Message from the President
Kudos to the creative ski resort minds that spawned the snow dances on social media. Some great dance moves…as well as apparent impact as the weather systems formed across the west. Western Canada has many areas that regularly open in November (and did again this year), while the majority of the 92 ski areas in the west typically open in December. Good luck to all as we approach the first holiday period of the season.
I’ve been pleased to learn about many innovative community programs this winter. For example several ski areas including Alberta Snowboard and Edmonton Ski Club are working with Indigenous organisations to support youth and enable participation. In support of veterans and first responders, a program called Shoulder to Shoulder was initiated at Mt. Washington. This program has expanded to other areas and supports those that have given so much. One does not have to look hard to identify initiatives throughout the industry that support our communities…we just need to remember to share those stories and not be afraid to celebrate those contributions.
I’ve also learned that several ski areas have recently hosted community forums. These are not mandated requirements by government, rather they represent healthy dialog with their community. Some focus on operational mountain updates from ski areas leadership, while others shared longer range planning. The last few years has shined a spotlight on the importance of the ski sector’s economic and social contribution in our communities. It is important that this outreach continues to happen with community, provincial and federal officials and stakeholders.
At the community level, ski areas themselves manage long-lasting and critical relationships with local government, stakeholders and indigenous communities. These are cultivated through ongoing exchange and communication and are not always easy discussions. But they are essential to the success and vibrancy of our industry. Similarly, CWSAA engages regularly at provincial levels on behalf of industry and works in concert with the Canadian Ski Council on federal files. A recent successful example of this work was an important policy decision by the Province to maintain overnight accommodation rentals at BC ski areas.
CWSAA maintains industry data that is used for communication with officials. This information is available to members for own outreach purposes. Providing industry context often helps paint a picture of the larger ski eco-system, and may buttress the presentation of a local ski area officials. Please contact the CWSAA office for more information.
Best of luck to you, your families, and teams during the coming busy and critical time of year. On behalf of CWSAA – Happy Holidays.
Cheers
- Christopher
CWSAA 2024 Awards Nominations Now Open
Each year, CWSAA recognizes incredible industry leaders during our annual Spring Conference.
Nominations for the following 2024 CWSAA Awards must be submitted by February 7, 2024 to marketing@cwsaa.org. Download the Awards nominations packages HERE (CWSAA website login required)
- Jim Marshall Leadership Award
- Lars Fossberg Excellence Award
- Rod Chisholm Operations & Maintenance Award
- CWSAA Peak Performance Award
Please note, the Jimmie Spencer Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a recipient identified by the Board of Directors. It may or may not be presented annually.
More information on the CWSAA Awards can be found HERE. The 2024 recipients will be honored at the 2024 CWSAA Spring Conference in Jasper on April 23, 2024.
BC ski areas, please also note that the nomination deadline for the BC Tourism Awards is January 10 (presented March 7, 2024 at TIABC conference). Nominate for the BC Tourism Awards HERE.
2024 CWSAA Spring Conference & Trade Show
April 21-24, 2024
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Alberta
View Conference Website
Priority Trade Show Registration for Sponsors - Now Open
- Trade Show booths: $1300 + taxes & credit card processing fees.
- All sponsors will receive priority Trade Show booth selection in order of sponsorship contribution, provided that they confirmed sponsorship with CWSAA by January 12, 2024.
- Learn More about Sponsorship HERE
- Learn More about becoming a Trade Show Vendor HERE.
General Conference Registration opens on January 22
- Full Conference Registration early bird rate: $650 per person + taxes & credit card processing fees.
- Small Ski Areas may apply for the Small Areas Assistance fund to attend the conference. The deadline to apply is January 31.
Accommodation:
- Room rates start at $199 per night + a $16/night Resort Fee + taxes. For 'Run of the House' room, with 1 guest the room rate will show as $215 per night, which includes the $16 Resort Fee.
- Complimentary self-parking.
- Please only book the rooms/nights you require, as there is limited availability. Only 1 room can be booked at a time, please book under the attendees name for each room booked.
Continuing Education
Selkirk College Ski Industry Courses
Passenger Ropeways Mechanics: The Lift 151, Lift 152 and Lift 153 are all self directed. The Winter intake is now open and runs from January 8 to April 10, 2024.
Ski Resort Risk Management: Registration for the Winter 2024 Semester is open now. The winter course starts January 22 and runs until April 15, 2024.
Train the Trainer - LIFT 150: Ski Lift Operations Train-the-Trainer is designed to help ski lift supervisors or managers, develop a comprehensive program for training ski lift operators. This program is an online self-directed program, and has a continuous intake until March 1. Participants can start anytime and have 3 weeks to complete the content and the exam.
