Ontario X-Country Courses 2008-2009 (Updated) Posted on Feb 17th, 2009
Greetings fellow skiers and instructors. Once again we look optimistically to the upcoming winter. Given the amount of rain and snow we had so far in Ontario, it looks like we will get as much snow as last year. Consequently, we expect correspondingly large demand for our courses.
Given that our leading Course Conductor has moved to the Pacific region, we are not able to offer you this season as many courses as we would like. However, since this February we've gained a new Level I Course Conductor (congratulations Wendy) we can offer two more courses.
Also always keep in mind that our Youth Scholarships are still there for the taking.
Bellow is a summary of all the Ontario XC courses planned for this season - including a new XC Level I Classic Certification course. Here you'll find direct links to the available course pages from where you can easily register. But if you know exactly what course you want, simply select it from the courses page. (Just make sure you select the ON-Ontario and X-Country options for easier viewing.)
Level I+II Instructor Refresher and Preparation - 2 Days
This special early season course is designed for aspiring instructors, level I and level II instructors teaching in Southern Ontario area ski clubs and resorts. Refresher and prep courses always provide great learning and a chance to relate to peers working on the same challenges without the stress of a certification course. You must be at least Level I instructor to take part in the Refresher part of this course.
December 20-21 - Horseshoe Valley, Barrie
Prices:
a) Level I+II Refresher - $140 ($100 if you register early and online**)
b) Level I Preparation - $180 ($150 if you register early and online**)
Note: In case there is not enough snow at this location, this course may be moved to a more suitable location. In that case your registration fees will be fully refunded if you do not want to drive to the new location.
Level I Instructor Refresher - 1 Day
If you cannot make the above special refresher, you can always tune-up your skiing and teaching skills in the following two courses. You must be at least Level I certified instructor that did not expire more than 10 years ago to take part in them.
December 13 - Hiawatha Highlands, SS Marie
January 31 - Highlands Nordic, Duntroon
Price: $70 ($50 if you register early and online**)
Note: Due to a limited number of available course conductors, these refresher courses are offered in conjunction with a Level I preparation and Level I certification course respectively. They are also limited to a maximum of 4 participants each.
Level I Instructor Certification - 2 days
These certification courses train you for teaching beginner XC skiers - be they Classic or Skate skiers. They will introduce you to the fundamentals of XC Classic and Skating skiing technique and the Canadian teaching style. You will improve your demonstration skills and learn how to introduce new people to the sport.
December 20-21 - Hiawatha Highlands, SS Marie
January 31-February 1 - Highlands Nordic, Duntroon
Price: $400 ($350 if you register early and online**)
Note: We recommend completing the XC Level I Instructor Preparation course prior to attending this certification course and/or self-evaluating your skills based on the latest criteria listed in the current Course Conductor manual.
Level I Classic-only Instructor Certification - 2 days
This new certification course trains you for teaching beginner XC Classic skiers only. It will introduce you to the fundamentals of XC Classic skiing technique and the Canadian teaching style. You will improve your demonstration skills and learn how to introduce new people to the sport.
January 31-February 1 - Highlands Nordic, Duntroon
Price: $400 ($350 if you register early and online**)
Note:
+ We recommend completing a XC Classic Level I Instructor Preparation course prior to attending this certification course and/or self-evaluating your skills based on the latest XC Classic Level I criteria.
+ Due to a limited number of available course conductors, this course is offered in conjunction with a full XC Level I certification course and limited to a maximum of 5 participants.
Level I Instructor Certification - 3 days (mid-week)
If you are working for a Nordic Center and cannot take the weekend or whole day off to be certified, this mid-week course is for you. It will train you for teaching beginner XC skiers - be they Classic or Skate skiers - and will introduce you to the fundamentals of XC Classic and Skating skiing technique and the Canadian teaching style. You will improve your demonstration skills and learn how to introduce new people to the sport.
March 23-25 - Hardwood Hills, Barrie
Price: $400 ($350 if you register early and online**)
Note: We recommend completing the XC Level I Instructor Preparation course prior to attending this certification course and/or self-evaluating your skills based on the latest criteria listed in the current Course Conductor manual.
Level I+II Instructor Refresher - 2 days (mid-week)
If you are a Level I or higher certified instructor and could not make any of our earlier Refresher courses, here is your last chance this season. Although this mid-week, 2-day course is designed mainly for instructors working at Nordic centers, it is for any CANSI XC Level I or II instructor who was not refreshed in the last 10 years. Its goal is to update your knowledge of CANSI's technical information and to maintain/upgrade your skiing and teaching standards.
