1. Cat out, lift in at Castle Mountain
The southern Alberta ski resort plans to expand its lift accessed terrain by 25 percent by replacing its Huckleberry lift with a longer detachable quad. The new recycled lift, Sunshine Village’s old Angel Express, will rise much higher on Haig Ridge than the existing Huckleberry, providing access to terrain that is now used by the Powder Stagecoach cat skiing operation. The day cat skiing operation will run as planned this season, but will not return next year. The new lift should be operational by December 2025.
2. Toaster Trade In
MEC is making it easier for new parents to get back to skiing. Sticking toddlers on skis as early as possible is a right of passage for any skiing parent. Besides patience and a strong back, the other essential item is a warm and dry snow suit for the kid. For most Canadian parents that means the iconic Toaster Suit. Normally that meant buying a new one every couple years, but this fall MEC introduced the Toaster Trade In. Owners of outgrown Toaster Suits, Parks, Bibs and Bunting Suits can trade theirs in for a gift card worth 50 percent of the original price. And parents can browse the used stock in store.
3. Canadians winning
T World Cup season is young, but Canadians are crushing it in many disciplines. Mikaël Kingsbury won the moguls World Cup opener, notching his 91st victory on the circuit and 130th podium. In Beijing, China Dylan Deschamps won his second big air bronze of the season and now sits second in the overall standings. The women’s alpine race team is starting strong, too. Laurence St-Germain finished seventh in a slalom at Killington, Vermont and Valérie Grenier, in her first race back from injury, notched a top 10 result in the GS. The men’s speed team opens the season this weekend in Beaver Creek.
4. Vicarious skiing entertainment
New ski movies continue to drop and this week’s crop includes two distinct ski flicks with Canadian content. Mountain Not For Profit is a feel good documentary, produced by the independent, multi-area Indy Pass, about how locals stood up to save their community ski hills. It highlights four small ski hills, including Terrace, B.C.’s Shames Mountain. The best part might be reading the Youtube comments. For the more lustworthy, get-me-psyched-for-opening-day type vibes check out Harvest. Filmed in the Sea to Sky region around Whistler and the environs of Nelson, B.C. it’s a mashup of backcountry powder shots and urban rails.
5. Seeking new race venue
Alpine Canada Alpin wants to bring more World Cup racing to Canada and is actively searching for host venue for speed events. “What we really want to do is build, I’ll call it a national alpine speed training centre,” said Therese Brisson, president and CEO. Lake Louise hosted annual World Cup downhill and super-G races, but the event never made money and was cancelled in 2022. Alpine Canada says it is considering Panorama or Whistler as replacements. Canada was supposed to host two World Cup races this year, a ski cross in Collingwood in March and women’s technical races at Mont Tremblant this weekend. The Tremblant event has been cancelled due to warm weather and lack of snow.
6. The Phoenix is rising
Marmot Basin opened for the season. It happens every fall, but this year’s was not guaranteed after a wildfire burned a massive chunk of Jasper National Park in July, including one third of Jasper townsite. The blaze just missed the ski hill, but cut off power to the resort until October and destroyed many businesses in the town. (There are only limited services and no accommodation at the ski hill.) The resort says skiers should expect a typical Jasper experience this season: in other words great views, no lines and friendly locals.
