Launched by SkiBig3 for the 2025/26 season, the scholarship funds two Indigenous participants through Nonstop’s 4-week Level 1 Ski Instructor Course in Banff, with Nonstop contributing coaching and training support alongside other local partners. The scholarship covers accommodation, meals, lift access, and Level 1 certification, removing the financial barriers and allowing the riders to focus entirely on the opportunity in front of them.
That opportunity has already started to pay off. One of this year’s two scholarship recipients, Mataio Bright (Métis), has since been offered a Level 1 instructor position at Mt. Norquay for the 2026/27 season. That’s the outcome the scholarship exists to produce: not just a certification, but a career pathway.
For Dylan, the other participant, the scholarship’s value goes beyond his own certification — it’s about proof that these spaces are opening up. “Seeing Mataio come out of his comfort zone over those four weeks was super inspiring. These are the stepping stones to having more Indigenous representation throughout the industry.”
Two spots on one course won’t close that gap on its own. But it’s a start, and it’s the kind of start that compounds — one instructor on the hill makes the next one more possible, and the one after that.
“Having Mataio and Dylan be part of the Nonstop program and train with our coaches and other riders for four weeks wasn’t just about ticking a certification box, it was about giving two people a genuine shot at a career in an industry that hasn’t always been open to them. Watching that come together is exactly why we wanted in on this,” says Dave Richards, Nonstop’s Canadian Operations Director and a former ski guide and patroller.
Nonstop is proud to support the Indigenous Residency Scholarship alongside SkiBig3 and other partners in Banff — and we’d encourage anyone weighing up the same path Dylan and Mataio took to learn more about our 4-week Level 1 Ski Instructor Course.