ALPINE

 

ALPINE LEVEL 4

The APSI Alpine Level Four qualification is aimed at the career instructor who wants to teach advanced lessons at all performance levels. This qualification is suitable for experienced, working, level three certified instructors who may also wish to specialise in their snowsport school (e.g. coaching programs, private lessons or follow the pathway to become a trainer or manager).  
 
On successful completion, a level four instructor is qualified to teach advanced lessons (steered to pure carved turns). a variety of situational tactics and all performance levels in all snowsports schools. 
 
There are two 5-day courses which must both be completed before attending the exam along with accrual of 150 professional instructing hours and 30 in-house training hours with a professional snowsports school. 
 

COURSE INFORMATION

There are two five-day courses: Race & Freeski and Teach & Demonstrations.

  1. The Race & Freeski course develops candidates’ freeskiing and GS racing.
  2. The Teaching & Demonstrations course develops candidates’ understanding and ability to teach in advanced scenarios, with a focus on demonstrations, movement analysis and theory.

COURSE PREREQUISITES

  • Be a current APSI member (Membership is packaged with every event purchase and removed if you hold a current membership). 

  • Have access to the current APSI Teaching Manual (digitally access is included with Membership). 

  • Be currently employed by an APSI Approved Snowsports School.

  • Have passed all units of the Alpine Level 3 Exam or have been approved in accordance with the Recognition of Prior Learning Program.

  • Have a minimum of two full-time seasons of instructing experience prior to commencing the Level 4 program.


EXAM

The three-day exam utilises both the station assessment type for skiing and demonstration tasks and the group scenario assessment type for teaching tasks. The race component of the exam is a Giant Slalom style speed test. The theory paper is delivered in the weeks preceding the on-snow exam.

There is likely one early-season exam for resisters only (location the same as previous years' end-of-season exam) and one national exam that operates in September and rotates between the resorts. Please check the APSI Course & Event Calendar for the date and location.

EXAM PREREQUISITES

  • Have completed all units of the relevant alpine level four course (Teach & Demos and/or Race & Freeski) specific to the components that you intend to sit.
  • Example: If you intend to sit the full exam, you must have completed all units of both alpine level four courses (Teach & Demos and Race & Freeski
  • Example: If you intend to sit individual components then you must have completed the relevant course as follows\
  • Teach & Demos Course allows you to sit: Teaching, Demonstrations, Theory, Movement Analysis components
  • Race & Freeski Course allows you to sit: Race, Freeski components
  • Have a minimum of 150 hours teaching experience with a professional snowsports school
  • Have completed a minimum of 30 hours of in-house training with an APSI approved snowsport school (in addition to the course)