Lisa Thomson: An Esteemed Member of the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame

Lisa Thomson’s remarkable journey in the world of ski racing serves as a shining example of unwavering dedication, passion, and the power of community. With over two decades of dedicated service to the ski racing community, her story is a testament to the transformative nature of the sport.

A Personal Connection and Lifelong Passion

Lisa’s journey into the world of ski racing was inspired by her children, marking the beginning of her impressive career. Her passion for skiing, however, has been a lifelong affair, starting at the tender age of 2. Growing up with a brother who raced, Lisa spent her early years deeply immersed in the world of ski racing, experiencing the excitement of the slopes and the racing environment firsthand.

Diverse Positions and Achievements

Lisa’s contributions to ski racing are both extensive and varied. She began volunteering in the ski racing world 22 years ago and has since worked with athletes of all ages, from Nancy Greene League-aged participants to those in FIS, NorAm, World Cup, Junior World Championships, and the IPC World Championships. Her dedication even extended to volunteering for Special Olympics races.

As part of the Banff Alpine Racers (BAR), she served as the Volunteer Coordinator for races such as Quickies, Caribou Cup, U14, U16, and FIS races from 2001 to 2014. Her experience is well-rounded, having held various roles both inside and outside the race fences. Beyond her club involvement, Lisa’s dedication shines in her work with Nor-Ams and World Cup events. She served as a Sled Dog Course Worker for 11 years at the Lake Louise World Cup and held positions as part of the Race Organizing Committee (ROC) and Volunteer Coordinator for six years at the Lake Louise Nor-Ams from 2015 to 2021. Her contributions extended to international competitions, including the 2022 Junior World Championships and the Nor-Am Finals at COP/Nakiska in 2013 and 2014, where she took on roles in ROC, Volunteer Coordination, and course work. Her expertise also found a place within the Panorama Nor-Am volunteer team, and she held a paid position in communications and managed the media center at the 2015 IPC World Championships at Panorama.

However, Lisa’s true passion lies not only in her impressive positions but in the camaraderie and collective effort of the ski community. She cherishes the moments when the ski racing community unites to overcome the challenges posed by nature and race logistics. She marvels at the fact that skiing is one of the few winter sports that starts with a blank canvas, constructs an entire race arena from scratch, and then, once the race is complete, leaves no trace of its existence. The monumental effort behind this process continues to inspire her.

Influential Mentors: Guiding Lights on the Slopes

Throughout her ski racing journey, Lisa had the privilege of learning from mentors who significantly shaped her path in the sport:

• Barb Wood taught Lisa the art of coordinating volunteers and running races at the NorAm level, setting the stage for her future contributions to the ski racing community.
• Randy Tarchuk, Lisa’s crew chief at World Cup and Panorama for over a decade, played an instrumental role in imparting invaluable hands-on skills. These included building and maintaining racetracks, swift repairs, and replacements of b-nets, mastering essential tools like crampons, slipping, shoveling, raking, and more.
• Bob Leitch and Todd McNutt, Lisa’s Lake Louise NorAm chiefs for several years, provided her with comprehensive knowledge of running races from start to finish. Their professionalism, expertise, and composure left an indelible mark on Lisa.
• Mike Irwin, serving as Panorama Chief and Race Chair for Junior Worlds, guided Lisa in understanding the higher-level aspects of ski racing. He taught her the nuances of navigating through the sport’s politics and making things happen, all while maintaining a composed demeanor and an abundance of patience.
• Lynda & Ken Read offered Lisa a broader perspective on ski racing, encompassing not only the sport’s mechanics but also its history and the underlying passion that drives it.

Insights for the Ski Community

Lisa’s message to the ski community is clear: get involved and develop your skills. Regardless of your skiing abilities, there’s a place for everyone in ski racing. She encourages ski parents to participate, as their involvement sets a positive example for their children and creates a sense of community. For retired athletes, Lisa emphasizes the importance of staying involved and passing on their skills and passion to younger generations.

To young racers, Lisa advises showing appreciation to the volunteers who support their endeavors. A simple “thank you” can go a long way. She emphasizes the importance of hard work, a positive attitude, and having fun on the hill.

