BASI 1 + 2 Ski Instructor CourseLes Deux Alps, 10 Weeks

Situated in the heart of the French Alps, Les 2 Alpes is one of Europe’s highest and most snow-sure resorts, linked to off-piste paradise La Grave. Boasting glacier skiing, a finely-tuned terrain park and legendary après, we love L2A for its buzzing alpine feel.

The ski area is massive, split into 7 sectors with a whopping 200km of marked pistes and 90 runs, mostly long and open for clocking up speed. You’ve got immaculate groomers, powder bowls and 2,300m of vertical descent, plus the freestyle park is one of the best in Europe. There are features for all levels with different kicker lines, boxes, rails, hips and a halfpipe.

The lower-mountain features a series of steeper pitches that funnel to the base and when the powder falls there are some fantastic off-piste options, but adjoining La Grave is where you’ll find the best freeride lines, with the old climbing community boasting a rich ski heritage of unpatrolled terrain.

And we can’t talk about L2A without a nod to the après. Known for its mountain-top parties and seasonaire nightlife, there are more than 30 bars to bounce between, from Le Pano Bar to the Polar Bear. The main village is surrounded by frosted peaks with tons of great shops, hangouts and eating options. The lower medieval village of Venosc, accessible by gondola, is a great place to escape for a quieter atmosphere on down days.

One of the top features of this course is the high-quality coaching by our team of BASI specialists. We combine technical coaching, race training and freeride clinics to furnish you with all the skills you need to become an instructor and pass your BASI assessments. You’ll boost your ski technique, learn about mountain and avalanche safety, and be taught how to pass on your knowledge to others.

Each week features pro coaching from Monday through Friday. Covering areas from piste performance to bumps, shorts and powder, expect to come away as an all-round skier with qualifications to back it up. Split into groups of 8, the intensive coaching is designed to prepare you for your BASI Level 1 and 2 exams. We’ll also be developing your freeriding throughout and exploring some of the best off-piste in the Alps. When the powder comes, we’ll be scoring face shots as a crew and recounting the day’s sends and stacks.

The first phase of the course is focussed on developing your skiing and teaching ahead of the 5-day Level 1 assessment. We then move on to Level 2 training as we continue to push your skiing, plus you’ll be clocking up snow school shadowing hours and learning what it takes to be an instructor. This is followed by the Level 2 assessment, a 10-day course that will develop and assess your technical and teaching skills.

They’ll also be regular video analysis, workshops in ski tuning and injury prevention, plus an avalanche course that will broaden your mountain know-how and teach you essential backcountry knowledge for ski missions beyond resort boundaries.

A season with Nonstop is all about throwing yourself into mountain life with all that L2A has to offer. We’ve made a fine art out of weaving the most epic adventures and activities into your schedule. The added extras can’t be hyped up enough.

Whether its trips to nearby resorts like steep and deep holy grail La Grave, sunset beers atop a mountain before skiing the glacier under moonlight, or our weekly après gatherings, we’ve got you covered. Alongside workshops and socials, this is all part of our MORE Program, and you can add as many extras as take your fancy. Here’s a sample.

You'll stay in a beautiful, centrally-located chalet-style hotel Le Cret, a 15 bedroom ski lodge in the heart of L2A, exclusively for Nonstop. It's walking distance to the lifts, just 200m from the Diable chair and 900m to Jandri 1 gondola. We have private or shared rooms available; depending on your budget and preferences. Please note, that shared rooms are either twin or triple; you can indicate your preference upon booking, but final room type will be determined on the configuration of the participants and available rooms.  

For evening meals, group dinners are served at the hotel five days per week, enabling everyone to bond over great homely meals prepared by hostess Marina who, as an Italian specialises, in the flavors of Italy. The other two evenings participants can explore L2A’s many great restaurants and cafes - with options like Le Sport for great alpine burgers -  or arrange take-away.