Winter Sports Company Avis 

After deciding on a ski internship for my gap year I had to decide which company I was going to choose. There were lots of options but the minute I spoke to Rik and Emma i realised this was the company for me. They explained the process so thoroughly to me on the phone and answered all questions and worries that I had. Also cost was a consideration and they were by far the best value for money which allowed me to spend money on other activities during the season.

The training we received at Panorama was amazing and all the instructors we had during our level 1 and 2 were so supportive to all of us. The teaching experience I also had at panorama was great and I really enjoyed my season working there and ill definitely be doing a season next year in Canada again. The accommodation we had both in Panorama and Invermere was excellent and much better than I had expected doing a ski season.

Another big positive of the company is that we were not a massive group and it didn’t feel like it we were a number to the company and instead we were treated like individuals. Rik was absolutely amazing the whole time, sorting out any problems and always on the end of the phone for us even when was in the UK!

If you are thinking of a ski season i couldn’t recommend winter sports highly enough I had one of the best experiences of my life. I can’t thank Rik and Emma enough!

We were picked up by shuttle as planned, my accommodations were as described, we were greeted and brought up to speed by on site host. Training was excellent, and our ski group was excellent.

It was brilliant, so well organised not just up towards the 8 weeks but whilst I was there too. WSC would be there at the drop of the hat with any problems even now once it’s all over

If you have a son/daughter that has a love of skiing, snow boarding, the mountains and would like the time of their life then I can save you time and suggest that you look no further than Rik, Emma and the team at WinterSports Company. Our son found Rik's company through online research, Trust Pilot reviews and then within one comprehensive personal call with Rik, he was hooked. As parents we experienced first hand the profesionalism, genuine care and concern for our son, all of his ski friends throughout their ski season experience in Panorama resort British Colombia.

We are so grateful for the experience and especially the enjoyment that Max has had during the best 11 weeks for his life! Your advice and experiences have been truly invaluable and the whole experience was so well organised from the beginning to the end. As a result of this experience Max is even more excited to return in November.

Emma, a sincere thank you from me for arranging the accommodation, transfer and lift passes I had the most fantastic time and thanks to Rob and Dawn for looking after Max in resort. It was reassuring to know everything was so well organised and safe especially being so far away from home.

Not many companies offer the level of instruction WSC offers and they certainly came through. Highly recommended if you want to "up" your ski game and have fun doing it (while meeting like minded skiers)! I will definitely return next year. I have also met good friends who I look forward to skiing with next year.

The resort is very user friendly with ski in ski out accommodation. The lodge had a large fridge freezer and mini kitchen.
The training was good and winter sports are trying to improve it for next year. There is a rep at the resort to sort any problems that you may have when you are there.
The company was very easy to deal with and did exactly what they said they would. Brilliant training holiday and met people from all around the world.

If your thinking of doing a season but not sure on how to get out to the snow and get it set up, look no further than Winter Sports Company. Rik and Emma have been so great with how they helped make it happen and what they provided on there course, I can’t thank them enough.

Have had the best time with great people, amazing accommodation sorted for us, access to some of the best trainers and instructors in BC, and all of the different types of ski terrain in Pano and Taynton bowl. what more could you want!? Yeah powder, even had that too!

It’s been an unforgettable winter and wouldn’t of changed anything about it. My skiings come on ten fold, got my level two CSIA qualification, and have been able to make the contacts for the season to come.

The 8 week fast track course option suited me a treat instead of an internship, they both have there pros, but if your looking for quality on mountain training and the opportunity to get qualified, fast, at the most competitive price, it’s a no brainer.

Circling back to my first point, if you want to do a season, do it!! And do it with Winter Sports Company!

My son asked to go to Canada on his gap year Snowboarding (Working holiday).. I found Winter Sports Company online and spoke to Rik. Basically both Rik and Emma walked me through the whole process (Visa’s, Flights, Insurance etc,etc) from start to finish and were excellent with their information and patience.
As for the son in Canada - Well, all I can say is that he has seriously enjoyed his time out there and has had the time of his life.. Met people from all around the world, Snowboarded some of Canada’s best mountains, made some friends for life and learnt some fantastic new skills.. Rik and Emma and the rest of the team at Panorama have been brilliant with him from day one - and it’s fair to say after listening to his stories.. I 100% wish I had done something similar when I was younger..

An easy 5 out of 5 for these guys!! Winter Sports Company has provided a fantastic experience for my son and I can’t thank them enough!!

Many thanks & Best wishes,
Paul 👍

From start to finish my experience with the winter sports company was amazing, we all met at the airport and travelled as a group which was nice to get to know everyone from the off. Very well organised throughout the whole trip, the meal plans were easy to follow band well presented, the course overview/timetable was very well laid out and clear. Perfect experience being able to meet new people who have a common interest and get a ski qualification out of it 10/10 doing another course next year!

Honestly, one of the best experiences of my life. This is my 4th season and second time returning with WSC after my internship in Sun peaks.

Money was well spent and not a single regret coming out here. WSC was the best value for money I found. And having the pleasure of rooming with Rik for two weeks, seeing first hand him designing new courses, I know what it’s in his heart and interests to deliver the best value and experience for anyone who comes out with him.

From start to finish the support was there for everything we needed whilst in Canada. Rik went above and beyond sorting out extra busses for us to get up the hill and ensuring we were happy. The training we received was amazing from one of the top level 4 instructors in Canada with over 30 years of experience.

