The Canadian Interski Team brings together top instructors from across the country. With diverse backgrounds and shared passion, they represent top professional standards of Canadian ski instruction as they prepare for Interski Vail 2027, the world’s leading international snowsports education congress. The team will be representing Canada along with the rest of the Canadian delegation, our sister associations, CASI and CANSI.
Meet more members of the CSIA Interski Team below: Casey Bouius, Guy Dale, Kristian Armstrong, Nico Tavchandjian, Sam Lancaster and discover their backstory.
CASEY BOUIUS | CRAIGLEIGH SKI CLUB
What shaped your career in skiing?
I don’t really recall one defining moment. I do feel that the overall theme for me is my friends that I ski with/work with and compete with or against. As part of a race program growing up, I was always excited to get to the resort and spend the day skiing/training with friends. We would ski through lunch and after training ripping bumps and hitting jumps. Challenging each other. Even during training there was always the friendly bantering and challenges. To me this is what makes skiing fun.
What has been your best ski day?
I have had lots of “best ever” ski days. The main ones, as most would probably say, is achieving my Level 4 in1999 and being named to my first Interski Team in 2011. St. Anton. They were all incredibly exciting. Being in St. Anton with the whole world watching,so much fun. However, the most memorable moment was in 2006 in St Anton. I was there competing in the European Powder 8 Championship with my Powder 8 Partner, Colin Borrow. We were in the finals, competing against an Austrian team. It was under the lights with the music blaring and 5000 people in the grandstands. From the start, Colin and I could hear the crowd chanting “Crazy Canucks!” Representing the CSIA made me feel so proud of Canada and what Colin and I had achieved. It truly was a surreal moment.
Who inspires you?
This one is hard, as I don’t really have one person or mentor that I look up to. As I mentioned before, it’s more my friends and colleagues that I learn from. It’s this collaboration with others that helps me grow and develop. I watch and follow all kinds of skiers. The athletes impress me with what they can do on skis from bumps to racing, big MTN and park. The precision of the technical skiers and some of the ski instructors that post a lot of internet clips. Which I have skied with a lot of them and have taken from every person I ski with. I have developed my teaching with help and guidance from a lot of friends and colleagues. If I were to name one person who really pushed my teaching, it would be Warren Jobbitt, as he always challenged me to be better and to develop my skills.
What obstacles have you faced?
Right now, the main obstacles that are inhibiting me is that after 30 years of teaching full time, I find it harder to develop my skiing and to feel at one with the skis and the terrain. I find it normally takes me more runs to feel like myself on skis. When I spend a whole week on snow, by day 3 it comes back and I feel I can do anything on them. So, to combat that, I night ski a lot after work. It gives me an opportunity to work on my own skiing and develop finesse in the technical aspects. Before, with 250 days a year on snow, things came naturally. Now, I train a lot of drills and use different tactics to keep the technical aspect strong and progressing . That being said, after many years of pushing my body, I find that I have to spend a lot of time on fitness and stretching to keep my body happy and ready to perform.
GUY DALE | WHISTLER BLACKCOMB
What shaped your career in skiing?
Honestly, it didn’t start in big mountains. I grew up skiing and race training on dry ski slopes in the Welsh mountains. It wasn’t glamorous at all, but it taught me a lot early on. You had to be precise and intentional, because there was nowhere to hide — no terrain, no conditions to bail you out. If you wanted to improve, you had to think. That environment shaped me as an athlete long before I ever thought about becoming an instructor, and those lessons still sit at the core of how I approach skiing today.
What has been your best ski day?
For me, it wasn’t about a result or a standout performance. The best day was the day I made a clear decision about my future — when I knew I wanted my life to be devoted to this industry, this community, and to skiing in Canada through the CSIA. That decision brought a real sense of clarity. It was genuinely one of the happiest days of my life, not because of what happened on snow, but because I knew I’d found where I belonged and how I wanted to contribute.
Who inspires you?
That’s a hard one, because skiing is full of great people. Over the years, I’ve been influenced by a lot of individuals — people I’ve learned from, looked up to, and trusted for honest feedback at different stages of my journey.
