General Information

CREDIT CARD

It is compulsory that you take a credit card with you, as increasingly the hospitals (which hopefully you won’t have to visit) will only treat you if you have a credit card. Initial treatments can cost around $700 and need to be paid for up front; this fee will be covered by insurance at a later date.

FOR THOSE UNDER 18 OR STRUGGLING TO GET A CREDIT CARD:

Most banks require you to be 18 years old to apply for a credit card. If you are struggling to get hold of one there are three other options:

• Pre-paid credit cards: There are some companies (such as Virgin) that can provide you with a ‘pre paid’ credit card. You will need to ‘load’ the card before you leave for Canada with the funds you would require. We recommend £400 to cover initial hospital treatments.
• Ask your parents or guardian if they will add you as an additional card holder to their account and order an extra card to take with you.
• If the above to options do not work, you can take a family member’s credit card, simply to pay any hospital bills, the card holder can then call through and authorise the payment.

Please contact the office if you have any questions on the above.

BANKING

The majority of banks in Canada that have cash machines will accept major debit and credit cards. Switch and Solo are not accepted in Canada. It is sensible to have an internet banking facility set up with your bank so that you can check your statements, transfer money easily etc. It is not necessary to set up a Canadian account.

All resorts will have ATMs, but the bank charges for withdrawing cash from them varies from bank to bank. We recommend checking with your bank before you leave.

TELEPHONES

You can use most modern mobile phones in Canada but it is obviously expensive. We recommend setting up a Skype account or buying an international calling card when you get to Canada in order to call home – you can use these on any land line.

If you want to contact your course friends in Canada when you are out there, we highly recommend that you do not use your home mobile. You can purchase a pay as you go cell phone in Canada for the duration of your course to contact other course members. Canadian cell phones work on a pay as you go basis but it’s worth knowing that in Canada you will be charged for both incoming and outgoing texts and calls.

Or perhaps you might prefer to take this opportunity to release yourself from your mobile phone and spend a few weeks without one. Try it, you might like it.

INTERNET

All our accommodation options have free wi-fi.

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

Please make sure you bring adapters with you. For some electrical products you may also need a voltage converter as they have a lower wattage in Canada (such as hair dryers). If you have lots of electrical equipment you may wish to bring a power bar with you.

LAUNDRY

All our accommodation options have laundry and dryer facilities and washing detergent is either available to buy at the front desk or in local shops. In Banff the machines are coin operated whilst in the Red Tree Lodge (Fernie) and our rental houses (Fernie & Red Mountain) there is no usage charge. Irons and ironing boards are also provided.

DRINKING AGE

The alcohol drinking age limit in British Columbia (Fernie and Red Mountain) is 19 and in Alberta it is 18 (Banff).

Minors will not even be allowed in the bars. If this affects you and you are concerned please feel free to give us a call in the office.

SPENDING MONEY

It's hard to advise on how much spending money you should budget for as everybody has different tastes and spending habits. A good guideline is between $200 and $250 per week. Some will find this is more than enough whereas others will use this up in a couple of messy nights in the pub! This guideline budget is suggested for the longer courses (over five weeks). Do remember that there are supermarkets around town to buy cheaper food. Also, many of the accommodation options have full kitchen facilities where it is possible to make lunches and evening meals on days when food is not provided, which is a great way to keep costs down.

Here is a rough guide to some common food and drink expenses in Canada:

Lunch: $10 - $25 on the hill, $7 for home made pack lunch.

NB You will need to provide your own lunch each day. Buying food from the supermarkets and preparing your own lunch to take with you is a simple and cost effective way of feeding yourself during the day whilst in Canada. 

Dinner:
Budget- e.g. fast food, ready made sandwiches etc: $10-15
Mid range- e.g. sit down burger restaurant, pizza/pasta: $12 - $20
Fine dining- e.g. steak house, up market restaurant: $20 - $40

Drinks:
Bottle of drinking water: $2.50
Fizzy drinks from drinks dispenser: $2.50
Cans and bottles of soft drinks/juices: $2 – $3.50
A pint of beer: $4 - $8
A jug of beer: $12 - $17
A glass of wine: $7 - $12
Highballs (spirits and mixers): $6 - $10

WRITTEN WORK

We often get asked if you will need to do any written work whilst on a Nonstop course, and in short the answer is no.

However, when you take your Level 1 and Level 2 there are a few work sheets you will need to fill in. This is usually done in sections at the start or end of an exam day, and will only usually be for an hour or so. Not to worry though, you are being trained to work as instructors so the majority of your training takes place on snow.