Winter Sports Company presents · since 2009
About Winter Sports Company.
Expand your horizons. A story of passion, adventure and going beyond your limits.
Film: Josh Tarr and Jake Cauty
Scene 01 · The numbers
About Winter Sports Company: The Short Version.
Small enough to care. Straight enough to tell you no.
Here's what you need to know about Winter Sports Company. Since 2009 we've trained ski and snowboard instructors in Canada, Switzerland and New Zealand. We're a small UK team, and in Canada we organise the whole season, from the visa to the lift pass. You deal with the same few people from your first call to your last run.
2009
The year the company started.
9
Locations across Canada, Switzerland and New Zealand.
98%
Pass Level 1 with us. 92% to 97% pass Level 2, ski and snowboard.
1:8
In Canada, the most trainees we place with one trainer.
ATOL 7337
Our licence number. Check it with the Civil Aviation Authority.
Day or night
Rik and Emma answer the emergency number we give you before you fly.
Scene 02 · The plot
What We Actually Do.
We put your whole season together, then make sure the right professionals are in the right place when it matters.
We're not a ski school, and we don't present ourselves as one. We organise your place, the training, the exams, somewhere to live, the lift pass, airport transfers when you fly with us and, on an internship, the job.
In Canada your training is delivered by the resort snow school's own trainers, with specialist coaches for Level 3. In Switzerland and New Zealand, partner schools deliver it. Your exams are run by the governing bodies, not by us.
Everything we run sits behind two doors: our ski instructor courses and our snowboard instructor courses.
Act one
Before you fly
- A call to find the right course, or to tell you it isn't one of ours.
- Emma's step by step visa guide.
- Abbie's fitness programme.
- ATOL protected flights if you fly with us.
Act two
The season
- A rep or manager in each British Columbia resort.
- The emergency number, answered day or night.
- Training at a maximum of eight trainees per trainer.
- Exams run by the CSIA or CASI.
Act three
What comes next
- On an internship, paid work once you pass Level 1.
- Or on a course, a guaranteed snow school interview once you pass Level 2.
- Pathways to Level 3, ski patrol and further seasons.
Director's commentary
Why We Do It.
You're trusting us with a season of your life, a large part of your savings and one of the bigger decisions you'll make. We take that personally. It's why the company stays small and the directors stay on the phone.
Director's cut
“In a nutshell, we'd rather under-promise than over-promise.”
Scene 03 · Meet the team
The Cast Behind
Your Winter.
We might be a motley crew, but we share one thing: we love what we do, and where we do it. Our job is to make sure you go home with the same smile.
The people who answer your call and the trainers on the snow, named and pictured with the ticket each one holds. Tap a face to meet them.
Director · UK and Canada
Rik
Dyson
Director
Courses, kit, training and exams. The first voice on the phone.
Director · UK
Emma
Dyson
Director
Bookings, payments, insurance and visas. Author of our insurance and visa guides, and a wealth of knowledge to have on your side.
Operations Manager · Canada
Rob
Hayward
BASI and CSIA Level 2
Seven seasons as our Sun Peaks rep. Now runs Sun Peaks operations with Iain.
Technical advisor · Sun Peaks
Jason
Simpson
CSIA and PSIC Level 4
Over 30 years in the Canadian system. Founder of TrueMotion Ski.
Senior Examiner · Panorama
Wil
Comrie
CSIA Level 4
Leads training at Panorama and sets the Level 2 standard. The CSIA's go-to course conductor in British Columbia.
Mountain Sports Manager · Panorama
Ally
Wagorn
CSIA Level 4
Fifteen years in Canadian snow sports.
Trainer · Panorama
Harry
Drain
CSIA Level 4 · former WSC trainee
Started as our trainee. Now trains the next intake.
Training supervisor · Panorama
Sam
Reilly
CSIA Level 3 · Level 2 Conductor
Former ski school manager and lifelong surfer.
Trainer · Sun Peaks
Luke
Hartigan
CSIA Level 4 · former WSC trainee
First season with us. Now a race coach at Sun Peaks.
Trainer · Sun Peaks
Tori
Wight
CSIA L4 · APSI L4 · CASI L2
Sits on the CSIA Women in Skiing committee.
Why they booked
“Emma and Rik. Very genuine company that wants to see you get the best out of what you can be. They're really hands-on.”
All Mountain Performance course, Revelstoke
Scene 04 · The house rules
How We Behave.
