Indigenous Life Sport Academy

Coach mikey and court with some rad friends are heading up to the Northwest Territories to spread the love of snowboarding

Indigenous Life Sport Academy and Arc'teryx are putting together another amazing experience for youth during the Arct'teryx Academy in Whistler with Sandy Ward. We have 6 spots and 2 dates you can choose from:

Dates: Feb 24 and Feb 25

Time: 8am-4pm

Location: Meeting at the Whistler Conference Centre

What: Intoduction to backcountry. A day of splitboarding or ski touring in the Whistler Blackcomb backcountry.

Requirements: Advanced ski or snowboard level. Able to turn confidently on blacks and off the runs through moguls and in trees. **Must be 14 years or older**

Equipment: We will provide everything!

Transportation: We were unable to sort out transportation this year so carpooling would be easiest.

How to sign up: There are 12 spots available for indigenous youth.

February 24th - https://forms.gle/ASeG216UFC8cNrYVA

February 25th - https://forms.gle/KzgUvFFmGUTrvpDRA

Indigenous Life Sport Academy and Arc’teryx are putting together another amazing experience for youth during the Arct’teryx Academy in Whistler. We have 6 spots and 2 dates you can choose from:

Dates: Feb 24 and Feb 25

Time: 8am-4pm

Location: Meeting at the Whistler Conference Centre

What: Intoduction to backcountry. A day of splitboarding or ski touring in the Whistler Blackcomb backcountry.

Requirements: Advanced ski or snowboard level. Able to turn confidently on blacks and off the runs through moguls and in trees. **Must be 14 years or older**

Equipment: We will provide everything!

Transportation: We were unable to sort out transportation this year so carpooling would be easiest.

How to sign up: There are 12 spots available for indigenous youth.

February 24th - https://forms.gle/ASeG216UFC8cNrYVA

February 25th - https://forms.gle/KzgUvFFmGUTrvpDRA

signed 166 of these Art Prints by

One of you lucky listeners is going to win one in the FNRad Season 8 Fundraiser!!

Link to tickets in the FNRad Instagram bio!!

All proceeds go to and this year!!

Thanks for your support! Tons of prizes to be won!!

Mountain Bike Registration is now open to Lil’Wat and Squamish Nation indigenous youth.
12 spots. 10-18 year olds.
Places will go fast so get booked.

Full participation in every single day is expected with 80% attendance minimum. We do not accept single day booking. Anyone signing up must book every single day.

https://www.lifesportcanada.org/book-online

Lil'wat Nation Squamish Nation

Race Report: Kabush and Nash Win Whistler Back Forty - Pinkbike 2023 was the third edition of Whistler's increasingly infamous Back Forty mountain bike race.

ILSA is in its twentieth year in 2023
This is our third year of running climbing programs for our youth.

In collaboration with Arc'teryx and Ground Up Climbing Centre
ILSA is pleased to open up online registration for 12 Lil'wat Nation and Squamish Nation youth

https://www.lifesportcanada.org/book-online

Dates:

June 11- Indoor climbing with Ground Up - 12pm - 2pm
June 25 - Indoor climbing with Ground Up - 12pm - 2pm
July 9 - Outdoor Climb with Arc’teryx - 10am - 2pm
July 23 - Outdoor Climb with Arc’teryx - 10am - 2pm
Aug 6 - Outdoor Climb with Arc’teryx - 10am - 2pm
Aug 20 - Outdoor Climb with Arc’teryx - 10am - 2pm
Sept 3 - Outdoor Climb with Arc’teryx - 10am - 2pm
Sept 17 - Indoor climbing with Ground Up - 12pm - 2pm
Oct 1 - Indoor climbing with Ground Up - 12pm - 2pm
Oct 15 - Indoor climbing with Ground Up - 12pm - 2pm

Thank you for all your support and the recent massive donation of equipment to our program.
We were able to fit youth with their own forever kit to keep them shredding on their own time🧡🧡🧡

Local Indigenous youth loving their kit upgrades and receiving their new boards.
ILSA donations and hooked these kids up.
stepped up with warmth and support. And provided ski instructors.
The kids absorbed the advice of their pro coaches.

All of our Sea to Sky applications have long since closed.
We’re fielding many enquiries this week trying to apply.
Our Sea to Sky programs applications closed one month ago.
All the mountains we deal with have closed their pass allocation.
It breaks our heart we cannot accept all these late applicants and we’ve tried our best to accommodate.

We look forward to welcoming all the new youth next winter.
Please make sure to apply early to avoid disappointment.

Our first Whistler Practice is tomorrow!!
Please only send your registered child if you’ve signed the online Whistler Blackcomb liability waiver.
You may have done this when you picked up the pass.
It can be signed online by creating an account on their website.
Start Time 10am.
Tim will be there from 9am running a waxing station with wax kindly donated by

Bring any old gear the youth have grown out of.
We need smaller boots, boards and bindings for the little ones aswell as larger gear.
Meeting point Blackcomb base at the bottom of Magic chair.
Tim is trying to call you all. You can ask him any questions. 604 388 9979

Tomorrow we will match kids up with gear and get rentals if needed.

