduced re-test fee, and we will help you plan the training in between.
Your place is confirmed on receipt of full payment, and places are allocated in order of booking — a maximum of eight candidates per trainer. If you cancel 30 days or more before the start, a ¥20,000 administrative fee applies; 15–30 days before, 30% of the course fee; less than 15 days, 100% of the course fee, and there are no refunds after the course begins. Rescheduling within the same season is possible more than 15 days out for a ¥15,000 fee, subject to availability. If we have to cancel a course, your course fee is refunded in full. The full terms are in our Course Terms & Conditions.
After you qualify
Pass with us. Then work with us.
Most course providers hand you a certificate and wave goodbye. We are a working ski school — every season we need instructors we trust, and candidates who qualify with us can apply directly to join our team.
“You do not learn to teach from a slideshow. You learn it in front of a real class, with someone experienced watching and telling you the truth afterwards.”
Javier Calzada · Founder & course director
Contact
Ask us anything.
Book your place with the button on any course above. If you would rather ask first, send us a message here — we reply personally within two working days, and we will tell you honestly if a different level suits you better.
Email
info@excellence-snowsports.com
Places are limited to eight candidates per course and are allocated in order of booking.
This is the season you stop being a guest.
Courses run through the winter season and places are strictly limited. Apply early to secure the date you want.
Prep
