Australian Army to Ski Instructing in Canada

After leaving the Australian Army in 2014 looking for a change, Gordon completed our 11 week ski instructor course in Red Mountain, Canada and hasn’t been able to leave. Falling for the powder that Red serves up, he’s made it his home pursuing his passion of teaching skiing. We caught up with Gordon to see how life has changed for him since our course, as well as how things are going amidst all that snow!

What were you doing before the nonstop course and did you always plan on putting your certifications to use?

So I was sitting there in my office on a military base in Darwin, Australia. I had just finished leading my section of soldiers through a 15 km route march for 2 hrs in the tropical heat. Having put in my 3 months notice and applied for my working holiday visa for Canada. I was wondering what I was going to do with myself once I got there. Having been on short ski holidays as often as I could to escape the searing heat of Northern Australia I began to wonder - what it would be like to teach this wonderful snow sport? So after a few weeks of research I settled on the idea of becoming an instructor and found a few companies offering what I wanted. After talking with a lot of sales people I booked into a course for 11 weeks. My first option didn’t go so well. With a little reorganising and a large amount of my funds frozen by PayPal for 6 weeks (under the guise of preventing me from funding terrorism no less) I was finally booked in with Nonstop at Red Mountain in Canada. My plan was to start working in Canada the following winter, to complete my rookie year as an instructor and cut my teeth in the industry.

WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF ROSSLAND AS A TOWN AND RED MOUNTAIN AS A RESORT?

Having absolutely no idea where Rossland is and only being in Canada a week, I ended up being 2 days late to arrive. This was due to weather and the low-lying cloud in the Kootenay Valleys. After being picked up from the Salmo bus station it was only a short drive to Rossland. As we drove up the winding mountain road more and more snow emerged, arriving in the town just as a light snowstorm had started. This was like a dream come true. Every building in town looked as though it was out of an old spaghetti western and everything was covered in snow, it was a veritable winter wonderland. I was in love! After exploring a little around town I found an amazing coffee place, two great ski shops and one of the best grocery stores in Canada; they even sell Vegemite and Tim Tams. My first day on the hill was totally out of this world. After tower six on the famous Motherload chairlift I got my first glimpse of why no planes would land near Rossland. The cloud separation was amazing and had fallen into the valleys like a soft woolen blanket (the locals refer to it as the Kootenay Sea). My mind was blown as I was skiing above the clouds. I was on top of the world…

How do those first impressions compare to your feelings for the place now?

My first impressions of the resort were incredible: the size of the mountain, the altitude and most importantly, the people. I think the people in the town and at the resort are what make this particular place so wonderful. Everyone is so friendly and helpful you couldn’t ask for any better. After working at Red Mountain Resort last season I am even more infatuated with the place. I have discovered and skied parts of the mountain that I didn’t even know existed in my first year. Making friends was easy and I now have some that I will have for life. Rossland is a very special place and will always hold a special place in my heart.

What were your highlights of your Nonstop course?

The best part of my Nonstop course was the weekend I did my Avalanche Safety Training with the fearless Patroller ‘Sparky’. I learned things I didn’t even think were possible and gained a very healthy respect for snow and Mother Nature. The first thing that blew my mind was touring uphill on skis, I had never experienced this and it was an epic feeling. The second was when the snowstorm came in and dumped fresh powder all day during the course giving us fresh deep snow to ski down in. There wasn’t a face without a beaming smile at the end.

HOW DOES THE TERRAIN AT RED COMPARE TO OTHER RESORTS YOU HAVE SKIED AT?

The terrain at Red Mountain is what keeps me going back. I have never seen a resort that has groomers so crisp right next to glades of trees following onto pillow fields of powder. After two lift rides you can ski 360 degrees on the main peak with 3000m vert to the bottom. In one day you can ski steep trees, butt-clenching couloirs, shoots, moguls, mellow glades, piste for racing, or even calm groomers. After this you can even ski into a remote ski lodge in the aptly named paradise bowl where you could forget you are on a resort at all. I often feel as though I’m sitting on the front porch of a backcountry cabin as I sip on a morning cappuccino. I have never skied anywhere that has so much terrain to offer and you can almost always have the ski run you choose to yourself. Finding fresh lines is not an issue.

You landed a job as an instructor at RED the following winter – how was the application process and did you have any other offers?

