Join the SnowSeekers Challenge
byI love BC trivia, and I like to think that I know quite a few interested tidbits, however I seriously need to brush up on my BC ski resort history!
Did you know that the plaza at Whistler Blackcomb used to be the village dump? Did you know that Big White near Kelowna was found by a local pilot? It’s interesting to find out that our favourite ski resorts have histories that sometimes includes hardships and heroes, blunders and brilliant ideas. SeekersMedia has dug deep into the past of almost every mountain resort of the Rockies to the coast to discover just what it took to create your favourite trails and terrain.
Join in on the winter of discovery and visit some of the slopes listed below. Sign-up to win prizes from many of the resorts in the SnowSeekers Challenge.
Before it was Whistler Blackcomb it was rivalry
The slopes at Whistler were the first to open 50 years ago with perfect trails to bring smiling skiers to the base. Years later when Blackcomb cranked up the lifts they also cranked up the attitude, allowing rowdy boarders and partiers to ski the spidery trails. The competition was legendary. Find out how Whistler Backcomb finally managed to become Canada’s biggest alpine resort.
Pilot finds snow ghost nirvana
Back in the 1960s when google was goggles spelt wrong, two friends spent countless days searching the mountains beyond Kelowna for the perfect ski hill. Hiking, back-country skiing and eventually flying found the perfect slopes. Planning a 56 kilometre road from Kelowna was tough but as soon as the word got out about the epic snow blanketing never-ending glades, Big White was on the map. Discover how Big White Resort blazed new trails here.
Kicking Horse Mountain has been kick ass from the get go
Who would have thought that a cranky horse in 1858 could lead to naming rivers and resorts! The Kicking Horse story is legendary and so is the snow. Find out how the community run Whitetooth Mountain ski hill near Golden B.C. became Kicking Horse Mountain Resort – the powder-hound haven it is today.
Kimberley – or how to make a ski town out of a mining town
The stash of powder in the glades at Kimberley is not the stash the prospectors were looking for a century ago. Back then, it was seams of a mineral called Galena that had them trudging through the snow. They hit pay dirt but it didn’t last long. Find out how close they were to the motherlode and how the mining industry shaped the friendly Kimberley Alpine Resort.
The glades at Mount Timothy are calling you
Wouldn’t it be cool to stand at the top of a mountain with a role of flagging tape in your hand then head down the slope to mark the runs for a new ski resort? That’s what Bruce Johnson of Williams Lake did in 1987. He’s still skiing at Mount Timothy, 66 kilometres south of Williams Lake today. Did he pick the right lines? Find out what makes the glades of Mount Timothy Resort so special.
Murray Ridge has more than just the longest rope tow
Here’s an idea. Suggest to the local logging companies they can have the timber from a thickly forested mountainside for free. All they have to do is log the slope in long lines instead of blocks. You’ll even name the run after them. It worked for the volunteer-run ski resort only ten-minutes from Fort. St. James. Find out other secrets to the success of Murray Ridge.
Join the free SnowSeekers Challenge. Create your bucket list by January 17th and be entered to win a pair of round trip tickets to anywhere Pacific Coastal Airlines flies!
