Please take responsibility to familiarize yourself with the policies, procedures, formats, and testing criteria before embarking on your certification pathway. If at anytime in your training program or testing process you need clarification, it is your responsibility to ask qualified individuals for clarity. If you choose not to question and research the information, you will probably end up with a less than accurate perspective on the certification process. This perspective is bound to influence the outcome. Be accountable for your success!
Certification is a journey. As you develop your knowledge skills and abilities as a snow sports instructor you become more valuable to your clients and your school. No one person, document, or resource can prepare an individual for their certification process. Rather a combination of individuals, information and resources will provide the best blend of expertise for a well-rounded training pathway.
Joining & Level I Process
Becoming a Certified Instructor
Cross Country Certification Guide
The purpose of these guides is to provide exam candidates, school trainers, divisional clinic leaders and examiners with an established outline to reference while preparing for, participating in, and administering the PSIA-NW Certification Level I, II, and III exams for Cross Country.
For the Level I Cross Country – you will need to complete the eLearning course before being able to register for the on snow exam.
***Please note, for successful completion of a certification, all components of the exam must be completed in the Northwest, partial module passes in other divisions do not transfer.
National Standards
These standards are the same across the country. Level III is the highest certification and meets International Snowsports Instructors Alliance (ISIA) standards. You can take your certification to a global level and teach all over the world.
To view the national standards please go to the link below.
Cross Country National Standards
To view a Learning Connection & Fundamentals Cheat Sheet, use the link below.