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New Zealand Mountain Guides Association

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Ski Guide Training Course

Aoraki/Mt. Cook Ascent (Photo: Elke Braun-Elwert)

Ski Guide Training Course
Apply Now
22 - 25 Jul 2025 4 days closed

Ski Guide Training Course

This guides training course is to take solid amateur backcountry ski touring skills and knowledge and teach the candidate how to change/modify techniques, skills and knowledge into professional ski guiding techniques, skills and knowledge.

  • General - As for NZMGA Ski Guide pathway or IFMGA Mountain Guide pathway
  • Specific - A Pass obtained in the Technical Ski Course
  • Backcountry terrain of Queenstown/Wanaka - eg back of Treble Cone, back of Cardrona, back of Remarkables.
  • Back of Ohau ski field, Awakino ski field, Mueller Hut area, Mt Wakefield
  • Heliski Helicopter Load/Unload Techniques

    • Discussion

    Laying a Skinning Track

    • Client friendly skinning track
    • Terrain analysis for such a skinning track

    Skinning Technique

    • Turns - shuffle, kick into hill, kick facing out of hill
    • Glide
    • Use of heel lifts

    Equipment Issues

    • Helmets
    • Skis
    • Bindings
    • Skins
    • Ski wax
    • Skin wax
    • Problem solving

    Downhill Ski Techniques For Clients

    • Powder
    • Breakable crust
    • Firm/icy
    • Heavy pack

    Management Of The Skinning Phase

    Management Of The Downhill Run

    Communication With Clients

    • Briefings
    • Boundaries

    Client Safety

    • Slide for life
    • Crevasse hazards

    Crevasse Rescue

    • Spectra type ropes
    • Improvised harness
    • Ski anchor

    White-out Skiing Technique

    Poor Snow Stability Guiding

    • Terrain selection

    Snow Safety

    • Quick guiding tests
    • Test profiles
    • Morning after storm evaluation

    Avalanche Rescue

    • Transceiver briefings
    • Guide transceiver search standards

Contact

  • PO Box 10, Aoraki/Mount Cook 7946
  • admin@nzmga.org.nz
  • +64 (0)21 222 1022

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Who we are

The New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) is an internationally recognised non-profit Professional Industry Association servicing the standards and competency needs of mountain guides and the tourism operators they work for. The NZMGA regulates the quality of guiding through its training…

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