First published December 1, 2014 in the Vancouver Sun (link)
Every year, about a million people across Canada enrol in universities and colleges, hoping to learn something they find interesting, while gaining skills that prepare them for life after graduation. This winter, mountain-sports enthusiasts in Whistler are planning to get educated at a different type of school — one that will teach them practical skills for a life and career in a mountain-resort town.
Enter the Whistler Mountain Adventure School (WMAS), a comprehensive training centre with unique programs and courses designed to equip students with specialized skills that are applicable and in high demand in mountain communities. Registered with B.C.’s Private Career Training Institutions Agency, the WMAS offers programs in retail and manufacturing, marketing and media, and adventure guiding, each concluding with a four week co-op placement with a local Whistler business.
Although the WMAS first opened its doors in Function Junction to students last summer, Eric Hughes, the school’s Operations Manager, is excited to kick off the school’s first winter programs. With a staff of local instructors who are some of the most accomplished professionals in the action sports world, Hughes has ambitious plans of attracting interest in WMAS internationally and turning Whistler into Canada’s educational hub for specialized mountain resort skills, while also helping local businesses by matching employers with relevant talent.
“The creation of the Whistler Mountain Adventure School is a win-win for both the community and the students,” Hughes said in an interview. “Students will gain specialized skills that are in demand by employers, while employers will be able to hire people who can perform on the job immediately.”
In the retail and manufacturing program, students develop skills in boot fitting, bike mechanics, and ski and snowboard manufacturing, and also learn how to run a retail business. Greg Funk, founder of Pemberton-based Funk Skis, and instructor of the 60-hour ski and snowboard production class at the WMAS, believes his course will equip students with the technical know-how along with business skills to turn raw materials into high performing products with unique brand identities.
“I’d say the majority of students in my class are primarily interested in the construction part of my course, but we make sure we teach them the entire ski production process, from creating a brand to manufacturing the skis to developing a sales strategy,” Funk said in an interview. “We want to teach our students to be entrepreneurial, so they can start their own companies or contribute to an existing brand.”
Those who want to pursue a career in backcountry guiding such as ski/snowboard guiding and rock climbing, can register for a spot in the adventure-guiding program, taught by Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) certified professionals. Hughes, who is also one of the adventure guiding instructors, believes the rapidly growing backcountry skiing market, along with easily accessible world-class backcountry terrain in the Sea-to-Sky area, makes Whistler the perfect classroom.
The marketing and media program teaches students skills in photography, event planning, social media, and filmmaking specific to outdoor action sports and tourism industries. Combining time in the school’s modern media lab together with time in nature and at indoor events, students learn to craft marketing and media strategies for a variety of different products and services, and finish their program with not only certificates, but also portfolios of work.
Most of the programs offer flexible schedules that include a combination of weekday night courses and weekend day courses, which are specially designed to make it convenient for mountain sports enthusiasts to learn practical, career-enhancing skills in an industry they are passionate about, while at the same time working in the community and playing in the mountains.
Uniquely positioned to draw on all the strengths of a world-class mountain town that attracts more than 2.5 million unique visitors annually, produces $1.27 billion of consumer spending per year, and generates 22 per cent of B.C’.s provincial export tourism economy, Whistler Mountain Adventure School's prospects — and those of its students — look exceptionally bright.
For more information about upcoming programs and courses, schedules, tuition costs, and enrolment at the Whistler Mountain Adventure School, go to www.whistlermountainadventureschool.com