The owners of the two best video clips that we see will win a limited edition Nonstop cap. These caps were made for our instructors out in Canada but we managed to get a hold of a couple extras for this competition. They’re pretty damn fine bits of kit and are guaranteed make all you friends jealous!

Video clips or full-on edits will all be considered. We’d like to see some powder, jumps or just general shinanigans (but keep it clean, of course!).

To enter, just post the link to you video in the comments section of this photo (click here).

It can be a link to your video hosted on any of the major video hosting sites (Youtube, Vimeo, Mpora, etc). If you paste a Facebook video, please make sure that it’s viewing permissions are set to “Everyone” or “Public” rather than just “Friends”.

The closing date for entries is 31st May 2012.

Good Luck!

Nonstop have been running ski & snowboard instructor courses for 10 years and so far have trained over 2500 skiers and snowboarders. Many of these guys were simply looking to take their skiing or riding to the next level whilst others have gone on to enjoy rewarding careers as instructors or other positions within the industry; some outstanding success stories that spring to mind are a Ski School Director in New Zealand, the head of search & rescue in Fernie and many Level 3 instructors. As well as all the level 1 & 2 instructors that are currently working in resorts all over the world, these guys are making a living from their passion so lets have a look at how they got there.

CASI Level 2 Trainee Instructors in Banff

Nonstop offer instructor courses in Canada ranging from 3 – 11 weeks, a 12 week program in New Zealand and an intensive 18 week program in France leading to the lucrative world of teaching in the French Alps. Lets start by looking at the quickest route into the industry – Nonstop’s 3-5 week level 1 instructor courses in Banff & Fernie. These are the ideal option for experienced skiers or riders who are looking to qualify and then start work in the same season. Participants on the 3 week courses receive 8 days of intensive tuition over 2 weeks before sitting their CASI/CSIA level 1 exam. Off snow we provide a careers seminar and support in looking for a job as an instructor after the course – we’ve even got a new course in Fernie that leads to a guaranteed job! Graduates of these short courses that go on to work as instructors will deal with novice skiers and snowboarders in their lessons – for further details check out our previous blog in the series working as a ski or snowboard instructor.

Moving on to Nonstop’s 11 week instructor courses; in my opinion these are the ultimate way to spend a season and are arguably even more fun than working as an instructor!!! These courses are packed with over 220 hours of tuition from highly experienced coaches; when you’re not in lessons you can put your new skills into practice exploring the vast resorts or Banff, Red Mountain & Fernie whilst all sorts of extra trips to other resorts & awesome CAT Skiing days are also organised. Essentially for 11 weeks you have nothing to worry about besides skiing or snowboarding!! That’s a rare privilege and for most people I expect it will be the most care free time of their life!! Awesome. By the end of the 11 weeks your skiing or riding will have improved so so much and you have the option to sit your CSIA/CASI level 2 exam which will enable you to teach all around the world.

Retro Wear on an Instructor Course

New Zealand isn’t as well known as Canada when it comes to skiing but their Ski Instructors’ Association is highly respected throughout the industry and there is absolutely incredibly skiing to be had down there. Nonstop’s 12 week instructor course in Porters is action packed in typical Kiwi fashion, but with so much exposure to the ski school this course is a favorite with those wanting to get qualified and then go straight into work in the northern hemisphere. Participants on this program are immersed into the local ski school and to some extent become part of the team. Porters recently said ‘there hasn’t been a season during our association with Nonstop that we have not employed graduates from the program the following year’. As with the 11 week courses in Canada this will be a care free 12 weeks and you’ll be living firmly in the bubble of a ski town…good times!

Spectacular Scenery in New Zealand

Finally, let’s touch upon life as a trainee French ski instructor. It’s popular opinion that to become a ski instructor in France you need to be French, but this is not the case! What is true though is that it’s exceptionally difficult but once qualified you will reap the rewards financially. In order to enter the French system hopefuls must first pass the grueling ‘Test Technique’, a slalom speed test that requires you to clock a comparable time to a professional skier. Training for this is in a word intense. Not only do you have to be an accomplished skier but you need to be insanely fit – so much so that before this course even starts participants have to undergo a 3 week training regime involving running up mountains and arduous mountain bike trails. This experience is certainly not for the faint hearted but if you’re up for a challenge then this will be the most rewarding 18 weeks of your life! The following year you can start working as a trainee instructor with earnings starting from 25 Euros per hour!

