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YES Academy snowboarder leaning deep into a turn, hand brushing the groomed snow and throwing up a cloud of snow

Since 2010

Snowboard school in Sestriere

YES Academy was born here: in 2010 five snowboard instructors opened their own school. Today there are 10 snowboard instructors.

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Where we started

In 2010 snowboarding had no room in traditional ski schools. So five snowboard instructors founded their own: YES Academy.

Everything else comes from that culture. In 2016 we opened up to skiing, in 2019 we joined Northwest Ski Academy, and the idea stayed the same: what matters is who you live the mountain with, not what you come down it on.

The board is still home: from a child’s first slides to carving, from the snowpark to fresh snow on a splitboard.

Our full story is in About us.

Snowboarding at YES Academy in numbers

Snowboard lessons

With an instructor just for you, or in a small group of children at the same level.

  • Skier in a YES Academy jacket carving a tight turn with red poles and a spray of snow, snowy woods behind

    Private lessons

    A lesson built around you, on your own or with friends

    • Adults and kids from 3 years old
    • 1h30 or 3h
  • Ski instructor in a tuck leading a line of children down the piste, with a chairlift and larches behind

    Kids’ group lessons

    Courses over several days in small groups, for kids aged 6 to 13-14

    • From 6 to 13-14 years old
    • 3 hours a day

Clinics and experiences on a board

Three hours on one technical theme, or half a day or a full day between the Vialattea, off-piste and splitboard.

  • Snowboard instructor seen from behind, facing a group sitting in the snow with their boards next to a yellow snow cannon
    Early bird

    Starting from zero

    You start from zero, on skis or on a board: the one clinic that doesn’t ask for a level.

    • Ski or snowboard
    • 3h
    • groups of 3 to 5
  • YES Academy snowboarder leaning deep into a turn, hand brushing the groomed snow and throwing up a cloud of snow
    Early bird

    Style on the piste

    You work on your riding style on the piste, on a board.

    • Snowboard
    • 3h
    • groups of 3 to 5
  • Snowboarder in a YES Academy jacket carving a turn on the piste, arm out and a spray of snow against the blue sky
    Early bird

    Carving

    You work on carving, on a board.

    • Snowboard
    • 3h
    • groups of 3 to 5
  • YES Academy snowboarder leaning deep into a turn, hand brushing the groomed snow and throwing up a cloud of snow
    Early bird

    Jibbing

    You work on jibbing, on a board.

    • Snowboard
    • 3h
    • groups of 3 to 5
  • Three instructors in YES Academy jackets smiling on the piste in front of a snow-laden tree
    Early bird

    Women in charge

    You work on the Women in charge theme, on skis or on a board.

    • Ski or snowboard
    • 3h
    • groups of 3 to 5
  • Rider in a red jacket riding fresh powder down a wide off-piste slope, throwing up a cloud of snow
    Early bird

    Discover the area

    A guided tour of the Vialattea, from Sansicario and Sauze d’Oulx to Montgenèvre.

    • 4h30 or full day
    • groups of 3 to 5
  • Rider in a red jacket riding fresh powder down a wide off-piste slope, throwing up a cloud of snow
    Early bird

    Freeride

    Lifts to reach the off-piste, slopes chosen by your instructor for the day.

    • Weather window
    • groups of 3 to 5
  • Rider in a red jacket riding fresh powder down a wide off-piste slope, throwing up a cloud of snow
    Early bird

    Ski touring and splitboard

    Climbing with skins, riding down in fresh snow, far from the ski area.

    • Weather window
    • groups of 3 to 5

Before you book

Questions about snowboarding

How do I know what my level is on a snowboard?
  • Complete beginner: you have never tried snowboarding before. Start from zero and explore this exciting sport.
  • Beginner: you have been out a few times and you can get down relatively easy blue pistes; you can turn on gentler slopes and, where it is steep, you come down in falling leaf. Flat sections are a problem sometimes, too…
  • Intermediate: you turn on blue and red pistes, even if you sometimes come down in falling leaf on steep, icy slopes. You have also started trying a few tricks, both on the piste and in the park, and you occasionally ride switch.
  • Advanced: you feel confident on every kind of piste and in all snow conditions, you can also ride switch well, and you take on jumps and off-piste descents. You are at home on a snowboard in any situation.

Read more: Ski & snowboard levels

What age can my child start snowboarding?

Have you ever watched a child take a run-up and then slide across the floor? They do it sideways, instinctively and naturally! It is exactly this affinity with the sideways stance that makes snowboarding a fantastic option for small winter sports fans.

So at what age can they start snowboarding? From very young, always with an adult keeping a close eye on them to help them get up, slow down and move on the board, they can play fun games on the snow and try their first slides. This is where they get used to the equipment and start to enjoy snowboarding.

From the age of 4 or 5, children can really start snowboarding the way we adults mean it: they become more and more independent, they pick up the basic snowboarding skills easily and they start to enjoy the whole experience on the snow. So if you would like your children to start snowboarding, remember that the right age is the one where they feel ready and keen to explore this adventure on a board. With the right approach, learning to snowboard can be an exciting and rewarding experience, one that leads your children to discover the wonderful world of the mountains in a fun, engaging way.

Read more: Teaching kids to ski

Tell us what you’re after

We’ll find the right instructor for you.

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