• Get your backcountry fix. British Columbia is regarded as the birthplace of heli skiing and cat skiing.
• Powder-hound? There is a region in British Columbia known as the ‘Powder Highway’. Head here for deep days.
• Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski area in Canada and has over 200 km of slopes.
• Fancy a long season? The highest ski resort in Canada is Sunshine Village and extends up to 2,730 metres. The season goes from November to May.

Canada is home to over 250 ski resorts spanning the country from East to West. With stacks of terrain and heavy snowfall, Western Canada is the go-to for hardcore riders. British Columbia outranks all other provinces with the most resorts and boasts some of the best heli, cat and backcountry skiing in the world.

Season: Most resorts open from early December until April, although this varies depending on location and altitude. Higher resorts such as Banff benefit from a longer season and open from mid-November until mid-May.

Recruitment period: Snow schools usually start recruiting in late June/July.

Popular resorts:

• Fernie, BC
• Red Mountain, BC
• Lake Louise, AB
• Sunshine Village, AB
• Mt Norquay, AB

To work as a ski or snowboard instructor in Canada, you need:

• Minimum of CSIA/CASI Level 1, or Level 2 with another ISIA body (e.g. BASI, NZSIA)
• Canadian working holiday visa or company sponsorship

Pay as an instructor varies depending on qualifications and experience. Here’s a rough guide to the pay structure:

• Level 1 – $10-15/hour
• Level 2 – $15-20/hour
• Level 3/4 – $30/hour

The number of hours you work will also vary. During your first season you should be working a minimum of 4 hours daily, but more commonly instructors will be working 6-8 hours per day, 5-7 days a week, depending on the time of season.

Most ski schools offer ways to earn additional income through commission based on requests, or working within other parts of operations such as events or guest services.

Tipping in Canada is common in many hospitality roles, but this doesn’t always transfer to tipping instructors. Whether you receive a tip often depends on the nationality of the guest, and whether you are teaching a private vs. group lesson.

Did you know: Many Canadian snow schools offer awesome in-house training. Through this you have an opportunity to be trained by high-level instructors and work towards higher qualifications.

If you’re not yet qualified and fancy yourself working as an instructor in Canada, check out our ski instructor courses / snowboard instructor courses.