Calling all QC Masters:
The winter and ski races will soon be at our door and it’s time to think about signing up for your Master’s National card or Master’s FIS card for the 2022/23 season. In order to purchase either card, you will need to create an athlete’s profile on the SQA website.
Master’s National: Early Bird = $176 before 12-Nov-22 In-season = $195 on or after 12-Nov-22
Master’s FIS: Early Bird = $225 before 1-Jan-23 In-season = $280 on or after 1-Jan-23
Again for this season, in order to purchase a Master’s National card or Master’s FIS card, you will first have to join one of the ski clubs in Quebec which have created a Masters’ program approved by SQA. At this time, only the Owl’s Head Ski Club has received approval from SQA; you will be notified each time an additional ski club receives approval from SQA.
The Owl’s Head Ski Club (OHSC) website has been updated with all the information on their two Masters’ programs being “Complete” and “Affiliated”. The Masters’ Affiliated program is aimed at Masters who live too far from Owl’s Head to take advantage of any of the in-club training programs designed for Masters.
Visit the Owl’s Head Ski Club website and from the Programmes drop down menu, select Catégories; scroll down to Programme des Maître (30 ans et plus) and then expand on the Maîtres Affiliés section. To apply for membership, select Devenir athlete at the bottom of the page; a new page opens displaying the steps to follow in order to obtain approval to join the club veuillez envoyer une demande par courriel en incluant les informations suivantes. Once you have been notified of your approval to join OHSC, the email explains how to complete your registration and make payment at a cost of $250. Note: On most of the pages of the OHSC site, there is a specific section for the Masters’ Affiliate program and for the Masters’ Complete program. Also, it is no longer necessary to contribute 1-day of volunteering to the OHSC, as a condition for your Masters’ Affiliate membership.
Only after you have been confirmed as a member of the Owl’s Head Ski Club, can you then indicate in your SQA profile that you are now affiliated with OHSC. SQA will notify you by email that the process is complete and that you can proceed with the online purchase of your Master’s National or FIS card, using the SQA website.
Note: The purchase of the Master’s FIS card requires you to download the FIS Athlete Declaration Form and the optional, but strongly recommended, Medical Evaluation Form, from the SQA website. After downloading, you can fill in, scan and upload these document(s) to your profile.
The approval of ski club membership and purchase of SQA race card, plus updates to the ACA and FIS websites all take time, so you are encouraged to act quickly so that you will be able to register for your chosen races on time.
Not required as a condition for a Master’s card purchase, but still highly recommended, is the purchase of ski racing accident insurance (including repatriation) for times when the athlete is racing OUTSIDE of Quebec. Masters can purchase insurance, such as the PAAS (SAIP) class 3 policy (Canada only) at a price of $77.39 through SQA.
For any questions concerning the SQA website, contact Yanique on 514-252-3089, extension 3715, or at [email protected] (attention: Yanique Verne).
Please note that the third ever Eastern Canada Masters’ Championships will be held from 23-26 February 2023, in Stoneham, Québec, requiring a Master’s National, FIS or Weekend card to participate. Note: Racers who live in Québec can no longer purchase a weekend card when registering for the races as weekend cards are no longer sold by SQA; weekend cards from other provinces will be acceptable.
Also note that the Canadian Masters’ Alpine Championships (CMAC) as well as the FIS Masters Cup (FMC) will be held from 8-10 February 2023 in Kimberley, British Columbia, requiring a Master’s National, FIS or Weekend card to participate. Racers who do not care about FIS points can still enter any Kimberley race with only a Master’s National or Weekend card.
However, when you purchase your racer’s card, we recommend you opt for a Master’s FIS card over a Master’s National card for the following reasons:
- For every Master’s FIS card purchased, Alpine Canada Masters receive $10 from ACA, but for every Master’s National card purchased, only $5 is received.
- At Kimberley, racers with a Master’s FIS card will start in each FIS race in their age category before racers holding a Master’s National or Master’s weekend card.
- You will receive a certificate from FIS attesting to your world ranking in your age category after completing a minimum of six Masters’ FIS calendar races during the season.
Ages 18-30: You must be 30 years or older on 31 December 2022 to obtain a Master’s FIS card but only 18 to obtain a Master’s National or Master’s weekend card.
Racers who wish to participate in any Masters’ FIS races outside of Canada require a FIS Masters card.
Lewis Heilig | Québec Masters’ Representative