Thank you for your interest in VASS! WE NEED YOU!
REGISTRATION FOR VOLUNTEERS: Sunday, October 1st 2023
RETURNING VOLUNTEERS : you can go straight to registering on Skiportal. If you need a reminder on how to fill in the registration system, watch this helpful video.
NEW VOLUNTEERS: if you are new to volunteering with VASS, please take 5 minutes to read this page, as it will answer many questions and provide insight into the incredible journey you’re about to embark on. Watch the clip below to meet a VASS student. Focus not only on their abilities, as students and instructors come with a variety of abilities, but pay attention to their joyful smiles. The mountain is a place where we all come together to explore, learn, and share laughter.
Matthew is on the Autism Spectrum. More children are being diagnosed with ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and it is now estimated that 1 in 34 kids is diagnosed with ASD. Unfortunately, many of these children don’t have the same opportunities as their peers growing up in amazing British Columbia. At VASS, we’re actively addressing this gap and making a significant impact. Your role as an instructor is crucial in teaching ski and snowboard lessons, with approximately 50% of our lessons catering to individuals with ASD.
Your First Season with VASS:
Our foundation is grounded in the national ski and snowboard organizations, particularly the Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS) training programs. Through these valuable partnerships, we offer training to help you become a specialized snow sport instructor.
After you have attended the mandatory overview ZOOM session (1.5 hrs) before the training weekend, there are 3 parts to this CADS training:
- FRIDAY Night (6-9 pm): meet in-person at the Community Centre to begin training
- SATURDAY All-Day (7 am-4pm): meet at the base of Grouse Mountain
- SUNDAY All-Day (7 am- 4pm): meet again at the base of Grouse Mountain
These sessions are the CADS (Canadian Adaptive Snowsports) portion of your learning. By completing this specialized training, you will become a CADS Level 1 Instructor (ski or snowboard). In your first year, you’ll start by learning the basics of teaching skiing or snowboarding, including helping a student make their very first turn. We’ve partnered with the Canadian Ski Instructor Alliance (CSIA) and the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors (CASI) for this purpose. You will learn how to adapt your teaching plan based on the student you have the privilege of working with. We will cover techniques for motivation, communication, and pure kinesthetic teaching that will broaden your teaching horizons. Additionally, you’ll get a chance to try sit skiing, 3-tracking, and skiing with your eyes mostly closed while being guided. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice and receive feedback from CADS Course conductors, and you’ll be amazed by the knowledge and experience you gain from this intensive weekend.
| Note: For these weekends (rain, snow, or shine), bring a large backpack with extra gloves, socks, base layers, snacks, and plenty of water. Be prepared to meet promptly at the base of the mountain with your skis or snowboard and all your necessary gear. |
AVAILABLE CADS Level 1 COURSES FOR 2023-2024:
- December 15 – 17, 2023 – $50 — ski course only
- January 5 – 7, 2024 – $50 — ski and snowboard courses
- January 12 – 14, 2024 – $50 — ski and snowboard courses
Upon completing this training, you will be certified to teach all types of adaptive lessons. In order to instruct these students, a $50 CADS membership is also required and this can be purchased simultaneously when registering at our membership site.
CADS Membership includes: ($50)
- Insurance
- Pro deals on some gear
- Access to more training opportunities
Total cost to become a CADS Level 1 Instructor + CADS Membership = $100
You will also receive a mountain pass free-of-charge for the entire season!
ORIENTATION DAY:
In mid-January 2024, you will attend an orientation with your Program Coordinator, who will email you details about when and where to meet at the mountain. You will discover which student you’ll be paired with, which instructor you’ll be paired with, and explore Grouse Mountain in this 2 hour orientation. We always pair first-year instructors with more experienced returning instructors, and all our lessons have at least two instructors, so you’re never alone in this adventure. During this first session, you’ll be paired with your partner instructor and have the chance to get to know each other, go over safety protocols, local mountain procedures, and review best teaching practices.
STUDENT LESSONS BEGIN:
After your orientation meeting, the student lessons will begin the following week and these run for 6 weeks, including Family Day weekend. Each week, you’ll arrive early for the lesson (7:00-7:15am) and wait for your student to arrive. Then, in collaboration with your fellow instructors, you’ll do your best to help an amazing individual learn to enjoy the snow. At VASS, a good ski lesson might be learning how to walk on snow in ski boots, and that could be the entire lesson. Or maybe you’re learning how to be a better teacher because your student is advancing so quickly that you need to call in a CADS trainer for additional support. You never know, and that’s all part of the fun and excitement. Click here to explore all the programs you could potentially volunteer for.
AFTER STUDENT LESSONS:
The end of the season is an exciting time. It’s a time for more training to further your certification and explore disciplines in sit skiing, using outriggers, and learning about working with visually impaired students. To finish off the season in style, we throw an Appreciation Party in your honour… Okay, maybe not just for you, but certainly for all our volunteers!
I look forward to sharing the magic of volunteering with VASS with you. So, stop thinking about it and just click below to get registered.
Best Wishes,
Anne Bethune
VASS President
PS: If you have more questions, please check out our FAQs or drop us a line at info@vass.ca. There’s also a video at the bottom of this page with directions on how to register.
VOLUNTEERING (but not Instructing a student):
If you’re not a skier or snowboarder and still want to help VASS, we need you too…
Thank you for your heart and time. You are some of our most valuable volunteers, as you often have the ability to help the VASS machine run smoothly. Here are some of the roles we recognize we need help with:
ON THE MOUNTAIN
- Program Assistant – assisting the Program Coordinators organize lessons, on and off the snow
- Most of the programs begin mid-January and run for 6 weeks.
OFF THE MOUNTAIN
- Fundraising
- Donations
- Sponsorship
- Marketing
- Volunteer Coordination
- Website
- Newsletter
- Equipment
- Special Events
- Presentations
If you are interested in volunteering but not instructing a student, please indicate areas you are interested in on your registration form. Click here to register and when you go through the process, please identify yourself as a VOLUNTEER.
Thank you so much for helping out. I look forward to meeting you and thanking you personally for your dedication to supporting your community and adaptive sport.
Note :This video give you all of the details for signing up as volunteer, but there is a mention of BUBBLE PEOPLE in the video. Please ignore that part as we are no longer using it. Type vass.skiportal.org into your browser and follow the video.
HOW TO CLAIM DROP IN LESSONS AS AN INSTRUCTOR