The down-side was the cost. Good things in life don't come cheap and I was going to have to earn £5,800 to cover the cost of the course. Basically everything was included in the price of the course; flights, accommodation, coaching, meals, lift pass and loads of weekend trips away, but I was going to have to buy a pair of skis and have some spending money for the pub! I booked onto the course and immediately got a job in a local bar and I also worked as a waitress for a friend who runs a catering business at weekends.
It was hard work trying to revise for A' levels and raise money, but it was all worth it when January 9th came along and we arrived in the resort of Fernie, which was going to be my home for the next 3 months! Immediately I was blown away by the friendliness of the Nonstopski staff and the locals - they were so welcoming and generally pleased to meet us.
So for the next few months I lived in a really cosy house with 7 other people my age, which was wicked fun. We had a huge sitting room (with T.V, hi-fi and gas fire!) which was great for house parties and a kitchen, so we could cook at weekends. Breakfast and dinner was provided during the week and we were never hungry!
Monday to Friday we had coaching from some of the best instructors in Canada - they were amazing and if I am ever half the instructor they were I will be delighted! Half of the time we were teaching how to teach and generally preparing for the level 1 and level 2 instructor qualifications, but the other half we were ripping up the powder that Fernie is famous for! I used to be really frightened of going off-piste because I didn't know how to ski powder, but as Fernie is nearly all off-piste, I soon became a pro in the pow! There were some days when the snow came up to my thighs and I could hardly breathe from all the snow that was flying up in may face and from the adrenaline racing around my body!
There was always loads going on at weekends from trips to other resorts, fancy dress parties and cat skiing. The best weekend for me however was the winter survival weekend. Dave (the course director and general Fernie hero and idol!) took us into the stunning Fernie back country, where we were taught how to dig a snow cave and then slept in it for the night! Unfortunately we had chosen the coldest night of the season (-30c!) but our snow caves kept us warm (ish!) and it was an experience I shall never forget! While on the course as well as qualifying as a level 1 and 2 Canadian Ski instructor, I also did a basic TEFL course which Nonstopski organised with the local college, completed an avalanche awareness course, a 1st aid course and a photography course.
One of the best things about the course was that there was a mix of ages - from 18 to 47! It meant that it was not like school at all and for the 1st time I was made friends with people older than myself, which was good practise for university.
I have just finished my 1st year at Edinburgh University and after a few months I realised that I was going to need a job as my bank account was not healthy! Most of my friends have mundane jobs like waitresses or bar work, but I work part time as a ski instructor at a local dry slope. While my mates wash dishes for £5 an hour, I am teaching kids how to snowplough or timing them on the slalom course for £10 an hour! And guess where I am now….in New Zealand working as a ski instructor during my summer holiday! Most days I teach a group of between 10 - 14 kids which is manic and I am constantly loosing them! It is a lot harder work than I expected but it is so rewarding that it is worth it.
Choosing to go on Nonstopski was the best decision I ever made. Not only did I have the time of my life, made loads of friends and came away with an qualification that I am constantly using, but my communication skills and confidence sky rocketed.
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