President's Message
Skiing under the lights at the marvelous family-owned Harper Mountain.
There have been multiple ski area anniversary celebrations this season of up to 60 years. An esteemed accomplishment. And in our midst, there two areas that are celebrating a century of operation: Mt Norquay and Grouse Mountain.
I marvel at the spirit and tenacity of our pioneers through 100 years. In one of Norquay’s centennial communications, it spoke to “celebrating resilience, community, and the legacy of mountain culture.” How true and how relevant to our industry today. While those pioneers may have used different terms, adaptation and pivoting would certainly have been common practice .
As the current winter moves into the season of corn snow and outdoor apres, the ability to adapt has never been more vital. When ski areas navigated the pandemic, the word ‘pivot’ became a bit of an inside industry joke, because we overused the word on every industry webinar and zoom call. We have tried avoiding it since. However, it was recently used to describe this season for many of our operators, and it seemed appropriate. The dramatic shifts in weather throughout the winter dictated constant operational changes. While the industry regularly deals with variable conditions, the extremes of the variables is what most operators now reference. Most ski areas across the west in one form or another adapted to wild fluctuations in temperatures, wind, and snow… yes even too much snow for some if you were charged with digging out a lift or clearing a parking lot. The variables can be magnified in alpine regions, and have been especially consequential and tragic for some of our guides and mountain colleagues in western Canada’s backcountry. We take a moment to pause and remember their spirits.
Another form of adaptation that is with us does not relate to snow, but to operational changes due to decisions around time changes. Folks in Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Peace region are wondering what all the fuss is about as they have been on permanent time for years. BC has just announced its intentions to stay on permanent daylight savings time for the west of the province, while the eastern side is still deciding. Conversations in Alberta and Manitoba are perhaps the most lively right now, because while a decision of some sort appears imminent, operators do not yet know how to plan.
In recent years, discussing the merits of time change has become as Canadian as discussing the weather. Preferences for time change cross political and geographical boundaries. The ski sector has activity voiced to government the implications for outdoor operations like ski areas when considering changes. These of course vary based on longitudinal location within a time zone, and of course its latitude.
At this point in the conversation, most operators are simply trying to assess where opportunities lie. Many considerations are linked to activity within daylight hours, though this is moderated for those with night lights for skiing. Ski areas are playing out many scenarios such as:
- When should lift hours be scheduled.
- What is the impact to staff schedules.
- Does a later morning start allow for a more condensed operational day.
- What are the opportunities to monetize extended daylight hours at end of day.
- How do café, restaurant, retail hours and ancillary activities adjust around lift operating hours.
- Can ski areas generate more dinner revenue than apres.
- Is a later morning start viewed as an advantage for some guests.
These are all active discussions, and if the last 100 years has taught us anything, ski areas are masters of adaptation and will find a solution. At the Spring Conference we will have folks such as Mt. Sima’s Sam Oettli in Whitehorse share his perspective on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
Between now and conference, CWSAA congratulates and thanks those operating and supporting the ski industry throughout the past winter. We look forward to seeing you in Whistler this April.
– Christopher Nicolson
Industry Events
CWSAA Spring Conference & Trade Show
April 27–30, 2026 | Whistler, BC
Register before rates increase on March 28
Conference Rates
Early Bird (until February 26): $800- Full Rate (February 27–March 27): $850
- One Month to Go (March 28–April 17): $900
Conference Agenda Highlights
The draft conference agenda, is now posted HERE.
New this year, we are excited to have a themed Backyard Après Kickoff Event Monday April 27 from 5:30 - 8:30pm at the Whistler Conference Centre. Come pick up your conference name badge and join the fun with a relaxed and interactive evening designed to bring the ski industry together.
There will be some friendly competition and fun with Alpine Racer and Snowboard Racer arcade games, break out your inner Rockstar with Guitar Hero, sing along in our Karaoke zone, or challenge colleagues to classic backyard games like Giant Jenga, Cornhole, and Ladder Ball.
Of course, no après get together would be complete without social beverages and tasty backyard bites & snacks. Reconnect with old friends or meet new industry peers, with this fun evening and kickoff to the conference and a great few days together in Whistler.
Special Activities available for delegates
For those interested in activities in and around Whistler, CWSAA delegates have some great opportunities:
- Whistler Blackcomb Lift Tickets: From April 25 - May 2 registered conference attendees can received 50% off daily window rates.
- Sea to Sky Gondola: From April 27 - May 1, Sea to Sky Gondola is offering free admission to CWSAA conference delegates.
- Whistler Museum: Learn more about Whistler’s history. Admission is by donation. Note the museum is closed Wednesdays.
🔗 See important details HERE.
Spring Conference Website
Small Areas Auction
Preparations are underway for the 2026 Small Ski Areas Assistance Fund Silent Auction, which will take place during the CWSAA Spring Conference. This is a key fundraiser supporting small community ski areas across Western Canada.
The small areas committee are seeking donations from member ski areas and associate members such as: Products or services; Gift certificates; Outdoor gear or apparel; Tourism or resort experiences.