No values on a poster. Six things we actually do.
01
We'll tell you if it isn't right for you.
We've advised people to wait a year, to choose a different resort, and to book with a different company.
02
We put prices on the page.
Course prices, and the costs on top that nobody likes talking about, from flights to food.
03
We change the courses every year.
Not on fashion, but on what clients and trainees tell us in our feedback sessions. It's how we adapt quickly and keep the quality high.
04
We're straight about jobs.
On an internship, the job depends on four things:
- Our selection process.
- Success at a further interview with a snow school.
- A working holiday visa.
- Passing your Level 1.
On a course, once you pass Level 2, we guarantee an interview, not a job.
05
We don't hurry you.
A season is a significant investment. Take the time to choose the programme that fits your skills, goals and budget.
06
We own it when we get it wrong.
If something isn't right, tell us. We'd much rather hear it early and put it right.
Your safety net
What Happens When Something Goes Wrong?
Director's cut
“We've been doing this for over a decade in the snow sports industry and another decade dealing with emergencies in previous roles, and we take our duty of care seriously.”
Your visa is refused
If it's through no fault of your own, you get your money back.
You're hurt or ill
In British Columbia your rep is there. Wherever you are, we sit between you, your insurer and your family until it's sorted.
It's three in the morning and something's wrong
In British Columbia, call your rep. Wherever you are, ring the emergency number we give you before you fly. Rik and Emma answer it, day or night.
You're struggling
Our reps in British Columbia look out for you and help you see a doctor, and we're always at the end of the phone. We're not a replacement for professional help, and we'll be honest with you about that.
In his words
“What I do know about WSC is that they will look after you because I know that I have been looked after and I trust that implicitly.”
Scene 03, part two · On location
The Team
On The Ground.
Operations managers and reps in our British Columbia resorts, there from arrival day, plus the people who get you fit and film your winter.
Operations Manager · Panorama
Cass
Dearlove
Operations
Runs things on the ground at Panorama, from arrival day onwards.
Operations Manager · Big White
Mike
Ractliffe
PSIC Level 4
Lives in the Okanagan and backs up the Big White team.
Operations Manager · Sun Peaks
Iain
Satterthwaite
Ski patrol
Ski patroller and author of our patrol guides. Runs Sun Peaks operations with Rob.
Resort rep · Sun Peaks
Freddy
Townsley
Former WSC trainee
Shares the Sun Peaks rep role. Has done the programme himself.
Resort rep · Sun Peaks
Jasmine
Ashton
Former WSC trainee
Shares the Sun Peaks rep role. Has done the programme herself.
Resort rep · Big White
Ethan
Mead
Rep
Meets every Big White arrival at Kelowna airport and looks after you right through to your final days in resort.
Resort rep · Big White
Sacha
Hill
Rep
Part of the Big White rep team.
Fitness and nutrition · Devon
Abbie
Morris
Sports science
Author of our fitness guide, resident nutritionist and sports massage therapist. In charge of keeping the team in peak condition.
Cameraman · Worldwide
Josh
Tarr
Film
Films for National Geographic, Netflix and the BBC, and for our courses in resort.
Video editor · UK
Jake
Cauty
Film
Cuts the films on this site.
Scene 05 · Filming locations
Where We Work, And Who Delivers It.
Canada is our main base. Training there is delivered by the resort snow schools, with CSIA and CASI examiners, and our own reps in the British Columbia resorts.
Loc. 01 · Canada
Panorama
SkiSnowboard
Internships and courses. Resort snow school trainers and our own team on the ground.
Loc. 02 · Canada
Revelstoke
SkiSnowboard
Level 1 courses from November, and the 9 to 13 week intensive from January.
Loc. 03 · Canada
Sun Peaks
Ski
Internships, Level 3 and the Masterclass. Ski only.
Loc. 04 · Canada
Big White
Ski
Standard and hybrid internships. Ski only.
Loc. 05 · Canada
Fairmont Hot Springs
SkiSnowboard
Hybrid internship placements, alongside Panorama.
Loc. 06 · Canada
Nova Scotia
SkiSnowboard
Level 1 and paid work, trained first at our Revelstoke academy.
Loc. 07 · Switzerland
Verbier
Partner school
Delivered by a partner ski school based in the resort.
Loc. 08 · Switzerland
Nendaz
Details to follow.
