1. Massive Investment Coming for Mont-Sainte-Anne
The Government of Quebec and the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) announced a $100-million investment over five years for upgrading and modernizing Mont-Sainte-Anne. The money will go to upgrading the Quebec City resort’s lift system and snowmaking, remodelling of the base village and top station, and new summer actives, including a mountain rollercoaster. RCR was under pressure to modernize the hill after several lift issues in recent years and a lack of investment in the hill in the last decade. “These investments will help restore the reputation of the resort, with new ski lifts and modernized infrastructure that will improve the customer experience while reducing energy consumption,” said the local MLA.
2. Rossland’s Skiing History
In skiing circles Rossland, B.C. is known as a cradle of Canadian ski history. The former mining boom town was the scene of some of the earliest ski competitions and home to one of the first ski lifts in the country. It is also the hometown of ski racing legend Nancy Greene Raine, whose 14 World Cup wins remains a Canadian record. But that’s just scratching the surface on the town’s skiing heritage. This online, multi-media history takes a deep dive.
3. Mayor of Sun Peaks, Ski Hill Builder Passes
The only mayor Sun Peaks Resort Municipality ever had and the husband of Nancy Green Raine died earlier this month. Al Raine was 83. He was active in the ski industry throughout his life. He raced and then coached, including the national race team. After that he was involved in ski resort development on both the government and resort side. He played a role in the development of Blackcomb, Big White, Sun Peaks, Shames and Hudson Bay Mountain. And for the last 14 years he was the mayor Sun Peaks. He took his last turns at Sun Peaks just 10 days before he died and resigned his mayorship the day before his death, saying “I have been lucky to have lived a full life with no regrets, with a supporting and wonderful wife, two healthy boys and a life full of adventures.”
4. The Ski Hill of Brotherly Solidarity
Marmot Basin’s employees are now unionized. The Alberta resort’s employees ratified their first collective agreement last April and are now part of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, Local 401. Among other things the agreement includes a 21 percent wage increase over the three year term of the agreement. When you see their hourly wages, it’s easy to see why they unionized. No word yet on whether pass holders can legislate them back to work on powder days.
5. Is Jackson or Aspen More Out of Touch?
Ski towns are notoriously unaffordable, especially if you didn’t just sell a tech company, have a trust fund, or don’t mind sharing a room with strangers in your 30s. The affordability crisis was a mountain town reality long before it hit the rest of the world and it has only gotten worse. But which town is the most unaffordable and out of touch? That’s the debate this podcast episode hangs on, as two ski bums compare exasperations (with a side of snark) about living in Jackson Hole and Aspen.
6. Everyone is Collaborating
Polarization may be the word in politics, but in the outdoor gear world it’s all about collaborations. Established brands team up with designers from other industries and specific niches to create limited edition capsule collections that reach new markets. There were two high profile, ski related ones recently. Völkl teamed up with artist Filip Pagaowski. The artist created original work on a on a limited run of three skis. And The North Face teamed up with Kim Kardashian’s Skims clothing brand on a capsule collection of ski gear. Keeping up with the Kardashian fans will known that Kim’s an avid skier. Read about why not everyone loves the idea of collaborations.
