What do JSBA certifications prove? Reading the three tracks on an instructor's profile

Instructor profiles often carry strings like “JSBA-B”, “Tech Test 2” or “CSIA 1”. If you can’t read them, they are hard to use when choosing an instructor.

This post is for you if you:

• see a string of abbreviations on an instructor’s profile and don’t know what each one stands for
• want to know whether “Level 1” and “instructor qualification” are the same thing
• are comparing a few instructors and want to know what their certifications can tell you

What follows is principal KAKU’s summary and opinion, taken from three of KAKU’s posts on Threads. It is not JSBA’s official position. For the formal content and current requirements of each qualification, JSBA is the authority.

Three tracks

In October 2025 KAKU wrote a post titled “The JSBA system in one chart”. The point: many riders think JSBA Level 1 is the summit, and some even think that passing Level 1 means you can teach. Neither is true.

Grade test (Badge Test): five levels, Level 5 the lowest and Level 1 the highest. According to KAKU, the Level 1 test covers a mid-stance extension carved long turn, an extension short turn and free riding, and to pass you must execute the technical movements and details as the manual sets them out. This post does not go into the specific requirements of each level.

Tech Test (technical test): three levels. In KAKU’s account, Level 1 is the entry bar and Level 3 is the highest.

Instructor qualification: the process, as KAKU describes it, runs like this. After Level 1, anyone who wants to become a C-level instructor must attend the summer C-level instructor seminar (kōshūkai), which covers first aid and teaching skills; the qualification comes after passing two days of training, written assignments and in-class Q&A. To move up to B-level, you must study the entire textbook and pass a written exam before you can attempt the skills assessment, and you hold the qualification only when you pass both.

KAKU’s conclusion comes down to one sentence:

Holding Level 1 proves only that you "can ride". It says nothing at all about whether you "can teach".

KAKU

KAKU adds that many Tech 1 and Tech 2 riders are stunning to watch, yet have never been trained in JSBA’s teaching system.

Key point: the Badge Test and the Tech Test look at riding; the instructor qualification looks at teaching. One cannot stand in for another.

How other systems differ

KAKU has given another example. In a July 2026 post, KAKU mentioned taking a ski instructor certification in the Canadian system, and called CASI and CSIA both mature teaching systems, proven over many years.

The point is the same as in the previous section: first work out what a certification actually tests. CASI is not simply a riding-level exam; it is an instructor certification. It doesn’t test how stylish you look on the snow; it tests whether you can get someone else to learn.

That is KAKU’s view. This post does not compare which system is better.

One more thing. In another July 2026 post, KAKU also wrote that within the same system, a higher level means you have passed assessments that a lower level has not. That is KAKU’s position, not a consensus among all instructors. How much certifications should weigh in your choice is for you to judge.

Key point: each system tests in its own way. Before reading a certification, ask what it tests.

How to read an instructor’s profile

Put the three tracks against an instructor’s profile and it reads like this. Below is how the SnowWind website writes them, with three instructors as examples:

Instructor	String on the profile
KAKU	JSBA-B · Tech Test 2 · JSBA D Examiner · CSIA 1
西西	JSBA-C · Tech Test 1 · AST L2
Maci	JSBA-B · Tech Test 1

• “JSBA-B” and “JSBA-C” belong to the instructor-qualification track.
• “Tech Test 1” and “Tech Test 2” belong to the Tech Test track.
• “CSIA 1” and the like are qualifications from another system.

The sources for this post don’t explain “JSBA D Examiner” or “AST L2”, so they are not explained here.

The qualifications on a profile tell only part of the story. Whether someone teaches well depends on the actual lesson. To learn how an instructor teaches, read what the instructor has written, or ask before you book.

SnowWind’s qualifications

SnowWind is a JSBA-certified snowboard school.

Certified at Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort.

That statement is about the school. For an individual instructor’s level, see that instructor’s own profile, for example principal KAKU’s profile.

If you are preparing for an exam yourself, the site has JSBA B-level Exam Prep material. It is study material for the exam; it is not a qualification, and it does not guarantee a pass.

To choose a lesson that suits you, start from the courses page.

This post is compiled from KAKU's Threads posts of October 2025 and July 2026. The summary and views are KAKU's personal position, not an official JSBA explanation; for each level's requirements, JSBA's published rules take precedence. The instructor qualification strings are taken from the instructor profiles on the SnowWind website, checked on 10 November 2026.