Last Ride! Final Vancouver SUN blogpost for 2012!

 

Last Ride: Final SUN Ski Guide Blog for 2012

So, I thought we’d wrap up the 2012 ski season with a bit of a re-cap of some of the highlights gleaned around British Columbia during what was surely one of the most epic years for snowfall of all time. The momentum that started with early season snows pounding the Coast Range continued right through last week’s Telus Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival. The Pro Photographer Showdown is always a major highlight of the festival, and last night Unofficial Networks posted Brian Nevis’s winning entry. This is the second year in a row that a surf photographer has won the big prize.

Here are my other notable media picks from the season that just ended.

1)      S**t Skiers Say – I’ve watched it ten times and have to say that this Voleurz satire on the S**t Girls Say meme was one of the best. “It’s a great day for a great ski!” “Is the red light on, is it on?” and “Are you sponsored?” – Priceless dialogue, indeed.

2)      The Freedom Chair – The story of Josh Dueck, former freestyle coach who became a paraplegic after demonstrating an aerial manoeuvre to his kids, is long on inspiration, and not in a corny, Disney kind of way. It’s clear from this succinct video that Dueck struggles, every day, but he’s ‘still a skier.’ Later in the year, Dueck would blow everyone’s minds by doing the first back flip on a sit-ski which went super-viral in the weeks’ afterward.

3)      Fernie’s Big Days – The snows are melting and the East Kootenay is currently on flood watch, a poignant reminder of just how ‘big’ the 2012 ski season was. On two separate occasions, Fernie Alpine Resort reported over a metre of snowfall in twenty four hours, which resulted in some of the most epic powder skiing in memory (and… it didn’t turn to rain!) On February 26, local skier Dylan Siggers got the GoPro lens nice and snow covered with this Niseko-like footage.

4)      Embedded and Waiting for Winter – The ski and snowboard season started out in fine fashion with the Embedded video project, a collaboration between Mike Douglas’s Switchback Entertainment, Origin Design, and Whistler/Blackcomb. Ensconced in the patrol shack (they didn’t even let him down for his birthday), Douglas waits for winter to come and it does, with a vengeance.

5)      All.I.Can. and JP Auclair – It says quite a lot about how consumers are viewing videos when a six minute segment gets far more play than an entire movie. Sherpas Cinema’s All.I.Can. – the award-winning documentary on skiing and global warming – featured a mind-blowing urban jib segment filmed on the gritty streets of Trail, BC. Even non-skiers got a huge kick out of this one.

6)      The Year of Robin O’Neill  – The Arc’teryx Deep Winter Photo Challenge is one of Whistler’s most highly anticipated events – where five photographers are given 72 hours to come up with dramatic footage set to a groovy soundtrack. (No Sigur Ros or Magnetic Zeros songs, either). For the first time a female photographer walked off with first place. Robin O’Neill won under challenging circumstances – there was no new snow – at all – during the three days. So maybe her title of ‘Queen of Storms’ is a bit of a misnomer. View O’Neill’s award winning entry, here, along with her fabulous Breaking Trail documentary on the first Spearhead Range traverse.

7)      POWDER Magazine’s 40^th Anniversary Issue – The cover features a Neil Leifer photo from LIFE magazine that featured a story on hot dog skiing, which is what freestyle was originally called. Powder, known as ‘the Skier’s Magazine’ has always been at the forefront in searching for the ‘pure’ ski experience, and although it’s come to depend on pro skiers and film crews to fill its many pages of eye candy, this commemorative trip down memory lane takes you back to a simpler time when skiing in jeans wasn’t necessarily an ironic fashion statement.

Have a great off-season! Just a reminder – and a plug for Whistler-based Extremely Canadian – that there’s fabulous summer skiing in Las Lenas, Argentina!

 

The World Comes to Whistler (Again), Which Resorts Are Open (and Closed), Deals, Deals, and Going MOD with Recon

“It Begins…” Canada’s Biggest Ski and Snowboard Festival At Whistler: Photo Credit: Mike Crane/WSSF

Hey, if I wasn’t laid up with post-op knee surgery, you can bet I’d be couch surfing up in Whistler and attending the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival. From its humble beginnings as the World Technical Skiing Championship to a year-end party that is totally huge in its scope and creativity, the TWSSF brings together the international ski and snowboard tribes to shred, talk story, show videos and images, and generally spread the stoke. And of course with a snow base that’s measure in hundreds of centimetres, (I gave up counting in mid March), the skiing and riding will be truly awesome.

In no particular order, here are my top picks:

Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown – Wednesday, April 18, Whistler Convention Centre. What, it’s SOLD OUT already? Maybe they should move this event to Rogers Arena to accommodate everyone who wants to see it. Good luck to elder snowboard statesman shooter Scott Serfas, who is an entrant this year.

The Mountain Culture Variety Show – Sunday, April 15,Whistler Conference center

This could really be the sleeper event of the year, given the outstanding artistic talent on top. Coast Mountain Culture Magazine, and The Spearhead Huts Committee present the first annual Mountain Culture Variety show which promises to be one that will leave audience members’ palms sweaty and hearts pounding.

To evoke the mountain madness, the show will use the state-of-the-art audio-visual setup from the Pro Photographer’s Showdown and will feature presentations from local mountain enthusiasts Jordan Manley, Sherpas Cinemas, Robin O’Neil, Johnny “Foon” Chilton, Chris Christie, Les Anthony, and Sterling Lorence. Emcee is some guy named Scott, who is pretty funny. To learn more about the Spearhead Huts Foundation, go to: spearheadhuts.org

Tickets are $20 and will be available at Whistler’s Escape Route and online here. The show starts at 9:00pm and will run until 11:00pm. Doors will open at 8:00pm.

World Skiing Invitational – April 19 – 22

You can bet there will be plenty of Red Bull helmets when the world’s top freeride skiers converge for this star-studded season ending event in slopestyle, big air, and superpipe. The guest list reads like a Who’s Who of the DEW Tour of X-Games and includes Bobby Brown, Gus Kenworthy, Joss Christensen, Jossi Wells, Kaya Turski, Russ Henshaw, Tom Wallisch and Torin Yater-Wallace. This is the biggest freeskiing event to be held in Whistler since Jon Olsson competed back in 2009.

Who’s Open, Who’s Not?

Easter fell a wee bit early this year, but the copious snowfall through March has pushed closing dates ahead at several resorts.

Closing This Weekend: Mount Seymour, Big White, Silver Star, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

Still Going Strong: Grouse Mountain (April 29), Cypress Mountain, Mount Washington (April 22), Mount Baker (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays – through April 29), Whistler (April 29), Blackcomb (May 28) – note that both Whistler and Blackcomb are now open a half hour later, until 4:00 p.m. daily)

Done for the Season: Red Mountain, Whitewater, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Hemlock Valley Resort, Manning Park Resort, Apex Resort, Sun Peaks Resort, Kimberley Resort.

Deals of the Week:

Cypress Mountain, this is the final week of the Spring 2012/13 Season Pass Sale – Take advantage of teh lowest pricing of the year for next year’s passes – new passholders cross country ski free for the remainder of this season!  Sale ends April 15th.

Grouse Y2Play 2012/13 Snowpass: Almost sold out! The best deal in town is back for a limited time. Enjoy skiing and riding up at The Peak of Vancouver for this winter and all of next for up to 80% off regular pass rates. Y2Play sells out every year. Senior and Tot Y2Play Passes are already sold out.  Don’t miss out!

Whistler/Blackcomb: Too many fantastic lift and accommodation packages to mention. Renew your EDGE card and ‘lock in’ 2012 pricing.

Gear of the Week: Test Drive Recon’s MOD Live at TWSSF

Don’t miss your chance to demo Vancouver-based Recon’s MOD Live goggle technology on the slopes of Whistler during the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival. MOD (stands for Micro Optics Displays) tracks virtually every aspect of your ski/snowboard experience: Speed, Jump Analytics, Altitude, Vertical Drop, Distance, Lap/Lap Times, Location, Satellite Tracking/Navigation and more. The MOD Live is even Android compatible.

Take the test drive and you’ll be entered into the MOUNTAIN FM contest to win a MOD Live and the unreleased SCOTT NAV-R-2 goggle before it’s even on the market. Demos will available at Whistler’s Roundhouse (look for the Recon flags) from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm on April 14, 15, 21, 22. The contest winner will be announced 5pm, Saturday April 21st at the Mountain FM tent.

Recon staff will also take a photo of you showing off your top stat and post it on a Facebook album. You can tag your photo and show off your stats to all your friends. If you’re on Twitter, tweet about your test drive experience, brag about how fast you went, and start up a friendly competition with other test drivers using the hashtag #TestMODLive.

Say, What?

Following on the massive success of Sh*t Skiers Say – created by Voleurz’ Darren Raynor in January (1,000,000 hits and counting) is Jackson Hole based Lyndsey Dyer’s Sh*t Girl Skiers Say which dropped earlier this week. Dyer, one of the, uh, most photogenic skiers you’ll ever meet, with charging the Selkirk Mountains around Revelstoke Mountain Resort and Selkirk Tangiers Heli-Skiing.

 

 

Red Bull in the Baldface Shop, Final Kick to the Season, Save Big Dough at Cypress and Grouse, A Faster Way to Seymour’s Summit

Vancouver SUN Ski Guide Blogpost for April 4, 2012

Where to possibly begin with this week’s Vancouver SUN ski blog? After all, so many outrageous pictures and videos have been posted from skiing at areas all across western Canada. Here’s one with a bit of a reminder – just because a ski slope has tracks going down doesn’t mean it’s 100 percent safe. This pic was taken in the slackcountry near Lake Louise (a fantastic ski area where I skied for several years in the late 70s). Note that this avalanche slid right to the ground after dozens of skiers had gone over it. (So much for ‘ski compaction – note how tiny the skiers at the left of the picture are, for some perspective).

Though the Rocky Mountains generally have a sketchier, weakly layered snowpack, keep in mind that several CAA avalanche advisories have been posted this winter. Always go to www.avalanche.ca to get the meta-forecast for the area that you want to ski, and watch those slackcountry zones (West Bowl, above, is only a short hike from the ski area, as is Taynton Bowl at Panorama, where two skiers went missing – and thankfully were found – last weekend).

Red Bull Super Natural on NBC Gives Great Exposure to BC’s Baldface Lodge

Baldface Lodge owner Jeff Pensiero must be grinning ear to ear after last Saturday’s two hour telecast of the Red Bull Supernatural snowboard event on NBC Sports (thanks, NBC, for timing it before the NCAA hoops semi final). The actual event went down in February, but this event had truly had Mother Nature on its side and some very creatively placed camera and Contour helmet cam angles. And the home made stunts were outrageous. Can’t find the full broadcast right now, but a Contour POV edit is online. BTW Red Bull, nice April Fool’s trick featuring finger boarder Mike Schneider on Sunday.

Kicking Horse Extends Season to April 15

Also up in the Rockies, March’s epic goodness has blanketed Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, which is staying open until April 15 – one week later than planned. On slope accommodation recommendation – the Copper Horse Lodge co-owned by my good pal Gord Vizutti. Don’t miss the Lushmasters Dinner, April 7th @ 6:30pm in Corks Restaurant, located right in the hotel. Five courses paired with 5 alcoholic beverages!

Generations at Whistler-Blackcomb

Whistler-Blackcomb has dropped so many deep pow shots and videos in the past month that they’ve created a special video room to watch ‘em all. This edit is from mid-March, with over 30 cms today (April 4), I’m sure there will be more. The Generations video from Switchback Entertainment features a sentimental look at one family and their history of skiing at Whistler.

Sarah Burke Public Memorial

A Special Memorial on Tuesday, April 10^th in Whistler Village will be held to honour the life of Sarah Burke, the female slopestyle skier who tragically passed away back in January in Park City, UT. Her loss reverberated throughout the larger sports world—you can expect that there won’t be a dry eye in the house.

 Jumbo Pass Ski Resort – Two Views:

As was widely reported two weeks ago, the BC government has granted final approval for Oberto Oberti (I love that name) and Grant Costello to proceed with their long term vision for a four season, glacier skiing resort high in the Purcell Mountains near Jumbo Creek. As these two stories in Ski Canada and The Adventure Journal prove, opinion is split amongst skiers as to whether or not this is a good thing. No comment from me!

Multi-Million Dollar Investment at Mount Seymour!

OK, so I cut and pasted this, so you don’t need to go to the link! Mount Seymour is excited to announce the addition of the five million dollar state of the art Mystery Peak Express quad chairlift.  The new detachable high speed Doppelmayr lift from Austria will be installed over the summer months in time for the 2012-2013 season. The Mystery Peak Express promises to cut line-up times by more than half and will transport skiers and boarders to the top of the mountain in record time, taking just four minutes, compared to the currently-in-use lift, which takes nearly nine minutes.

Outrageous Spring Skiing Deals at Cypress, Grouse:

With a base of over 400 centimetres and sunshine in the forecast, it’s Cypress Beach time – one of the best North Shore deals going. Or… even better, purchase your new 2012/13 Gold or Silver Pass now and Ski or Ride Free for the rest of this season – sale ends April 15th! Hopefully, they’ll get that barbecue fired up at the top of the Lion’s Express; that’s a great place to hang out and feed the birds. Grouse Mountain’s super popular Y2Play pass is now 80 percent sold out.

 Winter Surf Adventure:

Yesterday was not only a fabulous day on the slopes at Big White ski area, the surf was up at Antlers Beach near Peachland, as well. Don’t believe us – check out the video!

Last Friday’s Vancouver SUN ski guide b

Last Friday’s Vancouver SUN ski guide blog was trapped in their blogosphere for a few days, but it’s still snowing so it’s all good! http://ow.ly/9Mwo7

Vancouver SUN Ski Guide Blogpost: Week of March 11 – 17 – Steve Romeo, Shames, Whistler Pounded with Snow, Cypress March Madness, Radical Reels from Banff

Proceeds from the Radical Reels festival on Thursday go to the Spearhead Huts project. Here’s some awesome alpine scenery from the Garibaldi backcountry, courtesy of Liz Scremin.

No columnist or blogger wants to continually be the bearer of bad news, but this has been a really, really tough week for those of us in the snowsports world. Word arrived on Thursday that highly-experienced ski mountaineer Steve Romeo (and one of the best ski bloggers) from Jackson Hole and his partner Chris Onufer had been buried in a huge avalanche while attempting a ski ascent of Ranger Peak in Grand Teton National Park. You can read a fascinating interview in Outside Online that talks frankly about the kind of risks that elite level ski mountaineers like Romeo take.

Then, on Saturday, came the awful news out of Grindelwald, Switzerland, that Canadian ski cross team member Nik Zoricic died after landing on the final jump of the course. This tragedy has truly resonated throughout the snowsports world – huge condolences to his family and the Craigleith Ski Team. Nik’s father Bebe was coaching at the J1 Nationals in Whistler over the weekend. There’s a wonderful tribute by Zoricic’s team members on the Alpine Canada website.

Let’s not forget, however, that it was a weekend of great success, as Canada’s Marie-Michele Gagnon scored her first career World Cup podium Saturday, placing third in the slalom at Are, Sweden. Gagnon is ranked 10th in slalom and is only 22, so she’s got a bright future ahead of her.

Rio Tinto Mines White Gold at Shames Mountain

OK, how about some good – if not great – news? Yeah, the people of Terrace are getting that, following an announcement in the Terrace Standard that Rio Tinto will be contributing $175,000 over the next three years to help offset operating costs at Shames Mountain, which is now operated by a not-for-profit co-op. Of course, there are mountain managers who earn that kind of dough in one season, but here’s hoping that some of the other companies who operate in the Kermode Tourism Region will be able to step up and help out as well. If you want to get some idea of what the skiing at Shames is like, check out Jordan Manley’s video story of the little ski hill that could. Also compulsory viewing: mad Norwegian telemarkers from the Haglofs team poaching deep Northern BC pow.

March On The Mountain at Cypress

No, Cypress’s march on the mountain isn’t like those protest marches in front of the Art Gallery. It’s a two week long series of special events happening up at Cypress Mountain – things got underway over the weekend with something called a Nordic Fondo (or, is that ‘Nordic Fondue, maybe?) held at the cross country area over the weekend. There’s a whole list of fantastic events and programs, but perhaps the best one for harried parents is the Raven Riders four day spring camp. It’s a great deal and is definitely better than dropping ‘em off at the mall.

La Nina. Killing It At Whistler for the Second Year in a Row.

Talk about lots to do – on and off the slopes. The Whistler event calendar says that there’s a Winemaker Apres this week at Steeps restaurant, and a Nintendo Family Adventure Day on March 25, and there’s even the 15^th Annual Showcase Showdown slopestyle snowboarding event on March 29. But the real story at Whistler Blackcomb is the 29 feet of snow that has fallen – and continues to pound down – on the bowls and glades, since Mike Douglas created that Embedded video, way back in November (Remember that?) Just another record breaking year in the Coast Range. Use those Edge Cards up, now!

Reel Radical Films Hits Vancouver on Thursday Night

Every year, the Banff Mountain Film Festival gathers up the craziest videos screened at their annual fall festival and sends ‘em on tour throughout the rest of the world. These Radical Reels will be coming to Vancouver on Thursday, March 15, at the Denman Cinemas in Vancouver. Tickets are $12 online and $15 at the door. The proceeds from the event will go to support the Spearhead Huts Project.

 

Vancouver SUN Ski Guide blog now up and

Vancouver SUN Ski Guide blog now up and running for this week! http://ow.ly/9vT2D

Winter Returns to BC, with Considerable Avalance Danger

Black Thunder at Big White Ski Resort

After a two-week hiatus, winter has returned with a vengeance to British Columbia, with all three North Shore mountains getting hammered over the weekend (almost a metre in 36 hours at Mount Seymour on Saturday and early Sunday). Reports have been excellent at Whitewater, Big White, and Silver Star as well, with all three resorts reporting over 60 centimetres in the past three days.

Backcountry Warning from Canadian Avalanche Association

Backcountry skiers should note that the danger scale for the South Coast has tipped into the ‘Considerable’ range which in many ways is the most dangerous, since some slopes can be 100 percent safe, while lingering instability in the snowpack on other aspects can lead to disaster. After doing a brief tour in Mount Seymour Provincial Park on Sunday, I came back home to find out that three experienced skiers had perished in an avalanche outside of Stevens Pass, WA. Among the deceased was Jim Jack, whom I met a couple of years ago when he organized the only Canadian stop in the Freeride World Tour at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. In this particular accident, 12 skiers were buried and one of the women, Elyse Saugstad, was saved when she inflated her ABS avalanche safety airbag and stayed on the debris bed, despite sliding for over 600 metres down-slope.

For the most complete avalanche data, consult Karl Klassen’s blog at www.avalanche.ca

Y2Play, Buy/Ski Today

With snow bases totalling well over two metres in southwestern BC, there’s plenty of time to enjoy your Grouse Mountain Y2Play Pass, which went on sale last weekend. A financial saviour to mortgage strapped parents throughout the Lower Mainland, Y2Play is one of the most successful season pass promotions in western Canada and is valid for skiing and riding from the day of purchase through the end of the 2011/12 winter season. It then becomes valid again October 1, 2012 through the 2012/13 winter season. You can even get 50% off brand new 2012 Giro snowsports helmets, plus discounts on many other Grouse services and attractions. Note that there are a limited number of Y2Play snowpasses, and this promotion sells out every season.

Mount Washington Awash in Snow

Mount Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island will extend their winter season by a full week in April. Skiers and snowboarders can now carve the slopes until April 22, 2012. With a 334 centimetre base as of February 21^st , they could ski well into June, I’m sure.

Hollyburn History Lesson Happening in March

Do you dig North Shore ski history? Well, Mount Seymour’s Alex Douglas informs us that Hollyburn Lodge Through the Seasons & Generations premieres at the West Vancouver Historical Society’s General Meeting on Wednesday, March 14, 7:00 pm., West Vancouver Seniors Centre (21st St & Marine Dr., NW corner).

The 60-minute film was produced by Don Grant, Hollyburn Heritage Society, and includes many historic and contemporary photos, home movies and HD video. The film reviews the history of this historic building in its setting beside First Lake and the decades-long effort of the Society to gain community-wide support for the restoration and continued maintenance of the lodge.

Celebrity Sighting at Mount Seymour

Was that really Red Bull athlete Sean Pettit up at Mount Seymour last weekend, giving ski tips to members of the Mount Seymour Progression Freeride team? Seems that’s the case, as this short video proves. Pettit, who has had huge feature segments in the last three Matchstick Productions (MSP) videos, is finally getting his own K2 signature model ski next season, called the Pettitor.

Stoked on the Film Fest

The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival ended on Saturday night with a raunchy chat from those Patagonian bad-boys, Jason Kruk and Hayden Kennedy. Their feature presentation on climbing and then removing bolts from Cerro Torre showed a lighter side of what truly has become one of the more fascinating mountaineering controversies of the past couple of decades, at least ever since the Into Thin Air debacle on Mount Everest. It was pretyy obvioThe 2012 Juried awards were also handed out, including Freedom Chair (Best Short), Solitaire (Best Ski Movie), Conflict Tiger (Environment), Moonflower (Climbing) and On the Trail of Genghis Khan (Grand Prize Winner).

Londoner“Stoked” on Tourism Whistler’s Sabbatical Project

“Stoke” is to the 2000s what ‘extreme’ was to the 1990s, but whatever, the English language is getting pounded from all sides these days. Luke Dillon from London, England’s life is about to change, for the next month or two, at least, as he gets to not only ski but experience just about every possible Whistler experience (midnight ziplining – who knew? Dancing with go-go girls?) including a photo session with the famous Paul Morrison. Dillon’s entry in the Whistler Sabbatical Project was selected by a trio of judges that included Whistler mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden and Tourism Whistler CEO Barrett Fisher. You can get a full idea of what Luke’s going to be taking part in, here. The real question is, is his team Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, or Fulham?

Kruk, Kennedy Close Out VIMFF, Revelstoke’s On Sale Next Month, Oldies But Goodies from Mount Seymour

Starting to sound like a broken record, here, but the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival truly is killing it when it comes to high quality visual and oral presentations. Last night’s Ski Night featured three filmmakers who were all in attendance. In Solitaire, Nick Waggoner of Sweetgrass Productions took us to a vast array of South American time/landscapes. Set to a terrific soundtrack that includes performance by Fleet Foxes and excerpts from Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness. (It actually works beautifully – trust me on this one!) Definitely a movie you want to see more than once, to catch all of its nuances. Next up, Mike Douglas’s Freedom Chair (see last item, below) about sit-skier Josh Dueck, and Dendrite Studios Parallels (a winning entry in the 2011 Innervisions video festival) presented strong story-telling and visuals, respectively. The night ended up with a ‘short cut’ version of Sherpas Cinemas All.I.Can., including JP Auclair’s jib-tastic tour of Trail, BC.

The same show repeats tonight at the Denman Theatre at 7:30.

Tomorrow night’s grand finale features the first North American appearance of Jason Kruk and Hayden Kennedy, who ascended Cerro Torre in Patagonia and then – controversially – removed over 125 iron bolts that had been drilled into the rock (via a compressor, hence the name ‘Compressor Route’). Go to Outside Online, SquamishClimbing.com, and even Guardian UK for a variety of viewpoints on this event!

The Whistler Virus:

Whistler Blackcomb keeps periodically releasing these viral videos. Not sure what the tech specs are, here, but Timebender, courtesy of Switchback Entertainment, looks like it was filmed on one of those fancy Phantom still cameras which snaps images at a mind boggling 1,000 frames per second, which allows a ‘super slow-motion’ effect to many of the action shots. Powder seekers with ADD will be rewarded at about the 2:30 mark with deep snow footage that likely wasn’t shot in the past week. More snow’s on the way for this weekend, though. The time-lapse images are cool, indeed.

North Shore History Lesson:

Here’s an internet sensation, which I found out about through Sandbox Helmets founder Kevin Sansalone. Eminent snowboard photographer Scott Serfas has just released a series of photos from early snowboarding days on Vancouver’s North Shore. Serfas, who shares studio space with Endeavor snowboards and Airhole bandanas down by the old BC Sugar refinery, boasts hundreds of cover photos from the early 90s, in magazines well known (Transworld, SBC Snowboard Canada), and obscure. There’s little doubt that he’s milked those big Mount Seymour views for all he can in the past two decades of shooting up there.

Secret Stash:

Did you know that Whistler-Blackcomb offers free avalanche awareness tours? Did you know there’s even an Avalanche Awareness Centre, at the top of Solar Coaster? Well, now you do. These free half-day tours are run by the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol and cover safe travel, terrain evaluation, avalanche phenomena, control measures within the ski area, avalanche safety equipment (participants can use shovels, avalanche transceiver, probes etc.) and even rescue techniques.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort – Deal of the Week

Vancouver hotelier Tom Gagliardi’s purchase of the Sutton Place flag has resulted in Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s Nelsen Lodge being re-branded as a Sutton Place Hotel. Offering the ultimate in slopeside comfort and convenience, the Sutton Place is putting on a March White Sale.  Ski and Stay Packages start at just $165.00 per person per night based on double occupancy, two night minimum. Each paying adult will receive a lift ticket to Revelstoke Mountain Resort (1 Day for each night booked), a ticket to the Turtle Creek Tube Park, and a $15.00 gift card to the Rockford wok|bar|grill. An even cheaper deal is being offered at the Sandman Revelstoke Inn, located right in the funkiest, rockin’ little town in BC!

