How my gap year turned into full-time ski instructor job

Mike Barnes caught the winter season bug when he did our 11 week ski instructor course back in 07/08 and has since gone on to become a ski instructor in Cypress Mountain. Here are his experiences training and becoming a ski instructor… After I finished school I was really up for doing something different with my life. My parents had taken me skiing in the Alps a few times, which I loved, so I started to consider seasonal work, as the thought of spending more time in the snow each year really appealed. A friend of mine was  ski instructing in America and had qualified in Canada through a UK based company. Excited at the thought of skiing in Canada, I started looking around at the courses available. My friend only had good things to say about the company he used (NONSTOP Ski & Snowboard), so after reading what was involved in the 11 week course, I went for it!

The months approaching the start of the course flew by and, before I knew it, I was at the airport meeting some of the people I would be skiing with for the next 11 weeks. They were an assortment of people from different backgrounds and of varied ages. We spent most of the flight talking about how we couldn’t wait to get out there. Everyone seemed to get on really well, because we all wanted the same thing, and we were all excited about going skiing! When we arrived at the lodge in Fernie, we had a great welcome from the NONSTOPers who had arrived early. The Lodge itself and our rooms were great. With everything going well, I couldn’t wait to get on with the season!

It was great meeting so many people over the weeks to follow. Everyone lived to ski each day and were always keen to socialise after the day’s lesson. As for the course itself, I noticed that we had the most experienced instructors on the hill teaching us – A great team of highly qualified Canadians who loved being part of the NONSTOP program.

In the weeks to come I took part in loads of extra activities that were included in the course. We built and camped out in a snow cave with some back-country experts, took trips to other resorts, did an avalanche safety course and spent a day snowmobiling (dog sledding was available to those who prefer barking to the purr of a motor!)

The social aspect of the course was a full time thing if you wanted it to be. Whether it be watching the local ice hockey team, heading to a bar for a social meet, or just going to the cinema with whoever wanted to go. I was never short of things to do!

After chatting to the instructors, I could see the seasonal working lifestyle was as good as everyone made it out to be – it was definitely for me! So I became intent on getting a job as an instructor the following season. I was keen on getting as many instructing qualifications as I could and, before I knew it, I had passed the first instructing certificate (CSIA Level 1.) With this qualification I could probably get a job the following season but to really secure a job, I wanted to get my CSIA Level 2 instructors certificate at the end of the course.

The final weeks flew by and were amazing; with everyone knowing each other really well, and loving the town of Fernie and its ski slopes. I really focused during the lessons running up to the level 2 exam week, as it meant so much to me to pass, and I was over the moon when I was awarded my certificate!

I’LL NEVER FORGET THE SMILING FACES AND THE PARTY THAT NIGHT!

Fernie 2008 was my first winter season experience and the best time that I’d ever had. It was so easy going and carefree, thanks to the course being so well run. I met so many like-minded people of all ages and backgrounds, who I hope I will never lose contact with. NONSTOP even run an annual get together called NONSTOCK, which is a great little festival with live music and a chilled out atmosphere. It’s the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and meet many more like minded people. I would absolutely recommend it to people who have done one of the courses, and people who are thinking about doing one!

I started applying for jobs soon after getting back home to Bournemouth. The Canadian ski qualifications are recognised worldwide but I only applied to Canadian resorts, as I had such a good time there. I had some positive replies from a fair few ski schools, although Cypress Mountain  (one of the ski hills that overlooks Vancouver) stood out from the rest. I had a phone interview and chatted about what kind of hill it was – a relatively small hill that employed a lot of international instructors. It was perfect for me. I took the job, which was to start before Christmas and finish late March.

The ski school director put me in contact with all the other instructors who would be travelling from the UK. Lots of e-mails were thrown around and I ended up renting a house in North Vancouver with 3 other Brits. It was a bit of a gamble whether we’d all get on, but I rolled with it and it turned out great. Within a week or so my house mates and I decided to buy a banger to get around in. We hunted around and all chipped in on an old 4 x 4. A bit of a moss-growing wreck but it did the job.

The resort wasn’t huge and had a small team of instructors, which meant I would get to teach all levels of student. My first lesson came and I was nervous, but I got used to teaching pretty quickly. It’s a great feeling teaching someone to do something they couldn’t do before. I taught a huge range of students, from beginner adults to advanced kids, from all over the world. Sometimes there was a language barrier, which made communication very “interesting” at first. But by the end of the season I was pretty good at flailing my arms around and keeping verbal instruction down to a minimum.

The level of instructors at the hill was varied, so we’d often take improvement sessions with the more experienced instructors.  These were also a good laugh – if you thought instructors rarely fell over, think again! As the season went on, everyone became good friends. Work was often followed by a drink in the bar or sometimes we’d have an organised social and all the staff would go.

I’d recommend ski instructing to anyone who is sociable and likes being out in the scenic outdoors. It is a chilled out and fun place to be working. I have met hundreds of fantastic people and I am looking forward to doing it all again!

Find out more about the 11-week ski instructor course that Mike took

And check out the snowboarding courses here