AT LEAST THEY WEREN’T SKIING ALONE
No fewer than 21 skiers and snowboarders found themselves being led out of a drainage in the forest beside Killington in Vermont after ducking a rope, getting lost and calling 911. The group was composed of a handful of independent groups that congregated to share in their lostness. Among them was a resort employee, who has since been terminated. All told, it took 14 members of the Killington Search and Rescue Team more than five hours to lead out such a big group. Temperatures at the time were below -13°C.
SKI CROSS FOR A CAUSE
Teams of four will carve up a recreational ski cross course at Sun Peaks on January 27 at the annual Telus Nancy Greene Alpine Classic. No matter which team tops the podium, kids will win. The event is a major fundraiser for Sun Peaks. Past donations helped create a local health centre. This year’s race will go toward plans to build a community school for 160 local kids now learning in temporary portable classrooms.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Last week we wrote about how Jared Schmidt was running away with the men’s World Cup ski cross season. This weekend he had to share the spotlight with his sister, Hannah, who earned back-to-back victories on home soil at last weekend’s double-header ski cross races at Nakiska.
DOUBLE BILL
Arc’teryx has just released two films that will give skiers good reason to visit YouTube. The Pass is a close look at the dual role played by Roger’s Pass, between Golden and Revelstoke in B.C. It’s one of the most popular backcountry ski areas in the world, and a vital trade route through the mountains, conduit for millions of dollars in goods every day. You’ll meet the avalanche forecasters tasked with keeping the flow going, for everybody. In Lexicon, six skiers from different countries come together to find a common language deep in the Japanese powder.
TRAGEDY IN THE MOUNTAINS
Three Italian skiers lost their lives, with another four skiers being seriously injured, following the crash of a heli-ski helicopter north of Terrace, B.C., on January 22. Northern Escape Heli-Skiing initiated a rescue after receiving a distress call from one of the guests involved in the crash. The RCMP and Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause.
