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Edition #2, September 18th, 2026
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In This Newsletter:
- Welcome Back
- Training Updates
- Return Offer Letters
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❄️❄️Winter is Almost here! ❄️❄️
As we look toward another memorable season at Whistler Snow School, our senior leadership team is feeling inspired by all that’s ahead. With familiar faces, new energy, a shared passion for creating exceptional experiences, we’re ready to make this winter one to remember, for our guests and for each other. From first turns to new experiences, we’re excited to help our guests build confidence, create lasting memories, and fall in love with the mountain all over again.
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WB SNOW SCHOOL TEAM
Afternoon WB Snow School Team,
I hope you've all had a fantastic summer and are as excited as we are for another incredible winter at Whistler Blackcomb. While there is still work to be done before the snow flies, there is already a tremendous amount of energy across the resort, and it's exciting to see preparations coming together for the season ahead.
One of the biggest milestones on the horizon is hosting the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill next weekend. It's been incredible to watch teams from across the resort come together to deliver an event of this scale, and we're proud to play our part. If you have an opportunity, I encourage you to come out and take it in. There will be both free and paid viewing areas available, and it's sure to be an amazing showcase of our mountain, our community, and our people.
Around the resort, progress continues on a number of important projects. The Showcase Lift Upgrade remains on track, and we'll soon see towers taking flight as installation work ramps up. Over at the Roundhouse, the renovation of Pika's is moving along well and will be a fantastic upgrade for both our instructors and guests when it opens this winter.
On the staffing front, our Managers and Product Managers have returned and are back in the office. They'll be reaching out and reconnecting with teams, and you'll find additional updates from the rest of the Senior Team throughout this newsletter. While we're still hiring for several leadership and frontline positions, we're tracking well against our staffing targets for the season. I'm also happy to share that our Scheduling and Support Teams are fully staffed and already hard at work preparing for opening day.
I'd also like to highlight an important operational change for this winter. As many of you know, recent provincial changes around daylight savings and time observation have required us to adjust a number of program schedules.
Whistler Blackcomb recently shared additional information in its announcement, which you can review through the linked press release.
At a high level, group and private lesson start times will be pushed back approximately 15 to 30 minutes through mid-February to help ensure a smooth mountain upload and provide sufficient daylight for our guests and employees. Lesson end times will also move later by the same amount, as program durations themselves are not changing. We're also re-imagining many of our early-morning uploads for Seasonal and Club programs and are working closely with our Mountain Operations partners to finalize those plans. We expect to communicate detailed scheduling information to both staff and guests by mid-October. This does represent a significant change in our operations, not just for the Snow School but the resort as a whole. We will both learn and work through these changes together to ensure the best possible experience for you and our guests.
There's a lot happening, and while winter may still feel a little ways off, the momentum is building every day. Thank you for everything you do to make Snow School such a special part of the guest experience. We can't wait to welcome you back and share another incredible season together.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely
Kyle Murphy
Sr. Director of Skier Services
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Hello & Welcome from Omer
Hi all,
My name is Omer Dagan and I am the new Sr Manager of the Children’s Snow School. I began my career at Whistler Blackcomb as an Adventure Camp instructor and worked in lots of different roles within the school for many years. For the past several years I’ve been fortunate to work on the resort Business Development team, being involved in a whole host of projects from sponsorships, capital planning and large scale events. Most recently I’ve been part of the local organizing committee for the upcoming UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup. It’s a great honor for me to get to return to the kids world where my time in Whistler started and I’m excited to spend more time on snow and getting to know more of you.
I’m also so excited to get to work with the kids Managers and Product Manager team, who all have an enormous amount of experience and care so deeply for the experience of our guests. Sarah Harrison and Andrea Kennedy will be back at Blackcomb. Leila Phillipson is once again at Base 2. Paul Shimizu and Paul Van Den Berg are returning to the Village. Lastly, Dick Nott who many of you know from our Development Programs, will be moving to Creekside alongside our new Support Product Manager Dan Walsh, while Hannah Bostrom is on maternity leave. We’ve got a great team, and we’ll be sending out more information about our team of Assistant Managers in upcoming communications. For now, if you have any questions, your Managers and Product Managers are here to help so feel free to reach out.
Enjoy the Fall and I look forward to seeing you all on snow soon.
Omer Dagan
Sr. Manager of Children's Program
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Welcome Back, Team WB!
If you're reading this, it means we're getting closer to that magical time of year when alarm clocks start ringing a little earlier (well not this year… I guess), ski boots start appearing in hallways, and conversations somehow find their way back to snow conditions no matter what the original topic was.
And honestly? We couldn't be happier about it.
As we get ready for another winter season at WB Snow School, we want to extend a huge welcome back to all of our instructors in Adult Groups, Private Lessons, and Specialty Programs. Whether you're returning for your second season or your twentieth and beyond, we're grateful to have you as part of the team. The passion, professionalism, and positive energy you bring to the mountain are what gives us soul.
We're also excited to introduce and welcome back the leadership team supporting these programs this season:
Adult Groups| Paul Sauve | Program Manager
Specialty Programs | Nathan Steele | Program Manager
Private Lessons | Carla Areny | Program Manager
Paul, Carla, and Nathan are back in the office and already hard at work (annoying me) and getting everything lined up for a successful season. From scheduling and staffing to training and program planning, we're focused on setting (fingers crossed) all of you up for a great winter.