The Profound Impact of Ski Racing

When reflecting on how ski racing has contributed to her life and work, Lisa is candid about the great influence the sport has had on her. Ski racing has been more than a pastime or an extracurricular pursuit; it has been a deeply rewarding, transformative force. It has provided her with growth and confidence, and her unrelenting passion for it consumes her in the best possible way.

Lisa humorously admits to losing herself in social media, scrolling through ski racing clips and captivating races. Furthermore, she confesses to eagerly anticipating the arrival of winter and the promise of snowfall when the leaves begin to turn, a sentiment that may seem unconventional to some.

She describes the experience of racing down World Cup tracks with a drill in one hand, a roll of b-net in the other, and a backpack filled with essential tools as an extraordinary transformation. Her cell phone, always within reach for capturing photos, has become an ever-expanding gallery of racecourses and snow-covered mountain landscapes – many of which end up being replicated on her easel at her studio. 

Perhaps the most powerful testament to the impact of ski racing on Lisa’s life is the deep sense of community and the relationships she has forged. Her journey has been punctuated by enduring friendships, inspiring stories, formidable challenges, and moments of shared success. Through ski racing, she has witnessed a world both breathtaking in its beauty and awe-inspiring in its power.

In Summation

Lisa Thomson’s distinguished induction into the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame is a well-deserved honor, symbolizing her relentless commitment to the sport and the community it has nurtured. Her journey is an inspiring testament to the transformative power of ski racing, which has not only provided her with personal growth and confidence but also ignited a consuming passion. Lisa’s unwavering dedication to the sport, her profound insights, and her commitment to fostering an inclusive and engaged skiing community are a source of inspiration for all. Her journey serves as a shining example of how individuals can make a lasting impact through their love for the slopes and the camaraderie of the ski racing community.

Author: Geoff Irwin

Dan Gallaugher, honoured Official and Builder of the class of 2023, became involved in ski racing with his Grandparents. Hardworking farmers, they had a love for the outdoors, and wanted their grandchildren to have the opportunity to ski. Their amazing dedication to travelling big distances gave the opportunity of skiing to their family.

Dan has many key highlights from his involvement in ski racing, including many Nor-Am events in Canada, World Junior Championships, World Cups, and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

One of the biggest highlights Dan listed was being a part of the hard-working Race Quality Team with Alpine Canada, working at many Nor-Am events right across Canada, building race tracks for the athletes.  He also enjoyed working with the snow and building Downhill tracks and being a part of making terrain and features for the World Cups in Canada with so many great people from the paid crew to all the hard-working volunteers.  “It is an amazing privilege to work with so many people that share the same goal to create the Race.” During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Weather, and freezing levels at mid-mountain and above, made it a challenge to pull off, but he found it amazing to have so many volunteers and machines to work with.

“My work was skiing ,”Ski Racing” I treated it like my farm, it made me a better person and taught me so much that I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to work in and alongside so many amazing individuals.”

Dan’s mark can be found throughout Canada, as his contribution was not just for the events. He helped with track design, slope gradients and widths. His expert eye could examine a slope and see the technical challenges, always keeping athlete safety in mind. From Whistler, to Lake Louise, Panorama, Nakiska, Mt. Ste. Anne, Georgian Peaks, Castle Mt., Kimberley and more – he worked with the local organizing committees and all Canadian hosted FIS Junior Alpine World Ski Championship events, bringing praise especially for 2013 Quebec and 2022 Panorama.

His deep experience gained from working closely with the FIS World Cup Race Director Helmuth Schmalzl and his personal commitment of working with Bruce Hamstead, the late Bill McNenny and Darrell MacLauchlan, Claudio Berto, Bill Wearmouth, Ozzie,  Owen Carney and Mike Stone – all passionately committed to giving Canadian athletes the tools they needed to succeed: good races, great tracks.

Dan brought that critical international level experience needed to give athletes a sense of what lay in store if they had a chance to race World Cup.

The past few years, Dan has helped build the reputation of Castle Mountain, his home mountain. Bringing insight for pre-season training needs, safety and lending advice for building tracks.

His experience spans a coaching career at the provincial and national team level. He led the Canadian men’s Europa Cup/Continental Cup Team and worked with the World Cup speed team.

I truly hope for the Worldcups both men & Women speed that in some way we can continue on to provide a race in Canada.

