My Gap Year in Fernie: Joey's Story

Joey always knew she wanted to take a gap year before uni and doing a ski instructor instructor course was her dream. After finishing her A-levels she saved hard and made her way to Fernie to complete our 11 week ski instructor course. We caught up with her to find out about her experience.

What were you doing before nonstop and wHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE A NONSTOP COURSE?

Before Nonstop Joey was studying for my A-Levels and once I finished for the summer I worked full time at my local Waitrose to save up some money for the course. I chose Nonstop at the very beginning of year 12 when everyone was deciding which uni to go to, I found Nonstop online and liked the sound of the course - the amount of detail given on the website regarding the various different courses was great. I knew that I wanted to take. a gap year before uni and for me, ski instructing was the only option.

When I was looking at the different length and style courses Nonstop offered I thought the 11 week was best for me - to be honest by the end of the 11th week it had gone so fast I wanted to stay longer! I chose to go to Fernie because I liked that the slopes were local and the mountain offered so much terrain to ski on. I also liked the look of Fernie because it seemed less touristy than Banff for example. Also the town was described as being a little bit quieter than other resorts, but with a lot of things to do as well.

What were your first impressions?

When I arrived in Fernie and it was dark and I was jet lagged, I met my roommates and we were all starving so we ordered a pizza, (it was about 12:45 Canadian time) we didn’t really expect that the pizza places would be open, but within 15 minutes a pizza arrived at our door, so as far as impressions go they don’t get any better! Fernie itself was such a beautiful little place, it is an old mining town so it’s not your classic European resort with the fancy chalets, but it had this homeliness about it which made it such a lovable place to be.

After about a week we had made friends with the shop assistants and they knew our names, along with the bar staff and the restaurateurs too; it was like every single person in town wanted to get to know you which was lovely. It is really difficult to describe the sort of atmosphere of Fernie without experiencing it, but I have never been anywhere where you feel just as comfortable, if not more there than your own hometown! The ski hill is such a great place and I spent a lot of my time there even when I wasn’t skiing. We discovered that films like Hot Tub Time Machine were shot in Fernie and so it felt pretty cool to be a part of that. The mountain itself was amazing, the views were beautiful and the terrain was so varied; it’s considered a difficult mountain so there was always a new place to discover.

How easy was it to make friends on the course?

I had already met one of my room mates on one of the taster days two years previously, so it was such a surreal experience seeing her and having her in my room. I chose to have a quad room because I thought it would be a better way of making friends and it was cheaper too; my room was a bit of a hub for everyone so we always had people dropping by and sleeping on the floor after nights out. Despite there being 80 of us or so everyone knew each other and we all did things together like going to local ice hockey matches and the nightly post-ski hot tub sessions (which were essential!). I went out to Canada on my own without knowing who would be there but I find in those situations everyone is in the same boat so making friends was easy and I discovered that a lot of people lived within an hour of me so I’ve seen a few of them since getting back. My closest group of Fernie friends still talk pretty much daily and we plan on a road trip to Scotland soon.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR NONSTOP COURSE EXPERIENCE: WHAT WERE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS – ANY DAYS OR EXPERIENCES YOU PARTICULARLY REMEMBER?

The course was amazing and the level of instructing was, well, at another level. Every instructor had their own individual style which was really interesting because you could then learn lots of things in different ways. Some of the best days were our end of exam celebrations when we did things like giant human slalom from the top of the mountain to the bottom, and a synchronised skiing competition in fancy dress. Eighty of us headed up the timber chair dressed in all kinds of inappropriate outfits, ranging from grannies to “women” (boys in dresses with some very questionable balloon body parts). 

Another great day was actually the third or fourth day after we arrived when a few of us decided to explore the mountain. It was a big powder day and we discovered this ‘slope’ (not really a slope but only a signed section of off piste) called Morning Glory; it was a steep decline with trees and sudden drops where rocks had created mini cliffs and we tore down it throwing ourselves off every drop.

What did you do for fun off the slopes?

Almost every single night we had something planned, we often went to the local hockey matches to watch the Fernie Ghost Riders which was always a rowdy affair as you can imagine a huge group of mostly British spectators watching it like a football game! Quite often we spent evenings at The Northern which then ended in The Royal and considering how small Fernie was, it was packed most nights! In the lodge there was a cinema and a group of us did movie marathons in the evenings and often we would all buy food together and make massive group meals at the weekends in the lodge kitchen; we had roasts, steaks, Thai food - everything! At the end of the course a group of us took a road trip to Banff, we hired this giant van, made a road playlist and drove from Fernie to Banff which was probably one of the highlights of the trip, let’s just say that Steph Burt’s iTunes knows no limits!

Often we would all buy food together and make massive group meals at the weekends in the lodge kitchen; we had roasts, steaks, Thai food - everything!

In Fernie they celebrate Hot Dog Day which is a festival of sorts where the entire town goes 80s and it’s like you have travelled back in time overnight. One evening all the instructors did a charity auction where they dressed up in 80s gear and we all bid on there outfits, some of them were hilarious and it was so funny seeing all your instructors in skin tight leotards and retro ski jackets.

What did you do after the course?

When I got home I had to go back to work three days later which was not so great - I was like a zombie. I have pretty much been working full time since which was such a reality shock because although parts of the course were hard work and I had to pass my level 1 and 2 exams, it didn’t feel like work. I went to Budapest and round Cuba before starting university in September. I only wish I could have stayed in Canada longer but that’s not the way with Waitrose!

What are your plans for the future? Any plans to use your qualifications?

I am studying English Literature and Spanish at The University of Royal Holloway, which is a four year course requiring a year abroad so hopefully I can ski instruct in either South America or Spain. Without doubt I will be returning to Fernie at some point sooner rather than later because I miss the place like crazy!

FINAL COMMENTS?

JUST DO IT.

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