Level 2 – April 9-19, Blue River and the Monashee Chalet

The level 2 program had 16 students, 9 Candidates were successful, 3 will have to complete hard skills re-testing (beacon or rope rescue) and 4 candidates were unsuccessful.

Level 3 Course April 9-14, 2018

This is the second year for the 2 part program, the first 5 days consists of a training course with no exam.  The emphasis for the course is on demonstration, coaching candidates and setting out the L3 standards.  The instructors (and the students also) believe that this year’s program was successful.

4 candidates participated and were exposed to 3 instructors during the 5 days.  At the end of the program all candidates were given feedback on their performance and given suggestions on areas to improve.  A big emphasis for all candidates is to keep training and use mentorship to build skills and experience.

All L3 course participants will be able to attend the L3 exam next year if they feel they are at the standard.

Level 3 Exam: April 15-19, 2018

This is the first year where L3 exam candidates must have attended a L3 course at least 12 months before taking the exam. The L3 exam has no training or coaching component but jumps straight into testing and assessing candidates’ performance in relation to the L3 standard.   The program consists of 4 full days of testing and assessment with final evaluations completed on the day after the exam.

This year 2 candidates attended.  During guiding demonstrations 2 examiners were present to ensure consistent and fair assessment of candidate’s performance.  Both candidates will have to re-test some hard skill in the next 12 months.

Weather and Venues

Mike Wiegele Heli-skiing, Guides Haus was used for all meetings.  Daily filed trips consisted of Heli assisted ski touring, Mechanized (Heli) skiing and valley training and practice stations

All students were required to snow camp for nights, based around the Monashee Chalet, owned and built by the Teufele family, kindly allowed by Bernie Teufele.

We were challenged by highly variable weather and in-accurate weather forecasts so the instructors and students had to remain flexible as to the daily (and hourly) plans.  Despite the weather the objectives of the course were achieved.  Blue River is an excellent course location since there is a large range of terrain close to the lodge.

We were supported by Yellowhead Helicopters who supplied an A-star B3, which has great advantages especially when mechanized skiing with up to 5 groups.  Pilot, Steve Tosh is a great asset as he enjoys teaching and coaching candidates.

Curriculum, Marking and Feedback

Student evaluation feedback and Marking

A draft Marking and assessment document was created by the L2 & 3 instructor team.

This was distributed to the students at the start of the course and we think was worthwhile but is a work in progress

Candidate hard skills re-testing

As in the past, if a candidate fails a hard skill (rope or beacon exam) but performs at the standard in all other areas, then they are able to attend a re-test.  To ensure consistency between courses, a draft hard skills re-test procedure has been developed.  It will be posted to the website and discussed early in all courses.

We have had well over 100 responses to our survey regarding adding a group insurance to the annual membership dues. For those of you who wanted more information or missed the original info email here it is:

CSGA GROUP ACCIDENT POLICY 2018  or read below

CSGA GROUP ACCIDENT POLICY PROPOSAL

COVERAGE: 24/7 coverage, anywhere in the world

INSUREDS: All eligible guides (Canadian residents covered by Provincial Health Care) who are registered with the Policyholder (under age 70).

MANDATORY BENEFITS: $25,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)

$1,000 Accidental Dental Reimbursement Benefit

$10,000 Accidental Medical Reimbursement Benefit

$15,000.00 Family Transportation Benefit

$5,000 Funeral Expense

$15,000.00 Home Alteration & Vehicle Modification Benefit

$5,000 Identification Benefit

$15,000.00 Rehabilitation Benefit

$1,000 Rehabilitative Physical Therapy Benefit

$15,000.00 Repatriation Benefit

OPTIONAL BENEFITs: $800.00 Weekly Accident Indemnity (Total Disability – payable on the 21st day for 26 weeks, must be gainfully employed and under age 65)

Diagnostic & Specialist Access Insurance (DSAI). This allows for insured members to have access and treatment within 3 weeks for MRI, CT scans etc for injuries.

MANDATORY ANNUAL PREMIUM: AD&D $105 per guide per year.

OPTIONAL ANNUAL PREMIUM: WAI $420 per guide per year.

DSAI $139.00 per guide per year.

$278.00 per Member & Spouse only

$418.00 per Member, Spouse and dependent children

INFORMATION

• Aircraft exposure while travelling aboard regularly scheduled airlines and while flying as a passenger and/or observer, but not as a pilot or crew member (pilot in command). Coverage includes a flight in connection with any authorized guiding (helicopter skiing).
• WAI definition attached in separate document.
• Coverage for contractors and sole proprietors. Proof of income required.
• Mandatory coverage for all members.
• Policyholder to maintain a proper record of the member listing and remit premiums.
• Guides must be Canadian resident and have provincial health coverage.
• Rates will be guaranteed for 24 months

The survey email will come from admin@canskiguide.com via Survey Monkey. It’s only 3 questions & will take under 1 min to complete. Please take the time to respond so we can make a decision as soon as possible.

Thank you,

CSGA Administration

The CSGI held a successful level 1 course based at Keefer Lake Lodge on April 3-13. Instructors were: Mike Hainult, Tyler Toews, Jason Martin, Ron Betts and Matt Devlin. There were a total of 19 course candidates hailing from various parts of the world including: Japan, England, Utah, the Yukon, B.C and Alberta. Many of the students are already working in the cat or heli industry as tail guides.

The course started out cold, turned warm and ended windy and stormy which challenged the candidates at many levels especially on rope rescue day!

Keefer Lake Lodge was a very nice venue for everyone to enjoy, their staff was super attentive, and the food was great. Most of the course utilized two snowcats with Keefer Lake in their terrain, and Kingfisher Heliskiing hosted one day of heliskiing close by Keefer Lake.

Of the 19 students, 16 passed the course, 2 had a conditional pass requiring a retest in a hard skill, and 1 did not meet the level at this time.

On behalf of all the instructors and the CSGI, we wish all the candidates the best of luck obtaining work in the mechanized skiing industry and further education in the mountain environment.

Cheers and have a great summer!

Matt Devlin

Course Conductor

Click on the link below for check out the CSGI Level 1 Course that took place at Selkirk Snowcat Skiing this Spring!

CSGI Level 1 Selkirk Snowcat Skiing 2018

Bivy Drag

Photo Credit: Justin Lozier

Level 2, April 9-19, Blue River and the Monashee Chalet

The level 2 program had 16 students, 9 Candidates were successful, 3 will have to complete hard skills re-testing (beacon or rope rescue) and 4 candidates were unsuccessful.

Level 3 course April 9-14, 2018

This is the second year for the 2 part program, the first 5 days consists of a training course with no exam.  The emphasis for the course is on demonstration, coaching candidates and setting out the L3 standards.  The instructors (and the students also) believe that this year’s program was successful.

4 candidates participated and were exposed to 3 instructors during the 5 days.  At the end of the program all candidates were given feedback on their performance and given suggestions on areas to improve.  A big emphasis for all candidates is to keep training and use mentorship to build skills and experience.

All L3 course participants will be able to attend the L3 exam next year if they feel they are at the standard.

Level 3 exam: April 15-19, 2018

This is the first year where L3 exam candidates must have attended a L3 course at least 12 months before taking the exam. The L3 exam has no training or coaching component but jumps straight into testing and assessing candidates’ performance in relation to the L3 standard.   The program consists of 4 full days of testing and assessment with final evaluations completed on the day after the exam.

This year 2 candidates attended.  During guiding demonstrations 2 examiners were present to ensure consistent and fair assessment of candidate’s performance.  Both candidates will have to re-test some hard skill in the next 12 months.

Weather and Venues

Mike Wiegele Heli-skiing, Guides Haus was used for all meetings.  Daily filed trips consisted of Heli assisted ski touring, Mechanized (Heli) skiing and valley training and practice stations

All students were required to snow camp for nights, based around the Monashee Chalet, owned and built by the Teufele family, kindly allowed by Bernie Teufele.

We were challenged by highly variable weather and in-accurate weather forecasts so the instructors and students had to remain flexible as to the daily (and hourly) plans.  Despite the weather the objectives of the course were achieved.  Blue River is an excellent course location since there is a large range of terrain close to the lodge.

We were supported by Yellowhead Helicopters who supplied an A-star B3, which has great advantages especially when mechanized skiing with up to 5 groups.  Pilot, Steve Tosh is a great asset as he enjoys teaching and coaching candidates.

Curriculum, Marking and Feedback

Student evaluation feedback and Marking

A draft Marking and assessment document was created by the L2 & 3 instructor team.

This was distributed to the students at the start of the course and we think was worthwhile but is a work in progress

Candidate hard skills re-testing

As in the past, if a candidate fails a hard skill (rope or beacon exam) but performs at the standard in all other areas, then they are able to attend a re-test.  To ensure consistency between courses, a draft hard skills re-test procedure has been developed.  It will be posted to the website and discussed early in all courses.

It is with a tremendous sense of loss I am updating the members of the guiding world and members of the CSGA that on March 28, 2018 we lost one of our brightest stars. Lisa Korthals, age 49, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend – died in an avalanche while guiding in the mountains near Pemberton BC.

Lisa was known to many, carving out a life in the mountains surrounding Whistler and Pemberton for the past 30 years. As one close friend remarked, she was “a proper legend”. 