Loc. 09 · New Zealand
Cardrona and The Remarkables
Partner school
Delivered by a partner training school.
Scene 06 · Now showing
Winter Sports Company Reviews.
The critics
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
We don't choose which reviews appear. Read the recent ones, then ask us anything they leave you wondering about.
The small print
Is Your Money Safe?
Winter Sports Company holds ATOL licence number 7337. If your booking includes flights, it's ATOL protected and you receive an ATOL certificate. If you book your own flights, your booking is covered by financial failure insurance instead.
We're a member of Year Out Group, and you can check any ATOL holder on the Civil Aviation Authority's website. Our financial protection page explains both, and the full terms are in our terms and conditions.
Winter Sports Company is the trading name of The Winter Sports Training Company Ltd.
The Q&A
The Awkward Questions.
The questions people ask most about Winter Sports Company before they book, answered straight.
Rik and Emma Dyson, the directors. Winter Sports Company has been sending people on instructor courses since 2009. When you call or message, you'll get Rik, Emma or Rob, not a call centre.
No. We organise the whole season: your place, the training, the exams, somewhere to live, and the job on an internship, plus support before you go and while you're there. In Canada the teaching is done by the resort snow schools and the exams by the governing bodies' own examiners. We'd rather tell you that than pretend the trainers are ours.
Yes, and you don't have to take our word for it. We hold ATOL licence 7337, which you can look up on the Civil Aviation Authority's website, and we're a member of Year Out Group. We're rated Excellent on Trustpilot, where clients and parents post their own reviews. And you can ring us on +44 1548 831152 and ask whatever you like.
You're protected either way. If your booking includes flights, it's covered by our ATOL licence, number 7337, and you get an ATOL certificate. If you book your own flights, your booking is covered by financial failure insurance instead. Our financial protection page explains both.
In British Columbia your rep is your first call. Wherever you are, in an emergency Rik and Emma answer the emergency number we give you before you fly, day or night. If you're hurt or ill, we sit between you, your insurer and your family until it's sorted. And if your visa is refused through no fault of your own, you get your money back.
Our office is in Modbury, Devon, in the UK, and there's a rep or manager in each of our British Columbia resorts. You can reach us on +44 1548 831152, by WhatsApp or by email. We're a small team, so if we miss your call, leave a message or send us a WhatsApp and we'll come back to you.
Now casting · winter 2027/28
Ask Us Anything.
You've met the people. Now bring the awkward questions, and bring your parents if you like. We're happy to talk it through on speakerphone at the kitchen table.
+44 1548 831152info@wintersportscompany.comModbury, Devon, UK
Directed by
Rik Dyson and Emma Dyson
Operations
Rob Hayward · Cass Dearlove · Mike Ractliffe · Iain Satterthwaite
On the snow
Jason Simpson · Wil Comrie · Ally Wagorn · Harry Drain · Sam Reilly · Luke Hartigan · Tori Wight
On location
Freddy Townsley · Jasmine Ashton · Ethan Mead · Sacha Hill
Photography
Zoya Lynch · Andrew Jay · Kari Medig · Mat Loyola · Ashley Voykin · Andrew Danyluk · Daniel Stewart · Hywel Williams · Grant Gunderson · Ian Houghton · Evan Mitsui · Elora Braden · Alain Sleigher · Stephen Shannon · Geoff Holman · Mike Crane · Doug Marshall · Brendan Paton · Adam Hill · Carmen Bonilla · Etienne Bornet · Florian Bouvet-Fournier · Kevin Fasolato · Simon Somerville · Alex Williams · Tom Poole · Royce Sihlis · Iain Satterthwaite · Rik Dyson
and every trainee who shared their winter with us
With thanks to
Panorama Mountain Resort · Sun Peaks Resort · Revelstoke Mountain Resort · Big White Ski Resort · Nendaz Tourism
Is your photo on our site and your name missing? Tell us and we'll add it. Full acknowledgements
Filmed by
Josh Tarr
Edited by
Jake Cauty
Fitness programme
Abbie Morris
Filmed on location at
Panorama · Revelstoke · Sun Peaks · Big White · Fairmont Hot Springs · Nova Scotia · Verbier · Nendaz · Cardrona · The Remarkables
Qualifications awarded by
CSIA · CASI · PSIC
ATOL 7337 · Member of Year Out Group
Emma
Rik
Rik
Emma
Rob
Iain
Cass
Mike
Abbie