But if I really boil it down, it would have to be my father. He came to skiing later in life and wanted me to experience a sport he loved much earlier than he had the chance to. He wasn’t just focused on results — he taught me work ethic, perspective, and how to learn from frustration without letting it break you. And trust me, slalom racing on a Welsh dry ski slope in sideways rain, soaking wet, three times a week, isn’t the most enjoyable thing to repeat. But those years built resilience and perseverance, and that mindset still shapes how I ski, coach, and lead today.
What obstacles have you faced?
The biggest challenge now is balance. As an athlete, the focus was narrow. As an instructor trainer and examiner, the responsibility is broader and the impact is wider. What helps me is staying intentional — being clear on why I’m doing what I’m doing, reflecting often, and making sure my actions line up with the values that brought me into the sport in the first place. From dry slopes in Wales, to racing in Europe, to building a life in Canadian ski culture, that clarity has been key.
KRISTIAN ARMSTRONG | SILVERSTAR MOUNTAIN RESORT
What shaped your career in skiing?
It was my first year as a ski instructor. I remember being at the bottom of a slope and looking up at a silhouette of a skier flowing effortlessly down the run skiing with speed and performance. It was inspiring. I asked who it was? It was Chris Dodds a L3 at the time working at Snow Valley in Barrie Ontario. Thanks for that picture Chris. You sparked a big fire!
What has been your best ski day?
January 2001, Crested Butte Colorado, Skiing the lightest waist deep powder you’ve ever seen. It was incredible as it moved out of your way. You could actually feel the corduroy from the groomer the night before. I have never experienced that since.
Who inspires you?
Can’t decide. Josh Foster and Norman Kreutz. Two very influential characters in my life. The excellence they portray on and off the snow is inspiring and immense. Thanks guys!
What obstacles have you faced?
I think one of the biggest obstacles to reaching a goal is “hope”. I tried out for the Interski team 3 previous times. At each one of those tryouts I hoped I would make it. For the Vail 2027 tryouts, I changed my approach. I trained with intention and dedication. I stopped hoping and started working. When you put the work in, you will be successful.
NICO TAVCHANDJIAN | MOUNT NORQUAY
What shaped your career in skiing?
I have a distinct memory as a young child; sitting on a pile of skis over the fold-down seat of our ’87 Tercel, as we drive up to the mountains. The excitement I felt as we headed up the winding road, knowing I was going skiing, is something I still get to this day but now I wear a seatbelt.
What has been your best ski day?
Alpine steeps, crispy groomers, and hero bumps! The ability to have the best day ever over and over again, keeps me coming back.
Who inspires you?
Mikael Kingsbury is a world class athlete with an astonishing level of humility. He came back from injury, started a new family and won an Olympic gold medal in less than two years to top off an already incredible career. The best part is that he’s been doing it his way and having fun all along, truly inspiring!
What obstacles have you faced?
Work and family take precious time away from training, but they also provide the very foundation that make my goals attainable in the first place. Recognizing that balance is fluid and rarely set in perfection, allows me to appreciate my best efforts and enjoy the good times. Kind of like skiing bumps!
SAM LANCASTER | KIMBERLEY ALPINE RESORT
What shaped your career in skiing?
I have always had a love of skiing. It makes me feel free. It is the morning session sunrises, the snow caked trees, quiet powder runs, soft grooming, the quiet that comes when it snows. Cold air in my lungs, friends, smiles, laughter. There is no one moment that defines my inspiration for skiing but many moments that have grown into something bigger.
What has been your best ski day?
Every Saturday when I get to ski with my wife and two boys is the best day ever!
Who inspires you?
I have had many instructors that have inspired me over the years. My first snow school Director Nip Bradford who created a snow school that felt like a family and taught me not only to be a ski professional but a professional young man. The other is Warren Jobbitt. He taught me compassion, someone who cares so much for others. He is a great role model and such an inspiration for me.
What obstacles have you faced?
When I encounter an obstacle, I first assess whether I have the skills to overcome it. If not, I turn to my coaching team for guidance. With strong support around me, I rely on routine and consistency—integrating new skills into my training until they become natural and help me keep progressing.