Mountain Division – note from the president (with help from Geoff Scotton)
By Michael Palamarek, Division President, Mountain (mike.palamarek@skipatrol.ca)
The 2024-2025 winter operational season has been very active in Mountain Division, which stretches from the Yukon to southern Alberta. Here are some highlights:
- The Western Canada winter had a stretch of very cold temperatures, prompting temporary hill closures. Great early season snowfalls subsequently stopped which has meant limited operations or terrain in some places. Overall, however, CSP numbers are strong in Mountain Division, and it was another busy year patrolling.
- Mike Palamarek will be attending April’s Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) annual conference, in Penticton, B.C. Mike will help man the CSP booth along National’s Mark Brown and Jean Rioux which will be great exposure for the CSP at Canada’s largest ski industry conference.
- Division On-Snow coordinator Lance Barclay led an on-snow session at Nakiska Ski Resort (west of Calgary, Alberta) in late January to train and accredit on snow instructors. Lance is preparing a division-wide on snow training event March 8/9 at Canyon Ski Resort in the Red Deer Zone.
- The Canyon Ski Resort and CSP patrol were the centre of some good-natured hijinks at Christmastime when the Red Deer Zone was among the sponsors of a Ski with Santa event. CSP patrollers served as reindeer for Santa’s sleigh, which, full of loot, was piloted down Canyon’s slopes. It was all in support of a winter clothing drive for Safe Harbour, a Red Deer-area crisis-support and housing support agency. Patrollers included ZP Andrew Ramage, Teresa, Jason, Jaylynn Chilibeck, and Mike Johnstone, who was in the toboggan handles.
- January 25 marked the opening of a new Lake Louise Ski Resort avalanche beacon training park. It was a big moment for the CSP Calgary Zone, which supplied the equipment as part of an ongoing project to equip its hills with these critical training tools. A beacon plot was previously opened at Mount Norquay Ski Resort (just outside Banff, Alberta) and another is in the works at Panorama Mountain Resort (near Invermere, B.C.), both of which also use equipment supplied by the CSP Calgary Zone. The Lake Louise plot opening purposely coincided with the resort’s Avalanche Awareness Days, and the project was supported by Helly Hansen and Fresh Skis. Calgary ZP Darryl Aarbo officially opened the plot and he and Lake Louise CSP Patrol Leader Mike Rea were the first to use it.
- Operationally within Mountain Division, there will be a new DP this spring as Mike is stepping down after six years in the role. Thank you to ZP’s, DP’s and patrollers across Canada along with the NMC, Mark/Jean and Board of Directors for the past six productive, collaborative and fun (excluding the odd pandemic) years. Mike intends to put his name forward for this fall’s National Board election to help continue the progress in our system.
- Elsewhere in Mountain Division, the CSP Southern Alberta Zone has been working with Pass Powderkeg Ski Area (Blairmore, Alberta, in the Crowsnest Pass) to explore ways the CSP can help strengthen the relationship for what is currently not a CSP hill.
- Jasper’s Marmot Basin (Edmonton Zone) has rebounded after the devastating summer fires and Marmot has been fully operating after only a one-week delay in opening (snow making water was low as it used for firefighting). The CSP team was able to strongly support the mountain as there was a large turnover of staff due to the fire’s impacts.
- Mike Palamarek hosted Jean Coté, Quebec DP and a strong group of Eastern Townships Zone patrollers at Fernie, BC in February. While no super deep powder snow was found, Mike, Jean and crew enjoyed the cross-Canada comradery. Mike and Meaghan Kells, Atlantic East DP along with Calgary Zone exec (Darryl Aarbo, Cody & Michelle Whitten, Robert Walker) also participated in the final week of the Mountain Division’s Kicking Horse ski improvement week. Mike’s participation was very short due to a double eject, fall off cliff resulting in a concussion and compressed T4, a full recovery is expected, however. Thanks to Geoff Scotton, Mountain VP External, for another fantastic job of organizing the three weeks on behalf of CSP patrollers, friends and families from across Canada.
- The ski and snowboard season in Mountain Division is long stretching from early November to May 19 Victoria Day, when Sunshine Village outside of Banff closes for the season. So, we still have lots of winter left.
Ontario Division – note from the president
By Bradley Redwood, Division President, Ontario (bradley.redwood@skipatrol.ca)
Are things finally getting back to normal… well, normal may have changed but we are certainly doing things again in Ontario.
I have extended my term as division president until the national AGM in September 2025. Well, we are actively searching for a new division president. We are also looking for new patrollers to step up for many different positions at both zone and division levels. If you are interested in doing a little more, please reach out to your zone president for more details.
Non-ski events are certain to be back in full swing, as many of the zones are helping at events big and small right across the province. Superior Zone is now providing services to the university hockey team, and from what I hear there are some new shifts as they are in the playoffs. Frontenac Zone continues to provide first aid services for the City of Kingston, which seems to also keep Cathy Carr busy as the director of NSE (non-skiing events) for Ontario.
In Central Zone on February 1 and 2, 2025, the Nordic patrol team at Highlands Nordic supported the Biathlon Ontario Cup (O-Cup) #1 race. This event had adult and youth racers participating. Saturday’s race was a sprint race while Sunday’s race was a pursuit race – a different course, longer. Despite the frigid temperatures, several CSP alpine patrollers from surrounding ski areas, jumped in to support the Highlands Nordic patrol team. It was a great opportunity for alpine ski patrollers, to experience the dynamic of a Nordic race!
On January 31 and February 1, 2025, Sault Saint Marie hosted patrollers from all zones across the province for an on-snow symposium at Searchmont Resort. We had more than 30 patrollers learning new techniques and refreshing skills on the snow. Thanks to Central Zone for all the different toboggans, and special thanks to Nancy Askin for doing most of the planning and the host Sault Saint Marie Zone for buying lunch on Saturday. We got to check out the new chalet at Searchmont Resort, and Nancy even managed to get the searchlight on the building turned off by midnight on the second day!
We have also had several zone presidents agree to a second or even third term as zone president, thanks to Nancy Price-Hutley in Muskoka Zone, Hannah Barcis in Sault Saint Marie Zone, Jeff Peterson in Superior Zone, and we will have to wait to see who wins the election in Western Zone.
Atlantic West Division update – note from the president
By Eric Coffin, Division President, Atlantic West (eric.coffin@skipatrol.ca)
This year we have around 160 patrollers patrolling at five different ski areas in two provinces.
The season started off well in September and October with areas doing their training. Training ended around the first couple of weeks in December with the areas opening shortly thereafter. Mother Nature hasn’t been playing nice the last few years with us. We seem to get a good amount of snow and then comes the rain. We had a couple of areas that have experienced some technical difficulties with their lifts this year. However, they were able to get things up and running in a couple of weeks.
Crabbe Mountain played host to their annual Speed Week, where races from across the Maritimes and even New England attend training sessions for a couple of days and then spend the rest of the time racing. Hats off to the patrollers at Crabbe for doing a job well done.
Brookvale held a fun day and barbecue at their area for International Ski Patrol Day.
Mont Farlagne Ski Patrol had their annual supper to raise funds.
This event is always a great time. Those are just a few events that happened this winter.
Also, summer events are starting to be booked.
It seems that patrolling is nonstop.
This year a search is on for a division president for Atlantic West Division.
A couple of patrollers have expressed interest in the position and a new division president will be selected shortly.
This post is also available in: French