 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey snowheads!
I've just been signed up following a recommendation from a friend. I am looking at doing the CASI level 1 and 2 instructor course early in 2008, in Canada.
Can anyone recommend:
- resort (Whistler, Banff and Fernie are on my radar at the moment) where would you be happy spending 12+ weeks?
- company (I've been looking at BaseCamp and All Tracks?)
I do feel the cold, even in upteen layers of merino wool and high tech thermals, so how cold the resort is going to be should probably be a consideration! After all, I will need to be able to bend ze knees 
I'm also rapidly approaching 40 so would rather not be on a course and living with exclusively with 18 year olds. If I could be their mother then its the wrong group for me!
Any top tips and advice will be much appreciated.
Karen
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I did NONSTOP Banff and the age range was 18-40 with the bonus is there are a large number of people (40) on the ski course compared to others in Banff with the smaller numbers meaning there's a higher chance your going to get people of more your age range. Will give more details later.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Nonstop is quite expensive, but it's actually not awful when you consider what you actually get. The thing is, you do end up buying a lot of stuff I imagine you normally wouldn't.
I think Fernie is going to be coldest of the three - they all have their pros and cons. From best to worst:
Nightlife would be Whistler, Banff, Fernie.
Crowd (subjective, always empty to sometimes a few people on the same slope) - Banff, Fernie, Whistler.
Snow - Fernie, Whistler, Banff.
Corporateness - Banff, Fernie, Whistler/Disneyland.
Cold - Banff, Whistler, Fernie
On the whole "cold" issue, -10 and -30c aren't too different - just buy a down jacket and/or an uberfleece+good shell. They'll all hit the low -20's in Jan/Feb and warm up considerably March/April. You get used to it though.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If you are looking to do a Banff course from speaking to everyone NONSTOP is by far the best effort, even from speaking to the other folks on different courses we definitely got the best deal. For one of these courses + living expenses your probably looking at the best chunk of £10k. Tysen that is your "rep" if you like with NONSTOP when you make it to Banff is one of the coolest dudes about and is out to enjoy himself as much as you are.
In the nonstop course we got "extra credits" so as a result of these included in the course I got to go dog sledding, snowmobiling, calgary flames game, kicking horse trip and AFAIK they are inlcuding a Revelstoke trip as we did it on our own last year-would highly recommend this.
The cold won't really be an issue as Dave says, your face hardens up pretty quickly and -20 becomes comfortable weather, you will have to deal with extreme cold at all 3 but perhaps not Whistler so much.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If you decide Whistler, then NonStopSki, or AllTracks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Redkiteflyer, I looked at these courses a few months ago in detail and NONSTOP seemed to me to be by far the best outfit. They had a very thorough knowledge of the resorts etc when I spoke to them over the phone and also were very helpful and happy to assist with any specific questions or needs you might have.
They seem to have a lot of votes on here too.
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Redkiteflyer, I just did one of the courses and was mega impressed at how well it was organised. Also the after course stuffs ace, they are having a reunion festival with Bands from the owner's friends record label. Plus the other courses in Banff were the ass end of NONSTOPS jokes because we had it so much better.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Base Camp in Whistler have great instructors. Shame about the rest of the company...
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Redkiteflyer, There is of course another way which is to DIY taking the instructor assessments direct with CSIA. This might not be ideal if you need intense technical development beforehand and I'm not so sure about the teaching hours requirement for Level 2, maybe you'd need to arrange shadowing direct with the ski school. You also of course would have to find your own accomodation and make your own friends which may be a + or - depending on your own personal preferences.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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fatbob, there are no requirements for teaching hours, technically you could complete level 4 without ever having taught.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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This really is a most excellent website.... I think Nonstop may be the ones! Thanks again. 
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Redkiteflyer, yes, they (NON STOP) seem to have a lot of good reviews and their website is good. Also the times I've rung up, Georgie I think her name is, was very helpful and knowledgeable. I rang some other places as well, and to be honest NON STOP were much better, the other ones didn't cut any mustard with me really to be honest. I think if you go with them you will definitely have a good time, but as others have said, they're not cheap.
Have you considered Japan though instead of Canada? I hadn't before actually but a friend of mine has just booked onto an 11 week NZSIA course in Japan for next winter, I think it's costing her £6000 plus flights. It will cover NZSIA CSI and Stage 1 which once completed will be the equivalent to our BASI Level 2, or CSIA Level 2. I've heard the NZ system is really good.
I think NON STOP do get a lot of young people mind you from when I looked into it before, but my friend said part of the attraction of this one she's booked to Japan is that they get a lot of older people. I think she's in her 40's.
She's doing the 11 week Pro course http://www.instructoracademy.com/ski_courses.html
Incidentally, are you looking to do this GAP course thing for the experience of doing it, improving your skiing and the friend making in the process or because you want to get the qualifications and teach skiing eventually? If it's the latter then it is far, far cheaper going the separates route but you've probably guessed that.
I ummed and ahhed over these GAP courses for months and when I looked at the total cost (about £8000 for a single room etc probably getting on for the best part of £10K what with everything else as someone above has said) I decided to go the separate BASI route. BASI Level 1 cost me about £800 including the £365 course fee, fuel to get to and from everywhere, accomodation in a B&B and food for a week etc and BASI Level 2 will cost me about £2500 maximum I expect including £510 course fee, accomodation for 2 weeks, lift pass food, flights and transfers so that's £3300 ish instead of £8000 ish to get to BASI Level 2 equivalent of CSIA Level 2.