Well that’s just about it – hopefully this series of blogs has given you a valuable insight into life in the mountains. Whether you choose to work in a chalet or bar or even go down the instructor path… we hope you have an epic time!

Click on the following links for ski instructor courses and snowboard instructor courses.

Here’s the article that appeared in issue 99 (Words and photos courtesy of Ed Blomfield):

Out here there is no sound. Since the chopper dropped us at the cabin and turned back towards civilization, its rotor blades receding to a faint echo over the ridge, we’ve been on our own.

Mountains can often seem ominously silent, like sleeping giants, but this is a whole new level. There are no foreign-tongued murmurs from the piste, no steel edges chattering on the hardpack, not even a low hum from the chairlift. A thick blanket of powder coats the vast natural bowl around us and muffles all but the most immediate sounds: my ‘skis’ treading down the snow beneath my feet; my steady breath.

There’s plenty of time to ponder things when you’re splitboarding. As I climb the slope I’ll soon be riding down, I wonder if this is what it feels like to be Jeremy Jones or Xavier de le Rue, burning up calories in some remote corner of the world, high on endorphins. Well… if this is the dream, then I’m certainly living it.

Ramble on! Now’s the time, the time is now…

It’s a sad fact that most of what you see in magazines and videos is beyond the realms of the average snowboarder. Hundred-foot kickers, double corks and heli drops atop some perfect pillow field might make for great footage (especially if your name’s Travis Rice and you’ve got several million dollars of Red Bull cash burning a hole in the pocket of your signature pants) but it’s about as far from your typical riding experience as dwarf porn is from first-time sex.

Most people get a solitary week a year to satisfy their snowboarding fix – two if they’re lucky. The first part of any such holiday is spent regaining your previous riding level a.k.a. ‘getting your legs back’. By the time you’re up to speed and have stopped crawling out of bed like a particularly bruised piece of roadkill, you’ve got about a day or two to left to ‘progress’ before it’s back on the transfer bus for the cold hard slap to the face that is Monday at work.

Powder? At times it can seem like a cruel myth made up to taunt you. Your week-long weather window is just as likely to feature bulletproof pistes or impenetrable mist – possibly both. And if the Gods do bless the mountain with some fresh, you’ll be battling for obvious lines with the masses, or else taking your life in your hands and hiking out of bounds – without a guide – in a resort you barely know.

So how does an ordinary rider improve on the holiday experience? Without packing in your career and moving to the Alps full time, how can you seriously progress your riding and learn to tackle proper powder terrain safely, like the pros?

The answer, just maybe, has arrived. I’m in the Kootenay Mountains near Fernie, Canada, to sample a new six-week coaching course offered by a British company called Nonstop Snowboarding. It’s called ‘Master the Mountain’ and it focuses squarely on improving your off-piste skills. If you’re serious about your riding, their intensive plan promises to take your ability to the next level and, ultimately, help you get the most out your time on the hill. That’s the theory anyway. Together with UK legend James Stentiford (who knows a thing or two about riding powder) it’s time to see how the latest group is getting on.

James Stentiford applies a bit of spray tan

We arrive in Fernie and move into the Red Tree Lodge, a large hotel now run exclusively by Nonstop to house their clients. There are basically two types of guest: those doing an 11-week instructor course (who leave with a CASI certificate) and those doing the six-week Master the Mountain programme. Both courses are in full swing, so by now everyone is pretty familiar with each other and the atmosphere in the corridors is like a relaxed youth hostel.

With the snow falling hard, we spend a morning in the company of one of the local coaches, getting to know the terrain on which the groups have been training for a solid five hours a day, four days a week. Fernie has been chosen specifically for its reliable powder, and it doesn’t disappoint. Situated in a dramatic natural amphitheatre above the old mining town, it boasts steep faces, multiple open bowls, epic trees and, most importantly, over 29 feet of annual snowfall. Today it’s a freezing whiteout so we stick to the forested areas, threading our way through giant redwoods and sending up choking face shots that stick to my hat and beard – conditions known locally as ‘blower pow’. Our guide explains that the lift system is divided into the ‘old side’ and the ‘new side’, based on recent expansion into additional bowls. “People swear blind that one side is better than the other,” he says, “but really it’s all good!” Since the owners took the decision to remove the kickers on safety grounds there’s no proper park in Fernie, just a handful of rails, but this only emphasizes the fact that ‘Nonstoppers’ are here to learn how to ride the real mountain. Anyone keen to catch some air can fly off one of the many cat tracks or natural pillows.

Down at the Griz Bar at the base, we catch up with the 11-week crew. Though they still have more than a month of shredding and lessons ahead, today marks the completion of the first half of the course and they are picking up their Level 1 instructor certificates. There’s a lot of stoke in the room. The pitchers are in full flow and before long someone has cleared the long table, soaked it in beer and cleared a path through the crowd for three plucky guys to do some naked belly surfing. Unfortunately for the last dude, his extended run-up ends with him hitting the wooden tabletop after all the alcoholic lubrication has been swept off and he stops dead on his nut sack!

Amongst the revellers filling up on Kokanee is Wibs, a wiry would-be instructor from Ipswich and a nurse in his former life. Having spent time with his seasonaire brother in Tignes, he decided he wanted to improve his riding and booked himself onto the extended course. Wibs tells us that since his arrival in Canada he has become the chief cheerleader for the local Under-21 ice hockey team, the laughably named Fernie Ghostriders, so we agree to join him for their next game.

Before that, however, lies a day of snowmobiling – an optional extra for the guests and a chance for Stenti and I to get some face time with two of the Nonstop coaches. It’s a freezing bluebird morning as we jump in the pick-up truck with Jay and Ryan. Both are seasoned Canadian snowboarders, totally comfortable in the macho world of manoeuvring snowmobiles onto seesaw ramps, tinkering with spark plugs and of course, hauling ass.

Stenti gliding off a natural hit

At the ‘staging area’ in a valley outside town, we join a caravan of fellow slednecks. Apparently we’re the only ones with snowboard kit. “Most sledders don’t snowboard,” explains Ryan, “so they’ll think we’re a bunch of hippies.” There is some serious dollar on display; guys are riding top-of-the-range skidoos down ramps out of huge enclosed trailers, dressed like Bond villains in menacing black leathers and helmets. They rev the crap out of their machines, sending petrol smoke into the cold morning air, before tearing off down the cat track.

I’m not immediately comfortable myself with the noise and power of the sleds. I go two-up with Jay and my arms are almost ripped off as he pushes the trigger throttle on his 800cc two-stroke and we

accelerate over the snow. It’s bumpy – sled tracks create hideous mounds that have to be regularly groomed – and I struggle to figure out how to balance as we bounce along and soak them up. Jay is a great teacher though, and his relaxed approach soon has us working together on the corners, leaning the heavy machine around each bend.

High up the mountain we peel off the trail and practise turning in powder. You have to use all your weight to shift from side to side, but up ahead Ryan skips his feet effortlessly over the saddle and surfs the machine on its side like a powerboat. When I finally get it right, the sensation of floating up a steep incline is incredible. “Sledders will tell you it’s an addiction,” shouts Jay above the screaming engine, “better even than the run down!”

Far from the crowded pistes, we take turns riding our snowboards down the empty slopes to a logging road and hitching a ride back up. With two such experienced guides for company I’m not really worried about getting lost or triggering an unexpected avalanche, so I’m able to focus fully on my riding. Watching Jay and Ryan carve up the pow themselves, I can see why they’re held in awe by Wibs and the rest of the pupils. Ryan is a solid freerider, totally at home in his native BC backcountry, while Jay is the quiet technical master, an expert at ironing out any kinks in his charges’ riding style. Nonstop claim this is no accident: thanks to more generous wages they can cherry pick the very best coaching talent from the local pool.

Although our fellow guests are split between the six week ‘Master the Mountain’ camp and the longer snowboard instructor course (which has an added emphasis on teaching) both programmes offer a similar opportunity to break down your technique before testing your new skills in the ultimate terrain. Five weeks in, it’s time for both groups to go catboarding, so we join them the next day for the short drive to the Fernie Wilderness lodge. At the wheel of our big blue converted school bus is Adam, a Yorkshireman with an impressive handlebar moustache who is stoked to be acting as guardian for some of the younger guys on their backcountry day. It’s obvious he enjoys the shred as much as any of his clients.

A typical catboarding day!

A welcome meeting and obligatory waiver-signing session is followed by beacon training, then it’s into the yellow piste basher for the slow trundle up through the glittering slopes dotted with ‘snow ghosts’ – small trees glazed from top to bottom with snow, like icing on a cake.

