The Benefits of Teaching Snowboarding

For a few seasons–two or three, I forget which–I taught snowboarding. I’m not doing it now, but I was talking with a friend about it, and that conversation reminded me of the benefits of teaching.

Instructors get a free season pass and some pay, though where I taught, the hourly rate was comparable to stocking shelves at a store, and since you got paid only if you actually had a lesson, the pay was lower. Still, there are a lot of benefits to being an instructor:

(a) The clinics they give to instructors are a great way to hone your own technique;

(b) Think you know how to do something? Then try to teach it to someone else. That helps you nail it;

(c) You get a great satisfaction seeing someone gain skills and confidence–one woman I taught, about 50 years old, told me she could now cross an item off her bucket list. Hearing that made my week (the $20 tip was a bonus);

(d) You get some camaraderie by being part of a team of instructors;

(e) You get discounts on gear from various shops;

(f) It helps compensate for the times that you get bored by the terrain. Here in the Midwest our descents are 300 feet, not 2,000 feet;

I’m sure there are some other benefits, but those are the ones that quickly came to mind.

The season still hasn’t started in most places. If you’re at all interested, ask your favorite ski area if they’re having a clinic for new instructors. It will probably be spread over several days, after which you may be selected. You may have to pay for the experience, but it will be a good education.