This year we changed the timing and scope of our communication. We introduced email as a more effective way of reaching you. We changed the timing of our delivery of our magazine and added a third edition over the holiday season. As the evolution of our magazine continues this year we’ve changed the timing of our spring issue.

“Every picture is worth a 1000 words.” And we’ve brought you many. Our spring issue is now our photo yearbook. Enjoy!

Train hard over the summer. Use the time to run, bike, golf, etc and enjoy the sun and the heat. Spend some time with your ski friends reminiscing of a great 2010 season. And spend some time remembering why you love skiing; it will get you charged for 2011.

Thank you Ontario for the year of being your volunteer editor. See you at the AGM in May.

I appreciate the work your board members have done and would like to thank them for running such successful events such as, Toronto Ski Show, PD DAY, Women’s PTS, all the regular PTS events, Snowfest and of course the Annual General Meeting. Countless hours and organizational skills go into each one of these, and I would be amiss to not mention the committees involved. Thank you.

A word of praise for our volunteer magazine editor, Sasha Gollish. Sasha has devoted an incredible amount of time and energy to our new magazine. I have seen pictures of her basement that has become a complete “story board” for each issue. Sasha, thank you for the devotion, you put forth for a truly superior magazine.

Of course we cannot forget the person you call with all your questions, problems and frustrations . . . Shelagh Mulveney. Shelagh runs our Ontario office like clockwork. She is a wealth of knowledge and keeps tabs on how things are running on a daily basis. Without her it would be a struggle to have up-to-the-minute information on pressing matters. Thank you, Shelagh.

We have tried to represent our members as best as possible, after all that is why we are here. Please do not hesitate to inform us of our performance in this regard. We are looking at new ideas and programs to continue to service you, the member, as well as trying to find ways to preserve our membership base. We are looking into retaining the demographic with the highest membership non renewal: ages 15 – 25. We hope to better serve ALL our members in the years to come.

Please enjoy our spring edition of SKI PRO ONTARIO and I look forward to the 2010-2011 season already.

Thank you,

Jim Peever

Chair

By John Gillies – Head Coach

The demonstration training and selection process continued in January with training camps at Silverstar BC and Mont Ste Anne QC.

One aspect of the training was to develop technical similarity between skiers. To achieve this goal, skiers focused on demonstrating 3 “functions” or outcomes.

Alignment for maximum force. Stable, natural alignment is a building block for all skiing applications. It requires access to all joints and should be demonstrated in all phases of the turn. A skier’s biomechanical strength should not be sacrificed as they move through the arc and increase edging. This alignment builds momentum on an arc.

Moving arc-to-arc. This means showing a clear intention and anticipation of trajectory. It also demonstrates the turn as a moving platform, carrying momentum from turn to turn. The biomechanical principle of velocity (involvement of big joints) is an important tool to generate speed in group skiing situations.

Creating torque and reaction. Well timed angular movements, combined with muscular resistance, ski performance and impulse let skiers vary their trajectories. Torque and reaction are important tools in synchronizing with other skiers, and recovering when mistakes are made.

For steering versatility, the above principles are practiced at all speeds. In basic skiing, the turn shape is symmetrical above and below the fall line. Speed is controlled with an even track width (amount of skidding) throughout the turn and an active steering of the lower body.

This moves away from a traditional “form – based” approach where skiers work on they way they look. By focusing on simple, outcome-based objectives, similarity of form becomes a result. So far the team has responded well to this approach and the intensity is building as we move towards the final selection this April. Follow the progress of these fine skiers as they prepare for Interski 2011 in St Anton, Austria. We hope to see you there!

Photo: Yannic LaRoche

Skiers: Louise Rice, Bruce Eaves

1. To approve the financial statements of CSIA (Ontario) Inc. for the year ended March 31, 2010, together with the report of the Directors and the Auditor theron.

2. To elect Directors for the ensuing term or until their successors are elected or appointed.

3. To appoint an Auditor and authorize the Directors to fix the remuneration of the Auditor.

4. To transact such further business as may be necessary or desirable and properly brought before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

Dated this 12 day of April, 2010.

