Words - Corrina Stafford, HeliCat’s Executive Administrator
Many of you reading this will be familiar with the process involved in becoming an ACMG Ski Guide. Some of you won’t. And before this interview, that included myself. So I wanted to sit down with someone currently in the process of achieving their ACMG Full Ski Guide certification to see just what it takes to become a ski guide.
I met virtually with Jana Poborilova to discuss this topic and learn about how this path has been for her. Jana is an ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide who will be taking her final Ski Guide exam with the ACMG this December (2020). While training and studying to become a Full Ski Guide Jana has been working with CMH Heli-skiing, Stellar Heliskiing, Icefall Lodge, and volunteering with her local Search and Rescue Group.
Tell us a bit about yourself, your background, and how you got into guiding.
I grew up in a small mountain town in the Czech Republic and was a member of the Czech Nordic-skiing Junior Team, however deep snow was way more appealing to me. While I was a student I spent as much time as possible skiing, climbing and biking in the Czech and French Alps. After graduating from a masters program of Sport and Leisure Management at Palacky University in Czech Republic, I came to BC. I got hooked on the Canadian powder and have never looked back!
It wasn’t until I came to Canada that the world of guiding opened up to me and it became apparent that this could be a career option. In Czech Republic I would have loved to have joined Mountain Rescue, but it was prohibited for women to join. The revelation came when I began working for CMH as a bartender that the possibility that I too could become a ski guide was there. The guiding team at CMH Galena are my inspiration and mentors. They supported and encouraged me to apply for the ACMG Ski Guide program.
What does it take to become an ACMG Ski Guide?
Ultimately it takes passion, experience, and dedication. It is very competitive to be accepted onto the ACMG Ski Guide program and you need to have solid experience in the mountains, strong skiing ability, and other prerequisite courses and skills to even be considered. I think that to be successful you should go into the program with more experience than what is expected or required. When I was building up my experience in order to submit my application to the ACMG I shifted my focus to train and build some more background with big mountain objectives. It is essential to keep up your ski touring and mechanised skiing involvement as you are progressing through the program.
I did not begin the process of applying until I was aged 31 and overall life experience certainly plays a factor. The time commitment can be around three to five years. If you come from a family background of mountaineering and adventuring then you have an edge as a younger candidate. A good way to gain the experience if you didn’t grow up in such an outdoors environment would be to join an Adventure Studies program such as the one at Thompson Rivers University or College of the Rockies.
You mentioned that it was impossible for females to join Mountain Rescue when you were living in the Czech Republic. How do you feel that Canada accepts women into the ski industry?
I have never felt in Canada that there has been any discrimination or reduced opportunity for females. None that I have seen. I have never seen gender as a limiting factor within the ski industry. Finding your way in a typically male dominated industry is just another challenge to overcome. In the past ten years there has been a definite shift, and you see many more females participating in sports that are perceived as male dominated such as dirt biking and sledding. The support is there for female guides and I can only see more and more females applying to the ACMG’s programs.
What’s next for you?
I’m going to knuckle down and study hard for my final ACMG Ski Guide exams. “Once you pass the exam, that’s when your learning truly begins.”
Even in a normal year it can be tough for ACMG Apprentice level Ski Guides to gain secure employment, and in the current climate the prospects are even more limited. So this winter I will be focusing on my education and keeping active.
Good Luck Jana! We can’t wait to hear from you as your journey continues.
If you are interested in finding out more about the ACMG and their courses and resources, you can find them online here. You can also find information on the CSGA ski guide training program here.