Ski Mentorship Applications

(For people trying to become Ski or Mountain Guides)

I’ve been getting a lot of requests for Practicum opportunities the last few years and it’s difficult to decide who to offer the few opportunities we have. To help decide, I’ve added a form to my website to apply (see below). I’m calling these “Ski Mentorship opportunities” rather than “Practicum opportunities”, because they’re not paid and they’re not part of a training program as the word “practicum” implies. However, tips will be split with you equally, as we (Gearys Guiding team) expect you will add value for the paying clients/students by helping out at the back of the group and being available to help in an emergency.

These trips and courses are an opportunity for you to shadow us teaching and/or guiding so you can observe and learn how we do things. These aren’t trips we’re trying to get a free tail guide, they’re trips we would be happy guiding/instructing solo. In situations we feel like we need help, we pay an Apprentice Ski Guide or Ski Guide. If you’re interested in breaking trail and leading with our coaching, this may be possible once you’ve had some time observing. Leading downhill may also be possible in certain situations once we develop some trust. Remember that guests are paying for a high quality ski experience, not to watch us teach someone else how to guide. Many of our guests have enough experience to apply for the ski guide program themselves, so we expect you to have a high level of competence already.

We usually try and start people out by shadowing an AST 1 course, then join more advanced courses and guided trips as we get to know you better. For most of our more adventurous trips including hut trips, basecamps, traverses and expeditions, we usually only take Ski/Mountain Guides because it often costs several thousands of dollars to bring an extra person, particularly with low ratios in more technical terrain.

Your mentors will normally be Alex Geary or Madeleine Martin-Preney, although occasionally I hire other guides. Along with joining on trips/courses, we can also help you decide where to focus your energy on becoming a guide relevant to where you’re at.

If you’re still interested, please fill out the form below. We’re looking for people with lots of motivation and potential that could benefit most from our mentorship, not necessarily the most experienced. If you miss out this year, please feel free to re-apply in future years:

Thank you for your time,

Alex Geary