By order of the Board of Directors

Jim Peever

Chair

Election of Directors

Nominations from the floor are welcome at the Annual General Meeting, providing that the nominee and five supporters are present.

Proposed slate for election to Board of Directors:

The Nominating Committee is charged with the responsibility of proposing to the membership a slate of candidates for election to the position of Director.

The Nominating Committee of 2010 consists of: a Past Chair, Jason Young, a Member at Large, Sasha Gollish and the Nominating Chair, Allison Sharpe.

The following slate of candidates have been put forward by the Nominating Committee for the 2010 elections of the Board of Directors to be held at the AGM on Thursday May 27th, 2010.

John Fortin

Sharon Lax

Mark Pilskalnietis

Tim Van Winkle

Ed Young

I, the undersigned (please print name clearly)

______________________________________________________________________

Member in good standing of the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (Ontario) Inc.,

I hereby vote FOR [ ] or AGAINST [ ] the slate of Directors proposed above;

I hereby nominate, constitute and appoint __________________________________a member in good standing, or failing him/her, Jim Peever, Chairperson of the CSIA (Ontario) Inc., also a member in good standing as the proxy of the undersigned to attend the Annual and General Meeting of the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (Ontario) Inc., to be held on Thursday, May 27th 2010 and any adjournments thereof and thereat to act for and on behalf of the undersigned to vote in the name of the undersigned with respect to the election of directors of the Corporation and any other matter which may properly arise at the Annual and General Meeting.

A voting member, other than the Chairperson, can vote a maximum of ten proxies. Over this number, the proxies revert to the Board of Directors. All proxies must be MAILED to the attention of the Secretary and must be received by the Secretary on or before Friday, May 21st, 2010.

Dated this _______________ day of _______________________ 2010.

Member Number ________________________________

Signature of Certified Member______________________

MAIL Proxy to:

Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (Ontario) Inc.

3 Concorde Gate, Suite 209, Toronto, ON M3C 3N7

* No Proxy will be accepted by e-mail or facsimile.

Cover shot of the magazine was courtesy of Mike Rowlinson featuring Osler CSIA member Jessie Whiston.

Other photo contributions in this issue came from:

• Rob Butler
• Sasha Gollish
• James Bridle
• Kiirsstt Mathews
• Pam Paylor
• Andrew Elsdon
• Sarah Mulveney

With a slower than expected start to our season in Ontario, we’ve decided to reduce the number of pages in this issue to 24 – which means some regular features such as the photo gallery and retro page had to be cut. We also had several articles that couldn’t fit. The good news; however, is that this issue is packed with amazing content and everything else that didn’t make it off the editing board made it to this website. Browse “online article only” from the menu to access them.

The theme of this issue is all about team work – both as an active participant and as a supporter. We chose a cover picture that we felt best represents the spirit of being part of a team.  We look forward to supporting our Canadian Olympic team this February and have included an article that  references all Ontario based skiers who had made the Olympic team at the time of this issue going to print.

We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to your comments and feedback. The spring issue of SPO will hit your mailbox around the March Break. It will be a season in review and we’re looking for your pictures from the season! Please send us your best pictures to info@skiproontario.com

Credits for our Holiday 2009 issue:

Editorial Team

Phil Barrett – Marketing and Communications Director

Sasha Gollish – Editor

Shelagh Mulveney – Administrative Support

Content Contributors

Phil Barrett, Roger Castonguay, Ken Ellis, Sandy Gardner, John Gillies, Sasha Gollish, Scott Harris, Peter “Turbo” Hibbard, Warren Jobbitt , Melody McCague, Sebastian Michel, Leslie Milthorpe, Jim Peever, Mark Pilskalnietis, Kim Roberts, Allison Sharpe, Laurissa Stebeleski, Kirsti Suutari, Meredith Youmens, Shirlee Williams

Photography

Cover page photo taken by: Andrew Elsdon – cllik.com

Design & Publishing

K9 Design Co. (k9designco.com)

Printed in Ontario by Ted Southam at Kempenfelt Graphics Group

Printed using a sustainable resource and sent one per household only

Sir Sams:

As a warm up to the Rockstar World Cup Ski Cross Grand Prix Series, Sir Sams is hosting the first CFSA Ski Cross of the year on January 10th. It promises to be a great event, with the most excitement coming from the adult races.

