The Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports (VISAS) at Mount Washington Alpine Resort is holding an orientation session for new volunteer instructors on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
If you are a better than average downhill or cross country skier or snowboarder (strong intermediate level), consider yourself “a people person” and can remember your own first thrill of a controlled slide down the mountain, then read on.
For over 22 years VISAS has provided tons of fun for both instructors and their physically or mentally challenged students. Using a variety of adaptive equipment and constantly improving techniques, VISAS instructors quickly have students gaining confidence and satisfaction on runs and trails.
Our first information meeting for prospective instructors will be on Wednesday Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Florence Filberg Centre, Craft Room, Courtenay. This meeting will be followed up with a training session for new instructors on Friday evening, Dec. 6, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7 and 8 and Dec. 21 at Mount Washington. Come out on Wednesday the 20th and see what our program has to offer you as a volunteer instructor.
Instructors must be a minimum age of 19. The information evening includes videos, hand-outs and the chance to talk to veteran VISAS instructors.
The downhill program requires you to commit to a mandatory two weekend training session at the beginning of the ski season. The society also requires a minimum of 15 volunteer days of instruction from each instructor during the season, approximately one day a week. Successful candidates will receive their Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing (CADS) Level 1 Certification on completion of the four days of training.
We have a social and cohesive group of instructors and Mount Washington is very supportive of our programs with many benefits accorded our instructors. We may be the group for you, come to the meeting and see where you can make a difference accenting the abilities of our students.
Check us out on the web at www.visasweb.ca or for more info and visit our VISAS Facebook page and on Flickr. And find out how you can enter a team for VISAS’s major fundraiser, the Herb Bradley Pepsi Challenge, on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Contact VISAS President Brian Culley at 250-334-2994, cell: 250-897-5157 or e-mail: beculley@gmail.com for more information. Other contact: Bob Hodgson 250-339-6833, e-mail: curlew@shaw.ca.
– Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports
