Let’s give a group thanks to the Alberta and BC ski industry

Was it that run that took you to the end where you let out the biggest “YAHOO.” Tell us what your “Yahoo” looked like. Think of those moments where you were halfway through a run and feeling like a giddy school kid.

Compare that to your summer/fall 2020 and we can start to fully appreciate the magnitude of what the ski industry brings to our winters now and beyond. What do you do with that excitement and how does it get re-invested into your life off the slopes?

It’s been a hell of a year, and we wouldn’t have wanted to think about what life would have been like if the lifts stopped turning. But instead, due to the incredible hard work of folks working in the ski industry and Alberta and B.C.’s Health authorities, the lifts kept turning (and for those in Alberta, the lifts keep turning through April. Check out our closing dates coverage to see where you can ski or ride through April and into May.

It could have been easy for governments to swipe a pen and close our winter sanctuaries, but instead everyone buckled down and made magic happen.

I’m thankful for the moments where time seemed to stop, immersed in a landscape that is like no other. Whether that was with 15 cms of fresh white gold, or from the laughs with ski buddies, or because that day Mother Nature simply had on her best dress. 

Those moments that made you get to the hill at 8 a.m. every morning and off at 4 p.m., because you just couldn’t get enough – are the best kind of memories.

Have a special ski season moment to share? Head to SnowSeekers' Facebook page to share!

Meeting skiers like Vernon’s Peter and Liz Thompson, who as 50th birthday presents, bought seasons’ passes for each other and hit the hills – no instructions necessary. When I ran into them on the chair one day in February, they were seeking out their next black run of the day (self-taught all within a few months having never experienced the sport before, at 50 years old). I want more inspiration in my life like the Thompson’s. The ski industry delivers that inspiration every day when the lifts are turning.

Thank you to the ski and ride coaches, those involved in the race and freestyle programs at hills across the West. Coaches lifting the spirits of thousands of kids to see they are more connected to nature, passing on principles of being a good human and igniting passions that make us taller.

Thank you to all the ski patrols who kept us safe and huge props to all the lifties standing in the sub-zero so we can score our dose of mental health. Cheers to the groomers, driving the snow cats who filled our days with roller coasters of awesome. Twists, turns and rollers that kept our hearts in our throats.

We @SnowSeekers salute all those working outside through the winter, for working in the middle of the night or at first light, setting us all up for a day of wonders.

Winter is a magical time and ski resorts give us access to moments that make time stop. We forgot about COVID, we had a mental break, allowing us to recharge, refocus and unlock ways of take on challenges.

What were some of your magic moments this season? 

When did time stop for you and who do you have to thank? 

Share with us a comment or two about who kept ski days special for you this season. Jump to our Facebook page because we want to hear from you.

Attitude is gratitude.

Thank you to our ski industry, you make magic happen daily. Way to go!

#MoreCowBell

Doc Pow & the team @SnowSeekers

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