Why Cape Smokey
Ski To The Sea.
Most ski resorts sit a long way from the coast. At Cape Smokey, the bottom of the hill is 15m above the Atlantic, on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton.
Record
305m
The biggest vertical in Nova Scotia
From the 320m summit to the base
The sea
15m
Above sea level, at the base
Beside the Atlantic at Ingonish Beach
First
1st
Gondola in Atlantic Canada
And still the only one, running all year
History
1970
Skiing on Smokey since
Reopened under new owners in 2021
Pass
Indy
On the Indy Pass
The pass for independent ski areas
Runs
2.4km
The longest run on the mountain
One of 15 runs, from greens to double blacks
A Wildcard Resort.
Small, out of the way and nothing like the big BC resorts. Not for everyone, and loved by the people it suits.
And the people who train with us
Figures from the resort, the Indy Pass and Cape Smokey's 2024 trail map, checked October 2026.
In the press
What They Say.
A few of the things the travel and ski press have said about Cape Smokey.
TheTravel
“This underrated North American ski resort lets you ski to the ocean.”
Powder
“Atlantic Canada's only gondola is still spinning as other ski resorts call it quits.”
Ski Hall of Fame
“When you stand on top of Smokey the view is almost like you're in an Indiana Jones movie.”
Quoted from TheTravel, Powder and the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum.
01The mountain
A Small Mountain With The Atlantic At The Bottom.
Cape Smokey sits on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, at Ingonish Beach, right next to Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It's small, with 15 runs, a gondola and a Poma. But its 305m of vertical is the biggest in Nova Scotia, and the base is only 15m above the sea.
It's one of our wildcard resorts. Out of the way, quiet, and nothing like the big BC resorts. That's exactly why some people love it.
Since 1970
Born From A Wildfire.
Smokey Mountain, Cape Breton.
In 1968, a wildfire burned across Smokey Mountain. Two years later, the ski hill opened on the slopes it had cleared.
In 2021 the resort reopened under new owners, who are now drawing up plans for its future. For anyone on one of our Cape Smokey ski instructor courses, it means a small, local hill with real history.
Watch
See It For Yourself.
Two films about Cape Smokey, one from InTheSnow and one from the resort itself. Press play and they open right here.
Rated Excellent By Past Interns.
Wildcard
“Small hill, big sky, and the Atlantic at the bottom of every run.”
02The numbers
305 Metres, From The Summit To The Sea.
Small by Western standards, and still the biggest vertical in Nova Scotia. Here's how the mountain fits together.
Side on
Simplified, side on, to scale for height but not for distance. The longest run is 2.4km.
Run by run
All Fifteen Runs.
Small enough that you'll know every run by name in your first week. Numbered as they are on the trail map.
Easy
4 runs
- 1Bunny Hill
- 2Country Mile
- 8Jigs & Reels
- 9Sneek A Peek
Moderate
7 runs
- 3Racers Edge
- 4Hecklers Highway
- 5Boomerang
- 6Racing Pitch
- 7Chicken Chute
- 14Far Side
- 15Snowboard Heaven
Very difficult
2 runs
- 10Pit Fall
- 13Hickory Dickory & Dock, 3 glades
Most difficult
2 runs
- 11Cliff Hanger
- 12Check Me Shorts
Run names and colours from Cape Smokey's 2024 trail map. Use the resort's own map on the hill.
- 305m
- of vertical (1,000ft), the biggest in Nova Scotia
- 320m
- summit, with The Nest kiosk at the top
- 15m
- base, at Ingonish Beach
- 15
- runs, from greens to double blacks
- 2.4km
- longest run
- 2
- lifts, a gondola and a Poma
- 3.8m
- of snow in an average winter, around 380cm to 390cm
- 1970
- the year skiing started on Smokey
Runs by difficulty
Almost half the runs are blue, with two blacks and two double blacks at the steep end.
