By A.P. Crawford, Life Member No. 87 (ap.crawford@skipatrol.ca)
At the end of April, we were saddened to learn that Hugh Thomassin, a long-time and very active member of the CSP, had passed away.
Hugh’s career as a ski patroller began as a member of Ski Secours Quebec and the St. John Ambulance Alpine Patrol. Among other accomplishments he was the president of Ski Secours Quebec (the volunteer patrol) at Mont Sainte Anne when it opened its doors in 1969-1970.
He joined the CSP in 1977 and, no matter where his work took him (and his job required multiple relocations over the years) he maintained his CSP membership and patrolled at whatever resort was nearby. Over the years he found homes at Chicopee (Kitchener, Ontario), Mont St-Bruno as patrol leader (Quebec), Sunshine Village (Banff, Alberta), and at multiple resorts within Laurentian Zone in Quebec Division. His most recent CSP home was at the Caledon Ski Club in Ontario.
While in the CSP Laurentian Zone, Hugh held various positions including on-snow instructor, patrol leader, and for two years, vice-president of operations.
From 2008 to 2011 he was also the CSP Quebec Division President and succeeded in re-establishing excellent relations with the ASSQ (Association des stations de ski du Québec) and the MELS (Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport). Under his leadership, the CSP Quebec Division was recognized as the CSP’s outstanding division in 2009. In recognition of his work Hugh was personally recognized with the National Outstanding Executive Award in the same year.
In 2012 Hugh was elected to the CSP’s national board of directors and generously shared his expertise to the benefit of us all.
Hugh was such a strong supporter of the work of ski patrollers around the world that he was also a very active member of FIPS (Fédération Internationale des Patrouilles de Ski). In fact, he held the position of secretary and treasurer from 1995 to 2003 and then continued as treasurer until 2019.
In 2017, Hugh relocated to Ontario’s CSP Central Zone and again shared his expertise and love of life with the patrollers in the zone and at his new home of Caledon Ski Resort where he was a much-loved figure. Those who patrolled with him have commented on his support and mentoring skills. He continued to participate in patrol activities to the end.
Away from the CSP, Hugh was remarkably active, completing marathons around the world and later embracing road cycling.
Hugh was the recipient of multiple CSP awards to celebrate his contributions including CSP No. 877 in 2013 and most recently the CSP Central Zone President’s Commendation Award No. 373 in 2020. More than just his awards, Hugh was a warm and caring person, quick to smile, and who went out of his way to mentor and foster the development of everyone he met. He will be sorely missed.
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