Dear CSIA members,
Deep winter has taken hold in most parts of the country, with great snow conditions for all to enjoy. As skiers, we embrace all that winter has to offer, including the thrill of the sport, the joy of learning new skills, and the shared experiences with fellow skiers, friends, and family that make our community so warm and vibrant, no matter the weather.
Our November and December kick-off Pro Day Camp events were a huge success, with lots of members reconnecting again after the soon forgotten hazy days of last summer. I was thrilled to meet so many folks and hear their feedback on all the things we had been working on. In Mont Tremblant, the CSIA held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), where new by-laws were adopted by the membership, allowing for the expansion of the national board to 9 as of the Fall 2025 AGM. The 2024 Hall of Fame induction witnessed 3 remarkable individuals recognized: David Green, Warren Jobbitt and John Gillies. They join a prestigious group of honored members who have made a significant contribution to the Alliance through their dedicated and passionate efforts. After the Mont Tremblant events, I joined the CSIA Atlantic pre-season camp and AGM in Mont-Sainte-Anne for a fabulous few days of skiing with members during the first opening week in December. During this period, we also hosted our annual course conductor trainings in all regions, with a new focus and energy that was well received and appreciated by our 600+ qualified course conductors.
These early season events were also an opportunity to share with you more details of the new strategic plan and how it will be implemented over the next few years. Guided by our restated purpose, mission, vision and values; the 5 strategic pillars are connected to what objectives we hope to achieve on behalf of the members’ and our stakeholders’ interests. From the strategic plan, we have now developed an operational road map that details the specific initiatives and tactical approaches we feel will move the needle towards ensuring the CSIA offers the highest quality of program and educational content, while providing exceptional service and value to you, our members. As we implement the various elements of the plan, we will see those strategic pillars in action and through new innovations and improvements. I will be providing updates periodically on various initiatives with a full report on our strategic plan at our next AGM on November 24, 2025, in Banff. But in the meantime, I hope you will quickly see that we are moving forward.
The CSIA has seen a tremendous volume of activity in program registrations so far this season, showing a year over year growth across all levels of certification and programs. This indicates that the demand for and trust in CSIA programs and CSIA certified instructors remains very strong across the country. This demand along with favorable weather conditions is expected to result in high participation and few cancellations or postponements across all regions this season. We are particularly glad to see the interest in the new specific themed Pro Day (showing a 25% increase), developed by the TEC and staff to align with what training members are looking for. CSIA regional committees have been piloting successful member programs such as the Pro Day Big Mountain hosted by CSIA BC, and in CSIA AB the Pro Day 60+. These types of regional product innovations will be reviewed and may be developed into future national programs to be offered across the country.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting CSIA Central, with our regional EPC, Craig Chapman, where we were blessed with blue skies and calm winds. We visited 4 ski areas in 4 days: Optimist (SK), Table Mountain (SK), Asessippi (MB) and Mission Ridge (SK). Each one had great snow, friendly staff, and a welcoming vibe and buzz that comes from the great people who work and ski there. Skiing with members during the Pro Day sessions and visiting their home hills reinforced my view that skiing has incredibly strong roots in people's lives, no matter where they live. I wish to thank the ski areas and the snow schools I visited for their kind hospitality and superb operations, which made for an outstanding skiing and learning opportunity.
Like many ski areas in Canada, Prairies snow schools provide a valuable community service by offering school programs that unlock the joys of skiing for our youth. For ski areas and instructors that rely on those mid-week visits, any disruption due to environmental factors, such as cold weather preventing busses from running, greatly impacts business. Ski areas are often faced with the tough decision of staying open or helping keep skiers and students safe. Student safety is one of the primary responsibilities of all instructors and making decisions about how long it is reasonable to stay outside in the cold is as vital as avoiding and/or identifying signs of frostbite and other cold weather injuries. Along with area operators, we all need to stay safe by being safe, which includes looking out for each other. In case you did not know, the CSIA developed and made available to all our members a free CSIA safety module, which covers general safety awareness, including the use of chair lifts along with responsibilities all instructors are expected to know and to teach others. If you haven’t already done so, please register and complete this free online module, available to you through snowpro.com.
In other news, CSIA’s Interski 2027 Team Canada selection process has begun, and the first phase is now complete. Thank you to our panel of expert judges who had the responsibility to evaluate all submissions. Of the 93 initial applicants (25 women and 68 men), a total of 56 (13 women and 43 men) have advanced to Phase 2. The on-snow tryouts will take place in Mont-Orford, QC, on February 19-20, and in Sun Peaks, BC, on February 27-28. From there, the top 12 from the East and the top 12 from the West will move forward to the final phase of the selection process taking place in April, after which the 12-person CSIA team will be announced. It will be exciting to see the best skiers within our membership in Canada come together and test their skills alongside their peers for this prestigious assignment to Team Canada. Good luck and good skiing to all participants. For all of you who are not able to take part in the Interski Tryouts or Interski 2027 event, we are planning to have our CSIA team members deliver Pro Day sessions next season. Stay tuned to our communication channels for videos and updates leading up to and including the 2027 event, we hope you enjoy them!
We continue to meet regularly with our snow certification partners both in Canada and internationally as we seek to improve on synergies in our education pathways, membership services, and program coordination. There is a conference scheduled for the end of February in Silver Star where the Canadian partners will meet as a group to build upon our ongoing collaboration and shared interest to provide you with added value. Internationally, CSIA will be joined by CASI in attending the Interski General Assembly and the ISIA/IAESS joint meetings in Vail, Colorado in early April. These meetings are important as we work towards increasing CSIA member's international recognition to more than just the ISIA stamp (currently available to Level 3 and 4 members who meet the minimum requirements).
With many great weeks of winter ahead of us, I want to thank you for being a valuable member of the CSIA and want you to know that I am keen to stay connected with you. I also want to share my appreciation for all our volunteers on our many committees and working groups that do so much behind the scenes to make the CSIA better and better every day for our members. In early March, I will join CSIA Ontario for their annual Snow School Directors Day which is another great example of engagement initiatives regions have developed to bring us closer together throughout the Alliance. For now, I wish all of you great skiing and safe travels no matter where you are or where you are going. Please reach out to me or our incredible staff at any time should you have questions or if we can be of any assistance. Until then, let’s go skiing!
