Cash in glove: A kiwi ski resort claims that off-the-books snow instruction is an 'industry-wide issue'. Photo / File
Cash in glove: A kiwi ski resort claims that off-the-books snow instruction is an 'industry-wide issue'. Photo / File
This weekend an ugly confrontation at a Wānaka ski field exposed what operators are calling an “industry-wide issue”. On Sunday Treble Cone confronted skier James Sorrenson, accusing him of running illegal ski lessons on their property.
Sorrenson told the Heraldhe was there teaching a couple of friends and no money was exchanged. However, the ski field manager took a photo of the skier’s pass and cautioned him against teaching on the slopes.
“Our staff saw someone teaching, which looked like he was running a lesson. It was their job to ask the question,” said Laura Hedley, GM of experiences at Treble Cone and Cardrona.
Hedley says that Sorrenson was allowed to continue skiing with his friends and no action has been taken.
Most are couched in complaints about how expensive lessons are, asking if instructors are open to “private work”.
Some are as brazen as asking “Are there any ski instructors on here looking for extra $$$?”
There is an active black market for ski instruction across social media and online forums. Photo / Screenshot
One post of an Australian tourist from the past fortnight is explicitly prospecting for “under the table” ski instructors in Queenstown.
“Not willing to pay the official ski school prices, so offering cash in hand for a few hours of lessons.”
Hedley says that they have been made aware of classified listings via Facebook and WeChat using their ski fields logos.
However, they have not suspended any passes this year for external teaching, despite being aware of the volume of demand, which she describes as a “season-long issue for our industry”.
“We want to have conversations first and foremost,” she says. Taking photos of passes allows them to keep a record to follow up. “We haven’t taken anybody’s pass off them.”
They are working with other operators and the NZSIA, the body that certifies snow instructors in New Zealand, to check records of repeat offenders or if those suspected of external coaching have qualifications.
Are ski lesson costs leading to cowboy coaches?
The cost of ski lessons is a big motivator in the market for “under the table” ski instruction.
An adult ski lesson at Cardrona costs from $150 as a group to as much as $799 for a full day of private instruction.
While ski instruction is a luxury, there is a temptation for some visitors to economise.
“It’s not affordable for everyone,” concedes Hedley. There is a tradition in New Zealand of learning from friends and family, which the ski field does not want to stop, she says.
Skiers were concerned to read Cardrona and Treble Cone’s terms and conditions which state that whenever a group brings their own “coach/trainer or instructor it will be considered a commercial coaching situation”.
However, the ski fields say this refers to visiting groups and teams rather than families and friends, and that a wide variety of groups use the field for different reasons.
“When money changes hands it becomes a problem.”
Hedley says that it is about more than protecting the business. Their instructors are qualified, safe and fully insured. Cowboy instructors can undercut their prices.
It is extremely difficult to police or prove that a group is part of a commercial lesson. This means that ski staff have the awkward job of asking questions of anyone they suspect to be running a lesson.
Hedley says that Sorrenson was told that he risked having his pass cancelled if he was found to be running a commercial lesson, but the photos of his pass were taken for their records.
“If anyone got that impression, we apologise unreservedly.”
