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Paul left a 7 year career as an engineer to follow his dream of making a life in the mountains and came to Nonstop to take part in the Fernie 11 week snowboard instructor course. He went on instruct at Thredbo in Australia and then settled down back in Fernie where he now works at Boardstiff Snow, Skate & Surf, and is thoroughly loving life!
I was a Civil Engineer for 7 years after University. I was fortunate enough to move to the south of France for 4 of those years with my company at the time to work on a huge international research project (it’s called ITER, an insane nuclear fusion experiment that could solve the energy problem in the future. You should check it out if you get the chance, it’s nuts!). I hadn’t done any form of snowsport at all until I moved to France; the southern alps were a 2 hour drive away and when a couple of my new friends (who were mad keen snowboarders) told me to go with them the first weekend of 2010…everything changed. Suddenly a whole new world opened up to me, and basically from that point on I was convincing myself that moving to the mountains was really what I needed to do. I did enjoy my career as an Engineer but my heart was never truly in it, not to the extent that it needed to be to really successful. My heart was fully invested in snowboarding and as I got better at it that feeling got stronger. I saved as much money as I could and finally made the break in 2013 (it took a long time to shake off the whole “job/career/rat race” mentality that we are all trained to feel like).
I wanted to go to a place that had a lot of crazy terrain and a truck load of snow that would push my snowboarding, that is the whole point for doing a course like Nonstop, isn't it? I had also spent a lot of time in the smaller southern Alp ski towns while in France and I really loved the small community vibe and less in your face/tourist town like the larger resorts. The social aspect was also important, I like to get out and party when I can (I’m older now so definitely not as much of a party guy as I once was). It’s a lifestyle that has a heavy social aspect to it because snowboarding and skiing are two of the best things to do with a crew of like-minded individuals so I wanted to get to a place where I felt this would happen.
Lots of powder...
...and air time!
I was pretty much sold on Fernie way before I actually came across Nonstop in 2014. A friend did the 2 week Snow Safari with Nonstop back in 2011 and he settled Fernie for the season. He is an extremely good skier, and a professional photo/videographer. I think he won the Nonstop photo of the year competition when he was there and his shots were just epic, it was a banger year at that time and Fernie looked simply insane. I got to speak to him when he got back to the UK and the way he spoke about the town pretty much covered every point I made in the previous question. I was sold, it was just a matter of convincing myself to give everything up and head to Fernie.
Where to begin?! The instructors are frankly the best in the business. I progressed more in the first week of the 11 week program than I had done in 4 years of riding until that point. The amount of on-snow instruction is crazy, and you don’t stop learning – your level just keeps going up and up. You get to ride with all the instructors over the course of the season so you get to see different styles of tuition and they all pick up on different things so your riding just improves in all directions. Not only that but they become great friends too, who just happen to be the best snowboarders you have ever met in the flesh.
The crew we had on my year was awesome on both the snowboard and ski sides, so the free days we had we all rode together sharing the stoke. The social scene was great, I don’t even want to work out how much money I and everyone else put in to pockets of the bars in town – all totally worth it! To make a point, I think there are 8 or 9 from the 2014 Alumni who are living in Fernie as I write this, and we all hang out and ride together. I have shared a house with one of my best buds from 2014, Mike, in Fernie for the last 15 months, and my roommate Ali in the Red Tree Lodge I class as one of my very best friends.
Let’s not forget that Fernie was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Oh, and I got my Level 2 Instructor and Freestyle 1 certifications, and came 2nd in the Fernie Alpine Resort Rail Jam that year!
I went back to the UK for a few weeks then I headed to Australia to try and get an instructor job at Thredbo Ski Resort. I got the job, worked my ass off for 4 months (averaged 32 hours a week of instructing time while there), had a blast, met some great people, hooked up with one of my friends from Nonstop who is from Oz and hung out as much as we could. I peaced from Oz when the season finished pretty much and headed back to Fernie and have lived here ever since.
I won’t lie to you; this was a very harrowing and high pressured interview process. The hiring process at Thredbo is intense, for Rookie instructors it is a 3 day Clinic where you pretty much battle against 50 other people for 5 available jobs (on the snowboard side anyway, I think skiing had 17 jobs or something)! For the most part it is like a personality test where they get you to do a load of activities in a group and you have to do a lot of public speaking and show what qualities you have as a person, it was actually a lot less about your level of riding but about how you present yourself and deal with pressure, etc. And from there it’s an elimination process where the heads of ski school select who they want and don’t – a ski school X-Factor if you will. (The process is a lot different in Canada.)