And for younger athletes “Believe in yourself and take in everyday you are on your skis every turn, there truly is nothing better then to be skiing and living a life on the Mountain”

On December 30th, 1960, Mont Glen, located in the Eastern Townships,  opened for business with 2 t-bars and 5 runs.  Jim’s Grandfather was a minority shareholder which prompted his family to embrace skiing in a serious manner (enrolment in a season-long weekend program). The Glen, although a magical place for many did not have a race program in those early years; but the snow school was run by Bob Richardson, a former Olympian and well-known Quebec ski racer. Ten-year-old Jim wanted to learn to ski like Bob.  In the mid-60’s an ownership change at Glenn coincided with the opening of Bromont which did have a race program. The transition was made and within a couple seasons, Jim was racing regional FIS and Pontiac Cup events. Some fun history that Jim recalls:

• Slalom courses still used three colours (blue, red and Yellow).  The
• Hiking the Slalom course was often faster than waiting in lift lines to take the lift
• Bamboo gates with the tiny red triangular flags tied to the top
• The Pontiac Cup was a big deal when it first commenced
• The Pontiac Cup Finals at Bromont where the National Team showed up
• Coaches trying to find affordable lodging and ensuring the rooms were not located above the bar

Jim stopped racing at age 18 and, following a test run at university, accepted a job at Bromont coaching the race program on weekends while teaching skiing during the week. Shortly thereafter, at age 21, Jim began his southern hemisphere exposure, accepting a job at a large, heavily Austrian weighted ski school in Thredbo, Australia while doing a little pro-racing on the side. During this period, Jim capitalized on his other area of expertise, training race horses to fill in the typical seasonal employment gaps.  He says his first Olympic experience was as nite foreman at the Montreal Olympic equestrian site (Bromont) for the 76 summer Games.

Ski Coaching opportunities arose in 1975 when Jim began coaching for CAST. Starting the 1975/76 Season, Jim was Assistant Coach CAST Nor-Am Woman’s Team (Dianne Culver head coach), coaching Alberta locals Vanita Haining, and Loni Klettl.  The following year Jim took over the Head Coach role with Larry McKee assisting. He recalls a group of enthusiastic and hard-working skiers and  still takes satisfaction from fact that each of the women on our team won at least 1 Nor-Am race. Jim finished his “tour” with CAST, assisting another Albertan, Bruce Henry, CAST Men’s Europa Cup / Nor-Am Team coach.  At that time, Albertan athletes in his “team” included Pete and Phil Monod, Keith Humphrey, and John Hilland. 

After this impressive introduction to higher level coaching, Jim expanded his reach to New Zealand.  Jim recalls standing next to Thunder Bay head coach Craig Speiss at the (then) annual Mt Sainte Anne DH when Craig learned his head coach has resigned.   Jim capitalized on the opportunity which took him to Mt. Ruapehu, NZ summers as Head Coach from 1981 until 1984 while managing the ski school Mt Sainte Anne during the Canadian winters. 

From 1990 to 1994 Jim was  Program Director of Ski Racing New Zealand. The highlight of this experience was the success of Annelise Coberger (silver medal in the SL and first medal for a Southern Hemisphere athlete in any Winter Olympic sport) at the 1992 Albertville Games.

Jim landed in Alberta in 1994 as Program Director for Rabbit Hill Ski Club. He recalls the RHSC having a very effective club executive, a strong coaching staff, and a good group of athletes making it a great introduction into the Alberta Ski Racing Scene. 

In 1996 Jim moved onto the Banff Mountain Academy where he served as Program Director for 3 seasons followed by 2 years with Banff Alpine Racers.

The next 10+ years (2000 – 2011) Jim took the helm at Alberta Alpine as Program Director working along side a host of great local AST coaches. He recalls a strong team of athletes and a very good coaching team. Team and individual results at the NAC and World Junior levels were very gratifying and several athletes moved on to successful careers on the World Cup as athletes and/or coaches. He also acknowledges the satisfaction of seeing many of the AST athletes from that era back in the sport as coaches and/or volunteers in Alberta and ACA programs.

Jim’s final active years coaching took him to Team Panorama and subsequently Banff Alpine Racers.