If your organization can contribute, please submit your donation through the Auction Donation Form (Google Form) by Sunday, April 19, to allow time for advance promotion and setup.
The committee is also looking for conference volunteers to assist with the Silent Auction. Even short shifts are helpful. Please review the Volunteer Schedule and sign up using the Volunteer Sign-Up link.
Funds raised through this auction directly support the Small Ski Areas Assistance Fund, helping ensure that smaller areas are able to take part in the learning opportunities provided by CWSAA; allowing them to continue to thrive and create skiers & snowboarders for the Industry.
Learning Circles Series: Indigenous Perspectives on Psychological Safety
Creating psychologically safe workplaces means listening to diverse perspectives and learning from the communities that shape our industry. go2HR’s new Learning Circles video series featuring Indigenous educator Len Pierre brings Indigenous perspectives on psychological health and safety into BC’s Tourism & Hospitality workplaces.
Developed in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), this five-part series offers short, thought-provoking sessions designed to spark reflection and support more culturally and psychologically safe environments.
Each Learning Circle explores practical ways employers and teams can strengthen workplace culture. Topics include respectful and culturally safer terminology, understanding how feedback supports psychological safety, and applying Indigenous and trauma-informed approaches to conflict resolution. The series also explores how individuals and organizations can move from awareness to advocacy by creating space for Indigenous voices, practicing everyday allyship, and supporting reconciliation through workplace actions.
Together, these sessions highlight how cultural safety and psychological safety work hand in hand to create respectful environments where people feel safe to speak up, share ideas, and contribute fully. They also invite both employers and employees to reflect on how these perspectives can help shape stronger teams, safer workplaces, and more inclusive guest experiences across BC’s Tourism & Hospitality sector.
Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum
Spotlight: Optimist Hill Saskatchewan
Building and sustaining ski areas in Saskatoon has historically presented challenges due to limited natural terrain and variable winter conditions.
Optimist Hill has emerged as a strong example of what’s possible through community vision and investment. The project involved significant site development, including moving large volumes of earth to create skiable terrain in an otherwise flat landscape, along with the installation of lifts, snowmaking infrastructure, and night lighting to support reliable operations. The hill officially opened in February 2019.
Today, Optimist Hill operates as a year-round recreational facility, offering skiing, snowboarding, tubing, and terrain park features in the winter, and transitioning to activities such as mountain biking in the summer. It also serves as an important training ground for freestyle athletes—both current and future—while continuing to introduce new participants to snow sports and support local recreation.
🔗 The full article is available through the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum website.
CWSAA Members are invited to post their jobs on the CWSAA Job Board.
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.
SROAM 2-year diploma program now open for registration for September 2026.
If you're passionate about advancing your career in the ski industry, the Ski Resort Operations and Management (SROAM) program at Selkirk College offers a comprehensive pathway to leadership roles.
Program Highlights:
- Comprehensive Curriculum: The two-year diploma program covers key areas such as tourism marketing, customer service, human resources, lift operations, grooming, snowmaking, risk management, and resort communications.
- Hands-On Learning: Engage in field trips to various ski regions across Western Canada, providing direct exposure to resort operations and networking opportunities with industry professionals.
- Paid Work Term: Participate in a 21-week paid practicum, allowing you to apply your knowledge in real-world settings and gain valuable industry experience.
- Transferable Credits: The curriculum includes articulated business and tourism courses transferable to colleges and universities across British Columbia, offering flexibility for further education.
Located in Nelson, BC, the program places you at the heart of mountain culture, with easy access to world-class ski resorts to enhance your skills and industry connections.
For more information on the SROAM program and application details, please visit: selkirk.ca/ski
Passenger Ropeways Online Courses
The Spring Passenger Ropeways courses are now open for registration and will run from May 4 to June 22, 2026. These courses offer practical training that supports on-the-job learning. The online flexible learning format means you can join at anytime during the semester!
- Lift 151 – Surface Passenger Ropeways and Passenger Conveyors
- Lift 152 – Aerial Fixed Grip Passenger Ropeways
- Lift 153 – Aerial Detachable Grip Passenger Ropeways
🔗 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 each semester.
Responsible Stewardship Showcase: CMH Heliskiing Advances Sustainable Fuel Storage
Accepting the TIABC Award are CMH representatives: Dave Butler, Patrick Bell, Will Forbes, Kathy MacRae, Matic Vecko.
Sustainability continues to be a growing focus across the ski industry, with CMH Heliskiing taking meaningful steps to reduce environmental risk in its operations. One recent initiative includes the implementation of an advanced fuel storage system designed to improve safety and minimize the potential for environmental impact in remote mountain locations.
The system enhances fuel containment and monitoring, helping to protect surrounding ecosystems while supporting the logistical demands of heli-skiing operations. It reflects CMH’s broader, ongoing commitment to responsible operations in sensitive alpine environments.
This work was recently recognized with an Innovation Award from the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia, highlighting the importance of practical, operational improvements that contribute to sustainability across the tourism sector.
