There’s a chill in the air as autumn is upon many of us across the country. Here in the Kootenays of British Columbia, the birch and poplar are yellowing along with the larches up high, which means a definite feeling of a change in seasons. It won't be long before I pull out my skis and think of heading to Silver Star for my early-season training. I look forward to seeing many of you there.
As always, the team at CANSI has been busy behind the scenes all summer long. As we prepare for the upcoming season, I know Marie Lefebvre has been busy at the national office, receiving calls and emails from those needing assistance in renewing their memberships. Merci, Marie! Once your membership is renewed, make sure you check out the courses posted in your region. A lot of work is done behind the scenes to get courses planned and posted. Planning your winter skiing goals is a whole lot easier when you know the dates you are working toward.
There are four important things I would like to mention here. First, I want to thank Keith Payne, Roxanne Parent, John Kim, Henry Madsen, Jennifer Stranart and Tony Fiala for their efforts last season in piloting the new Ski Your Best program at their local clubs. If you have not yet heard about Ski Your Best, it's about time you clicked on the icon on the left after you sign in to the CANSI website. I think you'll be glad you did.
Secondly, I would like to commend Larissa Pitton and Holly Blefgen for their work in developing the Discover Telemark program. This introduction to telemark will match skiers with rental equipment and CANSI lessons. Look for a course being offered near you.
Thirdly, The Interski committee has met regularly through the summer under the leadership of Guy Paulsen and René-Luc Morin. They have developed a solid program of policies and critical dates for those of you interested in going to the 2027 Interski congress in Vail, Colorado.
Finally, the technical committee (TC), led by Elizabeth Nicholson, has worked throughout the year to develop new approaches to our courses, based on the feedback we get from you. The XC Level IV course, in particular, has been reworked to better support those of you interested in this milestone achievement. The TC has also updated sections of our teaching methodologies, particularly in the area of assessment. The idea of a scholarship program to assist in funding your upper-level course pursuits is being debated by the National Board as I write. Thank you to Elizabeth and her team for the hard work.
That's all for now. I am going back to watching the colours change...
CANSI