Lisa was born in Toronto and raised there with her two brothers. She attended Brown School and Branksome Hall before moving out to the west coast in 1987 to attend UBC. Her adventurous spirit and athletic passions chafed under the confines of university life. Being an accomplished canoeist ,perfected  over many summers attending Camp Wapomeo, she began to heed the calls of nature and started venturing to Whistler . Having learned to ski in the hills of Ontario under the guidance and inspiration of her mother Judy, and also having taken a trip to Whistler during her last year of high school, the temptation was too great.

Getting a job with the Whistler Mountain Ski School sealed her fate, and she began a love affair with the Coastal Mountains that refused to abate. Lisa began to pursue perfection on skis and quickly started adding qualifications to her list of impressive achievements that culminated with her reaching the pinnacle of ski instruction , the Level IV certification.  Not slowing down in her summers off the slopes, she continued to pursue her passion for canoe tripping, specifically long and remote adventures down the Moisie and Coppermine Rivers. These were unsupported missions in the barren landscape of Northern Canada that she co-led with her dear friend Andrea Dorfman. In hindsight, they are truly epic accomplishments. 

At this point other passions called. Lisa was always  a peripathetic adventurer constantly looking for new challenges. Her close friend Leeanne Patterson introduced her to rock climbing and Lisa took to it like any skill she perfected, with drive and determination.The natural outlet to this was attending Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops to study in the Outdoor Adventure Program. 
These college years were punctuated with working at Outward Bound leading river rafting trips in Idaho and rock climbing trips to places like Joshua Tree and Smith Rock.

In 1997 Lisa moved to Pemberton, fleeing the perpetual housing crisis of Whistler. She immediately fell in love with a piece of property 10 kms north of town in a small nascent neighborhood called Walkerville. She homesteaded here in true Lisa fashion, getting a friend to build her a tiny 10 x 10 shed that she lived in for 2 summers. At the same time she met  her future husband and life partner, Johnny Foon Chilton, in a skiing contest. They proceeded to build their dream home on the hill.

Soon after settling in Pemberton Lisa decided to concentrate on ski guiding as a winter profession and began the Canadian Ski Guide Assoc. certification.  This led to working at Mike Wiegele Heli skiing and gaining a Level 3 ticket. Her summers were occupied with horticulture, working for the municipality of Whistler.  

Climbing  and big mountain skiing became central to her life , taking on big objectives with her husband Johnny, culminating in the climbing and skiing of University Peak in Alaska. A daunting feat, skiing 2,700 meters at 50 degrees plus, Lisa became the first woman to log a descent of this face.

By this time family beckoned and Lisa gave birth to son Tye in the summer of 2005. Settled into her cozy neighborhood , living alongside close friend Wendy Brookbank and raising their son, she decided to stay close to home and took a job as a guide with local Pemberton heli ski operation Coast Range. Again she excelled here and became the operations manager for 2 seasons. 

Lisa was a sublime skier. Fluid. Graceful. Powerful. An absolute dream to watch. Her son Tye has learned the trade well from this incredible athlete and is becoming a complete skier at the tender age of 12. Her passion for skiing and adventure were matched by her dedication and love for  Tye.

She transitioned from rock climbing to mountain biking. She was dogged in her pursuit of excellence in this sport like everything else. Her texts to me about “cleaning” a trail became legendary between Lisa and Johnny.

Lisa is survived by her husband Johnny, her son Tye, her mother Judy, her father Robin, her brother Jamie and a colossal list of friends . She was pre-deceased by her brother Chris. She was a connector, a truly social being, a hugger and a kisser. She made people feel special. She was full of raw emotion and deeply felt love for everybody who crossed her path. She lived life INTENSELY. She leaves a massive hole in this community and in so many hearts. Her smile was extinguished by the whims of nature but it’s luminosity and power will forever be etched in our minds.

To donate to Lisa’s Bursary Fund click here

Are you still trying to find certified guides to fill dates ?

Let us know and we will post it on our website under the resources tab for everyone to see.

If needed we can send out an email blast to all our members (with up to date email addresses) to get you as much interest as possible.

Wishing you all a fun & safe season !

CSGA / CSGI

A guest post from CSGA member Bill Mark:

Here are some personal observations and opinions that I thought would be worth sharing from my experience as both a candidate/participant and as an instructor on CAA and CSGA Guides courses.

 Be prepared: The 6 P’s

Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Be prepared, practice and train, well ahead of the course.

Get a training buddy and make a regular schedule.

Ideally it’s someone who’s going to the same course so there’s some additional motivation.  It might be someone who’s training for a lower or higher level course, that’s OK too as the sharing of information will help.  Often more experienced folks like to participate and assist, see mentorship below.

Make sure you are training on the right things, to the right standard for the course you are about to take (see below).

Standards and systems: When in Rome…

Find out exactly what is required, standards and course objectives.  Talk to someone who has just taken (and ideally passed) the course.  Talk to a current instructor (one who has worked in the last 12 months). Find out who you need to talk to ensure you are training to the correct standard and methods or techniques for that course.  (Also see Hire a Pro below)

 Certain organizations have certain standard ways (techniques) of doing things.  Be it the CAA, CSGA or ACMG, find out and learn the standard systems and techniques the organization conducting the course uses.  Practice and perform this method so you can do it in your sleep, then perform during the course and most importantly on the exam.  This is especially relevant for hard skills such as rope systems.

 Even the best prepared person might get corrected or shown a different way by an instructor when you perform the skill on the course in a non exam setting.  Don’t be defensive or make excuses, you’ve been given a gift on how you can pass the course (shut up and listen).  Listen, observe and make that correction when you perform the skill next time.

Yes, I know your way might be a way better tool, you might be quicker or more efficient, but do it the way the organization and instructors want it done, then you will increase the chance you’ll pass. If you really hate the method so much, once you’ve passed the course you can volunteer to be on the standards or technical committee then you can contribute to the change!  Often if we think about it more often the different methods achieve the same goal, but on a course, do what the examiner wants, it’ll help you pass.  Examiners want you to pass.

Get a mentor early

If you know you are going on a course, find someone (or a few folks) that you can talk to.  It is worth finding someone you can share your mistakes and be able to open up to.  You may want to consult a more experienced person, who may be available to debrief your day of work in the mountains from time to time especially after significant events.

Don’t wait until the moth before the course start the season before.  Mentors are a great way to become a better mountain professional, and to successfully pass courses.  Experience has shown those who find experienced mentors often perform better at courses (and make better decisions).  You may have a number of mentors on different topics.  They can be at your workplace, in your home town or on the phone.  Try using your spouse as a sounding board.

Personal reflection

Take the opportunity to look at your work day in the mountains and reflect on what you did well today and what might you have been able to do better?  For some, making notes helps.  During the CAA L2 Module 1 program, students are urged to use learning journals, this works for some and not others. The key is to thing and learn on a daily basis. Debrief you day with others (See Get a mentor early above)

Train on the hard skills:

On an exam there are often rote skills you will need to perform to a standard, e.g. transceiver tests, snow observations (profiles) crevasse or rope rescue skill demonstrations.  You should make time to practice and to be so good at these hard skills before the course starts.  Then, when exam time comes around it will be low stress and easier to pass these “hard skills”.

This means that when you are at the course you can spend your valuable time and energy on learning watching and refining the “soft skills” like mountain travel and awareness.  You now have the ability to demonstrate and perform at your best for the other more difficult to demonstrate skills such as the elusive “mountain sense”.

 There is nothing more frustrating for you (and the instructor team) to see someone flailing on a transceiver test as they just go a new device and have not practiced adequately on it.  (see notes on knowing your equipment below)

 While I’m on the subject of mountain sense, I have some thoughts on this age old question for both candidates and instructors: How can you demonstrate “mountain sense” as a student, and how can you mark it as an instructor.  It’s my opinion that you can go some way towards learning it through mentorship and experience, but I strongly believe that it’s in a similar vain to music, you can teach anyone to play the guitar but you need the innate ability in the first place to be really good at it no matter how hard you might practice or be coached)

Know your equipment:

If you know you are going on a course, look at all your gear: from skis, bindings and skins, snow safety gear, shovel, probe and transceiver, rescue equipment (improvised toboggans, rope rescue gear).  Does anything look close to being worn out, do you have any pieces missing, does anything need replacing before the course?  If so replace it and use the equipment well before the course begins.  Break in those new touring boots before well before the course.

Take a trip

Where is the exam being conducted?  Is it in your back yard?  Is it in a different snow pack and climate zone.  No matter where the course is It’s always good to take a trip away to train in other areas to broaden your experience.  Travel in terrain and snow packs you are not familiar with.

 Arrive a few days early near the course venue so you can learn more find out from the locals about the weather, snow and terrain as well as get a day or 2 in the field to look for your self.

Hire a Pro for a day

If you don’t have the benefit of training buddies or mentors close by, take a trip and hire an instructor from the program you are taking to get honed up a month or 2 before the course.  If you know some others taking the course get a group together to reduce cost.  Have a list of questions that you want answered so you get the best value for your day out.   This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few ideas, but above all…

Be prepared, train and practice.

This is the personal opinion of the author and not of any organization such as the CAA or CSGA

Bill Mark.

Bio

Bill Mark has been working in the winter skiing and snow safety business since the mid eighties.  He began his career as a ski patroller in New Zealand and then worked at Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler where he was a ski patroller and was the Ski Patrol Director until 1999.   Since then he worked full time as a ski guide for Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing where he is now a lead guide.

 He is CSGA L3 certified, and has ISIA full certification (from NZ). He also instructs on CSGA courses and on CAA Industry Training Program’s L1 & 2 courses.