Sit Down and Watch This One:

If you haven’t viewed Josh Dueck’s sit-ski back flip on YouTube, yet (apparently, 645,000 people have), you might have caught him being interviewed on either Canada AM or the Ellen DeGeneres show earlier this week. Salomon Freeski producer and Freedom Chair filmmaker Mike Douglas told me that “agents have been knocking, this could help set Josh up for life.” Dueck, who works as a motivational speaker, has been overwhelmed by the response to an event that only took place a couple of weeks ago. Every week, a new internet hero!

BC Ski Blog – Notes from All Over: Coldsmoke’s A’Coming, VIMFF, Zero Ceiling, etc

 

We’re well into the impressive program of films and guest speakers at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, and have been some amazing presentations. On Monday night, legendary sea kayak adventurer Jon Turk enthralled the audience at Centennial Theatre with stories and images from his ski/hike/kayak circumnavigation of Ellesmere Island. Lest you believe that all adventurers are young bucks sponsored by rampaging energy drinks, Turk is in his 60s, the author of a half-dozen books, and as he said, this trip had him looking death square in the eye (Turk had to be medivac’d one day after he completed his trip). His stirring narrative was reported earlier this year in the New York Times, and he recently wrote a solemn, yet inspirational, meditation on avalanches and death after the holiday tragedy on the Duffey Lake Road that took the life of pro patroller Duncan MacDonald. You can find out more about Turk’s adventures (and buy his books) on his website. National Geographic has nominated Erik Boomer and Turk as one of their Adventurers of the Year 2012 for their Ellesmere circumnavigation.

Quick Competition Notes:

Another awesome weekend for Canadian skiers/snowboarders, led by Invermere’s prodigious Ben Thomsen, who finished second on the 2014 Winter Games course in Sochi. Canadians took home five medals in the Dew Tour action sports stop in Utah over the weekend, while closer to home, Olympic snowboard queen Maelle Ricker from Squamish abbed first place at the Mount Baker Banked Slalom competition.

VIMFF Continues – Two Ski Show Nights

“Ski Night” has proven to be so successful that this year, VIMFF will have two nights devoted to sliding (and some suffering) on snow. Nick Waggoner from Sweetgrass Productions (Signatures, Hand Cut, and VIMFF 2011 Best Ski Film: Desert River) is coming up from the USA to present their latest film, Solitaire, along with stories about making award-winning ski films utilizing simple self propulsion.

Help Whistler’s Zero Ceiling Raise $20,000 ($4500 in one week… a great start!)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since Whistler ski pro/mountain biker Chris Winter started Zero Ceiling, an innovative programme that introduces at-risk street kids to finding a positive life working and playing in the Coast Range Mountains. Zero Ceiling has a fund-raiser happening from now until May 31^st to select ten underprivileged youth to relocate to Whistler and participate in their Work 2 Live program.  Find out more about the great work that Zero Ceiling has done on their webpage and Facebook page.

Grinding at Grouse… on Snowshoes

Hikers throughout the Lower Mainland have tackled the infamous Grouse Grind – “Mother Nature’s StairMaster” as it’s been described. But did you know there is a winter equivalent that’s not quite as physically demanding? It’s called the Snowshoe Grind, and covers a 4.2 kilometre course from the Peak Chalet to the summit of Dam Mountain and back again. You can do the Snowshoe Grind at pretty much anytime, but the Snowshoe Grind Run coming up on February 25^th offers plenty of prizes and is a great way to meet other snowshoers.

BC Nordic Photo Contest Offers Great Prizes, Courtesy Tourism Whistler and Yeti Snowshoe

The BC Nordic Marketing Society is running its annual Nuts for Nordic photo contest (no, you don’t have to be crazy to enter…). Upload your favourite (original!) photo of you, your family, or your friends enjoying Nordic activities, like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, Nordic ski touring and backcountry skiing in British Columbia. It can be a fun, goofy photo, a loppet pic, a family snapshot, or a contemplative scenic landscape. Just show them what inspires you out there as you enjoy BC’s beautiful Nordic trails and you’re in the running for a prize!

Hit the Road to Whitewater’s Cold Smoke Festival

For six years now, the Cold Smoke Festival has been British Columbia’s premiere backcountry skiing skills festival. With competition and courses from skiers like Eric Pehota and Allison Gannett, this three day gathering of the AT and telemark tribe is definitely worth the drive over to Whitewater to partake in. Meet and ski with Kootenay ski legends like Peter Velisek, Wren McIlroy, and Ramin Sherkat. Oh, and as always, there are awesome prizes by Arc’teryx, Genuine Guide Gear, and Backcountry Access. Make sure you check out the Backcountry Olympics page…

Eye Candy of the Week: Norrona Magazine

Norrona is a premium outerwear clothing company based out of Norway, and their on-line magazine is a visual delight. My favourite story and photo essay from this month’s edition was written by Kari Medig, an award-winning photographer out of Nelson, BC. He completed the Bugaboos to Rogers Pass Traverse last spring and brought back some visually dazzling images.