Learn More & Register HERE
Webinars
There are a number of partner organizations that offer training and webinars related to human resources, risk & safety, hospitality & guest services, business, governance, tourism and much more. Here are some of the great sources of training:
- go2hr - Safer Spaces, Joint health & safety, FoodSafe, OHS, SuperHost
- Employers Advisors Office - risk & safety and OHS
- Alberta Non Profit Learning Centre - Board development, grant writing
- Tourism Saskatchewan -tourism, marketing, HR, IT
- Tourism HR Canada - recordings of various HR webinars
- Restaurants Canada - food & beverage business related topics
- Tourism Industry Association of Canada - upcoming tourism industry events & webinars
- Small Business BC - various business topics
- Outdoor Recreation Council of BC - recordings of past webinars
Critical Incident Stress Management
Mountain associations in Canada have joined to develop a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team of Peer Responders that offers debrief and defusing services, follow-up peer support, and other resources to mountain professionals (eg patrol and guides) who have experienced critical incidents.
WHAT IS CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT (CISM)?
CISM is designed to prevent or mitigate development of post-traumatic stress after critical incidents, including injury or death of a client or colleague in the field, multi-casualty incidents, body recovery, suicide of a colleague, or other consequential events. Trained Peer Responders lead sessions immediately after the incident, where the affected group comes together in a supportive, confidential environment to talk about their experiences, roles, and reactions, without blame.
CISM can help workers defuse highly charged emotional situations, return them to full productivity, improve mental health, increase morale, and reduce resignations of highly trained professionals from critical incident stress (CIS) symptoms.
The CISM team is available to ski area mountain practitioners such as patrol and guides following a critical incident.
Call the dispatch line to access the volunteer Peer Responder Team: 1-604-670-2772.
CWSAA and go2HR have compiled a valuable library of safety and HR resources for the ski industry. Some may be used for on-boarding, others are good for pre-shift huddles.
Find the resources HERE
CWSAA Partners
EASY RESERVATIONS: www.drivingforce.ca
For Leasing enquiries CONTACT Jordan:
(306) 261-6110 or JArsenault@drivingforce.ca
Plus, Save 10% on vehicle rentals with code "CWSAA"
Driving Force and Kal Tire are CWSAA’s vehicle partners providing safe and reliable solutions, especially for winter transportation around western Canada.
Quality Tires at an affordable price
Learn More about Kal Tire's current promotions HERE.
CWSAA Members are invited to post their jobs on the CWSAA Job Board.
Places & Faces
The CWSAA Competitor Pass is one way that ski areas across Western Canada support the development of athletes and sport. It is also the primary funding mechanism of CWSAA. Our sincere thanks to Stewart Laver of Sunshine Village that serves on a volunteer basis as the Competitor Pass Chair and spends countless hours managing the program. Stewart follows in the footsteps of Fred Bosinger who steered the program for many decades.
This past weekend, Tawatinaw Valley (Alberta) opened the ski hill's new Red Carpet Lift. The project was funded through significant community donations, the Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) Grant and ski area operations.
Pictured on Left side: Wendy Batog, Toni Siegle, Colin Felstad, Reint Boelman (Board). On right: Staff – Steve Kimpton, Kathy Kight, Shawna Vollema, Chelsea Vandenborn (Board)
Whistler Blackcomb has recently opened the new eight-person Fitzsimmons 8 Express. The Doppelmayr lift is only one of two 8-person lifts in Canada, which will support upload capacity from Whistler Village in winter and for summer mountain biking. In the Squamish language, Fitz is known as Sḵwexwnách for Valley Creek. In the Lil’wat language, Fitz is known as Tsíqten which means Fish Spear.
Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre near SilverStar and Vernon BC recently hosted the Western Canada Cup Series where athletes competed for FIS points in the lead up to the Olympics. Manager Wendy Shannon credits the event success to incredible volunteer help. The large stadium at Sovereign enables event staging. An extensive trail network links to SilverStar Mountain Resort.
Following input from CWSAA committees and industry members on suggested topics, the CWSAA team begins to envision the conference, with a big sticky note puzzle. A draft schedule will be published by mid-January!
Big White Ski Resort Ltd. and Big White Central Reservations Ltd. hosted the grand opening of their new Central Reservations Building. This $5.5 million development boasts a range of features aimed at elevating the visitor experience, including a guest lounge, luggage storage, increased parking and Electric Vehicle charging stations.
Ski areas make a lovely sight. Global News in Edmonton happens to include Edmonton Ski Club in its webcam shot.