President's Message
A good early season snowfall at Kinosoo ski area near Cold Lake, Alberta (Oct 29, 2025)
Preparing for the Season Ahead
This fall, CWSAA hosted six meetings across Western Canada. The expanded schedule allowed us to connect with more regions and partners than ever before—from the addition of Northern BC’s meeting in Prince George, to collaborations that brought valuable industry content north of the border. These included the SAM Summer Operations Camp and the NSAA Lift Safety Bootcamp, which joined forces with CWSAA events to deliver exceptional learning opportunities for Canadian resorts. The final session, the Saskatchewan Ski Area Operators Association (SSAOA) meeting at Table Mountain, wrapped up just this week.
The purpose of the Fall Meetings is to share concise, practical presentations focused on what ski areas need to know heading into winter—what’s new, what’s changed, and what’s particularly topical.
This Special Edition Newsletter highlights several of the new resources, initiatives, and collaborative programs introduced at the meetings. These tools have been developed with tremendous input and partnership from members and industry allies, reflecting our shared commitment to continuous improvement.
Ski areas are now in full swing preparing for the season ahead—with staff orientations underway, snowmaking beginning, and the first areas set to open in just over a week. Best of luck with your final preparations, and here’s to a safe and successful start to winter!
Cheers
- Christopher
Speed & Collision Safety
Join the Industry-Wide Effort to Advance the Culture of Speed and Collision Safety
This winter, ski areas across Canada are joining an industry-wide initiative to reduce speed-related incidents and build a stronger safety culture on the slopes. The effort starts from within — with staff actions, teaching approaches, and consistent responses all shaping how guests understand safe behaviour.
CWSAA has developed resources to support ski areas in staff training, pre-season orientations, and guest education. These include new communication assets for promoting the Alpine Responsibility Code, public messaging materials from the Snow Angel Foundation, and signage solutions from Inter-Mtn. In the coming week, CWSAA will share a new toolkit with ski area general managers, including downloadable resources, with more materials to be added throughout the season.
We’re calling on every ski area to take part. By modelling safe behaviour, responding consistently, and making speed and collision awareness part of your culture, your team can make a meaningful difference in guest safety and the overall mountain experience.
👉 Read the full article HERE, and feel free to share this article with your teams, or request a custom article from marketing@cwsaa.org
New Resources for CWSAA Members
In the coming days, a memo to General Managers will notify ski areas of the posting of two new resources.
Rental Shop Risk Management
Originally released in 2022, the Rental Shop Risk Management resource was developed to help rental shop managers understand and apply key risk management concepts. With input from ski areas and consideration of recent ASTM updates, a revised version is being released.
This document is intended to supplement manufacturer guides and binding certification programs.
Post Incident Checklist
Many ski areas will have post-incident checklists in their written emergency plans. As described at the recent fall meetings, this resource was requested by ski areas and serves as an additional option to accompany existing documentation such as incident investigation tools available through ski area insurance representatives.
It is designed to be customized by each ski area at the start of the season and as changes occur—adding local contacts and relevant details—so it’s ready to use in the event of a critical incident.
Both the Rental Shop and Post Incident materials may be accessed in the coming days by signing into the Members’ Section of the CWSAA website.
Freestyle Terrain
A CWSAA working group has been hyper-active for the past two years updating a new Freestyle Terrain Resource Guide. The guide is nearly complete. Ski Area managers should expect an update on the document by December.
Other Tools & Resources
Also in the Member's Only section of the website, there are many great resources for ski areas. We are working to continue to update and build this section. Please provide any suggestions on new content or resources to office@cwsaa.org
- Responsible Stewardship Playbook & Toolkit - including links to videos of past workshops
- Presentations - many of our presenters from Fall meetings and spring conferences have offered to share their presentations on the members only section.
- Presentations from the recent 2025 Fall meetings are being uploaded HERE.
- Membership Directory - list of all CWSAA members and key contacts
- Safety Signage - CWSAA offers some FREE safety signage to members including Alpine Responsibility Code, Exclusion of Liability and Lift use education signs.
Funding Opportunities for Ski Areas
Ski area ownership and operating agreements come in many forms, each with its own eligibility for different funding programs. In many cases, ski areas can also collaborate with partners—such as ski clubs, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), or municipalities—to access additional funding opportunities that may not be available directly to the ski area.
CWSAA maintains a list of current grants and offers limited funding directly to support small ski areas. Below are several specific opportunities we’d like to highlight.
CWSAA Funds:
- CWSAA Small Areas Snow Instructor Training Bursary - Apply by December 15 for up to $1250 ($250 for up to 5 instructors) towards instructor certification.
- Small Areas Assistance Grant - Ski areas under 20,000 visits may receive up to $2000 per year.
Other grants:
- NEW Alberta Youth Employment Incentive - Up to $7500 to hire youth aged 15-24
- Canada Alberta Productivity Grant - 50-75% of training costs ($5000-10,000 per employee)
- BC Employer Training Grant - Up to $10,000 per employee to support skills training, including for prospective new hires.
🔗 View the CWSAA grants database
Industry Development Support Programs:
- CASI Resort Support Program - Offers 40% discount codes. Ski school managers should reach out to your CASI program manager for details.
- CSIA Resort Support Program - each ski area may be eligible for up to 5 x $200 discount towards certification.
- Selkirk College Small Areas Scholarship - Selkirk College offers scholarships to employees of small ski areas (under 20,000 annual visits). Up to five small ski area employees can receive a 50% discount on Lift 151 or 152 tuition.
Industry Programs & Collaborative Initiatives
A number of industry-wide products and programs have been developed through national and regional collaboration. All ski areas are encouraged to take part in these initiatives that help strengthen participation and awareness of snow sports across Canada.
Canadian Ski Council Programs & Products
The Canadian Ski Council (CSC)—along with the consumer-facing GoSkiingGoSnowboarding website and new skier programs—is moving into the season with strong momentum.
The newly rebranded SnowStart Kidz Pass (formerly SnowPass) is already on sale and showing strong uptake among families. Never Ever Days, the popular learn-to-ski and snowboard initiative, is also poised for another successful season. The Canadian Lift Pass, launched successfully this summer and directly supports the CSC initiatives above, plus national advocacy and promotion of snowsports.
There’s still time for ski areas to get involved in all CSC programs. To participate, contact programsupport@skicanada.org
📅 National Ski & Snowboard Day will take place on February 20, 2026, coinciding with the final Friday of the 2026 Winter Olympics—a strategic opportunity to build on the excitement around snow sports.
Go Ski Alberta
This provincial initiative, supported through Travel Alberta in partnership with all Alberta ski areas, helps raise awareness and remove barriers to participation. Pledge forms were sent to all Alberta ski areas earlier this month.
To get involved in Go Ski Alberta, complete the pledge form or contact Cynthia Thomas at marketing@cwsaa.org
Reciprocal Program
The Reciprocal Program continues to be a popular initiative led by ski areas across Western Canada. Over the past four years, an online database has streamlined coordination and reduced the time required for ski areas to manage partnerships and offers.
Nearly 60 ski areas have already joined for the 2025/26 season. If your ski area hasn’t yet signed up, complete the participation form HERE.
Unauthorized Instruction
Unauthorized “freelance” instruction has become a hot topic of discussion at recent CWSAA Fall meetings and Spring Conferences. Several ski areas have reported an increase in individuals offering paid lessons through private channels or social media without having a formal agreement or permission to conduct business at the ski area.
For clarity, ‘unauthorized instruction’ is not referring to parents teaching their own children, or to organizations that operate under approved agreements. The concern lies with independent instructors operating outside of authorized programs, which can create both safety and liability risks. Guests may not realize that these instructors are not sanctioned or insured to be teaching at the ski area.
Ski areas may wish to get ahead of this issue by consulting their legal and insurance advisors and posting notices to help inform guests before the season begins. As shared at the recent fall meetings, sample wording for notices has been created by ski areas. Contact CWSAA for more information.
CWSAA Awards
Nominations are now open for the CWSAA 2026 Awards. This is a great opportunity to recognize a team member or an industry colleague for their exceptional contributions. Nominations will be accepted until January 15 for the following awards, which will be presented at the Spring Conference in April.
- Jim Marshall Leadership Award
- Lars Fossberg Excellence Award
- Rod Chisholm Operations & Maintenance Award
- CWSAA Peak Performance Awards
🔗 View more about the awards HERE.
Don’t Let Your Safety Game Freeze This Winter
go2HR Tools & Resources to support Ski Areas
Winter is coming fast, and ski areas are gearing up for another busy season. As you prepare your teams for opening day, it’s the perfect time to refresh your workplace health & safety practices; go2HR has new tools to help you get there.
Their free, expert-led drop-in sessions bring new energy to your Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC). Each session uses real examples from ski area operations, along with interactive discussions that help your team tackle current hazards and strengthen both occupational and psychological safety. New seasonal topics range from cold stress and hypothermia prevention to addressing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and navigating challenging guest situations.
go2HR has also expanded its Ski Areas resource page, now featuring new Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) templates for Lift Operations & Maintenance, Snowmaking & Hill Activities, and Guest Services & Facilities. Their dedicated Ski page also includes ready-to-use Safety Talks on topics like responding to first-aid calls and safely managing snow machinery and tools.