Conditions are, to quote the guy in the lodge, “as good as they get”: bluebird skies, dry pow and empty lines. We start off on some mellow gladed runs, then progress to a steep and open pitch that has me gasping for air as I kick up a cloud of vapour and punch through the white room. One or two of the pupils take a tumble in the deep snow, and the tight paths out through the forest lead to the occasional unstrapped binding, but most have progressed to the stage where they’re confidently blasting down every slope the guides put in front of them, whooping and hollering. Back in the warmth of the cat, we swap stories of our runs, chow down on generous packed lunches and generally bask in the glow of a perfect powder day.

As the banter flows thick and fast, we see that the group have become good friends. Months living together in the mountains will do that. Like regular seasonaires, the guys and the girls on the course have bonded strongly and shared the odd bed (we’re told that one of the blokes scored by turning up at a girl’s room clutching a pack of condoms and a six-pack of Red Bull – lad!) There’s the odd gripe about the food at the Red Tree, but no one has anything but good words to say about the coaching that has prepared them for this epic day.

Like seasonaires, moreover, they’ve got to know their adopted town well, regularly setting up shop in their favourite watering hole, the Kodiak Bar, where they sink $3.50 beers beneath a giant stuffed grizzly bear. And with the catboarding mission successfully chalked off, Stenti and I meet them here later for a pre-match beverage before hurrying across the frozen streets to the ice rink, where it’s time for the Fernie Ghostriders to take on local rivals Kimberley. The Nonstop crew have turned these weekly matches into something of a ritual, bringing English football chants to the usual Canadian mix of ice and violence.
Drowning in an oversized Ghostrider shirt and clutching a fluorescent blue Slush Puppy, Ipswich Town fan Wibs leads the way, banging on the plastic crowd barrier till his thumbs hurt. “Fuck ‘em up!” he shouts. Soon we’re all chanting along at the red haired hatchet-man from the opposition (“Duley is a wanker! Duley is a wanker!”) before breaking into a rendition of “Your team is shit, your birds aren’t fit, Kimberley, Kimberleeey!” The locals either politely tolerate our chants or actively enjoy their stadium’s new intimidating atmosphere, and although the players themselves largely ignore the crazy Brits baying at them from behind the Perspex, it certainly seems to motivate the home team, who spank Kimberley 9-2 to win the series.

"The Canadian mix of ice and violence..." (Photo Kalpesh Patel)

The end of our stay in Fernie coincides with the climax of the Master the Mountain course – a half-week spent splitboarding in the remote Canadian backcountry. Dawn has barely kissed the craggy peaks when the bus deposits us at a farmhouse somewhere in the wilds beyond Fernie. It’s a random place for a helipad, just a small field beneath the impassive gaze of the mountains, but before long a faint disturbance in the air reveals itself into distant speck, and seconds later the chopper arrives in a storm of noise and snow. Seeing your board loaded into a cage and climbing aboard a heli is the stuff of dreams, and the faces of everyone in our group tell the same story: eyes popping with adrenaline, wide grins hiding just a little stomachchurning fear.

Riding shotgun, I have a brief ‘mare trying to figure out the four-point seatbelt while the pilot next to me concentrates on the controls. The blades don’t stop because heli fuel is expensive, so it’s all about a quick turnaround.

Our lift to the Boulder Hut (Photo Simon Assender)

Then we’re off, lifting smoothly up and backwards before banking around and swooping up the mountain, skimming the evergreens. A 10-minute flight in clear conditions brings us over a ridge and into a giant bowl, where a modest collection of log cabins sits in one corner. Two figures hunker down in the snow against the rotor wash, and as we descend towards them it’s clear that this will be our home for the next few days.

Boulder Hut, as it’s called, is not your average chalet. Forget luxury lounges and Playstations: there’s no internet, no TV, not even a telephone. The weekly heli shuttle and a two-way radio are its only connection to the outside world, meaning our arrival is just as much an opportunity to stock up on fresh supplies. Large batteries provide the hut with limited power, but most of the energy – at least in heating and cooking terms – comes courtesy of the wood burner, where two kettles of tea sit permanently stewing. A second stove warms the Casa dos Suenos (‘House of Dreams’), a rustic dorm next door in which we’ll be sleeping side by side.

