Ski Focus February 2009

Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass 2008/2009 Season Update

This season marked a huge change for the SnowPass program.  The Canadian Ski Council, along with all participating ski areas and associations, welcomed the addition of Grade 4’s to the SnowPass program. This year children in Grade 4 were able to join the grade 5’s in applying for SnowPasses for its first year ever!

Some other additions to the program included updates to technology which allowed consumers the ability to apply for a SnowPass application for their child online, including uploading a photo, proof of age/grade and make payment, saving consumer’s time! The SnowPass team also had a lot of brand new faces to the program as Liette Lehouiller and Greg Weeks joined to help make this program a success!

This season so far has proved to be a great year for the SnowPass program as of February 23rd, 2009 the SnowPass team at the Canadian Ski Council has received over 39,600 applications. 8,000 more applications then this time last year!

Winter is not over yet and the SnowPass team will be accepting applications until the end of March.  Please keep your eyes open this spring for next year’s Skier Rider Development Pledge forms so that your ski area may ensure their spot in next season’s SnowPass program.

For more information on the SnowPass program please contact Laura Brand at:  lbrand@skicanada.org

State of the Skiing and Snowboarding Industry Conference:

Ladies and Gentlemen, the date has been set! Mark off July 6th-8ththis year for the Canadian Ski Council’s annual industry event and conference, which will be held at the beautiful Hilton Whistler in British Columbia.  This conference will be our best yet, with educational speakers, tours of Whistler’s 2010 Olympic facilities, the Peak 2 Peak gondola, great networking opportunities and an update on the trends and issues affecting the ski and snowboard industry. The CSC has secured room rates of $139 per night plus taxes.

To be added to our mailing list to receive updates and teasers as the information is released please email lbrand@skicanada.org

Discover Skiing, Snowboarding and Cross-Country Skiing 2008/2009 Season Update

Participating ski areas in Canada have been offering discounted Discover Ski and Discover Snowboard packages all winter long. The Discover packages offer lift tickets, ski and snowboard lessons and equipment rentals all for one low price.

The Discover packages have been seen as another great opportunity to get beginner and lapsed skiers and boarders to try skiing and snowboarding in a fun, inexpensive environment.  The Discover packages were advertised on the CSC’s web site, in the Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass book and within the CSC’s extensive media campaign.

Check out the Canadian Ski Council’s website, www.skicanada.org, for more information about how you can participate in this program. If you have yet to send in your updated Discover packages prices, please send them to Greg at the CSC office ASAP: gweeks@skicanada.org. The CSC promotes all participating ski area's packages on our web site and in our fall and winter press releases.

National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Week continues to be successful amongst consumers and the industry!

National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Week (NLSSW) was a big success this year with over 100 ski areas across the country offering various discounts on skiing and snowboarding packages or creating their own events to have fun on the snow during the weeklong event that takes place January 17thto 25th, 2009!  As one of Canada’s longest running, national programs designed to encourage people to come out and try our winter sports, this event gives you a chance to design your own event or offer discounts on Discover Packages to show your guests how affordable and fun skiing and snowboarding can be.  Let’s continue to make this day a success by coming up with fun family events and new ways to bring non or lapsed skiers and snowboarders back out to our ski areas for some winter fun and adventure! For more information, please visit our web site at www.skicanada.orgNext year’s event is slated to take place from January 16thto 24th, 2010 so mark your calendars now and plan to partipate! 

FIRST EVER WINTER FEELS GOOD:  NATIONAL LEARN TO SKI AND SNOWBOARD WEEK A HUGE SUCCESS!

2009 National Learn to Ski and Snowboard for Free Day kicked off at participating ski areas on Wednesday January 21st, 2009

On Wednesday January 21st, 2009 at a select group of ski areas across Canada, the CSC’s first ever, Winter Feels Good: National Learn to Ski and Snowboard for Free Day was kicked off and was a smashing success!

Winter Feels Good: Learn to Ski and Snowboard for Free Day was a new program concept that was proposed by the Canadian Ski Council’s National Marketing Committee at our July 2008 Symposium meeting.  The idea was that 10 host ski areas across Canada would host a select group of Grade 4 or 5 students and provide them with a free day of skiing or snowboarding on Wednesday January 21st, 2009as part of National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Week. The purpose of this program is to introduce children whom have never skied or snowboarded before to try our wonderful winter sports and encourage them to come back in the future.  The new changes also give a new twist to National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Week.

Host ski areas were required to provide a class (i.e. up to 40 students) of Grade 4 or 5 students with complimentary lift tickets, lessons, rentals, lunch and a bus ride to and from the ski area. The Canadian Ski Council agreed to cover $500 to each ski area to help offset some of their costs of transportation of getting the kids to the ski area (if transportation by bus was required). The CSC recommended that ski areas bring in sponsors to promote and enhance this special day for the kids.

