User blog comment:BrooklynGuido42/Ask a guy who has all 50 achievements for skyrim anything/@comment-4906366-20120614175306/@comment-1642008-20120614182932

To not be part of the Civil War you need to progress the story to the point when you have to capture the dragon. But you cannot join a faction (Stormcloak/Legion) as doing so forces you to be part of the war.