Take a look at go2HR’s H&S training, with options ranging from Safety Basics Orientation for new hires to JHSC training for committee members. Just launched: new injury management manual template, to complement their guide to injury management for BC ski hills poster.
It’s all designed to help you build confidence, reduce risk, and set your team up for a safe, successful season on and off the slopes.
🔗 Explore Ski Areas safety tools and book your free drop-in session today
CWSAA Members are invited to post their jobs on the CWSAA Job Board.
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Support
Mountain associations across Canada have come together to form a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team of trained peer responders. This team provides debriefing, defusing, follow-up peer support, and additional resources for mountain professionals who have experienced a critical incident. CWSAA is proud to be a member of this collaborative initiative.
CISM peer responders are there to support those directly affected—listening, validating emotions, and offering guidance for the days ahead. Depending on the situation, the team can respond on an individual or group basis, either in-person or via video conference (with in-person visits preferred when possible).
For more information or to request support:
🔗mountaincism.ca
📧 hello@mountaincism.ca
📞 604-670-2772
The volunteer CISM peer network initiated by HeliCat Canada and supported by the mountain professional organizations in Western Canada (including CWSAA) has now formalized as a non-profit organization under the name The Mountain Professional Critical Incident Stress Management Association. Thank you to all the volunteers that have been trained up for this year.
Selkirk College Ski Industry Programs
Selkirk College continues to play a central role in developing talent for the ski industry through its full-time Ski Resort Operations and Management (SROAM) program and flexible online course offerings.
Online Ski Industry Courses
Selkirk’s online ski industry courses provide a flexible learning option for ski industry staff.
Lift 150 – Train the Trainer (Ongoing Intake)
Designed for experienced lift operations personnel, Lift 150 – Train the Trainer supports in-house leadership in lift operations training. The course is offered through ongoing intake and can be started at any time between August and March. This is a great resource for staff leading training programs at their ski areas, and a regulatory requirement in some jurisdictions.
🔗 Learn more about Lift 150 – Train the Trainer
The following Passenger Ropeways courses run from September 2 to December 8, 2025, with final exams held December 9–11:
- Lift 151 – Surface Passenger Ropeways and Passenger Conveyors
- Lift 152 – Aerial Fixed Grip Passenger Ropeways
- Lift 153 – Aerial Detachable Grip Passenger Ropeways
These micro-credential courses offer practical training that supports on-the-job learning. It's not too late to join this semester!
🔗 View Lift 151-153 course details and register
Small Ski Area Scholarships
Selkirk College offers scholarships to employees of small ski areas (under 20,000 annual visits). Up to five small ski area employees can receive a 50% discount on Lift 151 or 152 tuition.
CWSAA Partners
EASY RESERVATIONS: drivingforce.ca
For Leasing enquiries CONTACT Jordan:
(306) 261-6110 or JArsenault@drivingforce.ca
Driving Force has locations across western Canada to serve the ski industry.
CWSAA Director and SSAOA Chair Anders Svenson pictured at the fall meeting for Prairie ski operators (SSAOA) at Table Mountain Saskatchewan.
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Places & Faces
Christian Theberge of Shames Mountain chaired the BC Northern Fall Meeting at Hart Highlands ski area in Prince George as Dawn Sleiman speaks to the funding programs for community areas.
16 ski area staff participated in a Fall Protection course at Hart Highlands that proceeded the Northern BC meeting earlier this month.
A Northern Alberta meeting was held in Grande Prairie earlier this month facilitated by Nitehawk GM and CWSAA Director Johnathan Clarkson and CWSAA’s Cynthia Thomas. 25 members attended this day that included presentations and productive round-table discussion.
The Whistler Bike Park team was instrumental in a very successful Bike Park Forum that included sessions such as this one on wooden trail feature construction.
Table Mountain GM Lawrence Blouin being presented with the SSAOA Mountain Builder Award by Anders Svenson (Mission Ridge, SK) and Shannon Johnson (Asessippi, MB) at the meeting of Prairie ski areas (SSAOA). Lawrence is a past recipient of the CWSAA Jim Marshall Leadership Award and Jimmie Spencer Lifetime Achievement Award.
Olivia Robson, Lift Mechanic at Winsport, discusses Lift evacuation procedures during the recent ASM meeting held at Winsport.