Landing a job at Red was overall easier than I thought. It was an ever so slightly frustrating affair; however don’t let that hold you back from going for it. The hardest part was the waiting. Red is purely a winter operating resort and therefore the recruiting doesn’t start until quite late in the year around late September/November. I sent off applications to 4 different resorts I only heard back from one resort and that was Whitewater in Nelson. After being interviewed by the director there I was offered a job. However, my true passion was to work at Red as this was the mountain I fell in love with and where my adventure had begun the year before with Nonstop. After returning to the Kootenay Valleys in November I soon realised that the Red ski school hadn’t got back to me as they were still a week away from reading applications. This next part is the beautiful thing about smaller resorts. I contacted the Ski School director personally and asked about my application, I was then asked to come in for an interview two days later. The interview was great and I was offered a job! NB as soon as I accepted this job I promptly contacted the director of Whitewater to decline their offer a full 7-8 weeks before the season started, not a good idea to burn bridges with other resorts by just not turning up after receiving an offer.  Red Mountain is a unionised resort. This means they have to offer positions to current union members first, the Ski School however is always in need of Full Time instructors and once you are in you can return in following years without having to apply - as I will this season.

CAN YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST DAY AS AN INSTRUCTOR? HOW DID IT GO?

My first day as an instructor was a bit nerve wracking. Even with years of experience instructing: apprentice electricians, soldiers on weapons, first aid, navigation, and leading people in the military I was genuinely unnerved. A lot of things go through your head. Will the children take to me, will they just cry and scream (FYI they will do this whether they like you or not), can I teach someone who is older than me, and the big one…will they actually get better at skiing. Well my first day was an absolute blast as I spent the first two weeks of the season at Red in Kids Camps for the Christmas break. My first student was a ‘leftover’ from a large group of kids because she was a level above them. Sienna was 6 years old going on 23. She was smiley, sassy, fun and took to me immediately. I had her for three days from 9 – 12. The progression she had in just these 3 days was mind blowing, which she reminded me of by saying “I’m pretty good at this skiing thing huh!”  It was so much fun I just couldn’t get enough, at this point I’m hooked for life. The second class… I had a group of 4 boisterous local girls ages 4 – 6 called; Soleil, Freya, Madison and Phoebe. These girls were willful, misbehaved and a hell of a lot fun. They were a green level group and I think they were the highlight of my whole season, teaching them once a week for 10 weeks. Again the progression and the joy that I was able to give them through skiing was fantastic and after that one day I never looked back nor felt nervous about another lesson I gave.

What’s Rossland like as somewhere to live?

Rossland is a great place to live and work. The town is super close to the resort and throughout the winter there is no need to own a car, as there is a shuttle bus that runs all day 7 days a week. There are great venues and places to eat in town and as I mentioned before the local grocery store is amazing. You will never be short of live music or entertainment as there is always something happening during the season. Almost always as an instructor you will be living in shared accommodation. There is even plenty to do here, a favourite of the roommate and mine being building a snow fort in the backyard of our house to fling snow balls at friends returning from the mountain. Later that season we had a snow fort party with a bonfire.

People often tell us they think Rossland will be too chilled – what would you say to them?

Rossland can be as chilled or as wild as you want it to be. There is a large population of seasonal people who flock to the town in winter, a fantastic community of people. There is always opportunity for a mid week house party or a Pot Luck dinner which meant I was still making new friends and meeting people at the end of the season. And of course it would be a crime not to mention the Rossland winter carnival – the oldest of its type in Canada. There is nothing but live music and fun events for 4 days straight. The towns’ population increases at least 3 fold. They turn one of the streets into an insane terrain park and have a rail jam competition. Races pop up all over the mountain including the ‘cliff dive’ (this one has to be seen to be believed). One night of the carnival I went from being on a float in a parade, to an AC/DC tribute band live show, to walking the streets following the deep base of a house party that had about two or three-hundred people at it with the local DJ group the Brothel Cats. I think that the end of the season is some of the most fun I’ve ever has. There is a slush cup, deck parties and everybody gets dressed up in retro gear. To answer your question, there is always something happening.

FINALLY, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING BECOMING AN INSTRUCTOR?

I would say GO FOR IT! Follow your dreams and chase that outdoor lifestyle that you’re all craving.

It is such a rewarding and fun job I never want to stop. Nonstop has changed my life, it is an experience I will never forget, and it has given me everything I want and more.