Frequently Asked Questions

The requirements for each course vary – at the top of each course page there is a skill level guide. Check out the ability guides here to see where you are:

Ski 

Snowboard

You will definitely need insurance for you course. We have put together an insurance guide here

We include transfers on the start and finish dates of each course. You can find out more information about times etc here:

FERNIE

BANFF

CERVINIA

IMPROVEMENT CAMPS & INSTRUCTOR COURSES

Most countries only require a ‘Electronic Travel Authorisation’ (eTA) to visit Canada when arriving by air– this is essentially a pre-screening service and should be purchased before booking your flight.

To find out more, visit www.Canada.ca/eta.

INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS

Please note, if you are interested in joining one of our internship programs then you will have to have secured the right to work in Canada prior to signing up for the course. For most people this will mean obtaining a Working Holiday Visa.

You can find out more information about Visas here

The fitter the better!

To get the most out of our coaching and have the most fun on your course, we recommend that you do as much pre-course fitness training as possible. It is a big jump to go from not skiing or riding to being on the slopes all day, every day.

We have put together some suggested exercises in this blog

It couldn't be easier to book. Simply click here!

We have put together some more information about the booking process here

Our course advisors are on hand to help with any questions and help get you ready for your course. Do not hesitate to get in touch

We appreciate that taking part in one of our courses can be a big financial investment so we want to make the payment process manageable by spreading out the payment.

Once you book your Nonstop course you will receive an invoice which shows all the elements of the course that you have signed up for, the payment due dates and how much is due on each payment date.

See more information about payment here

We have put together a list of recommended items to pack here

What better way to get excited than to keep an eye on the snowfall before you arrive?! Below are the links to the snow reports for the mountains that we call home:

Fernie: Snow Report

Banff: Snow Report

Cervinia: Snow Report

You can rent skis, snowboards and boots in all of our mountain towns however, depending on the length of course you are doing, it can work out considerably more expensive. We have put together some useful information for you here

The choice is yours! There are several shops in all of our mountain towns so buying equipment in resort is easy. If there is a specific make and model that you want then we would recommend purchasing it before you travel (or contacting the stores to reserve it) We have put together some information on the options in each resort:

Fernie

Banff

Cervina: We would not recommend buying in Cervinia because you will not have very much free time. Either bring your own equipment or we can help you arrange hire equipment.

No matter how long you plan to stay with us, it’s never enough!

If you would like to extend your stay with us then please get in touch with our course advisors

The amount of money that people spend varies massively and you can get by on almost any budget. We have put together a guide to help you plan your budget

Yes! It is the cultural norm to tip for services in Canada. It is considered very rude not to tip for food or drink so make sure you budget for tips and always have some lose change with you.

For more information check out our budget guide: https://www.nonstopsnow.com/journal/budgeting-for-your-trip-to-canada

Currency Cards

Currency cards are a great way to safely manage your money whilst you’re in Canada. You can load currency on prior to travel and also add more whilst you are away if you need to. Typically there are no fees charged to withdraw money whilst you’re away. This means that you don’t have to carry around lots of cash and you won’t get charged a free every time you want to access your money like you would with a standard debit or credit card.

The Caxton FX card has been popular with our guests in the past as they have a really handy app which makes managing your money easy. Check it out here

All our accommodation options have good wifi making it easy to keep in touch with loved ones back home and your fellow course mates.

More and more shops, bars, cafes etc now have free wifi these days.

In Canada the day lodges have good wifi too. In fact, in some places there is free wifi on the mountains too!

There are laundry facilities available at all our hotels and houses in Canada.

CANADA

Canadian outlets are the same as those found in the United States (Type A & Type B, 110 Volts / 60 Hertz). Please make sure you have the appropriate adapters and/or converters.

ITALY

In Cervinia they have European standard of 220V to 230V, with a frequency of 50Hz. Wall outlets typically accommodate plugs with two or three round pins (the latter grounded, the former not).

TIP

Bring a multi socket extension lead with you so that you can plug in / charge several devices at a time and only need 1 adaptor

Post can be sent to the following place:

FERNIE:

(Your Name Here)

Nonstop Ski and Snowboard
Box 2294, 1101 7th Ave
Fernie, BC V0B 1M0
Canada

BANFF:

(Your Name Here)
c/o Irwin's Mountain Inn
429 Banff Ave, PO Box 1198 
Banff, AB 
Canada
T1L 1B2

The legal drinking age varies from province to province:

Banff: 18

Fernie: 19

Whistler: 19

Revelstoke: 19

Red Mountain: 19

Kicking Horse: 19

Val D’Isere: 18

Serre Chevalier: 18

Cervinia: 18

You may be required to fill out a waiver form on arrival at your hotel. There may also be waivers to fill out if you take part in any of our extra activities.  Apart from that there is little to no written work required on our courses.

If you are taking your Instructor Level 1 or 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

The exception to this is the Ski Patrol Course which requires a fair amount of classroom learning.

Absolutely!

Once you sign up to a Nonstop course you’ll be the envy of your friends and family. You’ll also give them the prefect excuse to book a ski/snowboard holiday.

Click here to find out more about what we can offer and some things to take into consideration

We certainly can!

Contact us for a copy of our 'guide to working as an instructor'

Once you have qualified we'll also add you to our jobs hub on Facebook where we post any jobs that get sent our way.

First step is to find out whether you need a visa or not. Check out this section of the Canadian Government website for more information and to start the process.

Unless you have booked on to our internship program, it is very unlikely that you will find work with a snow school straight after you qualify. This is because the snow schools will have recruited the number of staff that they need for the season already.