Ski Instructor Success Stories - Maddie Alterman

After graduating from university with a Canadian working holiday visa in hand, Maddie headed out to Banff on the 3 week instructor course. Having secured her CSIA Level 1, she began working as an instructor at Ski Big 3 and lived the mountain life for the rest of the season.

What were you doing before your Nonstop course?

I had just graduated from university in June 2015 and was keen to take a break from studying. I had always wanted to do a ski season, both to improve my skiing and for the lifestyle that comes with it.

Can you remember what was important to you when you were looking into the different courses available?

Cost was obviously of great importance when I began looking into the different courses that Nonstop offered. This helped me to make the decision to go for the 3 week course rather than the 11 week course. Location was also important to me as I wanted to do my course in a lively town that would cater to my needs.

Why did you end up deciding to go with Nonstop?

It was mainly down to a recommendation from a friend who had loved everything about the experience that made me decide to go with Nonstop. Also, how friendly and helpful the Nonstop staff were in answering my queries made me realise that it was the right company to go with!

WHAT WERE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COURSE…THE DAYS OR EXPERIENCES YOU PARTICULARLY REMEMBER?

My highlight of the course was probably just seeing how much our skiing had improved after the 3 weeks. We filmed our skiing on the second day of the course and then again on the final day before reviewing them side by side and the difference for everyone was incredible! Another highlight would have to be the food at Irwin’s – having fab breakfasts and dinners cooked for us before and after hitting the slopes was such a treat.

What did you do after the course?

I have been working as an instructor for Ski Big 3 (Norquay-Lake Louise-Sunshine) ever since finishing the course in early December 2015.

How did you go about getting a job as an instructor? What was the interview process like?

I was lucky to be put in contact with Ski Big 3 as a result of their partnership with Nonstop. The Ski Big 3 Snow School Supervisor skied with the Nonstop groups for a morning during our course and then those had expressed an interest were invited for an interview. The interview was in fact more of a chat with the Snow School Supervisor and another member of their staff. It included questions both about how we would deal with certain situations as a ski instructor and as well more general questions about interests, how long we planned to stay in Canada etc. I was offered the job alongside 2 other Nonstoppers the day before our CSIA Level 1 exam at the end of the 3 week course, the offer being conditional on us passing this exam of course!

Do you remember what your first lesson as an instructor was like?

I definitely felt like I was thrown in at the deep end for my first lesson, even after having completed some shadowing of other instructors’ lessons! I was briefed the night before that the first lesson I would be taking on my own would be with two ‘Never-Ever’ adults who also spoke very limited English. This meant that I had to be pretty creative in terms of how to convey some of the skiing basics, such as with lots of hand gestures and much shorter spoken explanations! These clients were participating in Ski Big 3’s Club Ski programme, which involves 3 days of instruction across the 3 different ski hills, which meant that it was possible to see real progress in their skiing very quickly. This meant that this particular 3 day lesson proved to be one of my most rewarding of the whole season as the clients went from struggling to put their skis on to cruising down blue runs by the end of the final day.

WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY INSTRUCTING LIKE?

A typical day instructing for me involves getting up around 7:00am, getting ready and then jumping on the bus just before 8:00am to whatever ski hill I am teaching at that day. Once we get to the hill, we boot up and then have an hour of training prior to the clients arriving for lessons at 9:45am. This training will be led by one of the more highly qualified instructors and we will generally work on a technique or skill that we all need to improve or something that is required in one of our upcoming exams. Morning lessons run from 9:45 until 12:00pm when we then break for lunch for an hour. If we have a children’s group then we will supervise their lunch (and get our own lunch provided for free!) otherwise generally we meet up with the other instructors. Afternoon lessons run from 1:00pm until 3:30pm. In the evening, if we are not too tired from skiing, then there will generally be someone keen to meet up for some drinks or some dinner, depending on what restaurant has the offers on that night.

What pay, tips, perks, training, etc. does the job offer?

It is well known that ski instructing is generally not particularly well paid. However, with Ski Big 3 we are lucky as we are paid a day rate, rather than just in accordance with every hour that we work. This means that we are paid for 8 hours work (including our training and travelling to and from the hill) when we are typically only teaching for 4 ½ hours. We are also lucky as, with having clients for 3 days rather than just a few hours, they are more likely to tip/buy you food and drink on the last day of the programme.

One of the main perks of the job is getting a free tri-area season pass, something that can otherwise set you back well over $1000 at the beginning of the season. The training is pretty regular as we have morning sessions for an hour every day that we work. Also, we have several training days every season with some of the most highly respected instructors in the CSIA from whom I have learnt a great deal!

What's it like "doing seasons" – community, culture, sport, etc.?

I am nearing the end of my first season as a ski instructor and have had the best time. The season lifestyle is pretty full on but so much fun! There is always something to do, night or day, and in many ways it reminds me of my first year at university. There is a really strong sense of community in a ski town, everyone seems to know everyone and generally look out for one another. This is really important when for many of us our family and friends are around 4000 miles away. Banff is a very active town, when people aren’t skiing or boarding then are generally doing some other kind of sport (snow-shoeing, hiking, running or even curling). I would recommend doing a season to anyone!

HAVE YOU WORKED AT ANY OTHER RESORTS?

Unfortunately, no I haven’t worked at any other resorts yet. If I stay for another season in Canada, I think that Whistler may be next on the list!

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

I am tempted to stay in Banff for the summer and perhaps in Canada for another season. However, if the funds don’t permit this then I will most likely head back to the UK to continue my studies.

AND FINALLY, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE THINKING OF TAKING A COURSE?

• Make the most of all of the great connections that being a part of the Nonstop family will provide you with! There are so many people with tons of experience in the ski industry and knowledge of the local area that was invaluable to me when I was new to both the job and the area.
• Listen to your instructors and be open to new ideas – Like most of us doing the course, I had fallen into many bad habits having not had ski lessons for years. In order to improve my skiing as much as possible during the course, it was important to be open to new ideas in terms of technique, even if it may have felt very strange to practise this new technique at first.
• Definitely stay for the whole season if you can after the course – the course will fly by and in order to get more of a sample of the ski instructor/ski bum experience, living out in a ski town for a season is definitely the way to go!