Ski Patrol CourseFernie, Canada - 8 Weeks

Fernie is a ski mecca with cult status for its deep powder and adventurous terrain. Set in southeast British Colombia, it receives huge amounts of annual snowfall and has the biggest vertical in Canadian Rockies.

The ski area is made up of five alpine bowls: Cedar, Lizard, Currie, Timber and Siberia. Each bowl has unique character, with steeps, narrow chutes, gladed trees, ridges, open slopes and powder fields.

With one of the best snow records in Canada, Fernie is an epic place to ride powder. On average, more than 10m falls each winter. And it’s not just the quantity of snow that’s so good, it’s also the quality of it. A combination of the horse-shoe shape of the mountains, local weather systems and Pacific fronts are to thank for Fernie’s frequent dumps and feather-light flakes.

Fernie itself is a cool, funky town framed by Rocky Mountain views. A genuine mountain community rather than a tourist resort, Fernie has a laid-back and authentic feel, and promises a real taste of mountain life. Downtown Fernie is charming and the place to go for delicious restaurants and coffee shops, plus bars and ski stores. The nightlife is good without being club-driven, with jam nights, live gigs and DJ sets throughout the season.

This intensive program combines hands-on patrol training, furnishing you with essential patrol skills, complemented by important qualifications to enhance your expertise, setting you up with the know-how to a pursue a career in the industry.

Patrol Skills: Led by patrol experts, you’ll receive top-tier training in a wide range of practical skills and techniques employed by patrollers. These include avalanche control, rope rescue, emergency first aid, lift evacuation, terrain management, toboggan handling, snowmobiling, ski touring, and more.

Patrol Shadowing: Throughout the program, you'll have the opportunity to shadow Fernie’s experienced patrol team, putting your newly acquired skills into practice and gaining invaluable real-world experience. There are limited slots, so we set up a rotating schedule, allowing all participants to benefit from this opportunity.

Non-Urban Emergency Care (NUEC): This specialised first aid qualification focuses on providing advanced care in remote and challenging environments. You’ll learn critical skills in trauma care, patient assessment, and injury management, ensuring you're equipped to handle emergencies on the mountain

Avalanche Safety Training (AST) Level 1: This introductory to avalanche safety combines theory and fieldwork. You’ll learn to how to identify avalanche terrain and interpret avalanche forecasts, analyse the snowpack, and perform peer rescues. Through simulated rescue drills, you'll gain practical experience in handling avalanche situations using your transceiver, shovel and probe.

Avalanche Search and Rescue (AvSAR) Level 1: This course is the first stage of the Canadian Avalanche Association's Industry Training Program. It covers fundamental AvSAR concepts and techniques, critical for professional patrollers responding to avalanche incidents. This certification also serves as a prerequisite for those looking to pursue the CAA’s Avalanche Operations Level 1 in the future.

You'll want to take advantage of your free time and get as much free skiing in as possible on your days off. We have designed the course so that the classroom based first aid course happens before the resort opens, so we don't eat into your potential skiing time! 

Fernie is a laid back authentic Canadian mountain town - an ideal place to call home and plenty to get involved with!  

You'll stay in a local house in downtown Fernie exclusively for participants on our patrol course, serving up a true locals experience.

You'll also have access to facilities at the Nonstop-owned Red Tree Lodge, which features a movie theatre, hot tub and sauna, as well as a bar and restaurant where your inclusive breakfasts and meals will be served.