Throughout the above working years, Jim was also active with the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation (78-2022) as CSCF and Learning facilitator working with young coaches on their certification courses and in practical learning situations. Jim also volunteered on the Board of the CSCF and was the Chair of the organization from 2000-2004.  

With 50 years in the game, Jim says it’s hard to pin down only key highlights but, says that the world class results from athletes who came through programs he managed over the years were very gratifying. And, equally so break-through results from athletes at the development level.

Jim was recognized in 2000 by the CSCF and the Coaching Association as a Level 4 and Chartered Professional Coach. Not surprisingly he says the technical / practical part of the Level 4 came fairly easily. However, there were also academic credits required which he took through the National Coaching Institutes at the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria.  Jim’s sense of humour is illustrated as he points out that due to his “inglorious exit” from classroom education in his late teens he was proud to achieve the academic portion of the Level 4 program at that later stage in his life.

When asked who were his key influencers, Jim said he feels very fortunate to have had some excellent mentors throughout his career.   The  person that stands out is Dave Mazey who retired as the GM of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts several years ago. Given its maritime climate and the odd volcanic eruption Ruapehu is an exceptionally difficult place to run a ski area, but Dave did so for close to 30 years. He was very supportive of ski racing and several NZ Olympians came through the race programs at Mt. Ruapehu.  Jim appreciated Dave’s management style in that it was inclusive but firm at the same time. He included a lot of people in decision making and policy development and encouraged active and vigorous debate throughout the process. However, once decisions were made, he was very clear that all staff were expected to fully support those decisions regardless of their personal opinions. That’s a lesson that served Jim well throughout his career.

Insight for the Community: It takes a village to raise a ski racer.  With many stakeholders play an important role to help make good things happen in our sport. For those that have worked with Jim they are well aware of his calm, steady demeanor and strong listening skills. Critical reflection is something Jim felt he had success with throughout his career. Reflect on the things you need to do better as an individual /or group and how to improve. Spend an equal or greater amount of time reflecting on strengths and how to lever them to improve performance.

Jim was inspired recently by and article in this spring’s Ski Racing Magazine on the Norwegian development system.  He made the observation that Bærums Skiklub which develops many of that nation’s top skiers has roughly the same vertical drop as COP leading him to think that COP is an asset that our sport has not been able to take full advantage of.

Tips for Young Racers:  Teammates are a great resource. Figure out who on your team is the best at various elements and try to be like them . Be supportive of your teammates who will often become lifelong friends.  When everyone is pulling for one another, disappointments become easier to deal with and the achievements become more enjoyable.  Never give up: Even at the highest levels of our sport athletes make mistakes. Make sure that you don’t allow a bad turn to become a bad run, or a bad run to become a bad day of training, or a disappointment on the first day of a race series impact your performance for the entire series. Having the grit to bounce back from sub-par performances is super important.

Ski Racings Contribution to my Life:   Ski Racing has had a huge impact on my life as I was able to turn something I really enjoyed as a youngster into a career. Met some very interesting people, travelled to some beautiful places, got to work with some very focused, talented athletes and coaches, and made some fantastic friends. Most importantly, it taught me that to be successful I had to become more proficient at things I didn’t really enjoy doing: public speaking, office work, and conflict resolution would be 3 of the key areas.

It makes me happy that both of my daughters who did a bit of ski racing are “skiers for life” and to know that both my grandsons who are based in Queenstown, NZ took up the sport this year. Looking forward to making turns with them on my next visit down under.

Club: Banff Alpine Racers.

Current Occupation: Retired,

Summers: golfing weekly with other Coach Alumni:  Bruce Henry, Ray Sequin, Mike DeBrisay

Winters:   Midweek skiing (Norquay/Sunshine), occasionally fill in coaching, occasionally can be found on the end of a shovel if there is a mid-week race at Norquay.

Your local National Team Athletes will be hosting the Skis and Hearts fundraiser again this fall on September 12 from 4-8pm !

This year our fundraiser will be in a very similar style to last year. It will be a family friendly backyard style event with free dinner and entry. All proceeds of the event goes directly to the athletes to cover the cost of their team fees. Come and enjoy the ski community and support your local national team athletes!