March 23-24 - Hardwood Hills, Barrie
Price: $140 ($100 if you register early and online**)
Note: This course will be run in conjunction with the XC Level I certification 3-day course at Hardwood.
Level II+ Instructor Refresher - 2 Days
If you are a Level II or higher certified instructor and cannot make the combined special Level I+II Refresher at Horseshoe on Dec. 20-21, you can attend a full 2-day Refresher course weekend before (Dec. 13-14) in conjunction with the Course Conductor Training course at Highlands Nordic, Duntroon. (See below for details).
Price: $140 ($100 if you register early and online**)
Course Conductor Training - 2 days
This briefing is designed to train current and future Ontario XC Course Conductors. Accommodation is available on site at the Highlands Nordic farmhouse #1 for $25 per night. This farmhouse is located near the main chalet and room for close to 15 people.
December 13-14 - Highlands Nordic, Duntroon
Price: $50 plus $14 per day for a trail pass
Note: You are eligible for reimbursement of the costs of this course (course fee plus reasonable expenses) should you commit to assist in the running of Ontario X-Country courses during this winter.
** Early and online registration means that you will register and pay through our web site at least 2 weeks before the start of the course. Further details about Ontario's course registration and cancellation policies, please read this news item.
5 comments
Darren Marshall December 11th, 2008
I am a level I instructor in Huntsville Ontario and have a group of people interested in training for a Classic Only course for several camps in the area. Are there any course conductors interested? How many people are needed and costs?
Jan Vopalensky December 11th, 2008
Darren, in case it was not clear in this news message, note that in Ontario we are very short of course conductors. There is more demand for our courses than the supply of people to run them. We are doing our best and trying to develop new course leaders to manage this issue. But that takes time - and money , which we get only as profit from our courses. (FYI: Ontario does not get any funds from anybody to develop our course conductors.)
So far we have only Wendy Grater, Steve Gentles, Peter Grey and Paul Graner who are qualified and willing to run any XC Level I courses. And these people are booked for most of the winter already.
But I will spread the word around. There may be others who are qualified and willing to help your group(s) prepare for the XC Classic Level I certification.
Note that all course costs involve:
1) the Course Conductor fee - as per the schedule suggested in the CANSI Course Conductor manual (see the members area on this website)
2) travel cost of the Course Conductor
3) lodging cost of the Course Conductor
4) resort costs (e.g. trail fees, video room rental)
5) video equipment usage costs (fyi: generally, the camera and TV/monitor are supplied by the Course Conductor, but sometimes we need to rent them)
6) nominal admin fee to CANSI (e.g. to manage course registration online)
Consequently, the further the Course Conductor has to travel and the more spread out (over time) the course is, the more the course will cost.
Lastly note, as per the CANSI Course Conductor's manual, you should have from 4 to 8 people for one course conductor. From experience, we find the best courses are with 2 course conductors and a group of 12-16 students. That way most participants learn faster and are being evaluated more objectively, since the course leaders can bounce ideas and observations between each other.
I hope this helps for now. / Jan
Susanne Friedrich January 7th, 2009
I am thinking of signing up for the Level 1 Instructor course on Jan31/Feb1 at Highlands Nordic. Do I have to decide whether I do Classical only or Classical and Skating when I sign up or may the decicion be made during the course?
Thanks for your help
Susanne
Jan Vopalensky January 7th, 2009
Susanne, you can switch during the course, although it will make our admin work more complicated, which we like to avoid.
Hence, to keep it simpler for all, I suggest you register for the XC Classic-only course. Then during the course if you demonstrate 1-skate skiing, and if Wendy and Steve feel your skating skills are at XC Level I standard, your certification will be upgraded to the full XC Level I status almost the same day.
I hope this helps / Jan
Jan Vopalensky January 13th, 2009
Some of you asked if we can book the farm house at Highlands Nordic Duntroon, for the CANSI courses located at this resort.
The short answer is no, we do not do that. The reasons are mainly:
1) CANSI Ontario would be taking on too much risk in paying for the whole farmhouse (that can sleep up to 15 people) when only few people may sign up for the course.
2) The farmhouse is generally booked at least 1 year in advance through out the winter, but we cannot decide when to run the courses until the Sept.-October of each year.
3) Sometimes were are forced to change the venue of our courses - either due to weather conditions or some conflicting event at that resort. By worrying about booked accommodations, this makes our volunteering life unnecessarily more complicated.
I suggest you look up some B&B in the area, for example check out:
1) http://www.mycollingwood.ca/accommodations/bed_breakfast.asp
2) http://www.bbcanada.com/
However, for the early season XC Course Conductor training and XC Level II Refresher, we generally get the farmhouse - since that we can reserve a year in advance.
Cheers / Jan