ENGLISH

The Professional Ski Instructor’s Association of Japan, SIA, is the one and only organization of professional snowsport instructors in Japan. Established in 1968, we have 132 certified ski schools and 3041 members (as of October 2018). Our activities fall across several snowsport disciplines, starting with alpine skiing, snowboarding, telemarking skiing, adaptive skiing, cross country skiing, back country skiing etc.

We have been for the development and certification of snowsport instructors through the variety of development programs and trainings that are catered to fit the fundamentals required for instructing and the current needs of the skiing industry. With a strong focus on safety, we have made continuous efforts to improve on the quality of our instructors in hope of promoting snowsports as a lifelong activity.

At a higher level, we screen and certify snowsport schools to confirm that they have met all of the certification criteria that provides a safe lesson environment for our guests.

Our association is also playing a role globally as a member nation of the International Ski Instructors Association. We participate in global events, such as the ISIA Ski Instructors World Championships and the Interski Congress that are held once in four years, to hear and present on the latest in the skiing industry and to get a first-hand experience on what other countries are focusing on in order to further enhance the domestic and international snowsport landscape.

We at SIA are committed to providing the best possible service to everyone who comes seeking professional instruction at our certified ski schools.
In light of the influx of tourists coming into our country we have facilitated the below initiatives to overcome any challenges we might face in terms of languages.

• - English courses for our Japanese Members
• - Opening doors for non-Japanese members to be able to participate in our Certification programs(english/chinese) (using interpreters) in order to develop multi-national instructors that can provide safe, high-quality lessons in the mother tongue of our guests.
• - Recruitment ads for foreign instructors on our website
• - Tools and information provided in English (some also in the Chinese language)

Some of the recent programs that we would like to highlight here is our Kids program that centers around “My Ski Book”(english/chinese), which is a progress book in which children, their family members and friends can keep track of how they are progressing and become aware of what their future goals will be. While we teach children the required technique, we also inform them in parallel about the rules we need to follow in order to keep the slopes SAFER for everyone(english/chinese). Since we believe that children are the gateway to the future, we have made efforts to provide “My Ski Book”, not only in Japanese, but also in English and Chinese in hope that it can play a key role in communication with are non-Japanese speaking guests.

For the broader audience we also have our Technical Ski Tests and Speed Tests(english/chinese) which have been approved by ISIA in which you can measure your skills.

Last but not least, here is a list of our ski schools where you might be able to find the best quality snowsport instructor and experience in the language of your preference!

SIA Certified Ski Schools with English Lessons

Name	Contact	Ski Area	HP
Club Med Hokkaido Ski School	011-210-8076	Sahoro Resort
Club Med Hokkaido Ski School Tomamu	080-8917-8043	Hoshino Resort Tomamu
Mount Racey Ski ＆ Snowboard School	0123-52-5000	Mount Racey
Mami Ski School	011-823-8897	Sapporo Moiwayama
SAPPORO SNOW SCHOOL	090-1528-0549	Sapporo Moiwayama
Yuichiro Miura & Snowdolphin Ski School Sapporo	011-685-7052	Sapporo Teine Highland Zone
WINKEL snow school	0134-52-1185	Asarigawa Onsen
NOBBYS Ski School	011-531-6078	Snow Cruise ONZE
Crayon Shin-chan Kids Ski School	0136-46-3061	Rusutsu Resort
Sawa Winter Sports Academy	0133-62-8242	Nakayamatoge
NAC SNOW SPORTS SCHOOL	0136-23-2093	Niseko Mountain Resort Grand Hirafu
Owani Ski School	0172-47-5555	Owani Onsen
Appi Ski & Snowboard School	0195-73-5978	Appi Kogen
Onikobe ski ＆ Snowboard School	0229-86-2772	Onikobe
ZAO Freizeit Ski school	023-694-9259	Yamagata Zao Onsen
MZ Shiroishi Snow Sports School	0224-24-8044	Miyagi Zao Shiroishi
Square Ski lesson	0242-62-2137	Minowa
Stag Chateau Shiozawa Pro Ski School	0555-72-9457	Chateau Shiozawa
Nakazato Snowwood Ski School	025-787-4164	Nakazato Snowwood
Naeba Snow School	025-789-4969	Naeba
Sugadaira Highland Pro Ski Snowboard School	0268-74-3545	Sugadaira Kogen
Sugiyama Ski ＆ Snow Sports School	0269-34-2551	Shiga Kogen Okushiga Yakebitaiyama
SHIGA INTERNATIONAL SKI SCHOOL	0269-34-2551	Shiga Kogen Okushiga Yakebitaiyama
Ski-est Shiga	0269-34-2727	Shiga Kogen Ichinose
Bianca Ski School	0269-34-2347	Shiga Kogen Ichinose
Kitamura Snow Sports School	0269-34-2729	Shiga Kogen Ichinose
Takamagahara SKIWI SKI SCHOOL	0269-34-2117	Shiga Kogen Takamagahara
Ishikawa Pro Ski School	0269-34-2562	Shiga Kogen Maruike
YS Snow Sports School	0269-24-2180	Shiga Kogen Ichinose Maruike Sun Valley
Yodel Ski School	0255-87-2232	Akakura Onsen
NORTH Nagano Outdoor Sport	090-4461-7354	Madarao Kogen
Kijimadaira Pro Ski School	0269-82-4083	Kita Shinshu Kijimadaira
Ski-est Norikura	0263-50-5009	Mt. Norikura
Hakuba 47 Ski Academy	0261-75-3533	Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park
Takasu Snow Park School	0575-72-6780	Takasu Snow Park
Biwako Valley Pro Ski School	077-573-5148	Biwako Valley
Ishikawa Pro Ski School in Kuju	0269-34-2562	Kuju Forest Park