The hut is run by Mark Yancey, an experienced off-piste guide, and his wife Sarah. The couple move into this isolated cabin each fall and remain until the spring, when they swap Canada for Alaska. Their two kids, six-year-old Grace and three-year-old Alden, are home schooled, but seem happy enough making new friends amongst the guests each week and playing in their own private winter wonderland with Rosie, the family’s enormous Pyrenean mountain dog. Two cooks (Ellie and Mel) and a second guide (Darren) complete the extended family.

Settling in at the Boulder Hut

Above a welcome meal of soup and freshly baked bread, our hosts explain the rules of the house and issue each of us with a personal mug and a Tupperware lunchbox, which we label with a piece of masking tape. It’s up to us how often they get washed up, and indeed we’re to form a rota for the rest of the dishes each evening. Out here in the unspoilt depths of British Columbia, all waste needs to be carefully composted or recycled, while calls of nature must be answered at the ‘pee tree’ marked with a ribbon or a simple A-frame outhouse buried beneath several feet of snow, where a chilly toilet seat covers a humble hole in the ground. Should anyone require some bathroom reading, a handful of Gary Larson cartoons are stapled to the timber walls.

The following morning we fuel up on huevos rancheros (Mexican style eggs and tortillas) and fill the lunchboxes with more carbs, including homemade ‘energy balls’ made from an indulgent mix of peanut butter, chocolate and coconut. Not that we need to watch our weight – we’ll be burning up to 8,000 calories during the course of a day’s splitboarding. Back in Fernie the students on the Master the Mountain course have practised turning their snowboards into skis and attaching the all-important ‘skins’ to the base. Once made of actual seal fur, these days they are effectively strips of sticky carpet but the effect is the same, allowing your skis to grip the snow when walking uphill.

Extendable poles complete the transformation from sideways surfer to cross-country tourer. Then we are on our way, hiking in single file up through the trees and onto the sun-drenched upper plateau. Our group, whose multinational mix includes an IT manager from Telford, a Dutch student, a London-based yoga teacher and even an Australian mining expert, boasts varying levels of fitness, but no matter: Mark sets a slow and steady pace and we fall into an easy rhythm behind.

Dog tired after the hike

Aside from its environmental credentials, what makes splitboarding special is the sense of immersion within the landscape. You are connected to the mountain beneath your feet in a far more intimate way than catching a ride on a chairlift, and as you slowly gain altitude with each upward stride, the run back down the powder face is already being inwardly savoured.

Those in the know call it ‘earning your turns’. Up ahead, Mark has already reached the summit, accompanied by Rosie the dog – a trotting polar bear in her thick white coat. “I bought her because they’re guardian dogs, and we’ve got a lot of wolves and bears here in the summer,” he says. “Even when it’s minus 25 at night she doesn’t want to come inside. But she’s turned out to be a really good mountain dog too.”

We reverse the changeover process, stripping skins from the skis and stashing them with the poles in our backpacks, then fixing our boards back together. The faster we do this the sooner we’ll be enjoying the ride down, and after a couple of days we will all become super efficient at it. With Rosie bounding excitedly alongside, we drop into the shadow of a north facing powder face and rapidly gain speed, throwing up massive rooster tails of light snow before being spat out into the sunshine of the plateau below. The splitboard’s flex feels a little different to my regular stick but I’m soon used to it, and in conditions of this quality you could honestly ride a canoe.

There's nothing like a BC rooster tail!

We make several more climbs, each a little less demanding as our limbs begin to tire, before returning exhausted but exhilarated to the hut. Mark, Sarah and the kids claim first dibs in the outdoor hot tub, a Heath Robinson contraption heated via its own wood furnace, and we follow, darting barefoot over the snow as more flakes begin to fall and huddling in board shorts beside the watering-can shower.

Squeezing six blokes into a small tin bath and keeping it topped up with logs is a sure-fire way to raise laughter, and the group bonding continues over a fabulous dinner of wild salmon, which has been caught and frozen by Mark’s brother in Alaska. Five weeks ago many of the people around this table had never set foot beyond the manicured piste; now they are confident freeriders, and talk moves excitedly to the next day’s challenges out there in the untamed peaks.

“Tomorrow we’re going to explore a different zone,” says Mark. “And just to warn you, if the snow keeps up then the heli won’t be able to fly in to pick you up on Wednesday.”

A collective glance flashes across the warm room. Bring on the snow!

Nonstop Snowboard offer a range of instructor courses, development and powder camps from two to eleven weeks.

