President's Message

AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, CAPITAL PROJECTS AND SUMMER OPERATIONS OCCUPY THE MINDS OF SKI AREA OPERATORS, AND BOTH GENERATE SIGNIFICANT REVENUES FOR LOCAL ECONOMIES. SUN PEAKS’ ERIK MEERTENS WITH CWSAA TOURING MOUNTAIN IMPROVEMENTS.

It’s that time of year again—one of the most important for the Association.  While fall and early winter creates the operational juice and excitement that we thrive on, for Association geeks, the arrival of the annual member survey results are circled on our calendars.  It may sound odd, but there is good reason for it.

As shared earlier this year, the Board of Directors established CWSAA’s three-year strategic directives in January. These were shaped by member input, focused stakeholder conversations, and a thoughtful Board planning process through the end of 2024. The 2025 member surveys are the first formal check-in on those directives. Success in this process boils down to one word: alignment. If the Board’s directives align with member priorities, we’re starting in a strong position—and the results suggest we are.

Two things stood out clearly this year: Safety and Risk Management remains the top priority, with Education and Industry Guidance following closely behind.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the top CWSAA resources members identified as most valuable:

• Safety & Risk Management: Resources relating to safety, liability, and signage are highly valued—especially by operations teams, general managers, and risk managers. This held true across both small and large ski areas.
• Networking & Connection: Opportunities for peer exchange and shared learning continues to be a major draw. Members value connecting with others and finding solutions to common challenges, and benchmarking resort operations.
• Conferences & Educational Opportunities: From spring and fall meetings to webinars and workshops, these offerings remains important to industry leaders.
• Government Relations & Advocacy: This was especially important to senior executives and owners.  Policy and regulatory topics, as well as broader recognition of the industry’s economic contributions all surfaced repeatedly.

When asked how CWSAA could best support members going forward, the message was clear: advocacy matters. From land use and permitting to communicating industry’s economic contributions, there is demand for a strong voice on behalf of industry.

CWSAA is in the implementation phase of the plan.  The Board approved the financial resources in the 2025/26 budget to execute these priorities. The core deliverables of the Association are on-going, and particular focus is being placed on education, training, and advocacy.  Various presenters at spring conference highlighted work being done around terrain parks, lift mechanic education, and other guidance materials for operations.  These will be delivered in both virtual, in-person, and written formats depending on the topic.  On the advocacy side, considerable work is underway. Alberta resorts initiated its work at a session at spring conference, and a new advocacy plan is being presented to the Board next week.  The BC committee has been highly engaged with officials over the past year relating to tenure renewals and other policy pieces.

On the near horizon, the fall meetings will reflect the above work.  This September, CWSAA is pleased to host the Bike Park Forum in conjunction with Ski Area Magazine’s Summer Ops Camp in Whistler.  It serves as a unique opportunity to see Whistler Blackcomb’s summer operations from the inside.  The Forum will feature both outdoor and indoor content relating to planning, wood feature construction, safety, irrigation, progression zones, and advancing the guest experience.

Registration and detailed information for all the fall meetings (including the new Northern meetings) will be sent to members shortly.  The dates and locations can be found below and on the CWSAA events calendar.

Thank you again to members for the constructive input and continued support for your organisation.  As a result, the Association is poised with a targeted and impactful course for the next three years.

Cheers
– Christopher Nicolson