WHO’S OPEN, WHO’S NOT?
Greetings from central base of Canadian ski country, where various regions are experiencing all sorts of different snow conditions and stages of opening.
While Whistler and Sun Peaks are now open for the season with limited terrain, the Okanagan’s Big White and SilverStar have so far postponed opening ski dates to December 5th and 8th respectively. Revelstoke announced a delay until snow conditions improve, no date set by post time. Alberta’s Sunshine Village and Norquay are up and running, Sunshine with six of 12 lifts spinning, also as of posting.
Meanwhile in the East, Ontario’s Mount St. Louis Moonstone starts up December 2 with lots of hullabaloo surrounding its new eight-pack chairlift—just this week it’s all over the news that the lift cost MSLM $14 million. Blue Mountain will have its slopes geared up by December 7, and Quebec’s Tremblant is in operation. Watch the women’s World Cup at Tremblant December 2-3, more on our website.
THE FABULOUS LIFE OF NANCY GREENE RAINE
Nancy Greene Raine has spent a lifetime showing the ski world what it means to love a sport. As a ski racer, coach, Olympic champ, mountain-resort starter and Canadian Senator, there are few skiers in Canada who don’t know her name. But how much do you really know her?
As she turns 80 in 2023, Sun Peaks has produced The Fabulous Life of Nancy Greene Raine, a funny, cheeky peek at the personality everyone knows simply as NGR. “You really need to have a certain something,” says the narrator, “to have an acronym as a name.”
The film is only 10 minutes on YouTube and definitely worth a watch. As the promo says, it’s a masterclass in how to live life at 90 kilometres an hour.
LAST TRAIN TO VAIL’S EDGE CARD
We were reminded this week that if you’re in the market for an Epic Pass or an Edge card for Vail Resorts this season—Whistler, Vail, Park City etc.—you have ‘til December 3, 2023 to make the purchase. The details:
All 2023/24 passes, including EDGE Cards (2, 5 and 10-day) and Epic Passes, go off sale on Dec. 3.
Passes provide up to 65% savings compared to lift ticket prices at the window for in-season walk up purchases.
The Epic Pass offers unlimited, unrestricted access to 41 resorts, including Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis in Switzerland and partners like Resorts of the Canadian Rockies and Hakuba Valley in Japan.
REVELSTOKE STAFF HOUSING BOOST
Also garnering media attention this week: Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s VP on CBC.
Peter Nielsen, VP of Revelstoke operations, appeared on early-morning CBC radio show Daybreak on November 27 to confirm seasonal workers are back in droves for the 2023/24 season in B.C..
For the first time since the pandemic, scores of working holiday visas are being offered to Australian and UK workers for “working vacations.” In fact, Nielsen reports there are more applicants than jobs.
On the downside, there’s little staff housing, especially in Revelstoke. In response, RMR has re-prioritized. It’ll build three new staff housing units— the first in time for next season—to nurture what Nielsen calls “a well-housed, happy workforce.”
WHO’S THAT GIRL?
In case you missed it, skier girl Amie Engerbretson appeared on Ski Canada’s Buyer’s Guide cover last season (Vol 51.1 2023). Now she’s starring in one of TGR’s latest films, The Hypocrite, co-produced by Protect Our Winters (POW).
On tour now, the film takes an unusual turn from the standard hype of a traditional ski film as Engerbretson struggles with the realities of being a pro athlete while trying to help the environment. Or, as one tagline says: “Advocating for change while relying on fossil fuels for her passion and career.”
It’s a big question and a timely topic. The film is making its way through ski country now. Go here for more info.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
Where other than Aspen, Colorado would a ski town issue a 21-day “virtual meditation challenge” during the darkest days of the year?
From Dec 1 -21 skiers are invited to cultivate clarity, community, gratitude, balance, connection, presence, and light during the darkest 21 days of the year. Brought to us by Aspen Shakti‘s team of “inspired teachers,” all skiers need to do to take the challenge is commit to 10 minutes of online meditation each day.
Between December 1 – 21, tune in daily at 8:00 AM MST to @aspenshakti Instagram Live channel, or visit their stories anytime.
Game on.
