For those heading to Austria, Canada, France or New Zealand for their SnowSkool ski instructor course, possibly the biggest shock will be having to live with other people! Whether that is a private double room in one of our ski-in/ ski-out apartments in Big White, a twin room in one of our lovely, traditionally-Alpine chalets in Méribel or Zell am See, or a dorm-room in the super-social Lodges in Banff or Wanaka - you’re going to be surrounded by a whole bunch of new people on your SnowSkool course!
Everyone is there for the same reasons - to train as a ski instructor and to have a whoppin' great season - but, things will run a lot smoother if you are a good roomie! Here are a few tips from Uncle Adam, a veteran of six tours in Banff's Lodge with SnowSkool!
1. Communication is key
Probably the most important thing when living with new people. Communicating with your new room-mates is key to making your season together on your instructor course the very best it can be. If you have any issues with each other early on, solve them when they’re small, don’t wait until they’re big problems. Communication, you’ll notice will be a big factor on the rest of the list.
2. Get a morning routine
Fortunately on all the SnowSkool ski instructor courses you’ll have a set time to be up and off to lessons. But this means most people will be up and about at the same time. It’s probably a good idea to figure out those bathroom routines…!
3. Figure out your bedtime
Although this might sound a little childish, sleep is extremely important when you’re out skiing powder 7 days a week! Communicate to your room mates when you want to sleep so you at least know when the lights should stay out and the volume should decrease. It’ll also stop the embarrassing situations where you walk in on a sleeping roommate...!
4. Keep your space tidy
You must remember it’s not your own bedroom at home where youcan just chuck your clothes on the floor or leave those coffee mugs on your desk. Keep it respectful and clean up after yourself and you’ll likely find your roommates will do the same. It’ll also help to stop your underwear ending up in someone else’s suitcase or your ski goggles under another bed.
5. Socialise!
You may just be sharing a room with 1 or 3 people, but there’s plenty of other people on the course to get to know! Get on good terms with everyone in your apartment/ chalet/ Lodge as soon as you can. Also, usually a good idea to create a WhatsApp/Facebook group for your room- or chalet- mates so you can stay in the loop with everyone’s movements and plans.
6. Be careful when inviting guests
As much as we have mentioned in the previous point about being social, it is a good idea not to overstep the mark on this in terms of inviting other people to your shared space. Make sure you make everyone else aware if you are inviting guests over.
7. Eat together
Cooking together is an amazing idea. Although all of our courses include meals for most days of the week, there will still be those days where you need to fend for yourself. Cooking as a group in your accommodation is an awesome way to split the cost and responsibility of rustling up a meal! You might even find that you’re lucky enough to have some gifted chefs!
As you can see there’s definitely some key things to consider when you eventually meet your new SnowSkool course mates. Follow these steps and you’ll all find your time together goes much smoother, you’ll have a lot of fun and you’ll probably make some friends for life along the way.
For more information on becoming a ski instructor visit www.snowskool.com or contact [email protected]