A team of instructors and mountain guides at the Section 8 Snowsport Institute are in the business of sculpting people into skiers and/or snowboarders, and certifying clients for a career in the industry.
Tobin Leopkey is the founder, program director and head ski coach at the training company, which he runs out of his Courtenay home.
The main program is snow sport leadership training, a three-month course that amalgamates outdoor leadership training and ski/snowboard instruction. A bonus is a week of surfing on the coast. A new addition is an optional ski mountaineering week in partnership with Island Alpine Guides.
“They get a helicopter drop in the alpine, and then we do a ski mountaineering week as well,” said Leopkey, who started the company in 2005 when he moved from Whistler to the Valley. The first program was underway in 2009.
The company motto says: In order to be the best you must lose your mind.
Along with instruction, Section 8 offers a variety of camps and clinics, including a yearly, week-long trip to Austria.
“Last year we stayed an extra week and we filmed an instructional video,” Leopkey said. “We’re launching that in the fall.”
The video — the first in a series — will provide an understanding of ski technique, available for a nominal fee.
“The plan is to have a revenue-neutral source of marketing. It will bring in minimal revenue but it will get the word out a lot more.”
Leopkey hopes a first-time camp will come into fruition next summer in Chile.
The company largely serves international students — mostly Europeans — and some from Australia and New Zealand. Students are housed for three months in chalets at Mount Washington.
The Internet has been the company’s best source of marketing.
Leopkey is an examiner for the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance and a member of the CSIA level four High Performance Team. He is the majority owner of Section 8.
Co-owners include Mike Bray — technical director of snowboarding at Mt. Washington — Tom Arnold and Nigel Harrison.
“We pull in a variety of other instructors from the mountain for little bits whenever we need them,” Leopkey said. “A lot of really well qualified folks.”
They include Mike Manara, Jennifer Young, Darrin West, Jan Neuspiel (owner of Island Alpine Guides), Helen Campbell, Kathryn Rutherford, Keith Raymond, Simon Richards, Marthe Bakker, Ryan Stuart and Paul Laperriere.
Join the crew for a ‘life-changing experience’ — as testimonials claim on the company website.
“I don’t think it’s much of an exaggeration,” Leopkey said.
For more information, visit www.section8ski.com.
