Canyons Nozawa and Yuzawa
Overview
Hear from our program manager, Rich about EA's instructor internship at Canyons and where it can take you.
From the annual fire festival to the vast quantity of snow that falls each year, Canyons is perfect for anyone seeking an authentic Japanese winter experience.
There is a tremendous amount of snowfall each season and being a smaller resort; there are fewer people to snake your fresh lines! Canyons staff are renown for their friendliness. It's not uncommon for people to end up staying longer than they intended.
EA’s Ski and Snowboard Instructor Internships at Canyons Snowsports School start with training and an exam based at Kagura Resort. Trainers are English speakers predominantly certified through the NZSIA. Kagura is one of the earliest ski resorts to open in Japan as it is high in elevation and has snow-making. Canyons Snowsports School have agreements to provide ski and snowboard lessons for many of the resorts in the local area.
Serious about becoming a ski instructor? Train, qualify & work all in one season. Work in Canada, Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand or the USA.
Note:
* Please be aware that the City Orientations are an extra cost for the Internships. There is no City Orientation option available for Queenstown (NZ), Imagine Niseko (Japan), Niseko Village (Japan), Niseko GoSnow (Japan) & Rusutsu (Japan).
Note:
* Accommodation differs from resort to resort, please speak with our team to check on this for your preferred resort. Usually accommodation is covered until the end of the level 1 exam with an option to remain at your own cost for the remainder of the season.
Designed to fast track your instructor career. Train, qualify and work as a snowboard instructor all in one season. Work in Canada, Japan or New Zealand.
Note:
* Please be aware that the City Orientations are an extra cost for the Internships. There is no City Orientation option available for Queenstown (NZ), Imagine Niseko (Japan), Niseko Village (Japan), Niseko GoSnow (Japan) & Rusutsu (Japan).
Note:
* Accommodation differs from resort to resort, please speak with our team to check on this for your preferred resort. Usually accommodation is covered until the end of the level 1 exam with an option to remain at your own cost for the remainder of the season.
Hear from our program manager, Rich about EA's instructor internship at Canyons and where it can take you.
Our Canyons program is unique. You will train and sit your exam at Kagura Resort. However, as Canyons Snow Sports School have instructing agreements with many resorts in the local area, our interns find themselves working at locations such as Gala Yuzawa, Nozawa Onsen Resort and also Hodaigi Resort (Minakami).
After completing your Level One exam, you will either head to Yuzawa, Nozawa or stay in Minakami.
Canyons is a leading snow school in Japan. Canyons Ski and Snowboard School operate out of two central locations at Gala Yuzawa and Nozawa Onsen.
The price of food and drink in this area of Japan is very reasonable. An authentic Japanese meal of meat, rice and vegetables at a local restaurant will cost around 800 Yen. Depending on the resort you work for, you may have access to discounted or free food. You will also get all the benefits of being an employee such as staff parties, discounted gear, and other opportunities.
There is a compulsory meal plan for Canyons Internship participants. This includes breakfast and dinner for the duration of the level one training and exam period - approx. US$20 per day;
After completing training and successfully passing your Level One exam, you will start work for a ski school. You will teach lessons in English in 2-hour blocks and your pay rates as a first-year instructor for Canyons Snowsports School will be approximately 2,000 JPY per hour. The work contract runs initially to late February, and contract extensions are available for those who perform well during the initial months of employment. You can expect hours to be good during the holiday periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year), with more part time work during the quieter weeks in January (often coinciding with some of the best snow of the season!).
Our interns live in Nozawa Onsen, a village in Nagano built in the image of an Austrian mountain town. It's twinned with St Anton, is famous for it's natural, free onsens and the annual fire festival. The resort experiences massive snowfalls and boasts some of the best terrains for free-riding in Japan.
Nozawa is popular with Australian holidaymakers and has a lot of bars and restaurants for after work; the town has a real resort town feel once the winter gets into full swing.
Yuzawa is a mountain town in the Niigata prefecture of central Japan famous for massive snowfalls, hot springs and sake. Rather than one big resort, Yuzawa sits in a valley with ten smaller resorts nearby. Interns work for a ski school that predominantly runs lessons at Gala Yuzawa.
The snow sports school here works closely with the resort, and there is a lot of opportunities to meet Japanese people, learn the language and experience the culture; this is your opportunity to go full Japan.
During the training and examination period, you will typically stay at the Canyons Alpine Lodge in Minakami. At the lodge, there is ample ski and snowboard storage, kitchen and bathroom facilities, a communal living area, pool table, TV room, and sleeping in shared dorms. As the kitchen is small, there is a compulsory breakfast and dinner meal plan with a subsidised cost for Interns. There is also a small damage deposit payable on arrival in case of damage. Specific rates and locations may vary from time to time, and if they do we will endeavour to let you know at the earliest opportunity.
After the training period, once you've transferred to your home for the remainder of the season, you will stay in staff accommodation. You will be in shared rooms within walking distance to the lifts and local facilities. Kitchen and bathrooms are communal, and vehicles are available to travel to shops if required.
Staff accommodation in Yuzawa consists of self-contained four or six person apartments ten minutes' walk from Gala. Each apartment has it's own bathroom and kitchen, although most staff take advantage of a meal plan which is available through Gala. A supermarket and hardware store are a short walk from the accommodation, and the town has a chemist and a convenience store amongst other things.
EA Ski & Snowboard want you to have the best season possible at Canyons. We have Rich on the ground, who is easily contacted and there to offer advice and support at all times. Not only is he familiar with Canyons itself, but he is also an ex-EA intern who now works for the ski school and will be a familiar face to make your gap year and first winter season that much easier.
Our Ski and Snowboard Instructor Course at Canyons allows you to obtain a globally recognised qualification with the NZSIA (New Zealand Ski Instructors Alliance) or SBINZ (Snowboard Instruction New Zealand). The NZSIA and the SBINZ are well-established, educational bodies that are internationally renowned for producing professional, knowledgeable instructors, with the capabilities to teach and ride at very high standards. They are both internationally recognised as a well-established, professional provider and has a reputation for high-quality and knowledge. NZSIA and SBINZ instructors can competently perform and teach on snow in many cultures and conditions. This qualification can take you anywhere.
Although not an Internship Plus course, there are opportunities for those on the ski side to work towards and complete the Level Two exam during the season. Level Two training is organised directly by the team at Canyons and is an excellent option during the quieter low season weeks in January. This involves roughly 12-16 training days in January, with an exam at the start of February, and can also include a rent reduction during the period. Approximate cost is $1,750-$2,250USD depending on inclusions and numbers.
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