One of the things Ted Lasso always seems to get right is that great teams aren't built on perfection. They're built on trust, communication, and people looking out for one another. That's exactly what we hope to foster this season.
So as questions come up, if something doesn't make sense, if you have an idea that could make us better, or if you simply need some support, please reach out. We'd much rather have a conversation early than let a small concern turn into a big one. Our doors, inboxes, and phones are always open.
This season will bring new challenges, new opportunities, and plenty of chances to help our guests discover what they can accomplish on the snow (I still think of Snow School lessons as an investment, and always will...). That's a pretty special job when you think about it. Every lesson is an opportunity to build confidence, create memories, and maybe even help someone fall in love with skiing or riding for life.
Thank you for being part of the WB Snow School community. We're excited to work alongside you again and can't wait to see the energy, expertise, and enthusiasm you bring to the mountain this winter.
Until then, stay healthy, stay stoked, and remember:
We are here to help...
All the best as always,
Bartosz Barczynski
Sr. Manager of Adult Programs & Privates
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Welcome Back!
We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back for another amazing season! Our management team and product manager are back in the office, and we’re excited to get things underway.
We’re especially happy to have the amazing Marie Claude Baron leading our scheduling team again this year. We’re so fortunate to have Marie Claude’s experience, dedication, and energy helping keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
We’re also excited to welcome Richard Quirk to our management team, where he’ll be heading up our Development, Competitive, Adult & Club Programs. We’re looking forward to the experience and enthusiasm Richard will bring to these programs and to the continued growth of our club.
We’re also happy to have Lucie Bishop stepping into a new role, leading our Administration and Snow School Play Team. We’re excited to have Lucie taking on this role and look forward to all she’ll bring to support the whole school.
There’s lots happening as we kick off the new season, and we can’t wait to see everyone
Brenda Peterson
Sr. Manager Snow School
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Training Updates:
Hi all! I hope you have been maintaining your fitness program over the summer and are building your strength, flexibility and endurance for the upcoming season. If you need a personal program, AI tools like Chat GPT can be great to give you an idea of where to start!
If you are still part of last year's Whatsapp community (Training Channel) , you've also seen some opportunities to get involved in the 'Summer Training Program' that was organized by the training mangers at Keystone and Breckenridge.
These online training forums will continue through the fall. For all topics and dates watch the whatsapp channel for links or find all the information on www.wbsnowandbikeschool.ca (news article).
Have a look -Summer Training Flyer
CASI Snowboard Courses:
For those booking CASI courses this season - take advantage of this offer!
CASI has a resort support voucher for 40% and CASI course! Note that it needs to be entered at checkout.
There is a limited amount so use it early!
CODE > WHI_RS2627_qkA_3103
Winter Training Schedule:
Mandatory Training:
Online Lift Training will again be a 'thing'. This will be assigned to you when you are hired and we ask that you complete it before your first day of on snow work.
Snow School Orientations - 2 hour indoor or online sessions will be scheduled in the coming months with dates available in November and December. You will sign yourself up for this session in flaik.
On Hill Training (RST for return staff and OST/IST for new staff) will also be in the flaik system for self sign up in the coming months. Stay tuned to this newsletter for future updates.
Elective Training:
AM session - we are definitely planning on offering AM session again this season. Times and details will come as our daylight savings and lesson start times get finalized.
Full Day Training sessions - will also remain similar to last year with topics on similar days.
More to come on both these in coming weeks.
See you out there,
Tracey Fraser (she/hers)
Training Manager
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Return Offer Letters
As we prepare for the upcoming season, we will need all return instructors to accept their offer letters and complete any required onboarding tasks.
Your offer letter and preboarding tasks can be found in Epic Employee under My Requests
Important: If you are not currently employed by Whistler Blackcomb, you must log in using your personal email address, not your Vail Resorts credentials.
To help you access Epic Employee as a preboarding employee, please review the guides below:
Human Resources - How to Log Into EpicEmployee During Preboarding
Human Resources - How to Reset Your Password During Preboarding
Screenshots and troubleshooting tips are included in KBAs to help you access your account and complete your onboarding requirements.
If you successfully log in to Epic Employee but do not see a returner offer letter under My Requests, please contact Lucie Bishop at lbishop@vailresorts.com and she will provide next steps.
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Your Snow School Managment Team:
Tracey Fraser
Training Manager
tfraser@vailresorts.com
Carla Areny
Blackcomb Privates Manager
careny@vailresorts.com
Paul Sauve
Adult Group Lessons Manager
psauve@vailresorts.com
Nathan Steele
Specialty Programs Manager
nathan.c.steele@vailresorts.com
Dick Nott
Whistler Kids Manager Creekside
rpnott@vailresorts.com
Richard Quirk
Manager Development & Comp & Adult Programs
richard.quirk@vailresorts.com
Paul Shimizu
Whistler Village Manager
pshimizu@vailresorts.com
Sarah Harrison
Blackcomb Base Manager
sbharrison@vailresorts.com
Marie Claude Baron
Product Manager Scheduling
marieclaude.baron@vailresorts.com
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