Please be sure to register you and your party so we can get an accurate idea of how many people will be attending.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCRjateyTpWbPA7A6ri3m7HbVcjcMQxYc3GNJCksI754N-bQ/viewform

See you all there!
All the best,
Your National Team Athletes from the West!
(Kiki Alexander, Britt Richardson, Cassidy Gray, Amelia Smart, Liam Wallace, Jeff Read and Erik Read)

Canmore, Alberta – Alberta Alpine is pleased to announce that Alberta Ski Team athlete Gered Thompson (NATC) has been named recipient of the 2023 Dee Read Memorial Scholarship.

In his first year of competition with the Alberta Ski Team, Gered emerged as a top performer, with Nor-Am top-30 results in downhill, superG and slalom. He placed 3^rd in Junior competition in the 2022 Canadian SuperG Championship at Kimberley.

“Gered has been a pretty serious ski racer since he was three years old.  We are always so proud of his drive for excellence” said his parents, Teresa and Perry Thompson. “He is a very focused, determined and kind person that is very deserving of this award and what it represents.  It is support from our community and awards like this that will continue tp propel him towards his dreams of Olympic gold and World Cup racing. We are very thankful to the Dee Read Scholarship and to the Read family for their support.”

“To be announced as a Dee Read Scholarship recipient is a huge honour and I am humbled to have been chosen for this award” said Gered. “I am sincerely thankful for the support and recognition. I enjoyed the few times I trained alongside Jeff and Erik Read this past spring at Nakiska. It gave me a good sense of what I need to strive for. My goal for this upcoming season is to qualify and be part of the team for the 2024 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in Haute Savoie, France this coming January.”

“To succeed on the Alberta Ski Team requires focus, hard work and commitment,” said Alberta Alpine President, Patrick Gillespie. “Gered is leading our young team and showing his peers and other athletes across Alberta what it takes to step up to the next level once you earn your spot with the Alberta Ski Team.” Since 1988, promising young Alberta alpine ski racers have been named as recipients of the Dee Read Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually by the Read Family. This scholarship is awarded to a member of the Alberta Ski Team, to recognize excellence in alpine skiing and to support athletes who one day hope to represent Canada at the highest levels of competition.

About Dee Read
Athlete, coach, official, volunteer and parent, Dee Read set many precedents as a woman in sport: one of the first FIS Technical Delegates world-wide, the first Chair of Alberta Alpine and Board Member of Alpine Canada. Her dedication reached far beyond her family to influence athletes, parents, coaches and sport administrators right across Canada, who benefited from her knowledge, generosity and warm spirit in lending a firm but insightful hand as a sport leader in Canada and Alberta.

It is with great excitement that we would like to introduce the Alberta Ski Team for the 2023/24 competitive season. The following athletes have shown tenacity, commitment, dedication, and a drive that is second to none. Please join us in congratulating and celebrating them.

AST Women

Lebsack, Makenna 2003 AST/PANO

Lang, Polly 2004 NATC

Gray, Zoe 2004 PANO

Wunsch, Mikayla 2004 NATC*

Vogel, Eva 2005 NATC*

AST Men

Brooks, Caleb 2004 LLSC

Thompson, Gered 2004 NATC

Kometz, Aidan 2005 NATC*

*denotes first time selection to the team

Alberta Development Group Initiative

Horizontal and vertical integration is key for our athletes success. As such AASA alongside our club partners have implemented the formation of the Alberta Development Group (ADG). The purpose of this initiative is to create a more formalized & identified group of club FIS athletes in order to provide targeted integration opportunities for them. These opportunities are meant to supplement and add value to their pre-existing club programming. We have had this integration with the AST informally and sporadically over the years and it is time to provide a formalized path for all. This group is intended to be an open cohort that athletes can ski into during the season based on performance metrics. Over the summer club head coaches and PD’s will be working together to determine how we move athletes into this group over the course of the winter season. In the meantime please help us congratulate the following athletes for being nominated by their clubs and AASA to be part of the first inaugural Alberta Development group.

Every year Alberta Alpine looks forward to recognizing our athletes for their hard work and commitment to excellence, on and off the track.