The CSC piloted this program this year with the 10 following ski areas:

  1. Big White Ski Resort, BC
  2. Kicking Horse Resort, BC
  3. Mount Seymour, BC
  4. Sun Peaks Resort, BC
  5. Canada Olympic Park, Alberta
  6. Blue Mountain Resort, Ontario
  7. Calabogie Peaks, Ontario
  8. Horseshoe Resort, Ontario
  9. Montjoye, Quebec
  10. Crabbe Mountain, Nova Scotia

The CSC asked that the regional ski area operator associations help to promote Winter Feels Good: National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Day in the letter and package that is sent to all schools that receive the Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass application forms in the fall. Schools across Canada were asked to send in a class essay outlining why they feel that their class should be chosen for this special day on the slopes and what they feel are the health benefits of skiing and snowboarding. The CSC forwarded these class essays to participating ski areas and asked them to choose their winning school.  Because this year was a pilot of the program, classes may have been chosen based on location/proximity to the ski area. For the past four years, the CSC has coordinated a similar program in Ontario with an inner city school that has visited Horseshoe Valley resort in the Barrie, Ontario area.

The results of this program have been fantastic! Ski areas have begun sending in photos from their respective events as well as comments from teachers and participants (see below).

From Big White Resort in BC:

Big White Ski Resort has always been a great Family Resort and has won many distinctions over the years as one of the "Top Family Resorts in the World” and the "Number 1 Family Resort in North America" so this idea "was a natural" said Michael J Ballingall, Senior VP of Big White Ski Resort. "Big White Ski Resort prides itself not only on looking after families but on offering great affordable programs to introduce new skiers and snowboarders to our sport" he added.

A grade 4/5 class from A. S. Matheson School taught by Maria Cicchelli, submitted the winning essay. Maria said "I had goose bumps when Big White called, I couldn't wait to tell the kids. Most of my class had never been to the skiing or snowboarding before." Maria's class arrived at Big White on January 21st and was treated to a day of skiing and snowboarding with the Big White Ski and Board School with lunch put on at The Happy Valley Daylodge. The kids had a great day with the most common comment "I can't believe it" and one of the children wants to name her first child after her Ski Instructor! As the children left the resort Maria Cicchelli the teacher said, "the kids had an amazing time" and that the Ski and Board School pros "handled the class better than their teachers" and one of the adult chaperones commented that "this was an experience that these children would not forget for a long time".

From the school that visited Canada Olympic Park:

Hi Travis,

Thanks again for such a wonderful day. I know my students will remember it, always, and I'm sure that many of them have been turned on to the sport! The lunch and bags of treats were very much appreciated!

Once again, thanks for such an incredible day.  I know for many of my students this has been a once in a lifetime experience.

Theresa Balk

From Blue Mountain Resort, Ontario:

Grade 4/5 classrooms all across Canada were invited to write in to the CSC explaining why their specific classroom deserves a fun filled day of skiing and snowboarding. The winning class for Blue Mountain Resort was selected early in January and travelled to the resort early this morning for their day on the slopes.  This class of Grade 4/5 students came from Peninsula Shores in Wiarton, ON.

Blue Mountain Resort provided complimentary lift tickets, ski or snowboard lessons, rentals, lunch and transportation to and from Peninsula Shores Public School to this group of deserving students.   When all was said and done, we enjoyed a fantastic day on the slopes with the students, many of whom were skiing and snowboarding for the first time!

From Mount Seymour, B.C.:

Vancouver School Skis Free at Mt Seymour

In celebration of National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Week, Mt Seymour Resort hosted 27 students from Osler Elementary School's Grade 4/5 class for free lessons and a day of skiing on January 21st.

National Learn to Ski & Snowboard Week is an annual initiative created by the Canadian Ski Council to encourage more people to learn how to hit the slopes. This year the Council created a pilot program where 10 ski areas across Canada, Mt Seymour being one, identify a local Grade 4 or 5 class through an essay writing contest to receive a free day of learning to ski and snowboard.

The Grade 4/5 class from Osler Elementary wrote essays outlining the benefits of skiing and snowboarding, such as a healthy active lifestyle and the chance to do a new activity. Osler Elementary won over other area schools because each and every student in the class wrote their own essay, really showing their level of excitement and determination to learn the sport.

"I'm pretty excited, I've never had a free ski day before," exclaimed Mataya Hanksknowlson, Olser Elementary student.

"They were all so excited today. For them to actually enter a competition and win it, is really rewarding for them," said Lynn Bragg Grade 4/5 Teacher from Osler Elementary.
 
"This great initiative of offering these children the opportunity to enjoy a day of free skiing, which is something many of them may not have experienced otherwise, is really exciting and incredibly gratifying for us. The weather was perfect for them, which really made their winter experience truly unforgettable," stated Emily Fonda, Mt Seymour Ski & Snowboard School Assistant Manager.

For more information about Mt Seymour's ski and snowboard lesson programs visit www.mountseymour.com, for more information on National Learn to Ski & Snowboard Week visit www.skicanada.org.

If your ski area is interested in participating in this program next year, please contact Natalie Laplante at the Canadian Ski Council at: nlaplante@skicanada.org