Skiing in Ontario some say is not really skiing. I for one have to disagree. Quite simply I love to ski and the majority of my time is spent cruising the Niagara Escarpment in Collingwood. My mantra: I ski therefore I am.
Here is my passion in a nutshell; every year stuff happens…people get married, babies are born, people die, divorces happen…but every December (November if I am lucky) I buckle up my boots, step into my bindings, jump on a chairlift, ponder my fitness level and then …it happens….I am at the top of the hill…I slide off and in that one magical moment everything becomes right in my world. I am living in the now, the wind in my face and that wonderful sound of snow under my feet. To me, that is living. How can you not want to share this type of feeling with others?
I work with a team of 250 ski/snowboard-pros & coaches. Setting up and delivering training for these pros is a serious commitment for me. How can I lead by example if I am not current? How can you encourage them to raise the bar on their own certification ladders? How do we continue to motivate and understand the wants and needs?
So this takes me full circle to “skiing in Ontario is not really skiing”. Last February saw a very happy ski pro juggling work and the level 4 training course. How you ask? It was right here in my back yard! The Blue Mountain Escarpment hosted the first ever Level 4 in Ontario!
I shared 6 incredible days with the 14 other candidates and our terrific course conductors. We skied at Beaver Valley, Osler, Blue Mountain and Georgian Peaks. The Peaks offered up the toughest weather and ski conditions I have EVER experienced. The temperatures plummeted from +10 to -10 in less than an hour. Suddenly skis didn’t seem to be the equipment of choice…skates would have been much better. But we didn’t need to worry about edging for speed control the wind looked after this! Talk about an open skilled sport!
My results: I was freshly motivated, well tuned up, current, exhausted and incredibly happy. I love to ski with others who push me, enjoy the camaraderie and appear to never be satiated with information sharing.
For those who think you need big mountains to train for your 4 here is my take:
You must go and train on the terrain where you will take the exams. That is a necessary evil of the exams, BUT where you pick up the technical advice you need to do this training can happen nearly anywhere. The results of last years Ontario course saw 2 of the 14 candidates successfully reach the level 4 standard.
Downhill skiing is the type of activity where the better you are at it, the more you will enjoy it, this is why we take courses and are always practicing what we have learned, right? So I for one will continue to live the lifestyle!
No matter what level you have it shouldn’t be the ‘end of the line.’ Skiing is an evolution, forever changing, adapting and evolving and by taking that next course you are keeping pace with that evolution.
Kim Roberts CSIA Level 3, CSCF 2
Alpine Programs Director
