In 1996 Simon moved to Lake Wanaka to seek his fortune in the skiing gold mine of Instruction. 3 years of training at Treble Cone supported by night work as a ski technician saw the launch of his new career. After 2 seasons teaching at Treble Cone Simon moved to Cardona in 2002 and is now a Trainer for the instructor programmes offered there.

Simon has been an Trainer/Examiner since 2007, is fully qualified in the PSIA system and completed NZSIA Race Coaches Level 2 in 2008. Simon has been skiing and teaching back to back winters at Mammoth Mountain in California and New Zealand since 1997. The Mother Lode has been found many times in the immense powder days of the Sierra Nevada range. Simon tunes skis and drives buses to support the career change.

Inter-season summer interests include mountain biking the epic trails in Utah, surfing in Central America, and visiting various Pacific islands en-route to NZ.