Become a ski or snowboard instructor in Banff because...

I am writing this blog primarily for my own memoirs but at the same time I think it could give others an insight as to what an 11 week ski instructor course will be like with NONSTOP, and what life as a ski instructor is really like!

I have to say I have never written a blog or anything similar. I have always thought my memories in my head would suffice…until now…at the grand old age of 22, this is the first time I have felt the need to “record these memories” - and I think it must be because of the passion I have towards skiing and ski instructing. My alphamaleness (or what little exists of it) has struggled to accept this new concept of expressing oneself through blogging… actually who cares…I really do love my job that much.  It feels strange waking up in the morning and actually wanting to go to work. My exuberance is likely to wear off at some point, it must right? Only time will tell…

Anyway, as I sit here typing after a long days work at Sunshine Village, (it was minus 20ish, bluebird day and had a blue runner client, which was awesome…I basically skied all day) I am thinking to myself how to convey how good a time you will have with NONSTOP. It’s hard to get close to doing it any justice - my keys won’t allow me to type anything mediocre anyway. Instead imagine waking to countless powder mornings where you can ski lap after lap of fresh lines with your mates, training with some of the best instructors in the Rockies. If you’re used to skiing in the Alps you are in for a real shock, as the hills here are incomparably better - way more snow, way better terrain and way less crowds!

So what’s my job like? Well, it’s the best job in the world. Money aside there can’t be a more pleasurable and satisfying job out there. Sure there are those horrible cold days at minus 40, and those days when the client on the beginner hill is crying all day long, but even those days aren’t too bad…I actually, strangely enough, at least for the time being enjoy saying I went to work in minus 40, enjoy the challenge of trying to help my client stop crying and most importantly help them enjoy their skiing experience.  The good days: powder mornings before work, the daily/weekly performance workshops where the Level 4s improve our skiing/teaching, finding pillows of powder to roll off in between the trees etc. However it is not all amazing. From the perspective of a ski instructor coming out of a recession is always going to be hard. Ski resorts have been hit pretty hard, although they are starting to recover. It’s too early in the season to say what the season will end up like, but the basic message is for us to take whatever work we can. As I say it’s not the end of the world, as I am not here to make money, but to enjoy the lifestyle and pleasure of being able to ski everyday. If you do plan on working make sure you plan well ahead. Have a strong CV and some references from your instructors (the guys at NONSTOP will help you with this). There are now a lot of instructor programmes around, from seeing other courses running in Banff I can safely say I made a great choice in choosing to go with NONSTOP. It’s a family run company and it really shows - a while back I had asked Rupert a ton of questions about working in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere and although he was pretty busy, he always promptly got back to me. Everyone in the office is relatable and very informative. It’s certainly a big bonus having NONSTOP down on your CV when you’re applying – Ski Schools will put you on top of the pile.


Back to working: here at Sunshine we have a great system in place, where if you are scheduled to work you have to get paid for a minimum of three hours a day even if there are no lessons. That means that we essentially get paid to ski. All we have to do is turn up every hour till 12 to see if there are any lessons going…Cool!!

Another great thing about Sunshine is the friendliness of the ski school. I basically at will grab any Level 3 and 4 instructor and they will happily take me round for a run and help me with my technique and improvement. I wonder how long they will be able to put up with me, as I am basically going to be pestering them all year!

I’m going to close this blog with a bit of advice, be prepared to have your skiing broken down, very early on. I say this because if you’re anything like me it will hurt your ego. Had I listened to Paul Thrasher (Banff Snowsports School Director & NONSTOP pro) and the rest of the Level 4s from the beginning, who knows how much quicker I would have improved, haha! (If you do get to ski with Paul watch him in the bumps, he’s just outrageous).  So it is quite hard to have paid your hard earned money to come on a course and have someone tell you that you’re not as good as you thought you were.  The sooner you accept this fact the sooner you’re going to improve, and the better skier you’re going to become. This is probably the best piece of advice I can give, be really open minded about improving and don’t take any criticism the wrong way; the NONSTOP coaches are so talented and really know how to help you improve.

When I finally did this I saw massive changes in my skiing. To this day it’s how I continue to learn. I’m hoping to take my level 3 at the end of the season and I am continually working on new things. This isn’t to say I don’t freeski, of course I do. Powder skiing, ripping it - I love it, it’s what I ski for...I do all of this and improve my skiing, it’s just a question of finding a balance between ski improvement and fun. The way I see it, the better my technique the better my experience in the Delirium Dive or pow!!

See you on the slopes I’m sure.

All the best for the season!