President's Message

Cynthia Thomas at Mt Sima with Sam Oettli and Hannah Roth

As I enquire about operations and race training with Sam Oettli (GM of Mt. Sima) and get first-hand accounts from CWSAA’s Cynthia Thomas, who is visiting Sima this week, I’m reminded that the winter ahead is a special one. That may seem like an odd statement at a time of year when the first ski areas are just starting to operate, and many more are grinding through the long days of final slope preparation, training and onboarding, and snowmaking. However, every four years, winter sport is given a massive platform to showcase itself.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, running from February 6 to 22 in Italy, will be splashed across television screens and social media platforms. Celebrating these moments and sharing the stories of athletes and national teams is a huge opportunity. Ski areas often participate in this celebration with Go Canada Go banners and large TV screens in their daylodges.

This celebration of sport can remind us of other opportunities. Each national team athlete has a story, a journey—and all of them experienced a first day on snow at some point. Mike Douglas, a new inductee into the Canadian Skiing Hall of Fame, spoke eloquently about how he was introduced to snowsports. He explained it was thanks to the Grade 5 SnowPass program that brought him to Mt. Washington on Vancouver Island for the first time. Fostering these introductory programs, and helping parents and participants understand how to stay involved in snowsports—through lessons, local clubs, or employment—is a golden opportunity for our industry.

Further along the sport journey are friendships and lifelong outdoor recreation for some, and for others, a path into competitive sport. Local pass and instruction programs, and community equipment swaps all play an important part in forming social connections and deepening commitment to snowsports. In many communities, where the value of snowsports is often measured in cost per hour of engagement across a whole winter, skiing and riding continue to offer high value—and remain one of the few activities that families can enjoy together.

For those following a competitive sport pathway, there is a financial reality that includes training, equipment, passes, and travel. For those with Olympic dreams, these can be significant costs and often require support from their community.

Ski areas in Western Canada play an important role in this journey. A legacy of the late Fred Bossinger is the CWSAA Competitor Pass, an initiative now shepherded by Stewart Laver of Sunshine Village on behalf of CWSAA. The initiative supports a cohort of developing youth athletes at the provincial level—those in between club and national levels. Identified by the hardworking Provincial and Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSOs), eligible athletes and coaches are training and competing in FIS-sanctioned events and are on a competitive track. The programme provides 450 athletes and coaches each year the opportunity to train and compete across the West, thanks to the support of all ski areas in western Canada and partners like 1 Risk.

Each of these athletes and coaches also has a story, and many of them are being shared through the social media pages of the PTSOs or local clubs.

Snowsports can benefit greatly from the increased exposure in Olympic years. One simple way is to engage with and celebrate the stories of our local, provincial, and national athletes. Website and social media features and daylodge displays are easy canvases to help make that happen. And while competitive sport is just one stream of inspiration, our industry can benefit any year by sharing stories and making it easy for newcomers to find out how they can get involved in snowsports.

Cheers
– Christopher Nicolson