Happy Holidays.
“Celebrating our successes”

A pillar of ILSA, Grandfather to all, always drops everything to help.
is an integral part of ILSA. Our First Nations programs wouldn’t be what they are without Kelvin. He’s been there from the start.
The amount of times Kelvin has been there at the drop of a hat to drive a team to a comp at Big White with twelve hours notice.
How many Grandparents do you know that can boardslide boxes and rails and spin a 540 over park jumps.
Kelvin is an absolute BOSS and a true gentleman.
Our lives our richer and warmer having him in it.
This guy has so much stacked footage of photos we will make multiple Kelvin posts this winter.
🧡We love you Kelvin 🧡

Grouse ILSA program
Last chance call out to sign up before applications close very soon.

A big thank you to for donating this splitboard to our amazing leader
There is nobody more deserving than Mikey!!
We’ve had offers of splitboard rentals from local Whistler shops and AST courses but didn’t have kit for our leaders to bring the kids into the backcountry on regular sessions.
Michael Barton and Sandy Ward have been spearheading this initiative.
This new board not only allows one person into the backcountry but many of our youth for years to come.
❤️🧡❤️🧡❤️🧡❤️🧡

Celebrating our successes.

Last winter we ran small versions of our program at new resorts in BC.
This year we’re overjoyed to launch new programs in Fernie, Kicking Horse, Whitewater and Kimberley aswell as our Vancouver programs returning after a break over COVID.
Pictured are happy youth in Fernie with our executive director

Winter is hitting hard in Whistler. Careful on the roads today.

Looking forward to all our new winter adventures across BC with our programs.
Pictured is Uncle Logan throwing down the knowledge for the kids. Director looking on.
We had big pow days right up to the end of the season. Fingers crossed for many more.

CELEBRATING OUR SUCCESSES 🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Our youth are so enriched by these experiences.
The ILSA outdoor climbing summer program transitioned to an indoor fall program.
Allowing many of our first timers to continue their new passion in the shorter days.
With special thanks to and
leading this proud group of climbers. 🧡🧡🧡

**NEW PROGRAM**
In partnership with ILSA is proud to offer a Cross-Country Skiing Program

Ages 10 - 14

10 spots

Dates:
Tuesday Jan 4th, Jan 11th, Jan 25th
Tuesday Mar 8th and Mar 15h

Equipment and coaching provided

Applications will be reviewed and selections made in Mid November

program sign is now live.
==LINK IN BIO==

We’re so proud of our ILSA leaders Reuben and Logan Bikadi’s selfless heroic rescue of a disoriented hiker.

Read the story in Pique Newsmagazine

“In a statement posted to the Lil’wat Nation’s official page, Chief Dean Nelson thanked the SAR teams and first responders who participated in the search, but recognized the Bikadi brothers in particular for “their selfless acts of community.”

The brothers, said Nelson, “took it upon themselves to make their way through the dark, steep and dangerous terrain” to find the missing community member. “Without Reuben and Logan’s selfless actions in this incident things would have been extremely dangerous with the winter weather moving in,” Nelson said.

Both brothers agreed it’s the “most major” rescue mission either have been a part of.

“But the way we were brought up, we just kind of knew what to do,” said Logan. “Everything fell into place.”

Amazing! We’re so proud of Reuben and Logan! ❤️

Lil’wat Nation brothers’ heroic actions rescue lost hiker Reuben and Logan Bikadi spent about 12 cold, dark hours on a mountainside in Mount Currie after locating stranded hiker

Come to the Bear & Sturgeon Nov 25th 7pm
Triple feature Snowboard premiere night.
Just like the old days!

All door proceeds going to Indigenous Life Sport Academy.
🧡Please show your support of our new Nelson program 🧡

Sign up now open
— Link in Bio —-

We are super excited to announce that we have been selected by lululemon as one of the recipients of their Here to Be grant!!🙌🙌🙌

In partnership with lululemon we will be launching three new snowboard programs in the Kootenays (Fernie, Nelson, Kimberley) 🏂❄️

This means that our crew can work with more communities and help their youth to thrive on and off the mountain.

To sign up for snowboarding in the Sea to Sky (Whistler Blackcomb, Grouse, Cypress) or Kootenays (Fernie, Nelson, Kimberley), head to our website: lifesportcanada.org

Thank you  🌟🌟

Thank you

Please consider Indigenous Life Sport Academy if your business is looking for a non profit to support.

Over the next few weeks we will be celebrating our achievements.
Providing access to the outdoors for youth in care.
Help us celebrate by sharing with your friends to up our engagement and reach kids that need our help.
Thank you 🙌🏻

Spots are filling up fast for our figurehead WHISTLER program.
Do not hesitate and Sign Up NOW!