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CWSAA Newsletter: October 2024 - Canada West Ski Areas Association

Presidents Message

The pre-season excitement is in full swing. Some areas set to open in less than three weeks, and the recent snowfall has added to the anticipation. Snowmaking has commenced for some, and operational preparations and on-boarding are underway for all.

CWSAA has almost completed its fall ski area visits and regional meetings. Sunridge ski area was an exceptional venue for the well-attended Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba Division meeting, and CWSAA is grateful to Sun Peaks Resort for hosting both the Bike Park Forum and the BC-Yukon Division meetings. A big thank you to the host venues and all presenters.

This week, CWSAA is in Grande Prairie and hosted its first Northern Ski Areas meeting. It was a pilot project designed to serve the predominantly volunteer society community ski areas. It featured a hybrid of in-person and online experts presenting on safety, risk management, rentals, lift training opportunities and sport development programs, as well as a forum to share solutions between operators. Its timing was purposeful to allow morning and evening travel for delegates to limit time away from ‘real jobs,’ and also scheduled in late October so it fell after the harvest which dominates the lives of many prairie operators. This scheduling rationale is consistent with the final fall meeting of the year hosted by the Saskatchewan Ski Area Operators Association next week at Thunderhill Ski Area near Swan River Manitoba.

Looking ahead, the volume of activity at the CWSAA committee level is at fever pitch, including the new ropeways committee active engagement with new training opportunities for lift mechanics. All committees are already deep into planning for the Spring Conference, scheduled for the end of April in Penticton, BC. It promises to be another key event for our industry.

- Christopher Nicolson

Highlights of this month's newsletter...

Fall Meetings

Thank you to everyone who attended the ASM, BCY and Bike Park Forums over the past month. This week, CWSAA hosted the first Northern Meeting in Grande Prairie. A special thank-you to our hosts, speakers, and everyone involved in making these events a success. Next week is the Saskatchewan Ski Area Operator's meeting, which is being held at Thunderhill Ski Area.

CWSAA Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2025 CWSAA Awards.

De-escalation Training for Frontline Employees

Invite all your front line employees to join go2HR and CMHA BC for a 1 hour Free webinar on December 5.

Small Ski Areas Snow School Instructor Training Bursary

No accepting applications from ski areas for a $250 bursary for up to 5 instructors.

SnowStart Kidz Pass

The rebranded product for children ages 6-12 is now on sale.

Responsible Stewardship Showcase

Learn about how Nakiska Ski Area is embracing environmental practices to minimize their ecological footprint.

Places & Faces

Dave Morrison