Winter Sports Company Avis 

Cannot express how grateful I am for this experience. Thank you to Rik, Emma and WSC for organising and making everything as smooth as possible. Thank you to Panorama resort for dealing with our rowdy group for 7 weeks. Thank you to ski and ride for some of the best ski shredding - big shout outs to Wil, Harry, Jason, Cameron, Ally and Drew for the support and guidance through level 2 qualification! And finally thank you to the most amazing people I have met on this course - friends for life for sure 🤩

Experience of a lifetime! Can’t go wrong with the winter sports team, extremely helpful, and brilliant at making your time in resort as enjoyable as possible. Just amazing From the minute you get to the airport to the minute you leave for home. I went from being nervous about meeting new people and going on new experiences , to making friends of a lifetime. Cliche but completely honest.

I have been researching my gap year and finding Rik was extraordinarily lucky. They service from Winter Sports Company is immaculate they give honest and rigorous insight into the season, especially on logistical elements such as visas, covid etc... From one call it is obvious they care about their instructors, your experience of the season and safety.

Sun Peaks, BC is a majestic, quaint ski village located about 45 mins from Kamloops airport. It is the second largest ski area in Canada after Whistler. What really sets it apart from Whistler is the lack of skiers on the mountain all year round therefore offers uninterrupted skiing through a range of difficulties of runs, through trees and off piste, open groomers or the snowpark! Whatever level of skier or snowboarder you are there is a multitude of options and runs to choose from. A busy day at Sun peaks for me was on Christmas day where I queued for a very long 5 minutes on the busiest day of the year, comparing this to French resorts I have visited before its astonishing how little you are waiting at the bottom of the hill in lift lines! The layout of the resort and lifts also allows you to make a decision on what lift to catch as you ski down into the central village bowl. The huge array of runs and terrain to explore meant that some days you could go skiing all day with your buddies and be in and amongst the gorgeous trees without seeing another person for hours! A completely different feel to any European resort that I’ve been to, the snow conditions, lack of ski school snakes taking up the pistes and lift lines makes the resort definitely worth the longer flight and extra costs. Once lifts close and the Disneyland lights illuminate throughout the village, the après ski begins! Sun peaks has a range of bars and eateries that stay open until late so you will never be short of somewhere to grab a cold beer or two after a hard days shredding! The Canadian people, but especially, the locals and workers in the village are all very welcoming, friendly and helpful. Sun peaks really does feel like a small family once you’ve been in the village for a few weeks, faces start repeating themselves and the Winter Sports badge of honour will also open doors for you to meet people within the village!
One thing that makes Sun Peaks so good is the level of instruction you get as a trainee from the numerous level 3+4 instructors who live and work in Sun Peaks. No matter what course you chose you will be coached by some of the best instructors in the country and with such a small village and coaching groups you benefit so much from specific and personalised feedback from a range of different instructors. The coaching we received for level 1+2 was very good and set us all in very good stead for taking the exam, what you put into the training and shadowing you will get back. All the coaches have different ways of presenting ideas and methods to help you improve throughout your time in Sun Peaks! The training is full on however, that’s what you are there for and after a few weeks when you really start to get your technique right, you will have multiple lightbulb moment days where you get to the bottom of the run and say “now I understand” or “now I feel that sensation”. All the coaches are likeminded, kind people who love seeing new instructors succeed and will be more than happy to explain things, answer questions and encourage you to shadow them at the weekends!
On a whole Sun Peaks is a stunningly beautiful mountain and village, with endless areas to ski and explore and a wide array of off snow activities to keep you busy throughout your time in Canada. I couldn’t recommend Sun Peaks more, I have skied all over Europe and have spoken to friends who were in Whistler and other resorts in Canada and they all complained about something, I really do struggle to find fault in Sun peaks as an area to go and gain your qualifications. The terrain, coaching and overall atmosphere of the village will allow you to create lifelong memories while gaining a professional and recognised certification which can be used throughout the world or back in Sun Peaks if a life as an instructor is something that appeals to you! I went, spent the best part of 18 weeks turning, learning and laughing. I enjoyed it so much I plan to go back as soon as I can!

I generally don’t do reviews - either way - but I have to. This company deserves all the praise they’ve received. I picked up the phone to Rik on a Saturday afternoon 10 months ago to enquire about a ski instructors course for my son. Having done that I didn’t really feel the need to even look elsewhere… and I haven’t been disappointed. They were helpful, informative and easy going, always at the end of the phone or quick to respond to messages. Nothing was ever too much and he and Emma make a great team. That, coupled with first class organisational skills (which shone through with covid, forest fires and flash floods) & the fantastic range of courses available, is a winning recipe. If you are thinking of a ski season or similar, you won’t do better imo. And if you’re a parent, my advice is don’t even look elsewhere. No one will care for your child more than Rik/Emma/Wintersports.

Winter Sports Company is without doubt the epitome of a first class business. Rik and Emma are outstanding in every aspect of making sure your winter sports experience is perfectly planned and tailored to your needs. They are the kindest loveliest people, constantly going way beyond the call of duty to keep everything running smoothly. Even with the extra extreme workload caused by the COVID19 pandemic, and a whole lot more too, Rik and Emma have continued to provide a fantastic service with great professionalism, diligence and the most fabulous sense of humour😂. Quite simply, they are the equivalent of a Michelin starred restaurant, but even better⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. My son and I can’t wait for our adventure to begin tomorrow……. Thank you Rik and Emma, you are AMAZING!

They create a lovely atmosphere whilst dealing with every bump along the way in these post- COVID times.

