Canada Snowboard and CADS to develop Para snowboard

On the occasion of the Big White 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships, Canada Snowboard has announced a partnership with the Canada Association for Disabled Skiing (CADS) to develop and implement complementary programmes, to build awareness and develop grassrootsPara snowboarding from coast-to-coast.

CADS is building on 40 years of adaptive ski teaching and its growing network of certified volunteer snowboard instructors across the country to implement Canada Snowboard’s Para Snowboard Long Term Athlete Development Plan (LTAD) to adapt the LEARN programme and the RIDERS Green programme for people with impairments.

Patrick Jarvis, Canada Snowboard Executive Director, said: "The Big White 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships is the perfect event to announce this partnership. Through working with CADS, potential Canadian Para snowboard athletes will now have a clear pathway to reaching their athletic goals, being active for life, and achieving excellence in international competition."

CADS instructors will develop the fundamental snowboard skills necessary to ride with confidence. This partnership will also help increase the depth of Para snowboard participants, identifying potential athletes for Canada Snowboard’s high performance programme.

Another major piece of the partnership is that CADS and its divisions will work with Canada Snowboard’s and its Provincial Territorial Snowboard Associations (PTSAs) to deliver targeted programming, initiatives and events. This will serve to give participants and athletes a clear view of the pathway to the top of the Paralympic podium.

Christian Hrab, CADS Managing Director, added: “We are happy to align our efforts with Canada Snowboard to make snowboarding accessible to people of all abilities. CADS snowboard instructors will implement a specific teaching method adapted to the needs of all participants from beginners to the advanced rider.”

The World Para Snowboard Championships will conclude on Tuesday, (7 February) 2017 with banked slalom.

Live results are available at BigWhite2017.com.