The key here is to back yourself, be confident and don’t stress too hard. I’m pretty good around people I don’t know and having my Engineering background I was used to talking to big groups and holding their attention. There were people in the Clinic who had Level 3 certs and way more experience than me; however their cockiness and/or arrogance got the better of them and Thredbo didn’t want that. Remember, ski schools want people who are going to give great customer service and generate business, not just the best riders. So don’t feel insecure about not having experience or not having the highest cert – it is you as a person that wins at the end of the day.
They also have an online application process at the start of March-April, I believe, that you have to complete first and they decide to invite you to the Hiring Clinic or not. You have to do this, and you also have to have an Australian Working Holiday Visa already in you back pocket so keep that in mind (it’s a really easy process – much easier than Canada!). I know the hiring process at Perisher (the resort on the opposite side of the mountain range where Thredbo is located) is a bit easier and maybe at some of the other resorts like Hotham and Falls Creek (I know a few skiers from my Nonstop group went to these resorts).
So I basically went out there on a wing and a prayer with no guaranteed job!! Not ideal, but it was all very exciting.
I was very lucky. My friend from Nonstop had a buddy who lived in Jindabyne which is the town you live in when working at Thredbo and he was kind enough to put me up for a couple of weeks while I made sure I got a job sorted. From there a friend of his was looking to fill a room at his house around the corner and that was that!
Thredbo does have a load of staff accommodation around town which is the easier option. I just didn’t want to be in a house of rowdy teenagers this time around. I was 30 years old at this point and living like a local was more up my street.
It wasn’t exactly cheap, but the pay in Oz is great so it wasn’t a big deal. I can’t remember exactly what it was but I think it was something like $180 a week for the place I was in and that seemed fairly standard. The staff accommodation wasn’t too dissimilar in price and that got taken out of your pay so it saved any hassle on getting cash out or setting up direct debits.
You know what? I actually can’t! It was a great start to the season that year with a lot of snow by Australian standards and it was all hands on deck – I didn’t get a day off for 5 weeks straight! I was working 7 days a week, practically full days every day. I do have a load of highlights from the season when instructing though. I was fortunate to get a great range of lessons from beginner to advanced riders, freestlye lessons and even coaching GS slalom and Boardercross riders for regional competitions! I was out of my depth at times but you just get through it and you are a better instructor for it after. I also got given a 10 week school group that I coached 4 days a week – that was easily the best part of my time there. Shout out to the guys from my Redlands group, you made my season great!
You ready for this? $23 an hour! Almost double what you get in Canada. It was awesome!
I headed straight back to Fernie, my heart was there. I was determined to get an instructor job on the hill, but unfortunately that route didn’t work out! Being a guy who only snowboards rather than having a dual ski cert makes it more difficult in Fernie as the ski school isn’t huge, and even though I had experience and good certs it just wasn’t meant to be. I had an offer for Whistler but I was already in Fernie at that point and I wanted to settle down here. I had made some great friends and I wanted to be somewhere familiar for a change.
It did, however, lead to the best job I have ever had. I’ve been working at a snowboard store – Boardstiff Snow, Skate & Surf in downtown Fernie for over a year now and I love it. On a personal level it has been better overall than being an instructor. Things didn’t pan out as I initially hoped, but it led me to Boardstiff and I shall be forever grateful to my boss Geof for taking a chance on me and giving me a job.
Working in the store is freaking awesome! I get to talk about snowboarding all day, what's not to like? After an instructing job in Fernie not coming off, I knew I had to stay involved in the snowsports industry, rather than just doing any old job simply to exist in Fernie and go riding. For some people that is totally an option but for me, I had to be involved in the industry. So I pestered Geof practically every day before the 2014/15 season started until he gave in and offered me a job!
Honestly I have so much fun working in the store and as time goes on I love it even more. Helping people find the right equipment, clothing or whatever it is they are looking for really gets me stoked. Getting someone their first full set up is one of the best feelings, and not from a money perspective, more for that super stoked customer who comes back and tells you how much they love their new gear. I'm not on commission so I'm not obliged to push any particular brand or force a sale because I get more money in my pocket. Geof is huge on giving proper, unadulterated customer service and that’s what I believe we deliver every time someone comes through our doors. I've never worked retail before so for me it was interesting seeing how I would do in a sales job, but it’s the best job ever because I'm working in an industry that I love. I'm a snowboarder first, a salesman second. I don’t want someone coming back and saying they don’t like their gear, so I'm honest with my opinions and if something doesn't work then I tell them and give them advice on where else to look in town.
