VASS delivers ski, snowboard and sit-ski lessons to people with a disability in the lower mainland. All lessons are 100% coordinated and taught by volunteers. We currently have 17 program to choose from this year. VASS creates opportunities for volunteers who want to contribute to their community while having fun in an outdoor, recreational setting. If you can volunteer for at least 2 years it s a real benefit to our students.  Check out our website under the STUDENT tab to see the programs you would like to volunteer with. www.vass.ca   In choosing that 1 or 2 programs you are committing to a 1 night orientation and then 6 weeks of consecutive lessons at the same day and time.   Our preference is that you are able to make all of the lessons. In addition if you have extra time in the daytime Mon-Fri please also signup for our Drop-in Instructors program and as we get requests, you will be included in the emails to see if you can assist in a lesson.

If you cannot commit to all of the lessons, and still want to be involved, please reach out via email and we will see if we can accommodate something else.   info@vass.ca

Opportunities for Volunteering

- On the Mountain: Ski/Snowboard Instructor  (after completing the CSIA or CASI overview and CADS 1 certification )

-On the Mountain: Assistant Instructor (requires no certification but ability to manage green runs safely) 

It is preferred that you become a certified instructor.   The level 1 CADS training is elementary and everyone has the ability to pass it. Having more knowledge will allow you to make a bigger impact in the lesson and feel at ease in the new role. IF you really cannot attend the training or something else has come up, we would of course love to have you on the hill to help out and learn as you go in the assistant instructor role.

Benefits

1. It is hard to explain the awesomeness you will experience helping people learn to ski, but trust me, it will blow you away… but rest assured by the end of the season you will know what VASS MAGIC is all about.
2. In order to make accessing the mountains a little easier, Grouse Mnt will provide you will a season pass so you can access all of the training and teaching opportunities that will be offered this season.  You will also get day passes if you are volunteering at a different mountain.
3. Through out the season we offer several training opportunities.   Each program has a designated trainer within it, so if there are no students to help you can get some extra training turns in.   There are SKIMP nights that encourage you to come and get a free ski/board lesson to help your own skills. And there will be extra training opportunities within the CADS modules.

All instructors must:

1. Have a current Criminal Records Check (CRC) - valid for 3 years

If you think you need one, please have it done. We will be using a new system to record CRC's this year, so please make sure you are ready to upload a CRC by mid October.

The CRC must be done by the police or RCMP where you reside. See further information at http://www.vass.ca/registration-criminal-records-checks/. Or for a fee you can do your CRC through Backcheck  

2. Join BC Adaptive Snowsports 

Membership at BC Adaptive Snowsports ($48 fee) is required prior to the start of the season.  

For insurance pursposes, in order to go up the mountain, you will need to have a current membership with the BC Adaptive Snowsports.  You can purchase your membership here.

3. Register for training :  

a)  Complete a mandatory FREE pre requisite overview of the teaching methodology of the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance  (CSIA) or the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors (CASI) (unless you have CSIA or CASI certification) (MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE CADS Training)

b) Complete a CADS  (Canadian Association of Disabled Skiers) level 1 certification course with a one time fee of $55 fee includes online manual 

4. Decide which program or programs you would like to work with.  

By selecting a program you are committing to being available at the scheduled time and dates for the entire 7 weeks, including an orientation night and the 6 week program. Signing up for one program is amazing, but if you have the capacity to do 2 programs, it allows us to simply help more students access the mountains.   There are 2 other selection you can also make when registering.  The first is to be apart of a list volunteers that get emailed when we have drop-in lessons, often Monday-Friday in the daytime. The other option is to be added to a list of volunteers that would like to be emailed when we have instructor shortages.   I am not sure how often this list would be activated, but if you are willing to receive the email, please indicate when you are signing up.  If you can help out that would be great.

For more information, visit the website - www.vass.ca -or contact us at info@vass.ca