Find out more about the courses featured in this article:

11 week snowboard instructor course (Fernie)

6 week “MTM” off piste camp

In the last couple of blogs we took a look at working in chalets as a host, chef or rep and working as a ski or snowboard instructor. Below we’re going to cover bar work.

Working in a bar can be a great way to spend a season and, next to chalet work, it’s another classic option for those doing European seasons. Depending on your motivation, you can use it as a platform for epic early morning skiing and snowboarding or late night partying and sleeping in!

Generally getting a bar job is a little harder than the chalet option. There are fewer jobs and more people going for them. A lot of the time it helps to know the resort or somebody in the bar, to help get your foot in the door.

There’s also a lot more that you have to organise for yourself. In most cases you’ll have to hook up your own accommodation, lift pass, transport, etc. Although the bar will be able to give you a few tips on sorting out those things, you might face a few hurdles along the way, especially if you’re not familiar with the local language.

Generally bar work is much better paid than chalet work, but you’ll have to fork out on a lot more yourself, so you really won’t feel much richer. If you’re lucky enough to get bar work in the US or Canada, you’ll get great tips that will properly supplement your income, but in Europe tips are a nice little bonus that certainly won’t set you life on fire!

There are a few really good reasons to work in a bar. First and foremost is no morning work. You’re likely to work 6 days per week with a 3pm – 6pm start and a 11pm – 2am finish. That means that you can get first lifts whenever you feel like it. However you need to be motivated, because another upside of working in a bar is that you have a ready-made social scene. You’ll make a lot of friends, you’ll get a lot of free booze and, as a result, there’ll be a lot of temptation to hit it hard every night of the week… which could then lead to no first lifts! Bar staff are the most likely to waste away their season with very little mountain time, even though they have most of their days free!

So, is this the best way to do a winter season? It’s not the best, but you’re bound to have an amazing time. There’s no guarantee that you’ll progress your skiing or snowboarding to a massive extent, but if you’re motivated you’ll be able to get some epic riding in.

It certainly hasn’t got the kudos of the working as a snowboard instructor option, nor the progression that you’ll see with a season long instructor course, but you’ll probably have a better time than working in a chalet.

Check out the final blog on spending a season training to become an instructor. Or check out the following courses:

Ski instructor courses

Snowboard instructor courses

It’s been a tough job but we have picked four winners. Our decisions have been based on a combination of Facebook feedback, as well the quality, composition and how well we think a “moment” was captured.

1st place winner Dan Costello

Photo: Dan Costello

This photo has it all. Capturing a moonlit scene with the brightness of a bonfire takes a fair amount of effort and technical ability. But most of all, this captures an amazing moment. The Banff crew had a really special evening socialising by the bonfire at Cascade Ponds and they even got to see the Northern Lights in the distance!

2nd place winner Jonathan Banks

Photo: Jonathan Banks

Even though this was a relatively late entry to the competition, it had more Facebook likes than any other photo. It just makes you want to ski powder! So, it’s not completely untracked, which is a bit of a shame for the picture, but it’s at that stage where it doesn’t matter, Dave is having a lot of fun right there! Also, the composition is great, showing Duco digging for Axelle’s ski in the background!

3rd place winner Terra Traub

Photo: Terra Traub

This is a great picture from Terra and great riding from Ryan and our Banff instructor Brian. The later shot in the sequence shows them a little higher with their grabs locked in, but I love the shadows on this photo. They show that this was one photo (not two photoshopped together).

4th place winner Ollie Lilwall

Photo: Ollie Lillwall

Another late entry and a real belter. There a couple of Ollie’s shot could have taken joint 4th, but this shot has got some great energy and good use of black and white.

So there you have it. Congratulations to the winners, who will be sent out a Burton AK pack, Smith Goggles, a Burton Beanie and Lowlife belt, and thanks to everyone who took part. Stay tuned for the upcoming video edit competition!

If you’re interested in joining in the fun next year, check out our:

Ski instructor courses – Snowboard instructor courses – Holidays and camps

I worked as a snowboard instructor for a couple of seasons and often find myself wondering why I ever moved on from that chapter of my life! It’s a pretty fantasy lifestyle – your work is literally snowboarding, you get to meet loads of new people (all of whom look to you like some snow hero sent from the future) and your co workers are usually legends so there’s never a shortage of people to ride with.  Spending a season is all about getting as much time on snow as possible and this is certainly the job for that.

