A word to the wise: where you choose to base yourself can define your season and shape your progression in the sport. Founded in Canada, we had our pick of resorts and made certain to choose mountains with mind-blowing snow records (10+ metres), oodles of varied and challenging terrain, and funky alpine towns to boot. Put simply, our resorts are chosen to maximise your potential on snow and provide truly epic mountain experiences off it.

Our home resort of Fernie is a ski and snowboard mecca famed for its huge annual snowfall, adventurous terrain and local town that oozes Canadian-cool. Powder is all-but guaranteed across its five alpine bowls with everything from steep chutes and gladed trees, to perfect groomers and open snow fields. Our next base is the world-famous ski area of Banff. A buzzing party town set within a National Park, we are the only brand to train you across three resorts: Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Mount Norquay. A huge freestyle scene, supreme snow conditions and terrain from backcountry-like bowls to World Cup downhills. Then, we’ve got Les 2 Alpes, a sprawling resort in the heart of the French Alps known for its après scene, freestyle terrain and bouncing seasonaire culture. Between the three, we’ve all bases covered.

We don’t just outsource our training to the local snowsports school and dust our hands. In each of our resorts, the coaching program is led by a Technical Director who heads up their respective sport – highly experienced Level 4s with an intimate knowledge of their instructor system and the inside track on what it takes to succeed, whether it’s CSIA/CASI or BASI. They design and oversee every aspect of the training schedule to ensure you achieve your ski or snowboard goals.

Aside from that, all the pros are Level 4s or well-versed Level 3s, handpicked for their experience, passion and local knowledge. During the season, coaches exclusively work for Nonstop and the same team will guide you for the duration of your program. Coaching is a blend of highly technical and all-mountain training with mileage and freeriding accounted for.

A season with Nonstop is about far more than just the ski or snowboard coaching. We’re driven by a hunger for adventure, and our MORE program gives you access to a huge range of activities and trips that will take your season to a new level. From guided backcountry cat-skiing and powder-chasing roads trips, to epic bonfire campouts and avalanche safety training, you can do it all. The idea is that you can cherry-pick the activities you’d like to get involved in, to craft a personalised season. On our courses in Canada, we include $250 of credit for you to use on the activities of your choice. Discover more about what you’ll get up on our MORE program here.

We recognise that not everyone on an instructor course plans on working as a ski or snowboard instructor post-course, instead using the season as a foundation to truly transform their skiing or snowboarding. If you are more interested in your personal performance, our AMP (All Mountain Pro) certification in Canada provides a structured pathway designed to develop your freeriding. After your CSIA/CASI Level 1, instead of training for your Level 2, you have the option of taking our non-teaching, AMP route. From powder and gullies, to cliff drops and freestyle, you’ll work on perfecting skills across the mountain. You don’t need to decide on your route until mid-way through your training, so your course is flexible. Learn more about AMP here.

For up-and-coming instructors, we’re here to guide you all the way. Our Pro Start program is designed to help you break into the industry, giving you all the tools necessary to make you stand out from the crowd and land your first job as an instructor. On top of landing your Level 1 and 2 certifications, you can work towards specialist qualifications including race and freestyle to add to your on-snow arson. During the course you’ll have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience on our volunteer teaching initiatives, as well as shadow real lessons.

Trainees also attend a ‘Working as an Instructor’ seminar hosted by ski school directors and when you graduate, you’ll have access to our large network of snow school connections around the world – from Japan to New Zealand. We have an exclusive relationship with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR), and graduates of our Fernie course are given guaranteed interviews for RCR’s several Canadian resorts. Learn more about Pro Start here.

They don’t take much of the glory, but the role of a Nonstop host is crucial to the smooth running of our courses. Selected for their local know-how, character and personability, the host will navigate you throughout the season. The host’s priority is to ensure you have the very best experience on and off snow – they’ll tell you when to sign up for your instructor exams, let you know what time to turn up for heli skiing, and make sure you know where the après is happening. They’re also there to guide you to success, and spot and deal with any problems. Available around the clock, they are masters at wearing different hats.

The cherry on top; our programs include a perfect base for when you’re not on the hill. In Fernie, we’ve invested in our very own lodge with queen-sized beds and facilities from a hot tub and pool to movie room and bar. We also rent out local houses if you’re up for a true seasonaire experience. In Banff, we use a centrally located hotel just a stone’s throw from the heart of the action. And in Les 2 Alpes, we have a central hotel-style chalet minutes from the slopes, shops and bars. We’ve options for all budgets, from dorm-style rooms to twin-share and private rooms

We don’t like blowing our own trumpet, but if you’re into accolades and features, here are a few for you.

• World Snow Awards, winners 3x
• Founded in 2002, with 20+ years of experience in training instructors
• Featured in The Telegraph, The Independent, Whitelines, National Geographic
• Member of Year Out Group
• Member of 1% for the Planet
• Affirma Financial Failure Protection

Ready for a mega season? Find your perfect ski instructor course / snowboard instructor course.