Big White is AWESOME! GAP Programs... I'm jealous...

Yeah, the Ski/Snowboard Instructor GAP programs, I am a bit envious. And since it is the title, I will tell you about them.

"Ever been to
Big White, Canada...?"

Have you seen the groups going round with the Big White Ski Pros? The same groups day after day? Sometimes down at the Magic Carpet, others around the mountain?

They are all being taught to ski/snowboard and to reach the skiing and teaching standards - initially Level I, then progressing to Level II. 

11 weeks of skiing/snowboarding. 11 weeks of intensive training. 11 weeks accommodation in luxury homes. 11 weeks living on a mountain in Canada. 11 weeks of world class ski and snowboard instruction. 11 weeks making forever friends. 11 weeks of an experience of a lifetime... food, transfers, course and exam fees... flights... mentoring... shadowing options... opportunity to secure future employment as a ski/snowboard Pro...?

I love the smell of fresh powder
in the mornings.

Sounds pretty good eh? And it is all free! Okay, that bit is a lie. So yes, I am envious. I know, I am a ski pro already, I know I live at Big White, I know I live the dream life. But I got here the hard way... (I am from Wigan, England... do you know any Ski Instructors in Canada, who come from Wigan? Didn't think so...)

The three main program operators at Big White are Snow School, Snow Rehab and Nothin But Snow. All have a great programs and reputations. I know the guys at NBS better than others so I will play favourites and talk about them :)

They are AWESOME! There, done. That earned me a beer! I hope. Leigh, Sam... I am waiting.

Leigh and Sam hard at work... Feeling for you guys, try and smile.

For the next sentence please read in a James Earl Jones voice doing Darth Vader - 
'What does this experience of a lifetime cost, Luke?' Let us consider what is included... Father... If you break out the major items, you are probably looking at-

• Season Pass - $1000 - this includes night skiing 5 nights per week.
• 11 weeks shared accommodation ("Luxury, Luke" Darth again, "I know, Dad, I'm not dumb, I have the Force too you know" last bit was Luke... if you didn't know), and we are talking, granite, hardwood, pool, gym, heated floors, steam showers, ski in/out and private hot tub... Yes, private hot tub - I said it... Cuddly toy too... 11 weeks at $300 (+ taxes) per night, for six shared? What you want me to do the math for you? Okay $23k (+ taxes) - lets call it $4,000 each.
• Flights - $1500?
• Five days of full day lessons, x 11 weeks? $150 x 55 = $8,250
• Food - probably five breakfasts and five dinners a week - $250 per week = $2,750
• Level 1 course and exam $400.
• Level 2 course and exam is extra I think.
• Transfers - $200
• Mentor and guide - dunno... four million dollars...?
• Experience of a lifetime...? Priceless. (MasterCard stole that tag line from me - true story).

We are going to be ski instructors...

Total cost in the region of $20k. For the experience of a lifetime... $20k...? Not bad. Life is not about buying stuff, life is about fitting as much in, in the gap between being born and the other thing... So, good value? It is why it is called GAP programs... What? No, it has nothing to do with the gap between A' Levels and Uni... it is the other gap - in between born and buried. Yes it is... Yes... It Is. Whatever.

Look, all these companies are reading this, jumping up and down yelling in their heads "He's wrong, he's wrong! It is a lot less...!!!" I know... keep reading... and keep your goggles on.

And at the end, you are a CSIA trained and qualified ski instructor? Qualifications that will be attractive to ski resorts all over the world from Canada, to Australia, to New Zealand to Japan... Qualifications that will enable you to travel the world whilst being paid...? And... not just paid, being paid to ski? How many employees give you a free ski pass, free top quality outerwear? Yes, you have to buy some skis and boots... boohoo. I was in the Army, I got to travel to places were people were trying to jump all over my head... Er... can I have a ski pass instead please...?

What...? We can teach skiing... all over the world...?

I am a ski pro and I love my job but it took a while - British Army - six years including the First Gulf War, United Nations - three years in Former Yugoslavia (I did dodge bullets) BA, MBA, multi million dollar land development company and... going bankrupt, then hedge fund consultant (that kinda ended with the FBI... yes the American one). All before I got to be a ski pro (told you, I took the hard path).

Experience of a lifetime... $20k... expensive? Er no, not at all. Actually it is not that expensive; it is a lot less (Happy now guys?). Less...? Really? Yes, much less - go check out their websites. (Last bit is the 'call to action' it is marketing jargon) and here are their websites. (How convenient is this?)

Nothin But Snow - www.nothinbutsnow.com
Snow Skool - www.snowskool.com
Snow Rehab - www.snowrehab.com

Please note the spellings, I think (hope) it is intentional...

Listen to the voice...

Next step - ignore the voice. You know that voice in the back of your head that says go get a job, get a career, save your money, follow the path to retirement? That voice? Ignore it, you have one life, go and live it while you can, the rest of the stuff? Yeah, that will come.

No! Ha ha...!

Oh, and I also run Sólido Properties (Darth again please) the best seasonal property management company... at Big White... that writes a blog... sometimes the writings are accurate, and er... true, and er... sometimes they are less self indulgent... ha, who am I kidding... 


Last bit, my pitch... if you find yourself fully qualified as a ski instructor, with an employment position offered at Big White, and needing a place to live... Come find me :)

Big White is AWESOME! Yes, I said it, Awesome!

I think it is anyway. 

What? You want me to elaborate...? Oh okay then.

What does elaborate mean?

Let me give you some interesting statistics. Of course they may be fabricated... 