Ski Instructors at Fernie Alpine Resort

Snowboarding every day, and teaching others to do so no less, undoubtedly improves your own riding. But beyond self improvement, most ski & snowboard schools provide awesome training that will really push you as well as develop your teaching skills. These training sessions are usually run by CASI level 4 instructors and in most resorts are run first thing before the lifts open to the public which invariably means fresh pow pow! These morning sessions are also an awesome opportunity to impress the powers that be and if you shine here the chances are you’ll find yourself teaching better lessons and getting up the pecking order. I guess it’s a little like playing golf with the boss!

Another tough day at the office

Depending on what qualification you have, your experience as an instructor will vary massively. For instance, as a ‘rookie’ CASI level 1 you’ll spend the vast majority of your time on nursery slopes teaching basic board control so people can safely get themselves down the mountain. Although it’s super satisfying seeing a complete novice progress from a super jittery side slip to linking wide turns with an even wider grin, there does come a point where you’ll want to see that progression right through to carving or tornado turns and that’s just not gonna happen unless you get your CASI level 2. If you’re into freestyle then getting your park qualification will further extend your repertoire of lessons.

A snowboard instructor's 'classroom'

Having your level 2 qualification will mean you get way more satisfaction from your work. It’s pretty simple really – you’ll be teaching better skills on better terrain to better snowboarders! Not just this but you’ll also be higher up the chain when it comes to lesson allocation so you’ll get more work throughout the season. Which brings me on to the all important question of earnings…

The average instructor can expect to earn around 12-14 dollars per hour basic, plus commission for being requested for private lessons. You are taxed but you can claim this back the following financial year. Being an instructor is never going to make you rich but it’s about the way of life more than the moolah. It’s pretty awesome waking up knowing you have to go to work, but all that work involves is doing something you love and sharing your passion with others!

The amount you work in a week will depend on how much demand there is for lessons. During busy periods you can expect to be working 5/6 days a week, maybe even 7 when it is really busy. When it quietens down you will most likely be on 3/4 days a week. How much you are asked to work will depend on your attitude a lot of the time. It is wise to be flexible on your days off as if you turn down too many offers to work at short notice they will eventually stop asking you and give the work to someone else. Working at short notice is usually a favour to the ski school which means if you then need favours down the line e.g. more hours, you are in a good position to be asking.

Up close & personal instruction in the park

As with most jobs in the mountains there is a fairly awesome social aspect to the work – ski & snowboard instructors tend to be fairly fun loving people so there’s never a shortage of people to drink with. Some of my best mates today are the crew I met in the ski & snowboard school – I guess there’s something about the bonds that are made on a pow day that last for a lifetime!

After Work Drinks!!

Although it’s difficult to think of a better job to be doing on a season, at the end of the day it’s still a job. You can be sure that there will be powder days when your client complains that they’ve got cold fingers and just wants a hot chocolate! At times like this I remember wishing I was a snow bum so I could just shred all day long, but then this was probably one of the days I opted for a lie in instead of going on the morning session. Doing a season is really all about improving your riding or skiing and working as an instructor is a sure fire way to get the most amount of snow time possible.  All in all being an instructor is awesome and I would recommend it massively!

See other blogs in this series, exploring the best ways to spend a winter season: Working as a chalet host, chef or rep – Working in a bar – Training to become a ski or snowboard instructor.

Or check out Nonstop’s range of courses:

Ski instructor courses
Snowboard instructor courses

Ski instructor job – Canada
Snowboard instructor job – Canada

1. Working in a chalet
2. Working in a bar
3. Becoming a ski or snowboard instructor
4. Working as a ski or snowboard instructor

So, kicking things off, let’s have a look at working in a ski chalet as a rep, host or chef, as this is a classic choice for those setting their sights on the European Alps.

Cold Fusion in Chamonix. Home of my first winter season.

Although this isn’t the most glamorous way to spend a season – it certainly hasn’t got the kudos of ski instructing – it is popular for many reasons. First of all it’s relatively easy to get into. As long as you start applying to chalet companies at the end of the summer / autumn, you’ll have a fair chance of getting yourself a job for that winter.

Once you have yourself a job offer, there’s very little that you have to organise. The chances are your employers will provide your accommodation, lift pass, transport, food and a fair amount of drink (got to love that chalet wine!). So, you really only need to sort out your own insurance and equipment, although in some cases you may even be lucky enough to have that provided as well.

