SnowWind
Training
Everything we have written on training.
10 articles
ArticlesHow to choose a ski or snowboard instructor: certifications, riding videos and the pre-lesson conversation
Principal KAKU's three steps (certification system and level, riding videos against official demos, teaching logic) plus two things to watch on lesson day.
Read →JSBA vs CASI: what's the difference? Snowboard instructor systems compared
What do JSBA, CASI, AASI and SBINZ each emphasise? KAKU reads their instructor exams as carving, all-mountain and freestyle. A personal view, no ranking.
Read →Can a Level 1 instructor teach you well? How principal KAKU trains new instructors
Flying to Hokkaido and getting a Level 1 instructor? KAKU: they can teach beginners well if properly mentored. To learn carving, find someone who can teach it.
Read →What do JSBA certifications prove? Reading the three tracks on an instructor's profile
The Badge Test, Tech Test and instructor qualifications prove three different things. On an instructor's profile, first work out which track you're reading.
Read →Why keep learning from the same snowboard instructor? 西西's monthly lessons
Every month of the season, 西西 takes lessons from the same experienced instructor. How that teacher teaches and observes, and why 西西 values sticking with one.
Read →Japan ski resort safety rules: runaway boards, riding the lift, and stopping when you hit someone
Stay with your board while strapping in or out, learn to ride the lift with it on, and stop if you hit someone. KAKU on what the instructors saw in 2025–26.
Read →How should you train before ski season? 西西's off-season conditioning notes
In season there's no time for dedicated training. 西西's off-season notes: big cycle, deep core, hips, thoracic spine, balance, set against public guidelines.
Read →How to stretch and breathe between ski days: what 西西's wife teaches
Tired? Rest a day for full active stretching, and train the core with lateral breathing at bedtime. 西西's wife's method, kept apart from guidance and research.
Read →Which ski or snowboard lesson should I book? Start with your level, then compare five courses
Zero experience: the Beginner Lesson. Linking turns: a Progression Lesson. Fluent S turns on red runs: Tree & Powder. The Companion is not a lesson.
Read →Snowboard or ski for your first time? KAKU's five answers
Ski first? Which is harder, riskier, where people get hurt, what each does best. KAKU answers from teaching; injury notes are not medical statistics.
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