Edition of January 2024

by | Jan 15, 2024 | CSIA

CSIA NATIONAL NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR NEW  25, 40 & 50-YEAR MEMBERS!

Click here to consult the list of our 25, 40, and 50-year Members for the 2023-2024 season. These long-standing Members have been part of the CSIA for 25, 40, or 50 years!  Congratulations!


MID-SEASON SALE AT THE CSIA STORE!

Our mid-season sale on many CSIA logoed items is currently taking place on the CSIA online store until January 31, 2024. With several items priced lower than cost, this is a sale you cannot miss!

Find these items and so many more available to Members on the CSIA online store. Don’t wait as availability of items is limited!


2023 INTERSKI REPORTS

The 2023 Interski Congress took place last March in Levi, Finland. Our CSIA Interski Team came back with loads of technical information and new ideas to share with you. Here is the report prepared by Guy Dale about his reflections on the introduction to the concepts of Smithian Sympathy, put forward by the Lithuanian Snowsports Instructors Association (LSIA).

CLICK HERE to read Guy Dale’s report. Stay tuned next month, as another report from the Team will be published.


CSIA UPCLOSE

As valued CSIA Members, we want to ensure you feel informed, engaged, and best equipped to take your love of skiing and ski instruction to the next level. The CSIA Upclose section includes answers to our membership’s most frequently asked or pressing questions. You ask, we answer! Please send your questions to questions@snowpro.com.

Click here to read the Q&A.


SAFE SPORTS WEBINARS

The CSIA is committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for its Members, staff and for the public. One of the ways to promote awareness of Safe Sport is to invite experts to exchange ideas on this very important subject that we should all be concerned about. 

We would like to thank both speakers Allison Forsyth and Geneviève Jeanson, who agreed to host Generation Safe sessions this past December. We would also like to thank all of you who attended the sessions. If you were not able to join, please click here to access the English webinar. Click here to access the webinar in French.


CSIA REGIONAL NEWS

WHAT’S NEW IN QUÉBEC?

Happy New Year dear Members! We hope your season is going well and that you’re enjoying Quebec’s many mountains! For our part, the CSIA Quebec committee is already working on several projects. Stay tuned for details!

« Jouer sur la neige : ça s’apprend, ça s’enseigne ! » : Our biggest project this season has been off to a flying start since early December. We’re visiting your Snow Schools to offer tools and advice to help you optimize your teaching! A great combination of skiing and sharing. Our Instructors are passionate about what they do, and will visit you to exchange and share their best tips! Available to Snow School Instructors of all levels. By December 2023, we had already reached a hundred Instructors and we hope you’ll all have the chance to play on the snow with us this season!

Feel free to talk to your Snow School Director to request that the program be offered at your resort this winter! 

We’re currently planning and prioritizing our projects for Quebec. The new CSIA Quebec committee members are full of ideas! Get in touch with us if you have a fun or crazy idea! We’d love to hear from you at amscquebec@snowpro.com or on our CSIA Quebec Facebook page!

IMPORTANT REMINDER TO ALL FEMALE MEMBERS! Don’t miss the Women in Skiing Summit to be held from January 31 to February 2, 2024, at Mont-Sainte-Anne resort in Quebec. This is a unique opportunity for you to take customized training courses and meet colleagues from all regions of Quebec and other provinces! There’s still time to register, and we look forward to meeting you! The detailed schedule and registration are available on snowpro.com, in the events section. This event is designed by women for women! Come and meet some of the CSIA Quebec Board Members, including President Caroline Hupé and Vice-president Alexandra Beaulieu!


WHATS NEW IN BC?

Greetings from the BC/Yukon Region! We hope everyone had a festive holiday season and wishing everyone many great adventures in the upcoming year.

The season started with warm conditions and limited terrain but that didn’t dampen the spirits at the Ignition Days that were held across the region. It was great to see such passion for skiing on display and so many Members excited about the upcoming season.

The Northern Festival is returning to Troll (January) and Hudson’s Bay Mountain (February). This unique Pro Days Camp (of one or 2 days) provides a great training opportunity for skiing and teaching development. Come and experience the best of Northern hospitality and catch-up with friends and fellow ski professionals in the region.

Other Events like Regional Pro Days, City Lights and Spring Fling are coming soon and will be added to website as location and dates are confirmed.

The BC/Yukon Region is continuing to support professional development and ongoing education through our Scholarships and Bursaries. This year we have increased the number of bursaries to reflect the different regions within BC and the Yukon.

Reminder: The deadline for Scholarship applications is January 31, 2024.

The BC/Yukon Regional Board is excited to introduce the newest members to the board. Welcome to Mark Impey (Director at Large), Rachel Taylor (Thompson/Okanagan Zone) and Jesse Wright (Northern Zone).

Be sure to consult the website to get the latest information.


SKI TIPS AND WELLNESS

SKIING WITH A STABLE CORE

By Josh Foster

CSIA L4 Instructor and Course Conductor

One of the things that I notice a lot when I’m riding the chairlift and watching people ski is that there is often a lot of unnecessary movement in the upper body in almost all levels of skiers. If you watch closely, you’ll see that these little “extras” detract from the ski’s performance on the snow. If the additional movement is on the rotational plane, the tails of the skis often break loose at the end of the turn. If it’s too much bending in the waist or the fore/aft plane, the same thing might happen and, if it’s in the lateral plane, the skier usually ends up balanced to the inside of the arc also losing edge grip towards the end of the turn.

If you watch a good slalom racer, what you’ll see is the opposite of what I’ve just described. You will see a very stable upper body which allows for an active lower body, which leads to rock solid edging for the particular situation. Isn’t this what we want to achieve, great ski performance in all conditions? Here’s a couple of simple and easy ways to create a more stable upper body. 1) Start off by squeezing your pole grips really tight, so tight that you feel some tension across your chest, and you also feel your biceps and triceps activated. When you push off to start your run, try to relax your hands but maintain the same tension in your chest and arms. I find this to be a good drill for skiing in the bumps and in the powder where stability is a must. 2) Try to tighten your stomach muscles as you ski. I think of this part of my body being the key to great ski performance. If my stomach feels too relaxed, then I potentially find myself out of balance. A good way to train yourself to tighten your stomach is to feel like you’re doing an oblique crunch at the end of each turn (those are the crunches that are slightly to the side). This move will help you resist the forces at the end of a ski turn, leaving you in a much better alignment to anticipate the next turn.

Next time you’re out sliding, give those tips a try and if your clients look a bit unstable in the upper body, I think these are good fixes for them too. A stable upper body allows for an active lower body and that will lead to better performance in all conditions.