So you’re set up for a no-brainer season. You’ll be paid a very minimal wage that will cover a few beers but not much else. You won’t need much cash though when everything else is provided for you at the chalet… just try to avoid breaking your equipment, and take some duct tape to keep up running repairs to your outwear!

The real reason that you’re going away for the season is to ski or snowboard, so whichever choice you make, you need to factor in your available mountain time. While working at a chalet you’ll have the opportunity to get up the mountain on most days, you are quite limited compared to the bar and instructor options.

Getting some much-needed mountain time!

The classic work schedule will see you working 6 days per week.

One of those days (normally Saturday or Sunday) will be the dreaded “change-over day”, where you’ll be up early to prepare breakfasts for your outgoing guests, before seeing them off to the airport and spending the day deep-cleaning their rooms and all of the communal areas. That includes kitchen, bathrooms and, if you’re really unlucky, hot-tubs (eek!). You’ll then welcome in the new guests for the following week, do welcome meetings, prepare dinner and answer 101 questions about the upcoming holiday. There’s not a hope in hell’s chance of you making it up the hill on change-over day. The chances are you’ll be working from 7am to 10pm straight.

For the remaining five working days, you’ll get up early to prepare and serve breakfasts and, depending on your roll, you’ll then drive guests around, clean the chalet or both. You’ll then be free from around 10-11am until 3-4pm for some much needed mountain time. From 3-4pm onwards you’ll be picking up guests, preparing dinner and serving until around 10pm.

That leaves one day where your are completely free to do your own thing. It’s you’re only opportunity to get first lifts. If the planets align and it is a powder day on your day off, it will be very hard to resist having a very much needed lie in, but remember what you’re out there for!

Your colleagues become your new family

By the end of the season you would have made some amazing friends. Your colleagues become your family and you’re guaranteed to have an epic time with them. But expect to burn out! There’s a lot of work to be done and if you aim to be socialising every night and getting up the mountain every day something will have to give. Often people will fall into either a dedicated drinker or dedicated skier/snowboarder pattern.

Be prepared to burn out!

Bottom line:

Will you have fun? Yes, for sure!

Is it the best way to spend a winter season? Probably not, but it depends on your situation. If you’re restricted by budget, age, experience, etc. it might be your only option, and if that’s the case you’ll have a great time and you won’t regret it.

Have you worked in a chalet or have anything to add to this? Chip in your thoughts in the comment section below.

Stay tuned for an insider’s guide to some other popular options – bar work and instructor work.

Ski instructors in Fernie

Becoming a snowboard or ski instructor is a common dream, and is far more achievable than most people think. There are so many options out there for qualifying as an instructor (check out Nonstop’s ski instruct courses and snowboard instructor courses). After qualifying with one of these programs, you are open to work in snow schools around the world.

For the 2012/13 season, Nonstop are launching a new internship program, in association with Fernie Alpine Resort in Canada, where we have several guaranteed ski and snowboard instructor jobs, following on from successful completion of our 3 week level 1 instructor course.

One of Nonstop's snowboard instructors

You don’t need to have any ski or snowboard qualifications to apply for these positions! Nonstop’s carefully selected team of high-level instructors will spend the first three weeks of your season training you towards your CASI or CSIA Level 1, and once you’ve qualified you’ll be enrolled straight into Fernie Alpine Resort’s Winter Sports School.

You’ll work for the remainder of the season as a fully-paid ski or snowboard instructor. And there really couldn’t be a better place to work than Fernie, with an amazing variety of terrain and massive snow record!

Find out more about these positions and how to apply via the links below:

Ski instructor job – Canada

Snowboard instructor job – Canada

Fernie this February

Earlier this season, we were really excited to see whether the promised return of an “La Nina” winter would bring more insane conditions to the “Powder Triangle” of BC. Now that the last lift has turned, the results are in, and Fernie are reporting a record breaking snowfall season with 1,145cm of snowfall… that’s an average of over 65cm per week that the resort was open! At one point 96cm came on 42 hours!

Check out this Calgary Herald article on how the Canadian Rockies have had a a belter.

Some of the footage that we’ve seen over the course of the season has been crazy, particualarly the following two videos from Fernie local Dylan Siggers:

And this is a lovely way to wrap up the season, with some stunning heli footage of the resort. It really shows how big-mountain Fernie really is.

Bring on next winter!

Find out more about Fernie here.