After an extensive deliberation process from a highly competitive pool of applicants, the Alberta Alpine scholarship committee has selected the following scholarship recipients for the 2022/23 season:

Rob Bosinger Ski Scholarship
Taylor Luciuk (U16 Pano)
Dylan Giesbrecht (U16 Kananaskis)

Brent Marshall Memorial Scholarship
Thomas Cais (Lake Louise)

David Murray Memorial Scholarship
Polly Lang (AST/Kananaskis)

Franklin Donald Bean Award
Jesse Kertesz-Knight (AST/BAR Jasper)

Cary Mullen Character Award
U12 Colton MacDonald (Snow Valley)
U12 Lauren Smith (Snow Valley)
U12 Veda Menzies (Snow Valley)
U14 Quinn Roelofs (Fortress Alpine)
U16 Max Fereday (Pano)
FIS Kalle Ericcson FIS (CADS)
*AST – NO APPLICANTS

Certificates:
Luc Lefebvre – U10
Caden Devaney U10

Ski Canada Magazine Award
Lilly Schofield (U14) Pano
Graeme Cliff (U16) Pano

Thank you for attending and supporting the 2023 Quest for Gold Golf Tournament. It was an incredible event, and everyone’s support means so much!

GMC Dealers of Alberta: Hole in One Sponsor
Delbrook Capital: Breakfast Sponsor
Genstar: Lunch Sponsor
Raymond James Mission Wealth Advisors: 19th Hole Après Reception Sponsor
Panorama Advisory Group with Rob Gray at ScotiaWealth Management: Eagle Sponsor
Nearctic Property Group: Albatross Sponsor
World Cup Supply: Hole Sponsor

Thank You Perry Thompson Photography for tournament photography

And a big thank you to everyone who donated prizes.

Crave Cupcakes
World Cup Supply
Bear Street Outfitters
Winterstart Events
Karbon
Polly Lang
Libby Smith
Derek Wills
Carol Lebsack
Excel Fitness Canmore
Genevieve Giroux

Highest Peak Gala – Thursday, November 8th

We admire the skill, determination and hard work our athletes invest, to aim to be their best – at every level. Behind every alpine ski race, is the enormous contribution of many volunteers, officials and sport leaders, who work tirelessly to provide great programs, run ski races and ensure the administration and leadership of our sport gives our athletes every opportunity to succeed.

The purpose of the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame is to recognize those individuals who have invested their time, their passion and their enthusiasm to build our sport, lift our clubs and give athletes the chance to aim for the highest levels.

For the 11^th year, Alberta Alpine and the Selection Committee are pleased that our annual gathering of alpine ski racing excellence at the Highest Peak Gala, will profile the people who have built our sport. Thursday, November 8^th will be our opportunity to celebrate our 2023 Inductees, celebrate our achievements of the past season and meet the new athletes of the Alberta Ski Team.

Nominations for the Class of 2023 are now open. This is your chance to nominate an individual you feel is deserving of recognition by the Alpine Ski Racing Family in the Canadian Rockies.

The Hall of Fame selection panel welcomes nominees in up to five categories:

• Builder
• Volunteer
• Official
• Alberta Ski Team and/or Canadian Ski Team alumnus
• President’s Award, for special merit

Ski racing in the Canadian Rockies has grown through the vision and determination of our many passionate leaders. These efforts have lifted in our athletes to proudly represent Canada, including Olympic, World Championship and World Cup medals. Hard working volunteers, officials and staff have become indispensable supporters of our own annual World Cup as well as leaders within organizing committees at World Championships and Olympic Winter Games. Technical leaders have been part of the digital revolution. Coaches and Team alumnus have firmly established a culture of success and a pipeline that consistently gives thousands of young athletes the fundamentals of a life-long sport, a deep appreciation for the outdoors and mountain environment, the thrill of ski racing and a passion to aim to represent our country.

“The Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame is a truly meaningful way to honour those who have worked so hard for our athletes,” said Alberta Alpine President, Pat Gillespie. “Every winter, thousands of young athletes get the chance to enjoy ski racing and to aim for the podium right across our province, thanks to the determined effort of our supporters. Through their hard work our athletes have developed into champions, life-long ski enthusiasts and good citizens. The leadership of our Honoured Inductees and so many more is a living example to all of us who aim to build a strong sport programs across the province and Canada.”