Dagmar:

The Dagmar lodge and bar area has been newly renovated this season for a more warm and cozy feeling! Come and join our Adventurous Adults Lesson Program on Saturday nights (singles nights, karaoke night, and live bands). If you’re an instructor and looking to work towards your next level, weekly training is available from our Level 3 and 4 instructors!

Brimacombe:

Jayne Fisher joins our management team as the Brimacombe Snow School Manger. Jayne has been an instructor at the club for more than 30 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to this position from her more than 25 years experience in the sports and recreation field.

South West Region:

Chicopee:

Chicopee is anxiously looking forward to the kick off of its 75th season of operations. December 29th 2009 will mark the event with our official Birthday Bash! Chicopee is proud to announce the development of a new Beginner Terrain Park for the 2009/2010 season. This is the first stage in the continued development of our Kids Zone to provide additional terrain and facilities for our beginners and children’s area.

Mount Chinguacousy:

Mount Chinguacousy will also be hosting freestyle events including a Big Air Competition on February 5th, a Rail Jam on the 19th and a Slope Side Event on March 5th. For more information give us a call or visit the website.

National Capital:

Mt. Pakenham:

Mount Pakenham has been working on more upgrades including 2 new glades and new features for the Terrain Park. Mount Pakenham has also added a Winter Outdoor Wonder (WOW) program for school groups. WOW introduces students to winter wilderness in eastern Canada. Students snowshoe on our interactive Discovery Nature Trail where they learn interesting facts about wildlife, birds and outdoor winter survival.

Central:

Earl Bales and Centennial:

New to the Toronto Ski & Snowboard Centres for the 2009-2010 season is our Participant Helmet Policy. All participants in any program must wear a recognized ski or snowboard helmet while participating in any instructional program. All on-snow staff will also be required to wear a ski or snowboard helmet.

Heights of Horseshoe:

A private Ski Club across the road from Horseshoe Resort. Great new Glades have opened this year called “Wild Bills.” The Heights also boasts one of the steepest pitches in Ontario on “The Chief” run

Snow Valley:

With about 320 people needed to manage the ski and snowboard traffic at the resort, Snow Valley welcomes back its returning staff and welcomes the many new faces this year. Snow Valley looks forward to all it’s events this season, including several Terrain Park Competitions.

Collingwood

Alpine:

Alpine can’t wait for the season to start. They are very excited to be the host of Snowfest on March 26th. As the hosts they are looking to claim the coveted ‘Golden Ski’ prize; who else will contest them in the synchro competition?

Blue Mountain:

New this season – Blue Mountain has renamed “Mogul Alley” to “Legacy.” More details will be posted on their website.

Georgian Peaks:

The Tornado of August 22nd is all but a memory for the Peaks now, at least to their facilities. They have fixed all the lifts and buildings damaged that day and look forward to a great year on snow. We will all be forever reminded of the destruction that day by the many trees that were lost; the landscape of the Peaks will remain forever changed.

North

Searchmont:

Searchmont Resort is the only facility in Northern Ontario to offer an adaptive ski program. NO LIMITS volunteers and CADS certified instructors open the slopes to kids and adults with various physical disabilities. For more info visit our website.

Mount Evergreen

Operating since 1946 as a not-for-profit community club, Mount Evergreen is located with in the City Limits of Kenora. It boasts the best skiing between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg with 220 feet of vertical, groomed runs, a terrain park and lights for night skiing. This season will see the completion of a multiyear project, including the installation of a new snowmaking system and magic carpet as part of the new ‘Learn to Ski Park’. Are your friends looking to become instructors too? This December Mount Evergreen will host a level 1.

To improve you performance establishing an early grip on your surface is critical to being able to control the shape, size and exit (high) speed of your turns.

Think of the goal of your turn initiation as establishing your balance against the new edge(s) – to get a grip on the surface.

