Gap Year

You've put in the hours, got the grades and are all set to take on university, but before you do why not take a gap year with a difference and come and spend some time living in the mountains. Our instructor courses are an excellent way to gain some great qualifications, make some life long friends and take your skiing to a level you may have previously never thought possible!

Gap Year options

At Nonstop we pride ourselves on being able to offer the ultimate gap year experience. We have courses to cater for all varying in length, aim and cost. There is one thing all of courses have in common though; you'll make great friends for life, gain some great qualifications, learn more about skiing and snowboarding than you can imagine, and you most definitely won't want to come home!

11 Week Instructor Course

The ultimate Gap Year experience and our most popular course! Combine travelling to a new country, pursuing a passion and getting internationally recognised qualifications along the way!

11 week ski instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie, Red Mountain and Whistler
11 week snowboard instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie, Red Mountain and Whistler

3 Week Instructor Course

Want to train, qualify and work all in the same season? Our early season 3-week instructor courses allow you to do just that!

3 week ski instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie
3 week snowboard instructor courses in: Banff, Fernie

6 Week 'MTM' Off-Piste Camp

If instructing doesn't appeal to you, but top notch training in the challenging off-piste and backcountry of Canada does, our 'Master the Mountain' course is the one for you. This course is perfect for intermediate to advanced skiers and snowboarders looking to take their technique to the next level and beyond!

“Nonstop courses are a really positive career move for anyone considering employment within the industry, and a constructive way to spend part of a gap year."

Alex Johnson

New Instructors celebrate their level 1 success!

Join in with local traditions

I spent the best part of my gap year in Fernie with NONSTOP. Recommended by lots of people, it's a very welcoming and friendly family business. The course gave me my first experience away from home and living with people I'd never met which was very beneficial for university. During the course I met many people who I will definitely stay in contact with, hopefully for many years to come and my skiing improved massively!

Katie East - Fernie 11 Week Course

The benefits of a Gap Year

Gain new Skills - A Gap Year is a great chance to develop your non-school skills! If you have a passion for something whether it be photography, history of art, teaching, skiing or snowboarding, then a Gap Year is the perfect time to become an expert in your chosen field.
Gain qualifications - Gaining qualifications may not be that high up on your priority list when planning your Gap Year, which is not surprising when you have had exams every summer for the last 10 years! However, if you can incorporate a few life time qualifications along the way you never know when they may come in useful.
Enhance your CV - This is where those newly gained qualifications really come into play. Imagine what it is like for an employer to have to read through literally hundreds of C.V.’s that all say exactly the same things. Suddenly one jumps out and wakes them up! “In my Gap Year I spent a season in Canada where I qualified as a snowboard instructor and travelled around South America where I became fluent in Spanish…” - I think you’ve just been invited for an interview!
Increase confidence - We get lots of feedback from our seasonaires and from parents to say that a year out has greatly increased their and their child’s confidence and communication skills. This can only be positive – right? Training to become an instructor will increase your confidence as well as your leadership group management skills.
New outlook on life - Being stuck in school with the same old class mates for years and years may not give you a particularly broad outlook on life. Well it’s true…you don’t exactly meet a wide cross section of society at school do you? Whatever you do on your Gap Year you are bound to meet and mix with people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. We believe it’s essential not to spend your Gap Year with people of just the same age as you. On our courses we tend to find that people of all ages mix socially and become good friends. We’ve no doubt, and our past clients all agree that this mix can only enhance your experience. We frequently see 18 year old Gappers, 23 year old graduates and 35 year old career breakers all going out for beers together!
Universities & employers like them - Increasingly universities and employers are attaching value to the enterprise, initiative and sustained commitment that a Gap Year brings to an individual. When talking about Gap Years UCAS state that “experience compliments education”. Surely learning outside of the classroom has got to be a positive for future life? A once in a lifetime opportunity that will make you more interesting and open doors to future opportunities! Enough said.

International Students On Nonstop Courses

Read Jacob Fulton's story on why he decided to do a Gap Year. Jacob is from the USA where Gap Year's are not as common, he provides some excellent advice for those thinking of taking a Gap Year.

This can be found at Planet GapYear. Gap Year Options - free online gap year planning resources for U.S. students and parents