Having the Nonstoppers coming through this year has been great, it seems like a really cool group of shredders and I see a lot of myself and my group in them and now I'm on the other side of the looking glass! It puts me in a position where I know exactly where they are coming from, what they need and almost, as importantly, what they don't need. And I can offer any advice on being in town or just hang out and chat. I have already done a few days riding with them on the hill – so much fun!
For sure I get perks at this job, especially the longer I work here. I get to test ride a lot of our snowboards that we sell so I can give first-hand experience (plus it saves me hundreds of dollars buying a new board!) - I just did a review of our Never Summer line-up that got posted on an adventure lifestyle blog: http://alimitlesslifestyle.com/never-summer-2016-snowboard-reviews/ - if you're bored check it out! On top of that my boss is letting me go up to Sunshine Village in February to check out and ride all of the boards for 2017 that the companies are releasing so I can see what’s good in the industry and give feedback on what we should to order in for next season! I'm so hyped to be given this opportunity.
I also get to see what is coming out for the next season a year in advance for all our other products and again help in the selection and ordering process. Geof is giving myself and my colleague, Cat, a lot more responsibility on ordering and putting decisions in our hands – those that directly affect how our bottom line looks at the end of a season!
And of course I get a lot of sweet deals on gear, and when I'm lucky I get free stuff! For example I got a whole new outerwear set up from Rip Curl and new goggles from Smith this season.
This is my 3rd winter in a row in Fernie, and I have been living here permanently for about 15 months or so. The saying for Fernie is “Come for the Winter, stay for the Summer” which couldn't be more true. This place is beautiful in the summer with so much more to do. It is truly a unique part of the world.
Fernie is a ski town so you have to remember that unless you work in the mines or have your own business you aren't going to be competing with Wall Street with regards to wages. This is a lifestyle choice not a guaranteed pot of gold. If you want to work here, get your CV up to speed with all of your transferrable skills for employers to see. Get in early, jobs aren't a dime a dozen so the early bird gets the worm. Hit employers up before you get here, or if you do a season and want to come back meet all the people in town and let them know you will be looking for work. Be persistent, be patient and be yourself.
With regards to working in this industry, if instructing is definitely where you want to head, then it’s best to keep your options open and don’t get set on one resort. As a snowboarder in Fernie, it helps if you are dual certified and have a basic Level 1 ski cert. But broaden your horizons and hit up the bigger resorts that have huge ski schools, get experience and then you can come back to Fernie when you have more clout to your CV (but for skiers it’s much easier to land an instructing job at Fernie because the demand is greater).
If being in the snow sports industry is your goal (whatever that role may be) don't give up on it if it is hard at the start. Anything that is worth it never comes easy. Stay the course, remember why you are doing this in the first place. And be proactive, if something doesn't look like it is going how you want it, adapt, make it happen or take a detour on the route.
Right now just keep working hard at the store, and riding as hard and as often as I can. Doing everything I can to keep Boardstiff great is first and foremost on my mind. Who knows where that leads in the future – could I be Manager one day? That would be a dream...
I know my life needs to stay in this industry. I love meeting our product Reps, and forming relationships with them is really important to me. The future might be working for a snowboard company or merchandise company, touring around repping brands and trying to push them in to new markets. I'm so involved in this game it's all I think about so I feel I would have a lot to offer to a company in that field. Making contacts is key in any business so working hard, and showing them what I'm made of will hopefully present some opportunities in the future. It may take me away from Fernie *sob* but if that's what it needs to be then that is cool. Fernie will always be here.
And all the while I'm loving life, I will let it be what it will be. In the words of the late, great Bill Hicks: “It's just a ride” - and I'm riding, I'm riding every day out here! Cheers!
If you'd like to follow in Paul's footsteps and make the mountains your home, check out the Fernie 11 week ski and snowboard instructor courses. We also run programs in Banff and Red Mountain, and offer courses ideal for career breaks and dream holidays.
We look forward to speaking with you.