- 4 Easy
- 7 Moderate
- 2 Very difficult
- 2 Most difficult
- Lifts
- A gondola and a Poma
- Base lodge
- The Slope Bar & Grill
- Summit
- The Nest, a kiosk at the top
- Look-outs
- Eagle's Talon and Eagle's Valley
- Also
- Snowpark, tubing, snowshoe and snowmobile trails
- Pass
- On the Indy Pass
Getting up the hill
The gondola does most of the work, and it runs all year. There's a Poma lift too.
The steep end
Cliff Hanger and Check Me Shorts are the double blacks. Pit Fall and the Hickory Dickory & Dock glades are the blacks.
Coastal weather
This is the Atlantic coast, so the weather turns quickly. On windy days, lifts can close.
Ready for a course?
Our instructor courses start from a confident intermediate level. Check yours with our skiing ability guide.
Figures from the resort, the Indy Pass and Cape Smokey's 2024 trail map, checked October 2026.
03Your winter
Three Ways To Do Cape Smokey.
Every option starts with Level 1 at Revelstoke in late November. On 26 December you fly east, ready for your first shift on New Year's Day.
Ski or snowboard, Level 1
Revelstoke To Nova Scotia.
Level 1 at Revelstoke, then a paid instructor job in Nova Scotia. Ski with CSIA, or snowboard with CASI. Paid work, so you need the IEC Working Holiday visa.
All season at Cape SmokeyLevel 1 at Revelstoke, then the rest of the season working at Cape Smokey. £5,150.
8 weeks at Cape Smokey, then RevelstokeLevel 1, 8 weeks working at Cape Smokey, then back west for the end of the season. £5,150, plus £1,950 for the Revelstoke finale.
A week's bolt-onWork your Nova Scotia block at Ski Martock, and add a week at Cape Smokey. Ask us for dates and price.
Level 1 at RevelstokeFrom 27 November. Training and your Level 1 exam, with your job in Nova Scotia already lined up.
Fly eastOn 26 December you fly from Kelowna to Halifax. Your first shift is on New Year's Day.
Cape SmokeyPaid work at $17 CAD an hour, and your housing is paid for, in a shared house near the resort.
Ski Martock$22 CAD an hour, 30 to 45 hours a week, with 30 guaranteed. You pay your own rent, $600 to $1,000 a month.
Revelstoke finale25 February to 8 April, back at Revelstoke for the end of the season. The flight back west is included.
All three start the same way. The difference is how much of your winter you spend at Cape Smokey, and whether you head back west for the end of the season. Add Level 2 for £600, taken in Nova Scotia. The bars are approximate, and the end of the season at Cape Smokey depends on the snow.
Before you fly
Every option includes paid work, so you need the IEC Working Holiday visa. You don't need it before you book, and we help you through it 7 days a week.
Getting here
You fly from Kelowna to Halifax on 26 December. From Halifax it's 4.5 to 5 hours by road to Cape Smokey, or you can fly on to Sydney and we'll collect you.
Where you live
A House Near The Hill.
At Cape Smokey you live in a shared house near the resort, and the accommodation is paid for. That's the trade: $17 CAD an hour instead of Ski Martock's $22, but no rent to find each month.
- Housing
- A shared house near the resort
- Rent
- Paid for
- Pay
- $17 CAD an hour
- At Ski Martock
- $22 CAD an hour, and you pay your own rent, $600 to $1,000 a month
04Cape Breton
Quiet Nights, Big Coast.
Ingonish is a small community on the Cabot Trail, not a ski town. Evenings are quiet, which suits couples, early nights and anyone who wants a winter away from the crowds.
The Slope Bar & Grill.
In the base lodge, for food and a drink after the lifts close.
Snowshoeing and look-outs.
Snowshoe trails, a 4km round trip, and two look-outs, Eagle's Talon and Eagle's Valley.
Snowmobiles and tubing.
Snowmobile trails, a tubing area and a snowpark at the resort.
The national park.
Cape Breton Highlands National Park is right next door.
Off the beaten track
A Long Way From Anywhere.