The accommodation was 5* we had a spacious modern apartment in the heart of Invermere and a 20 min bus up the hill. A gym and hot pool on site too! Also a river 5 min walk away for a polar plunge too for recovery 🥶

Thank you so much to Rik and Emma for putting together such an amazing course. I will cherish these memories forever and will happily be a returning customer for my level 3.

Rik and Emma have been a pleasure to deal with and make the whole experience of booking my son to go away to Canada and learn a profession as a ski instructor an absolute breeze.
The company is run professionally and takes care of every little detail from the care of my son to what ski equipment he required. If you have an opportunity to gift such an experience to your children, I cannot recommend Winter Sports Company enough !!!!!

With so many companies offering a ski patrol package it seemed a bit daunting with having to pick one, but one call from Rik and Emma told me they were the people I needed to go with, and I’m so glad I did. They helped me to tailor the packages they offered to fit my needs and were always around at any time to help and make everything run so smooth that I didn’t realize how much work it took for me to get out this year doing it on my own.
Overall I loved the 18 weeks I spent with the Winter Sports Company and have made some of my best memories there and wished it would never end.

I'm heading out to Canada with winter sports company this winter on one of their internship programmes. Rik has been extremely helpful in responding to my enquiries (and believe me there's been a lot!) He is very patient, personable and puts the needs of the client first.

The team will help you through the process of obtaining a visa and preparing for the programme. They'll be there to settle any concerns or questions you may have.

You get a lot of bang for your buck with WSC and I would advise you strongly consider them if you are looking at ski or snowboard courses!

Looking forward to the coming season!

Firstly I just want to thank Rik and Emma for all their help in the visa application process! Without them I very much doubt I would have even got the visa to get into Canada! I seemed to come across a hurdle at every step, from what I do for work (working freelance for the last 10 years) and all the places I have lived/worked in made this process much more complicated. I would highly recommend to you if this is something your looking to do, to get the visa application process started as soon as possible! It's not as quick and easy as you think it should be! But with the winter sports company's help we managed it and I'm forever grateful. Always at the end of the phone to help with every problem that arose. I can't wait to get out to Canada and get onto the slopes!

Best experience with Winter Sports. Tailored the course and what we wanted perfectly. Any questions we had Rob, Rik and Emma answered as soon as they could. Sunpeaks is a great spot to do level 1 & 2 ski and board and booked a great hotel for us for the month. Would definitely choose them if you want an amazing time!

Had an awesome experience with Winter Sports in Sun Peaks, February/March 2022. Trained for my Level 3 CSIA and whilst I didn't pass the qualification first time round, the instructors that Winter Sports provided were incredible. The majority had CSIA Level 4 or were at least training for the Level 4 so knew their stuff and took my skiing to a whole new level in a short space of time so well worth the money. Would highly recommend doing a course with Winter Sports.

I went on the 7 week fast track course to become a level 2 ski instructor at the Panorama resort, and i can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The instructors that teach are considerate to the level of ability you are starting the course with, I went definitely being one of the worst skiers in my group, yet by the end of the course I felt as if I had caught up with everyone else. Not to mention all the instructors are great at personalising your learning experience allowing you to improve on the specific areas you are weak on, not just not just teaching you a set syllabus but pushing you even further than that so you truly feel comfortable on any slope by the end of your course. All the people on resort were extremely nice and all the facilities were excellent with there being a great gym downstairs, hot springs a 2 minute walk from your front door, pizza places and a bar down a set of steps from your hotel on resort. The accessibility to town was really good as well, with there being regular buses down to town where there were stores, restaurants, and even a hockey rink where you can go watch hockey games on the weekends. Everyone at winter sports was extremely helpful with the process of getting sorted for the course, with useful tips on gear, how to prepare for travelling out to Canada (which was key for my course as covid was still a big issue) and with them taking care of us when we reached the resort sorting out any issues which arose . I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to become a ski instructor as it was great fun and an experience I will never forget.

It has been a few months since my life changing trip to Canada with Wintersport’s, I enjoyed it so much that I immediately applied for a visa to go back! My ineptitude with technology made this a little tricky, and climaxed in the visa office threatening to reject my application. I knew who to call. Emma is the Jedi master of all things electronic, it was sorted that very day. I thought it was worthy of a review as both Rik and Emma couldn’t of done more to help me despite the fact its been 5 months since I was last in Canada. I can’t wait to see them out in Canada this coming season, I think I owe them a pint!

Would highly recommend the Winter Sports Company to anyone, Rik and Emma provided a completely stress free trip organising virtually everything and were always just a phone-call away when anything else needed sorting. Having trawled through websites for several other companies for similar packages and enquiring to lots, the Winter Sports Company was by far the fastest to get back to me with further information and offer an extremely competitive price!

I spent 7 weeks at Panorama mountain resort in BC, Canada training for my CSIA levels 1 & 2. at the end of the course we had a 100% pass rate of the level 2! the trainers we had in the run up to and on the courses were fantastic, extremely knowledgeable with wealth of experience, primarily the training was undertaken by Wil and Harry who helped make the experience so enjoyable.

The resort itself was brilliant offering a large variety of terrains to improve your skills on, also a large powder bowl great for weekend shredding. there are good facilities on the resort with a few options for food and drinks and well as outdoor hot-pools great for relaxing in after a long day of training. I am hoping to return this season to work at Panorama!

During my time there were a couple of minor injuries amongst the group for all of which Rik was fantastic taking each person to the hospital and hanging around making sure they were all ok. He also organised several activities including ice-skating on and having a BBQ in the middle of a frozen lake... He's also not afraid to join in with the Party, and be sure to ask him to show you his party trick!!

Thanks to Rik, Emma and the WSC gang for a fantastic experience