A great all round organisation for the best winter snowboarding experience, Iv had over 25 years this is definitely worth it .

All good so far. They have been helpful in preparing for the trip ahead. Making sure we are ready during a slightly tricky travel time.

Rik and the Winter Sports Team have provided excellent support and advice from when I started looking at doing a season in Canada. The Winter Sports company provides a fantastic range of fantastic courses and internships, and Rik helped me pick the option that best suited me (SunPeaks Resort Canada, 11 week CSIA 1 & 2 Course).

Since booking I have been in regular contact with the experienced Team. They have consistently provided thoughtful and comprehensive updates and advice on everything from organising flights and visas to travel insurance and equipment.

I now cannot wait to start my course!

Extremely helpful, organised and hands on
Really kind and supportive with all needs.

Really great service and fast replies, despite the epidemic and it being a very busy time for them. As a snowboarder seeking to go on the mountains for the first time, they were extremely helpful to me. Many thanks to Rik, Emma and the winter sports team.

So far our interaction with Rik and his crew at Winter Sports has been wonderful. Our son, who is 18 will be attending the Ski Patrol program at Panoram in early January. Rik has been great in assuring us as parents that Alex is a good fit for the program and they will take good care of him. He went over and beyond to make sure that our was excited and ready to sign up as well. Since we signed up the communication on what to expect and how to prepare has been very thorough. They have left no stone unturned. Our son is so excited he wants to pack now! Also, we chose Winter Sports company over another program because they offered the ski patrol training where others did not. Will add to this once he has attended the program.

Great people to speak to about any questions or queries you hav. Loads of packages for the course, overall great company and most importantly people.

Winter sports , Rik and Emma are just amazing guys to deal with. From a motivational chat to helping and supporting all the way through the process of application for the course. It’s not for the faint hearted , complicated and has its problems, especially the forms. Emma was so thorougher and went over and above board to help us and we so appreciate her efforts. Rik again so supportive and encouraging and even reached out to fairmont on our behalf. These two go above and beyond the call of duty and now I can see why winter sports is popular and successful. Professional to the core. Thank you Jackson and sian

Incredible service. Second to none. Nothing was generic like other companies. It was all tailored to me.
I was very fussed and had a 100 questions. But Rik took the time to answer everything. Cannot fault his service.
It’s a pretty big commitment, and for me, something I’d not done before. I was looked after very well.

These courses are without doubt the most professionally and articulately delivered from start to finish.

The owner Rik will most likely be your first point of contact and in my case went well beyond my expectations to find exactly what I wanted and (my situation was slightly different given my experience and locational requirements) spent extensive time researching and helping me throughout.

The course trainers level is also highest standard. The price matches the standard of training and accomodation and is well worth the total paid.

Thanks so much Winter Sports company you’re the best choice I could have gone for

I'm now nine months in to living in Panorama Mountain Resort! Just coming to the end of our summer season where I've just spent the summer working as a bike patroller! I'm living the absolute dream out here! I was a snowboard instructor here in winter 2020/21 and I achieved my Level 2 while working here in that time. I done the level 1 snowboard instructor and ski patrol course in Jan to April 2020. Without doing this course I would not be living the life I have now. I was lucky enough to get on the Bike Patrol team which is a small team of 7 people. And thanks to the course I done I was selected for the team. I'm now looking forward to a 2nd winter of snowboard instructing, which is probably the most rewarding job I've ever worked in. I can't wait to watch people progress under my instruction due to the great courses ran by Winter Sports Company!!

From their easy to use website, to their friendly and helpful team, The Winter Sports Company has provided nothing but excellent service throughout the entire booking process.

The main reason why I chose to book with The Winter Sports Company is the incredible course packages. I opted for the 18week Level 1,2 & 3 ski instructor course in Sun Peaks, and for me it just seemed like the perfect course. I'd looked at so many with other companies, however none had peaked my interest quite the same as this Winter Sports ones. The more I read on the more sold I was by it, and it really seemed like you were getting a lot for your money. My goal was to do as much skiing and teaching as possible, and this was the course that seemed like I could get the most out of it. There also seemed to be a great balance between teaching and enjoying the fact you're on a season, with trips and lots of down time too.

Rik has been so helpful and accommodating over the past year trying to sort out my course, as I had a lot of questions which Rik answered very promptly. My main queries were with the accommodation and food, as I have a very severe allergy which is obviously a massive concern when going away, especially half way round the world and for 18 weeks! Rik was incredibly insightful and willing to accommodate this and together we came up with a plan that would mean I (and my family back home) would be able to enjoy the season without worrying quite so much. It is this attention to detail that really made me feel comfortable and gave me a great impression the company's attitude towards it's course-members.

Rik was such a great point of communication, and even changed 'my' course slightly to fit me more personally - I already have my Level 1 so he arranged for me to do Level 1 snowboarding instead.

Unfortunately, I am only able to comment on the booking process as sadly I didn't get to actually go on the course. Obviously the course was postponed in Winter 2020/21, and now my circumstances have changed and am unable to go this winter which I am gutted about. I will absolutely be doing this course in the future though as it is by far the best one I've looked at in terms of value for money, time on the slopes, and the location itself. Honestly it was the wonderfully friendly and accommodating service that really sold it for me.

Thank you Rik and the team for making the booking - and the postponement/cancelling of the course - so easy and headache-free. I hope you have an amazing season!

We found Rik and Emma very helpful and supportive and always on hand to answer any questions we had. It if reassuring that the company send a representative to meet you at the airport and help you not only with the course but any add on's that you want to include.