Current Coaches

The coaching pathway is designed to guide your training and skill development as a coach, providing you with the tools required to support athletes at successively higher levels of performance.

This pathway also mirrors the stages of the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) plan. Stages 1-2 athletes are led by Instructors at snow-schools, so our coaching pathway begins with Stage 3.

New coaches begin their journey on the coaching pathway with the Competition Introduction Course. To learn more about this step, click here.

Coaching Pathway: overview

For a Stage by Stage breakdown of the Coaching Pathway, click here.

Reviewing your status / completed pathway steps

To review which completed courses and modules currently appear on your transcript, visit The Locker at coach.ca.

If you have trouble locating the pathway or transcript pages, view the walkthrough by clicking here.

Upcoming Coaching Courses

To find coaching courses being delivered near you, click here.

Responsible Coaching Movement

All Canada Snowboard Member Coaches are expected to adhere to the standards of the Responsible Coaching Movement, which outlines the scope of appropriate actions between coaches and those whom they are in charge of. This includes the "Rule of Two", background checks and ethics training. To learn more about the Responsible Coaching Movement, click here.

Athlete Welfare, injuries and concussions

Coaches are responsible for the safety and well being of their athletes. This is known as a duty of care.

An important element of this is your responsibility to educate yourself about injury prevention and concussion awareness. The Coaches Association of Canada (CAC) offers valuable resources related to common injury identification, prevention and recovery. To learn more, visit coach.ca.

The CAC also offers the Making Head Way concussion awareness module, which Canada Snowboard mandates that all of our member coaches complete. To access this module via the Locker, click here.

coaching Standards

We know that you work hard as a Coach to create a safe, supportive, performance-driven environment for your athletes. In other words, you have their back so they can focus on doing their job.

The Canada Snowboard Coaching Program (CSCP) is designed to serve that same role for Coaches. As the skills required by athletes to win at each successive level increase, so too do the supporting tools required by the coaches. By following the standards laid out by the CSCP, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you're properly equipped to help athletes reach their athletic potential while at the same time minimizing your personal risks.

CSCP Minimum Standards

The table below outlines the level of formal training or certification that coaches must undertake prior to prior to working with Canada Snowboard member athletes.

Coaching Licenses and Membership Renewals

Coaches must first apply for and obtain a Canada Snowboard Coaching License before being able to work with athletes. Coaches then apply for the renewal of this license every year. To obtain or renew your license, you must have first:

completed their Competition Introduction Course (or higher)
registered as a Coach using the Canada Snowboard Membership system
submitted a background check (updated within last 3 years). This process can be completed online using using SterlingBackcheck ($25)

Once the final step has been completed, please allow 1-2 weeks for Canada Snowboard to review your file and issue your coaching license.

>> Purchase your Canada Snowboard membership
& apply for your coaching license <<

Note: please complete your coaching license application at the start of the season. Do not wait until just prior to an event to apply. It may not be approved in time.

Note: your license needs to be renewed every year. The annual date of expiration is June 30th.

In addition to this policy, Canada Snowboard is RECOMMENDING coaches join the Professional Coaching Department of Coaches of Canada (COC). Starting for the 2017 - 2018 season, every sanctioned competitive snowboard program in Canada must have one coach who is CAC Registered, usually the Head Coach. When registering online with Canada Snowboard, coaches should select the CAC Registered Coach Membership which is $100.00. These coaches do NOT require the Canadian Snowboard Coach License (one license per coach).

Coaches that become members of the CAC have access to the following benefits and more:

Legal and Accounting Advice;
Access to Rosetta Stone Language Training;
Group Benefits and Liability Insurance programs; and
Human Kinetics discounts.

In addition to these benefits, in the event of an unfortunate incident, the coach, the club / employer involved have access to a free third party mediation committee, that would review the situation, and take the required action.

To find out more about becoming a Chartered Professional Coach, or A Registered Coach, please visit their website.

Coaches who have renewed their CSCP License are eligible for a 25% off Burton ProForm. Please email the CSCP Team to inquire about yours!

Coaching Certifications

At most steps of the coaching pathway, in order to progress from Trained to Certified status, candidates must submit a portfolio that demonstrates their newly acquired knowledge being put into practice, followed by attending an on-snow evaluation.

Portfolios

Details about the items to be included in the course portfolio are available via your course Learning Facilitator.

Completed portfolios should be emailed to your Learning Facilitator or your Provincial / Territorial snowboard association coaching contact for review.

Evaluations

After your portfolio has been reviewed, you can move to the on-snow evaluation. To schedule your evaluation, click here.

Professional Development

Throughout the snowboard season and off-season, coaches are encouraged to continue developing their base of knowledge via professional development (pd) opportunities.

These currently consist of Canada Snowboard webinars and multi-sport modules offered through the National Coaching Certification Program. Regional or provincial snowboard coaching conferences and mentorship networks are currently under development by the CSCP.

To learn more about upcoming pd opportunities, click here.

Sanctioning

Before you begin any off-snow training activities, on-snow training or competitions with your athletes, you should first ensure that you have requested that the activity be sanctioned by Canada Snowboard. This step is required in order to review the possibility of extending Canada Snowboard insurance protections to the activities of its member clubs. To learn more about this important process, click here.

The sanctioning process is also covered in the Administration of Coaching webinar. To watch it, click here.

Business Best Practices

Worker’s Compensation, Insurance and Incorporation

Being a snowboard Coach can often mean that you’re also an entrepreneur or independent contractor. As such, you’ll want to protect yourself and your business from potential risks that might arise. Canada Snowboard strongly recommends that you speak with a qualified business and legal advisor about obtaining the types of coverage that best suit your operation.

Program Policies

Canada Snowboard is committed to professionalizing all aspects of our sport. As such, several official policies are in place, covering a wide range of administrative areas. To learn more, click here.

Connect with other Canada Snowboard Coaches

Coaches are invited to join the CSCP Facebook group.

This is an ideal place to discover and discuss coaching resources, engage with other members of the community and learn about coaching opportunities in your area.

Contact

If you have questions about any of the topics covered on this page, please connect with the CSCP team.

Coaching Program

Coaching Courses

The Coaching Pathway