CMH continues to advance sustainability across its operations, including offsetting 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions and implementing initiatives to reduce food and packaging waste at its lodges.
🔗 Read More HERE.
Welcome new CWSAA Members
CWSAA would like to extend a big welcome to the following members that have joined CWSAA in the past year:
| Ancam Solutions Company Ltd | Manitoba Snowboard |
| Bay Resource Group | Mount St Louis |
| Crabbe Mountain | |
| Entegra Procurement Services | SenseNet Inc. |
| EZ2Ski Alpine Ski | SMS North Inc |
| Ficap | Soucy International |
| ICOM Canada | Stagewest Hospitality Ltd. |
| Largo Electric Ltd | Tourism and Sport - Government of Alberta |
| Latitude 90 | Tyndall Point Law |
| Mammut Sport Group Inc. | Yukon Freestyle Association |
Membership Dues
Reminder: In late February, CWSAA members were sent an invoice for their 2026/27 CWSAA Annual Membership via email. If you did not receive your invoice or have a change in accounting contacts, please reach out to Stephanie Avery at stephanie@cwsaa.org
Thank you to all members that have already submitted payment. We value your partnership and thank all members for their continued support and involvement in industry initiatives. Please note, that it is a requirement for all members to be in current standing to attend the CWSAA conference (April) and participate in the AGM (Summer).
Visitation Reporting
At the end of each winter season, CWSAA collects ski area visits from all ski areas in Western Canada. CWSAA will also be collecting summer visitation information from the 2025 summer season. This information is very important for the industry's advocacy's efforts in defining our overall economic impact. Individual ski area information collected through this report is kept strictly confidential. Only aggregated information by province is published.
An email was sent to ski area GMs last week requesting completion of the report once operations are completed for the 2025/26 season. If you have any questions, or did not receive this report, please contact Cynthia Thomas at marketing@cwsaa.org.
Destination BC Releases 2026–2028 Corporate Strategy
Destination BC has released its 2026–2028 Corporate Strategy, Focused Growth, Lasting Impact, outlining priorities for tourism development across British Columbia.
The strategy places a strong emphasis on supporting year-round visitation across all regions, while enhancing the overall value tourism delivers to residents and local communities.
Key goals include:
- Expanding tourism across both peak and off-peak seasons province-wide
Increasing the value of tourism to British Columbians, with a long-term objective of sustainably doubling annual tourism revenues to $48 billion by 2036
The strategy provides direction for how tourism partners, including ski areas, can align with broader provincial priorities around growth, seasonality, and community benefit.
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.
It is in conditions like these that CWSAA is especially appreciative of the partnership with Driving Force and Kal Tire. Canada West is fortunate to have such great safety partners supplying excellent equipment.
Quality Tires at an affordable price
Good tires are important for everyone in the ski industry!
Learn More about Kal Tire's current promotions
HERE.
100% Price Match Guarantee
Kal Tire matches any eligible competitor’s quote for the purchase of four eligible passenger or light truck tires. Learn More.
Places & Faces
Katherine Seleski, sits on CWSAA's Board of Directors and is very active with small ski areas initiatives. Earlier this month, Castle Mountain opened their new Stagecoach Express lift. As the project manager for the lift installation, Katherine has spent the past year on every detail of this lift and now proudly shows of her 'baby' which serves a massive terrain expansion for the resort.
CWSAA’s Dawn Sleiman recently visited Edmonton to inspect meeting facilities for a potential spring conference, and took the opportunity to visit all local four ski areas—Rabbit Hill, Snow Valley, Sunridge, and the Edmonton Ski Club. Pictured above: Randi-Lee and Ian at Sunridge.
Hildur Sinclair (owner and CWSAA Board member) and Scott Zacharias (GM) stand in front of the brand new trail map design that includes all the new terrain accessed from the recently installed Black T-bar at Troll Mountain near Quesnel British Columbia.
Tim Foster of Sun Peaks and CWSAA's Christopher Nicolson, Stephanie Avery, Doug Avery and Johnathan Clarkson joined several ski industry friends at Harper Mountain for night skiing.
Aaron Macdonald Chief Marketing Officer at Sun Peaks Resort was one of many representing the ski industry at the Tourism Industry Association of BC conference in Kelowna
After ten seasons at Castle Mountain, General Manager Dean Parkinson has announced his retirement, effective April 30, 2026. CWSAA's Cynthia Thomas visited with Dean and the team at Castle during last weeks U16 Western Championships.
Cathy Astofooroff, Executive Director of BC Snowboard, was recently recognized by BC Sport with the In Her Footsteps…Celebrating BC Women in Sport for her significant contribution to sport in BC. Read More.
Darcy Arnold serves as Big White's Chief Operating Officer, President of Big White Utilities and member of the CWSAA Board of Directors. Darcy is also uber hands on at the resort, where CWSAA's Cynthia Thomas came across him before 7am moving ski racks for the groomers passing thru the village.
Medicine Lodge (Bentley AB), recently completed a significant refurbishment of their Sampson TBar. The Tbar is the primary lift for this volunteer run ski area. Read more.