I was at our local ski hill yesterday (Rabbit Hill) and as you go up the chair lift they are currently advertising Ski Instructor Certification that is beginning in March. It's a course that if you become qualified you can teach beginners how to ski anywhere across the whole of Canada.
I've seen this sign for some time now and decided to bite the bullet and enquire about it. I went to the reception and they called for the "big man" to have a chat with me.
He looked at me and said "You have to be a good parallel skiier before you are even considered pass material, how good are you?"
I stood there and didn't know what to say for a moment then "Well to be honest how do I know how good I am without sounding vain or bigheaded about it?"
He replied "I'll tell you what I'll do, if you meet back up with me at 2:30 I will get one of my guys to go up with you and have a look at your ability"
We said our goodbyes and Neil and I went off. To be honest I was pooing my pants I had now agreed to have a ski instructor tell me if I was a crap skiier or not, and once and for all I was about to find out if I could become a ski instructor if I really wanted it.
Neil and I both went up the slopes and I was tring to perfect my parallel skiing before judgement time.
2:30 came and I went off to meet the chap again. As I was waiting one of the instructors approached me and asked if I was waiting for lessons.
I said "No I'm not, I'm hoping to become one of you guys, I've been asked to meet here so one of you can look at the way I ski and let me know wheather I'm crap and not to bother taking the Instructor course"
He looked at me and said "well, I don't want that job then, and off he went"
The instructor came and he told me that he was going to take me up the slope twice. Once he wanted me to ski down as I would normally and the other to come down a different style of skiing as I normally would to see if I responded quick and well to new ways of skiing.
He liked my ski the first time and the second time he thought I responded very well. The ice on the slope was good as it showed him I was capable of handling it. Its a good job he didn't see me doing the splits at Lake Louise then. 
He took me down the slope and said "Well Cassie, if I was you I'd go for it. Your ability level is what is required and I don't think you should have any problems"
It made me feel very good indeed, being a ski instructor would be an awesome job and with my hours being cut at my job there is no better time to do it. The whole point of moving to Canada was to better ourselves and have a better lifestyle.
I want no regrets when I'm old and grey!
Future Ski Instructor, perhaps? | 