CSGA News

MARCH COURSE DATES: We are hopeful to move forward with resuming courses sometime in early to mid-March.

Unfortunately, this is all we can say at the moment. The situation is continually evolving, and it certainly hasn’t gotten better since our difficult decision this past fall.

As always, our goal is to move the course schedule forward, given the situation improves enough to allow us to do so. We also hope to get through the entire backlog of registered candidates this season, if possible. But as we’ve mentioned, there are simply no guaranties at the moment. 

At this time, all we can do is hope that case numbers diminish and the current travel and gathering restrictions are lifted or at least revised enough to allow us to run the courses.

Lets all do our part to make that happen !

Keep up on your training, hope to see you all soon.  

Take Care,

CSGA/CSGI

For those of you who may not been able to attend the Zoom Meeting for the official CSGI course update, we made the very difficult decision to postpone the L1, L2 & L3 courses that were scheduled to take place in December.

Given the current health and travel restrictions put in place by the BC Government, which as of December 7th, have been extended to January 8, 2021 at midnight; we felt it was only prudent for everyone’s health and safety to delay the program.

Our goal is to resume the course schedule as soon as it is safe to do so.
The current tentative timeline is as follows:

• L1 Courses to be re-scheduled sometime in March 2021
• L2 & L3 Courses to be re-scheduled sometime mid to late February 2021
• Touring Module, will be scheduled based on interest, in the Spring 2021

Actual dates will be communicated to all participants as soon as they are confirmed with our host operators, and it is safe to proceed with curriculum delivery.

NOTE: Please continue to visit the CSGA website for continued updates, as with many things this year, the target is ever moving, and our goal is to the resume the program ASAP.

We thank you once again for your patience. We wish you a happy and safe start to the winter season.

Sincerely,

Mike Hainault
CSGI Course Coordinator

Bob Sayer
CSGA President

It is with great sadness that the CSGA mourns the loss of one of its members, Konan Wendt. He tragically passed away in a ski accident in in the Canadian Rockies on October 19th, 2020 while on an early season adventure with friends.  A passionate learner, his love for the mountains and the experiences they brought him, were evident to everyone that met him. His smile and  positive attitude were a pleasure to be around and we are so sorry to hear of his passing. Our sincerest condolences go out to his Family, Friends and co-workers.

Back in April, just as things were getting a little crazy on this planet, a very special thing happened….

On behalf of the Lisa Korthals Memoral Foundation, the CSGA would like to send out a great big THANK YOU to the Raven Backcountry Festival and Tourism Pemberton for their generous donation of $16,000.00 !

To make a donation to the Lisa Korthals Memorial Bursary click here: LKMB

After careful deliberation, the ISSW 2020 organization committee has made the difficult decision to postpone the conference by one year, due to the many uncertainties presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. ISSW 2020 is now scheduled for October 3 – 8, 2021, in Fernie, BC, Canada. 

While we are all disappointed by this development, we know it is the right thing to do at this time. The health and safety of the conference delegates, our event volunteers, and our host community is our top priority.  

Our commitment to the conference and its goals remains strong and we hope all of you will be able to adjust your schedules to suit this new date. If you have any questions, please first check this FAQ page. If you do not find the answers you need, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Steve Kuijt, ISSW 2020 Chair 
James Floyer, ISSW 2020 Program Chair

Due to the Covid-19 Virus continuing to excel through the province and the world abroad, we will be cancelling all scheduled Spring 2020 courses.

We will revisit setting new course dates when things return to “normal” for those of you who were affected. If you were accepted on one of the scheduled Spring programs, please check your email, everyone has been contacted individually.

Lets all do our best to contain this virus and do our part in planking the curve. May you all be safe and stay healthy.

Best wishes from the CSGA / CSGI

Dear Participants,

Thank you for your interest and commitment to the Canadian Ski Guide Institute and its upcoming Spring programs. 

We are living in interesting times, and it goes without saying that COVID-19 is having profound effects throughout the world. We’ve been in contact with all relevant training associations in Canada, including the CSIA, the CAA and ACMG. All have stated they will follow the most recent health Canada guidelines and postpone or amend their upcoming training programs.

After speaking extensively with our host locations, senior instructor pool, and administrative staff, we feel it is only prudent to postpone our upcoming CSGI Level 1 programs at both Keefer Lake Lodge and Meadow Creek. For those who have made full payment, we will provide a 100% credit towards the L1 program next season. We’ve already been in discussion with Keefer Lake and Meadow Creek locations, we are hoping to re-schedule the courses sometime in December 2020, if conditions permit.

We are however hoping to salvage the CSGI L2 and L3 program in Blue River. We will wait until March 31, 2020 before making a final decision on the L2 & L3 training sessions. We are hoping that given the timing of those courses, hopefully the situation will have improved and we can move ahead. 

We thank you for your understanding in this matter. We know you’ve all worked extremely hard to prepare for you upcoming courses, and we look forward to hosting you in the near future. Continue to train hard and stay sharp.

Wishing You Health & Happiness.​
Canadian Ski Guide Institute

Hello EVERYONE ,

In-light of the the COVID-19 VIRUS, the CSGA / CSGI is in the process of determining if upcoming courses will continue as planned.

When a decision has been made, we will notify each participant via email as well post here on the website.

We hope to have a decision soon, keeping in mind that the situation has been and will continue to change daily. In the meantime, please refrain from contacting the office. You will be notified as soon as a decision has been made.

Stay Healthy, Wash your hands, Don’t touch your face !

Carrie Holland,
CSGA Administration

ISSW 2020: Abstract Submissions Wanted!

The abstract submission page went live recently and will remain open until April 27, the deadline for submitting abstracts. That means you’ve got some time to get your presentation ideas together, but you should get going on it soon. The conference is especially excited to hear from front-line workers, providing a great venue for you to share your experience and ideas with avalanche professionals from around the world.

If you have never, or rarely, presented in public before, the ISSW is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons, with a friendly audience very interested in what you have to say. This page explains the process of submitting an abstract. And feel free to email us if you’re looking for assistance or have questions.

When submitting an abstract, you’ll be asked to select from the following list of themes that best represents your topic:

• Avalanche Dynamics
• Avalanche Education
• Avalanche Forecasting
• Avalanche Formation and Failure
• Avalanche Incidents and Case Studies
• Avalanche Rescue
• Avalanche Risk Communication
• Climate Change and Sustainability
• Human Behaviours and Decision Making
• Instrumentation and Remote Sensing
• Planning and Engineering Solutions
• Snow and Snowpack Properties
• Terrain Management

So get those thinking caps on and get working on an abstract! It’s an experience that is well worth the effort. Here are the key dates you won’t want to miss:

• April 27 – abstract submission deadline
• June 5 – review results released
• June 26 – presenting authors must be registered
• August 24 – full papers due
• Oct 4 – 9 – ISSW 2020, Fernie, BC