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DAN SHERFIELD CASE STUDY
OK, so we know he's a skier, but you can learn a lot from his experience...
I came to Canada with a working Visa sorted through BUNAC which was very easy to get but then I applied about a year in advance. It cost about £165. My plan was to complete the course with NONSTOP and then try and find a job using my qualification somewhere in Canada. I wasn't sure if I wanted to instruct in Fernie or not, it all depended on what I thought of Fernie and job availabilty.
I decided to get to Fernie a week or so before the course and NONSTOP were great in providing accommodation for me and a couple of mates who came out to visit over Christmas. Fernie was amazing from the moment I got there, though it took a while to get used to skiing powder rather than European groomed slopes! You'll notice as soon as you get there that all anyone talks about is powder! The course started on Boxing day and was a really good mix of people. It was an older crowd than I was expecting, with probably about twenty people 25 and under and the rest ranging from 25-60ish. This worked really well though and we were all put into accommodation with people of similar ages.
Skiing wise I got so much out of the course. The instructors really knew their stuff. I'm a very technical learner, so really enjoyed learning how skiing works but with the range of instructors we had we got to learn in all kinds of ways. My worry before the course was that I wasn't going to pass considering that my plans relied on me passing! In truth passing level 1 is more about showing the right attitude and in the end I think 23 out of the 24 people passed. Most of the people on the course will never use the qualification but it is the best ski lesson you'll ever have and everyone I skied with improved so much over the 3 weeks.
Fernie itself is awesome. European skiing doesn't even compare and until you've skied in powder you haven't really skied! The whole mountain is ski-able - there are no ropes anywhere, and while runs are named and some groomed, I'm pretty sure you could ski different lines through different trees every day for the whole season. The town is as laid back as anyone has told you. While there are only 8 - 9 bars, every night one of them will be packed and there will be someone looking for a party. I've been to Whistler and absolutely loved it for a weekend but for a season it would be Fernie every time.
Once I had passed and the course had finished I went to see Wendy, the resort director, who put me in contact with the kids ski school manager. After a 10 minute conversation with him I had a job, only a day after the course had finished! I was hesitant about working with kids as I have never dealt with kids at all but I was thrown in straight away and it was kind of a sink or swim situation. I surprised myself by actually being ok at it and surprised myself even more when I started to really enjoy it! The only problem is it doesn't pay very well at all. As a rookie I was on $9 and hour and you only get paid for the hours you teach. You basically either need savings or another job to get by comfortably. Even with this, I have already applied to instruct again in Fernie and can't wait to get back to the slopes.
Having got my level 1 I started working towards level 2 which I passed at the end of the season. The training was pretty good on the whole and you actually got paid for 3 of the traiing sessions you turned up to in a week.
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ACCOMMODATION
BANFF COURSE:
Situated just a two-minute walk from the centre of Banff, the comfortable Y Mountain Lodge (www.ymountainlodge.com) is close to all the action, so the walk home from the bar will be kept short. The Lodge has a large communal lounge, gym facilities and a popular licensed bistro.
Most participants will share comfortable twin bedrooms, all with double beds and ensuite bathrooms. Single rooms, all of which have double beds and ensuite bathrooms are available for an additional charge - please call the office for details (0845 365 1525). For those who are keen to spend a longer amount of time in Canada we offer flexible flight dates and additional accommodation before and after the course. Please contact us for further information.
FERNIE COURSE:
We are proud to be the new owners of a 40 bedroom lodge in the very centre of Fernie. The lodge, which is undergoing a $750,000 refurbishment through the summer of 2007, has a comfortable welcoming atmosphere with numerous social spaces and fantastic facilities.
The lodge has spacious bedrooms each with brand new modern furnishing, queen beds and ensuite bathrooms. Each bedroom has views of the stunning local mountains and some have private balconies. There are a variety of bedroom configurations: the majority of rooms are twin rooms (two double beds), some are triples (three single beds) and a select few are quads (two bunk beds).
Lodge facilities include:
Sitting Rooms - with Cable TV, DVD player, Wireless internet, Kitchen and dinning facilities;
Swimming Pool & Hot Tub - Chill out after a hard day on the slopes;
Restaurant & Lounge - eat, drink and socialise in homely surroundings;
Internet Room - Keep in touch with friends and family;
Movie Theatre - Have a quiet night in;
Snowboard Tuning Room - Keep your skis sliding smooth;
Mess Room - With pool table, table football & comfy sofas this is the place chill.
We don't want to sound like we're blowing our own trumpet but as the only snowboard training company to own a lodge we are confident our clients receive a superior experience with the wide range of facilities it offers and the advantages of having a central meeting space at which to eat, drink and socialise.
For further details of our lodge:
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MEALS
Each weekday breakfast is served before the shuttle bus whisks you away for another day on the snow. Breakfasts are healthy and filling to keep you going all morning. They include a selection of cereals, porridge, toast, bagels, fresh fruit, yogurt, tea, coffee and juices.
Evening meals are provided in the Lodge's licensed dining room and in Banff we also use a selection of popular local restaurants. Suppers consist of starter (eg: soup or salad, a healthy, hearty main course, and a desert.
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DATES & PRICES
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20th Nov 2008 - 11th Dec 2008 |
27th Dec 2008 - 17th Jan 2009 |
Twin Room |
£2,850 |
£3,050 |
Single Room |
£3,150 |
£3,650 |
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Offered in the powder laden Canadian Rockies, our 3-week snowboard instructor course is an intensive snowboard training programme resulting in the level 1 instructor qualification. This snowboard instructor course is a great way of doing something unique and challenging on your winter holiday, gap year or career break and will push your snowboarding to the next level while also providing useful qualifications.
Our coaching includes regular video analysis which will help you learn how to critique other people's and your own riding. As well as teaching the instructor skills needed to gain the level 1 qualification your instructor will develop your carving, freestyle and off-piste snowboarding techniques. You'll find that the varied terrain and deep powder conditions that the Canadian Rockies are renowned for will result in a rapid rate of progression. 
NONSTOP Snowboard provides you the opportunity to gain CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors) qualifications. CASI is a member of the ISIA (International Ski Instructors Association) and is internationally recognised throughout the snowsports industry.
With the increasing popularity of off-piste touring in the search of fresh tracks, we realise it is essential that all our clients leave Canada with a full awareness of the risks (and pleasures) of backcountry snowboarding and the required skills to travel and play safely out of bounds. Our avalanche courses provide essential training for backcountry snowboarders covering avalanche theory, route finding, stability assessment and search and rescue techniques including the use of transceivers, shovels and probes. The course includes evening classroom sessions followed by instruction in the backcountry. 
A comprehensive evening session covering snowboard design and construction plus tuning and maintenance techniques including base preparation, edge sharpening and waxing. 
This course covers instruction on winter camping techniques incorporating indoor theory, backcountry touring, and a night on the mountain sleeping in self made snow shelters. The night out on the mountain is not popular with everyone so we normally have around 50% take up. However it's a great experience and warmer than you might think! This trip is weather dependent and we will only hold the course if the conditions allow it. (Please note that this experience is offered as a complimentary extra and is not 'officially' part of the package just in case we can't run it.) 
One of the highlights of the snowboard instructor course is a day's ˜cat-boarding'. Similar to heli-boarding but travelling in a snow cat (piste basher) rather than a chopper. Held on the final weekend this awesome opportunity provides the perfect chance to test your newly developed riding skills in the untracked powder of the Fernie backcountry. 
info@nonstopsnowboard.com 
