By Mark Brown, Co-executive Director (mark.brown@skipatrol.ca)
For the first time since 2017, we are thrilled to facilitate our CSP National First Aid Competition, taking place next month at Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia. The event brings together patrollers from zones across Canada to celebrate excellence, skill, and teamwork in ski patrol first aid. Six teams, representing Pacific South, Mountain, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic West divisions will be participating.
This long-standing tradition has always been one of CSP’s most anticipated national events, offering an opportunity for patrollers to showcase their advanced first aid abilities in complex, simulated rescue scenarios. Teams will compete under real-world conditions – on-snow, in the cold, and with realistic injuries – to demonstrate not only their technical knowledge but also their communication, leadership, and decision-making under pressure.
The competition will see zone teams from across the country converge on Big White, where they’ll represent their divisions in a friendly but spirited national showdown. Each team will work through multiple timed first aid challenges designed by experienced evaluators who ensure realism and fairness across all scenarios. Competitors will be assessed on patient care, safety, teamwork, and scene management – core competencies at the heart of every ski patroller’s skill set.
“Bringing back the national competition is a huge milestone for us,” says Andrew Hill, training and development portfolio leader with the CSP National Management Committee. “It’s more than a contest. It’s a celebration of our volunteers’ expertise and their commitment to keeping Canada’s ski hills safe. Big White provides the perfect venue for us to come together, learn, and recognize excellence in our ranks.”
In addition to the competition itself, the event will serve as a reunion for patrollers from all corners of the country, offering opportunities for training exchange, networking, and community-building.
The national first aid competition overlaps with the beginning of the Fédération internationale des patrouilleurs de ski (FIPS) World Congress also hosted by Big White. Our CSP competitors will have an audience of ski patrollers from around the world, witnessing the high calibre of our members’ skills on snow!
Big White Ski Resort, known for its champagne powder and vibrant mountain village, will provide an ideal backdrop for the competition. It is located about an hour east of Kelowna.
Whether competing or cheering from the sidelines, participants have much to look forward to as the CSP National First Aid Competition returns to our ski patrol calendar. It stands as a testament to the skill, dedication, and camaraderie that define the Canadian Ski Patrol.
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