On the water, on the pavement and on the snow moving across the (upright) center line into the new arc – inclining your mass inside before the directional change occurs – is critical to getting your grip

On the bike we counter steer in order to use the tires’ profile to allow us to drop the mass inside – we use the rounded sidewall of the rotating tire to make this happen.

On the windsurfer we move our weight across the board’s center line to weight the inside edge and start the board carving all the while keeping the ankles and knees flexing to move the mass with the board.

On snow we move our mass downhill across the bindings to create edge grip. Think of moving everything from your boot soles up from above the bindings to below bindings.

Once we have our grip (platform) we can then using steering and pressure (throttle on the bike – wind in the sail) to control the shape and speed of the turn.

Get a grip!

Ken Ellis, CSCF Level IV

Head Coach, Mansfield Ski Club

Having a well maintained and tuned ski will your days on snow more enjoyable.

Scott Harris, lead technician at the Sign of The Skier, has been in this business for more than 20 years. He’s seen the transition from hand-tuning to machine-tuning. He knows the in’s and out’s of tuning and when the machines break down Scott doesn’t stop as he rolls up his sleeves and does things the old fashioned way – with his hands.

I had the opportunity to watch Scott in action and ask him a couple of key questions:

[Sasha Gollish (SG)]: Scott, why do you recommend people get their skis tuned?

[SH]: People should have their skis tuned for safety as properly tuned skis help you to maintain control. Tuned skis also feel much better than those that are left untouched. Have you ever put on demo skis and thought they were just worlds better than your skis? Sometimes it’s just because they have a much better tune that what you’re currently skiing on.

[SG]: How often do you recommend people tune their skis?

[SH]: At the very minimum, at the start of the season, at the end of the season for storage and once a month through the season. If you are skiing and teaching every weekend I recommend bringing them in for a tune every two weeks, after 4 days of skiing. Once skis bases have gone white and edges are rusted, they require more work, more edge and base removal and decrease the life of the ski.

[SG]: Is there daily maintenance we can do to extend the life of our skis?

[SH]: I recommend everyone have a diamond stone and bevel guide on hand for use at the end of everyday. By removing the burs from a ski you maintain the ski tune and help to preserve the ski. I also recommend people wax their skis at the end of each day, but at the end of the weekend is good too!

[SG]: What do you recommend for edge bevel for Ontario Instructors?

[SH]: The default setting for our Wintersteiger, our tuning machine, is a 2?side and 1? base bevel, which is ideal for most skiers. A base bevel helps to make the ski more forgiving and the side bevel helps you to grip the snow once you are on edge. Sometimes our racers go up to a 3? side bevel for their slalom skis, which I would recommend for those who are into ripping slalom turns on some of Ontario’s steeper terrain.

[SG]: If I maintain my skis and keep them tuned, what do you think the life of a ski is?

[SH]: Let’s say that the average Instructor skis through the Holiday Break, every weekend plus one other full week of skiing a year, that’s about 26 days a year. If you tune your skis as required your skis can last four to five years, over 100 days of skiing.

The Sign of The Skier will be offering free Tuning Clinics to CSIA members this winter. Email tuning@skiproontario.com to reserve your spot!

I think we are all a bit guilty of teaching everything we know about technique and bio-mechanics to our students and we forget the little things that really count.

I was thinking…….”how can I make this better for my instructors and myself this season and still somehow maintain my cool Snow School Director image to my 15 year old instructors”? So, here is goes: “ALWAYS TEACH A SICK LESSON” (“sick” means “cool” by the way)!

Here’s what it stands for:

S - SHAKE your student’s hand!

I - INTRODUCE yourself!

C - CARE for your students (check their equipment, have a warm-up run, are they dressed appropriately? remember their names, recognize their parents, know the policies and procedures of the resort)

K - KNOWLEDGE you will share about your sport to improve their skills!

If my instructors and I can remember this little slogan every time we teach a lesson, I think better lessons will be taught. Take your time when teaching your students this season! Shake their hands, make them feel comfortable, understand the skills they need to improve and progress them in a simple, fun, situational and “sick” way.

Meredith Youmans

CSIA Level 4

Snow School Director, Dagmar Resort