Halifax is 4.5 to 5 hours away by road. Big shops and nights out are a long way off, so pack what you need, and expect to make your own fun in the evenings.
The Pros And Cons.
Cape Smokey ski instructor courses are brilliant for the right person, and not for everyone. Here's the honest picture.
Why Cape Smokey works
- Ski to the seaThe base is 15m above the Atlantic, at Ingonish Beach. You finish your last run looking at the ocean.
- No rent to findYour accommodation is paid for, in a shared house near the resort.
- Small hill, small teamFifteen runs and two lifts. You'll know the whole mountain, and everyone on it, within weeks.
- The biggest vertical in Nova Scotia305m, with two double blacks and three glade runs.
Worth knowing
- Lower pay$17 CAD an hour, against $22 at Ski Martock. Your housing is paid for, which makes up a lot of the gap.
- RemoteHalifax is 4.5 to 5 hours by road. Big shops and nights out are a long way off.
- Quiet eveningsIngonish is a small community, not a ski town. If you want bars and a busy village, choose one of our BC resorts.
- Coastal weatherAtlantic weather changes fast, and wind and rain can shut the lifts.
05Your course
Your Instructor Course At Cape Smokey.
Our Cape Smokey ski instructor courses: one programme, three ways to do it, for skiers and snowboarders.
Ski or snowboard, Level 1
Level 1 And Job Placement, Nova Scotia
Level 1 at Revelstoke from 27 November, then a paid instructor job in Nova Scotia from New Year's Day. Spend the whole season at Cape Smokey, do 8 weeks here before heading back to Revelstoke, or add a week at Cape Smokey to a Ski Martock block. Add Level 2 for £600, taken in Nova Scotia.
- Starts
- 27 November, Revelstoke
- In Nova Scotia
- From 26 December
- You leave with
- CSIA or CASI Level 1
- Pay at Cape Smokey
- $17 CAD an hour, housing paid
- Price
- From £5,150
Three ways, three prices
All season at Cape Smokey
Level 1 at Revelstoke, then the rest of the season at Cape Smokey.
£5,150
Hold my place8 weeks at Cape Smokey, then Revelstoke
Back west on 25 February for the Revelstoke finale, with the flight included.
£5,150 plus £1,950
Hold my placeA week's bolt-on
A week at Cape Smokey, added to your Ski Martock block.
Ask us
WhatsApp WSCAlso worth a look
Snowboarding?
The same programme runs for snowboarders, with CASI Level 1 instead of CSIA.
Revelstoke
Where every Cape Smokey winter starts, with Level 1 in late November.
Not sure Cape Smokey is the one? You can see every ski instructor course, or every snowboard instructor course, in one place.
Still deciding where to go? Compare all our locations.
What Past Interns Say.
Read Before You Choose.
Free guides, written by us for people in exactly your position. Start with what nobody tells you about a season in Canada.
Skiing Ability Guide
Are you good enough yet? The standard, in plain words, with a way to check.
Read the guide ›
Resort Comparison Guide
The resorts we work with, side by side. Size, snow, housing and who each one suits.
Read the guide ›
CSIA Qualification Guide
Every CSIA level, what the exams ask of you and what each one lets you teach.
Read the guide ›
The Real Cost Of A Canadian Season
The whole sum, from flights and insurance to food and kit.
Read the guide ›
Insurance Guide
What cover you need, and what to check before you buy it.
Read the guide ›
How To Book Our Courses And Internships
From first chat to first chairlift, step by step.
Read the guide ›
What Nobody Tells You About A Season In Canada
The bits the brochures leave out, from people who have done it.
Read the guide ›
Fitness Guide
Turn up fit. The plan that gets your legs ready before you fly.
Read the guide ›
Travel And Flights Guide
Flights, transfers and getting to the mountain without stress.
Read the guide ›
What To Take
The packing list for a Canadian winter.
Read the guide ›
Clothing Essentials
Layers, gloves and what is worth spending money on.
Read the guide ›
Girls On Tour
For women heading out on a season, by women who have done it.
Read the guide ›