I've still met loads of friends out of the process mind you and am so glad considering the people I have met now that I went that way instead of the GAP.
To be fair, my skiing isn't as good (naturally) as it would have been if I'd spent 11 weeks skiing day in day out in Canada but also on these GAP courses you get people who are quite a low level skier to start with when they get there whereas I was already quite a nifty skier if you like and also I figured I'm free now to spend the other £4700 ish on specific holidays with tuition if I want or just ski trips also to lots of different resorts and countries. I think I would have got sick of being in one resort for 11 weeks, but then again I have quite a low boredom threshold.
Good luck with it anyway. 
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You know it makes sense.
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I think all in my course was £7000 ish with nonstop. I spent around £3k on being there so I guess a 10k max would be about accurate. There are those who spend £15k and those who spend alot less also...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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arv, did you share a room? Sounds 'bout right doesn't it what with everything else working on the £10K mark. Some spend £15K? Blimey  but I suppose it's easily done if you start buying clothes and gear over there as well. There's no doubt that these 11 weeks away with daily tuition courses make people into super duper skiers though I would have thought. Saying that, I went on a course for 2 weeks last April which was all off piste pretty much so not a lot of respite, and the first week/10 days was alright, the course was pretty demanding of me like but the last day I could hardly pick my feet up to get on the bus! I had improved loads but the last day my knees were like jelly and couldn't even kneel down to pack my bag to go home! No injuries, the legs just felt mashed.
Did you find you were knackered after about 2 weeks away? I suppose you get used to it although to be honest I could have been a lot fitter when I went away for 2 weeks, I was still pretty fit though.
Did anyone have to pack it in due to injury/giving up while you were on your course?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yeh I shared a room with another dude had some mutual respect for space going on so couldn't have asked for more. Tbh I'm not sure how much I spent that was just a rough estimate. We had one guy book into the Banff SPrings for 4 weeks. I would like to think I improved a hell of a lot but they deff beat you down before building you back up again. I would say being youthful and generally active I had no problems with soreness etc, I did a lot of running prior to going away. There were only 2 days when I was sore post skiing and taht was after an epic day of top-bottom runs at Kicking Horse and after a load of hiking at Revelstoke.
We had a couple torn ACL's so they had to go home, quite alot with shin splints but most battled through and a guy who snapped a tendon in his ankle and was back within 2 weeks against advice.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Eeek, now you're putting me off! A little worried as I have a ropey back but its sitting down at a desk in front of a PC that makes it really bad.. haven't had any real issues with skiing in the past, but have never done more than 10 consecutive days! Georgie tells me there are loads of physios / chiropractors / osteopaths in Banff and Fernie and they're cheaper than here, so the worst comes to the wosrt and I'll be keeping them in business And I think Nonstop works for me because its just easier, possibly not physically, but I won't need to organise anything myself which is a good thing! I have never really thought about being a ski instructor as a job/career, I just really want some time out, my contract ends in December so given that I've done the back packing thing and don't want to do it again, a ski season is the right thing given the winter timing  I started out looking for a job, and am sort of still persuring that, but I figure 3-4 months in Canada not working, will be better than 5 months in France cleaning toilets in a Chalet and entertaining everyday!
I'm just need to decide between Fernie and Banff. Whistler is already full for the ski instructor course anyway, so at least that removes a choice. I was erring towards Fernie, it sounds like my kind of place, and I like the idea of feeling like a local, but I do have a fear that I'll go nuts being in the same place for three months (at least) and I also read the resort reviews on the Ski Club of Great Britain site and they didn't really sell Fernie, mentioned some issues with crappy chair lifts?? Mind you, that said, they bigged up Whislter and three colleagues who have all been to all three resorts all prefer Fernie (might just be because they're oldies too.. mid 30's to mid 40's!!) I also have some friends, a couple, who got engaged there, then went back for their honeymoon, so they're trying to convince me I have to go to Fernie, but of course they're very very biased! Decisions decisions!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Redkiteflyer, i think there are 160 nonstoppers in Fernie in Feb, you will be more like a "local" in Banff as there are only 60 inc snowboarders/
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Redkiteflyer, if you're not too bothered about doing the instructor qualifications, then you could still do a season in Canada or somewhere else and save yourself a whole heap of money without having to work in a chalet or something. That said, the instructor course would be a good way of making friends though and at least you'll have company throughout the season rather than having to "find" people to make friends with if you don't go that route.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Fernie gets mixed reviews because it basically isn't very good if you like to ski a different "piste" every run and lots of British package punters choose to stay on-hill because they don't want to take a bus but don't realise it means very limited nightlife. That said the nooks and crannies are excellent for a tree skier and a lap down the whitepass-anaconda-bootleg on a powder day can be as fine as it gets anywhere and theres always something going on in town.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Redkiteflyer, I was with arv, in Banff and cannot recommed NONSTOP highly enough. Fernie is a great town but from my experience (totally biased of course  ) it doesn't come close to Banff. Either way though you'll have an amazing time.
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FAQ