Big White Employees.
Roughly 850+/- employees, some returning for their second season, some have been here for many many seasons. New hires this year numbered around 500. I hear you ask how many applicants for those 500 positions Chris? 5000 applicants (I answer with lots of gravitas in my voice... just imagine it okay) a small 10% of all applicants. Can you say 'cream of the crop'? If you are one of the 10% now working at Big White... well kudos to

What, are they all Aussies?

you.

And the type of employees we 'enjoy' here? That liftie may have a Masters degree in Chemical Biology (don't ask me, I did business), or be a Landscape Architect, or the dishwasher could be a Musician just about to hit it big (I believe in you Lochy). Whatever... my point is... well think about it, each liftie, cleaner, dishie, server or ski instructor is here doing these jobs because they all want to follow a different path, they want the life experience, willing to do these jobs because it affords them this (probably life changing) challenge. 

Skiers who ski again.
The industry average for first time skiers returning is just 18%. 82% never return, less than one in five who try the sport come back... a scary stat if it is your business.

38% is Big White's statistic. 38% is a massive number, more than double the industry average. Or Big White outperforms the industry average by 111% - not bad eh? Not bad at all! Actually Big White's numbers form a part of the industry average, take them out and the average falls - no, I don't know by how much, I would have to do a bunch of time consuming research... and I am lazy.

So... Why does Big White outperform?

Skier Experience? Accommodation? On mountain food and beverage? Snow? Grooming Conditions? Family Friendly orientation? Fog? 

Yes... I used the F word MJB... okay, low lying cloud. Two years ago I was watching my son and daughter compete in a freestyle competition, it was the half pipe event and the fog was so bad we could not see the other side of the half-pipe, okay it was a 'super pipe' but still. Bad eh? Don't nod your heads and say 'yes, I've seen that too...' wrong, this was Whistler - Ha! Yes, other resorts get poor visibility too.

Not Whistler.

But... we outperform by 111%+? Pretty sure it is not because of the fog...

Snow.
The coast snow is wet and heavy. The resorts in Alberta are cold... really cold - fogging cold... did you like that? I created a relationship between fog and another F-word and then implied that relationship by using the inoffensive word. What...? You don't think it was cool? Well fog you then... Okay, back again - Eastern Canada - they don't have mountains, they have bumps; sorry Ontario but it is true.

Big White has champagne powder, we may not get the massive dumps (however we did get two feet in 24 hours recently) we get the three cm, the six cm, the 10cm... again and again and again - what does this mean? It means great snow conditions, it means perfectly groomed runs, it means enough powder to lift your skis off the base but not bury them, it means we don't know what ice is, it means great snow conditions in perfect ambient temperatures... It means a great skier experience.

And we always get snow, last year Whistler struggled, the skiers came to Big White... this year... same again...?

Family Friendly

Accommodation is kinda okay.

The kids centre is central to the resort; it is not tucked away in the car park. The kids have fun, they laugh, they play, they get tired (the good tired, the tired that makes them sleep, the tired that makes them feel alive), they learn... and they want to come back. I have two kids and whatever makes them happy we do again... ask my wife. Actually I have no say in anything... and... I have come to accept this, ask wifey - me good hubby, me.

Accommodation
World Class. We have some of the best in the world. Ever skied in Europe? And I built it, all by myself! True! Okay, I exaggerate.

Ski In/Out?

Er... Got nothing.

The biggest benefit is almost invisible... the biggest benefit is being able to go home whenever - tired, kids are cranky (yes they get cranky), hungry, cold... forgot your pass, wallet...? Whatever reason, getting back is easy. You don't have to wait until the end of the day, you don't have to drive, bus, for 40 minutes to the condo, you don't have to load/unload the car twice a day. Ski in/out? That is AWESOME!


Food and Beverage?
It is great, it is the best. Big White is transitioning to a two season resort, but prior we were a five month resort - each restaurant, bar, cafe, pizza place has to generate 12 months of revenue in six months - this is not done by providing crappy food and/or service.

Ice Tower... For those who cannot not tell... 

Activities?
Ice skating - it is the largest outdoor rink in Canada. Tubing - largest in North-America. Ice Tower - one of two in Canada (actually I just made that up, but it sounded good). Dog Sledding, cross country skiing, snow-shoeing. Lots to do.




And finally... Ski School!

Okay lads, we are going to go down the hill and
then er... up the hill...
(yes I know I used the same joke earlier... shut up)

Combined ski and snowboard professionals number almost 200 at Big White. All those red and black jackets you see hanging around the village looking intimidating... yes that is the Ski School. The other clue for you is the big Ski School logo on every jacket.

They are front and centre, they are the face of the resort, they spend more time with clients than any other department - a lesson is two hours, private three hours, all-day private six hours. Their role is to create the fantastic skier experience (or snowboarder). Whether the client is three or 83. They can make the difference between fantastic and the word belonging at the other end of the spectrum - fog? With a 111% premium, they must be doing something right.

But don't be intimidated, come and talk to us (yes, I am one also) ask us for a quick ski tip - we are only human and believe it or not, we were once beginners too... yes, it is true.


Big White... It is AWESOME!

Sólido Properties Ltd (yes, I am pitching my other business here, and it is a link - click it.) owns, manages, rents, many properties on the mountain (yes, I know it's in the name) for owners looking for alternative and stable revenue streams. We offer a semi illiterate, verbally limited sales pitch, employing clichés and fabricated numbers to sell our service to the easily duped... And, If you are still reading this... 1. stop, and 2. I lied on the last bit - we are Awesome too!