How Much Does A Ski or Snowboard Instructor Make?

Skiing and snowboarding are beloved sports, especially in places that receive heavy snowfall, such as France, Italy, Canada, and the Northern United States. Ski and snowboard instructors are responsible for educating their students on how to balance on the snow, move forward, do tricks, avoid hazards, and stop and start moving. Read on to learn more about how much a ski or snowboard instructor makes.

Ski Instructors

Ski instructors make $51,919 annually on average in the United States, about $25 an hour. About 30% of ski instructors earn $23,500 to $ 32,500 annually. Another 37% make up the $32,500 to $50,500 range. 18% of ski instructors make $50,500 to $59,500 per year. Therefore, most ski instructors make $20,000 to $60,000 yearly. The high-earning instructors earn $95,000 to $122,000 per year and bring up the average to where it sits now at $51,919.

The highest-earning ski instructors live in Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Fremont, earning $63,972, $61,716, and $60,274, respectively. Notice that the top three earning cities for ski instructors are located in California.

Ski instructors make differing amounts depending on where they are located. They make $30 to $70 an hour in France and Italy, $22 to $51 in Switzerland, $21 to $33 in Norway, and $10 to $30 in Canada. This is quite unsurprising, as the cost of living in these countries is quite high, resulting in higher pay.

Snowboard Instructors

Snowboarding instructors make much less than ski instructors on average, reeling in $37,098 per year, about $18 an hour. However, this average is more truthful than the ski instructor average above. 9% of ski instructors make $95,000 to $122,000, bringing the average up substantially. This disparity does not exist for snowboard instructors. The higher earners (only about 1%) make up to $80,000, which is drastically different from the higher ski instructor earners. 62% of snowboard instructors make $22,000 to $40,000 yearly.

Working as a Ski/Snowboarding Instructor

Snowboarding and skiing instructors spend most of their time at a winter resort. During winter seasons, they can work more than 35 hours a week, providing them with a steady source of income. However, work can dwindle during the summer, and when the resort is less busy, it can cause them to make less and feel financially unstable. In some cases, it is not a bad idea for ski and snowboarding instructors to get a summer job.

It is also imperative to understand that ski and snowboarding instructors make very different amounts of money depending on where they work. They can make up to $70 an hour in places like France and Italy but only $11 an hour in some US states.

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