Nominations will be accepted until June 30, 2023 – To nominate a deserving individual, provide a brief summary of no more than one page outlining the accomplishments and duration of commitment as well as contact information for both nominee and nominator. Email information to: memberservices@albertaalpine.ca

Canada’s longest running Ski Gala – Join us Thursday, November 9^th at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary for the 56^th “Highest Peak Gala” as we honour our 2023 Inductees, celebrate the remarkable success of our sport in 2023 and meet the members of the 2023 AST as they prepare for a new season.

– 30  –

For more information:

Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame

Email: memberservices@albertaalpine.ca

Snow Valley Racing has had an amazing winter.  Our athletes and coaches have been hard at work for the past six months representing the club at races and events across Alberta.  Our teams have been steadily growing in the past few seasons and it has been great to see the athletes putting all the hours of training to the test at our local races here in the province. 

Like many other teams, Snow Valley Racing relies heavily on our parent group for support throughout the winter on many different levels.  Whether it is the seemingly never ending time in the vehicle driving to mountains, preparing meals on the road, or volunteering at races and on our Race Organizing Committees; our parent group has shown that they are willing to step up, help out and get the job done.  As the Program Director of the club, it is great to know that when the call goes out, it will be answered by one of our many gracious volunteers. 

At the end of last season, our veteran Chief of Timing, Gary Nelson retired.  This was a big blow to SVR, as Gary was a wizard in the timing shack.  Going into this season, timing was a big question mark not only for SVR but within the entire North Zone ski community as we had seen another Chief of Timing retire a year earlier as well.  As of October 2022, in the North Zone we had only two crews experienced in the timing world and none that SVR could call our own.  

In the fall, Snow Valley had a crew of volunteers recognize that there was going to be a gap in Timing Volunteers this season and thought “we need to learn to how to work all this stuff”.  This crew was a mix of SVR members; some who were past timing assistants and some folks that were new to the timing world. Over the course of November and prior to our first club “Nations Cup Nancy Greene Race” in December, this crew of volunteers was able to learn the system, make any necessary repairs, and dial in roles and responsibilities for everyone in the crew.  From then on, this crew timed five different Snow Valley Racing events, one U12 Provincial event and one North Zone Regional event.  These events may not have happened and certainly would have looked very different had these folks not volunteered to take this on.  Noel, Brad, Jeff, Tom, Brett, thank you all for everything you have done this season.

This story is one of many that could have been chosen to highlight the strong sense of volunteerism within Snow Valley Racing.  It is amazing to see our volunteers stepping up time and time again.  The spirit of volunteerism and pride within the club is second to none, and as the Program Director it is great to know that whenever the club needs support it will be there. Stories like this are not unique in the ski racing community.  Across Alberta every winter volunteers put in many hours to manage and host ski race events for our athletes. We are very lucky in the province to have such an amazing group of volunteers that support our community and our athletes. Ski racing in Alberta would not the be same without all of you.  Thank you to all of our volunteers.

https://snowvalleyracing.ca/

???? credit

Diana McGee
Brad MacDonald
Jane Dauphinee 
Tom Shearer

Registration and sponsor opportunities are now open for the 2023 Quest for Gold Golf Tournament. Monday May 29 at Silvertip Golf Resort in Canmore.

WHERE: Silvertip Golf Resort in Canmore, AB

WHEN: Monday May 29, 2023

TIME: Registration Opens 7:30 am with the Putting Challenge from 8:00am to 10:00am

Shot-gun start at 10:00 am

REGISTRATION INCLUDES: Tee Gift, Light Breakfast, 2 beverages, BBQ Lunch and Apres Reception & Prizes 

Register: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=31451

The end of the season is approaching fast and the most economical way to build your base for next year and hone more of your skills is to ski on home snow during Supercamp. As Nakiska is closed during this time it will be just us and the Canadian National Team there. The camp is open to all U14, 16, & FIS age athletes including athletes that will be first year U14’s next season. The Philosophy behind the camp will be heavily focused on random environmental learning. We will set a ton of courses, drills, and environments to focus on skill sets! Athletes will get to see the National team training during this time and have members of the AST integrated into their groups. Lift tickets are included in the registration price. Registration will close on the 21st don’t wait! https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=31626