 

Dueck Flips on Sit-Ski, NGA Loves Fernie, Grouse Goes Romantic, and Whistler Sabbatical News

Hey, I was flipping back and forth between the Republican presidential primary coverage on CNN and a Canucks game on Sportsnet Pacific last week and came across Juicy Fruit’s hilarious spoof with the 3 guys in the life raft singing the infamous “Get your skis shined up/Grab a pack of Juicy Fruit/The taste is gonna move ya” jingle from the 80s. The ski insiders at Unofficial Networks have collected all of the Juicy Fruit ads for your viewing pleasure. The photo (above) is my pal Poacher Bob in his glory days at Grouse Mountain.

Speaking of fruit, sorta seems like a Pineapple Express is hit Vancouver last night; but according to Environment Canada, the mercury will drop over the weekend and we should definitely see snow at higher elevations.

Snowboarders – Are You The Chosen One? Hit Mount Seymour Tonight and Find Out!

This just in from Sandbox Helmets founder Kevin Sansalone—the Nike Chosen Snowboard event goes off TONIGHT at Mount Seymour. The prize money is nothing to sneeze at – $1,500 for the Men’s Winner, and $500 for best trick! Register at 4:00 pm, the first heats get under way at the Young Guns snowboard park at 7:50, and the winner will be crowned by 10:45.

Josh Dueck Inspires Yet Again!

Josh Dueck, the former freestyle ski coach and star who became a paraplegic after a terrible accident several years ago, has lit up the internet again. First, it was the award-winning Freedom Chair, a documentary produced by Mike Douglas’s Switchback Entertainment. (Note to all film buffs: Freedom Chair will be showing on Thursday’s Ski Night at the Vancouver International Film Festival). Then, last week, there was unbelievable footage – it was even picked up by ABC’s Good Morning America – of Dueck performing a back flip on his sit ski.

Fernie Named #2 Top Ski Town in the World by Nat Geo Adventure

It’s obviously a bit of a haul for those of us in the Lower Mainland, but the town of Fernie and Fernie Alpine Resort are well worth the day-long drive to get there (do yourself a favour and stay for a week!). National Geographic recently recognized the totally cool core vibe that this East Kootenay town emanates, and named it Number Two on its list of Top Ski Towns in the World. Here’s a direct quote: Best For: Adventurous skiers with a hunger for the steep and deep. If you think that’s hype, check out this snorkel deep video from last month.

Click On the Daily Deals and Save at Cypress Mountain

Lots happening at Cypress Mountain this weekend with the City and Slope Festival (music, contests) and the Canadian Ski and Snowboard Festival. The best reason to check their website is Cypress’s Daily Deals which offers some sweet discounts on rentals, food, and even lift tickets from time to time.

Grouse Gets Romantic

Here’s a Valentine’s Day promotion for all the lovers out there – send Grouse your picture or Instagram of an “alpine kiss,” and they’ll send out an award-winning chef to cook dinner in your very own home. They’ll even do the dishes. Grouse Mountain has been witness to some very romantic wedding proposals, wonderful anniversary celebrations, and of course spectacular weddings. Email your phone, name and contact number to alpinekiss@grousemountain.com by February 14, 2012 to enter.

Whistler Sabbatical—The Ultimate Whistler Vacation

Speaking of contests, February 20 is the day that Tourism Whistler announces the winner of its rather mind-boggling Whistler Sabbatical Project contest. The Whistler Sabbatical Grand Prize consists of round-trip air transportation, private limo airport transfer, one month accommodation in a fully furnished home, two adult one month Whistler Wave Bus passes, two adult one-month Whistler Blackcomb Unlimited Mountain passes, two pairs of K2 skis, poles, bindings, boots and travel case or K2 snowboard, bindings, boots and travel case, one months’ salary for the Grand Prize winner only and up to fifteen ‘Would You Do It?’ Whistler experiences. The finalists entries are pretty entertaining, whoever wins will have a life and career-altering time, that’s for sure.