The certification pathway
Three qualifications, each matched to a real coaching environment. Open a level to see who it is for, what you need to enter, what is taught and how you are assessed.
First level
ARCI Alpine Ski Race Coach
Ski, see and coach developing racers in free skiing and gate training.
Second level
ARCI Advanced Alpine Ski Race Coach
Analyze, diagnose and develop competitive athletes across technical and speed disciplines.
Third level
ARCI Elite Alpine Ski Race Coach
Integrate, optimize and lead in national-team, World Cup and Olympic environments.
Every certified ARCI coach is assigned a mentor. Mentoring continues at every qualification level.
Qualification Pathway
ARCI education runs in a fixed sequence. Online study establishes the theoretical framework. The days on snow apply it in an active race-training environment. Field practice through the season builds coaching judgment.
Program Sequence
Race Coach → Advanced
A minimum of one season of practical coaching with an alpine ski race-training group is required between the two qualifications, and must be documented.
Advanced → Elite
Advanced applied experience plus season-long mentoring is required before entering the Elite Race Coach development process.
Optional Entry Point
Preparation Course
Two days on snow, immediately before the Race Coach residential block. Open to competitive skiers, young racers, former racers, ski instructors, assistant coaches and experienced skiers moving toward race coaching. Minimum age 16.
Location
Kaunertal, Austria
Dates
Spring 2027
Preparation Course Includes
Two days of ARCI coaching
Lift pass for both days
Individual technical feedback
Introduction to ARCI methodology
Accommodation and meals are separate.
Certification
How Certification Is Awarded
Completing the course is one requirement among several. A candidate is certified once the assessment is passed and the work has been reviewed by more than one member of ARCI staff. The specific requirements differ at each level and are set out on the qualification pages.
Entry requirements
Each qualification states what a candidate must already hold or evidence before the course begins. Advanced requires a documented season of coaching with a named contact ARCI may verify.
The education
The online part and the on-snow and classroom block are completed in full. Registration is a commitment to attend the scheduled sessions.
Assessment
Knowledge, skiing and practical coaching at Race Coach; diagnosis, athlete development and performance planning at Advanced; integrated analysis and leadership at Elite.
More than one assessor
Every candidate is assessed by more than one member of ARCI staff before certification is issued. Advanced adds an independent review by a second authorized reviewer.
Certification
The qualification is issued and is permanent. It is recorded on the public ARCI registry with a diploma, pin, patch and credential.
Current ARCI Status
A separate annual registration. It keeps the coach listed as QUALIFIED · CURRENT, with an assigned mentor, the ARCI Coach Desk and continuing development. Without renewal the qualification remains and the registry reads QUALIFIED · INACTIVE.
Mentoring begins at certification rather than counting toward it.
Every certified ARCI coach is assigned a mentor for the season. A season of documented coaching after ARCI Alpine Ski Race Coach is what opens entry to ARCI Advanced Alpine Ski Race Coach.
Program components
Components of the Education
The same curriculum, observation method and professional support apply at every qualification level.
Curriculum
Curriculum
The complete subject map across technique, tactics, biomechanics, physiology, planning and professional ethics.
Observation method
Coach Eye
Observe, identify, intervene, verify. The method by which ARCI coaches are trained to analyze skiing.
Digital platform
The ARCI Application
Course material, the record of certification and the coach’s own work, accessible on a mobile device or in a browser.
Mentoring
Mentoring
Every certified ARCI coach is assigned a mentor. Mentoring continues at every qualification level.
Routes in
Entry for Experienced International Coaches
Coaches with verified international experience enter through recognition of prior learning or the World Cup Coach Bridge, which assess existing competence rather than repeating education already covered in their career.
By application
World Cup Coach Bridge
A short program aligning verified international coaches with the ARCI framework and language.
Prior learning
Recognition of Prior Learning
Existing qualifications and coaching experience are assessed for equivalence in order to establish the correct entry point.