 |
| Aussie Day 2020 at Sun Peaks Resort - photo courtesy of Barry MacDonald |
 |
| Ashleigh McIvor DeMerit (in beige jacket, blue pants, white helmet) at the Telus Nancy Greene Classic 2020 at Sun Peaks Resort |
SKIER CROSS
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, ASHLEIGH MCIVOR came to Sun Peaks this weekend and
guess who got to sit next to her on the chairlift?! No time for pics, unfortunately,
but had a great chat with Ashleigh and her mum, Marilyn who had mistaken me for
Lynne Harrison as I was wearing one of Lynne’s Alchemy
of RIDE mountainscape jackets. Honestly, these brightly coloured ski
outfits are a real calling card: everyone comments and it opens up all sorts of
fun conversations and friendships!
From Ashleigh McIvor DeMerit's Facebook Fan Page
Ashleigh was in Sun Peaks for the 2020 TELUS Nancy Greene Classic
which has morphed over the years from a more traditional gated race to a trendy
skier and boarder cross team event. It was around 1pm on Friday when we shared
the chair after which she raced off to take advantage of the two-hour practice
session on the course. She was the first gold medal winner of women’s ski cross
which debuted at the 2010 Winter Olympics - in her home town of Whistler - and
also World Champ. Now retired, she’s a mother (married to footballer - aka soccer player - Jay DeMerit, former captain
of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and still works as a model, broadcaster and
public speaker. She’s also cousin to my landlady, Laura Vittery, who has rented
us her apartment in Sun Peaks for the season (and we’ve signed up for next
season too)! During our chairlift chat, Marilyn
told me she loves Alchemy of RIDE gear and planned to buy
herself a shirt later and something “groovy” for her boyfriend, Greg Pettit
(dad of the legendary bros Sean and Callum Pettit).
 |
| Nancy commentating at the Telus Nancy Greene Classic 2020 at Sun Peaks Resort |
 |
| Rob Hood (left) and the Thompson Rivers University Team at the Telus Nancy Greene Classic 2020 at Sun Peaks Resort |
THE TELUS NANCY
GREENE CLASSIC is a major fundraiser for Sun Peaks, now in its 24th
season, and so far notching up $600,000. Proceeds from this year’s race and silent
auction will help fund expansion of the Sun Peaks Community School as well as
benefitting Kamloops
RIH (Royal Inland Hospital) Foundation and Sun Peaks Junior Ski Racing.
Teams gather from all over the resort, surrounding villages, the City of Kamloops,
and as far afield as Whistler, attracting locals and visitors.
 |
| Snowboarders and Skiers join forces for the Telus Nancy Greene Classic 2020 at Sun Peaks Resort |
It’s a
recreational race aimed at every standard, no skier/boarder cross experience required,
and each team has to be mixed gender. During our Wednesday ski with the Polar
Bear and Grizzly Bear clubs this week, we unearthed quite a few very
competitive members who look forward to this challenge each year. As well as
the ‘Sport Cup’ category (those aged 19 and above), there is a ‘Platinum Cup’
category for the 50-plus cohort. Everyone gets a ‘Mulligan’ – a chance to get a
better time in the afternoon. Teams times are worked out using all four
team members' contributions and there’s an elimination competition, the
McSporties Cup, also in the afternoon. Individual prizes are awarded for the best male and female
overall times for skiers, snowboarders - and telemarkers, too, if there are
three or more competing.
 |
| Telus Nancy Greene Classic 2020 at Sun Peaks Resort |
 |
| Simon and I with Alchemy of RIDE designer, Lynne Harrison |
ALCHEMY OF RIDE POP-UP SHOP:
The Alchemy of Ride duo - artist and designer,
Lynne Harrison and her Crazy Canuck hubby, Dave Irwin – were in Sun Peaks for
this event, to ski for five days, and to showcase the latest AOR
collection at a Pop-Up Shop in the Sun Peaks Grand where they
were staying.
I’d been promoting this sale around the village, on all my social
media, and I also wrote an article about it in the Sun
Peaks Independent News (known here as SPIN so I guess that means I’m
a SPINner). As you know, I’m a fervent fan of Lynne’s huge mountain prints reproduced
on skiwear in such vivid colours that you stand out in the densest whiteout as
well as in any crowd. They’re also really warm, windproof and waterproof and
the thermals and baselayers look just as good in the a après ski bars
as on the slopes.
 |
| The Alchemy of RIDE van attracting much attention outside the Sun Peaks Grand |
 |
| Trying on my new Alchemy of RIDE jacket called 'The Sky The Sky' |
With free hot choc and lots of people turning up for autographs and
photographs with Dave, the turnout was huge! Canadians, Aussies, Europeans,
locals and tourists, both male and female. The Pop-Up was the most colourful
shop ever, with dozens of different designs for sale as well as samples from Lynne’s
2020 collection.
Shoppers include lots of members of the Polar Bear and Grizzly
Bear ski groups as well as Tennille Southcombe from Snowlife Tours. Ashleigh McIvor is
now the proud owner of AOL gear as well as Sun Peaks superstar, Nancy Greene. Paul Mathews, architect
and master planner for Sun Peaks, popped by as did the Best Sun Peaks team.
BARE
NECESSITIES:
Can’t sign off without mentioning Australia Day Weekend (Jan 25/26). I
didn’t have space to write about it last week but it’s an annual jolly at Sun Peaks, involving public celebrations,
private parties, fundraisers, lots of dress-up and drinking, and the chilling
custom of skiing almost naked.
 |
| Aussie Day 2020 at Sun Peaks Resort - photo courtesy of Barry MacDonald |
After photos at the top on the Sunday - sporting crazy hair, Aussie flag
cloaks, many a beer can in hand, lots of bikinis and boxers - the group of over
50 skiers and snowboarders raced down from the top of the Sunburst Chair to the
base - presumably headed for the hot tub or at least a hot toddy as soon as it
was over. Luckily the minus 30s of the week before were well over, and the
temps were around zero – but can you imagine the windchill on all that bare
flesh! Later in the early evening, a smaller group of scantily-clad revelers boarded
the Platter lift for terrain park antics in the nightskiing area which stays
open until 7pm. I watched this from the warm vantage point of a private party
in The Coast Sundance Lodge, a
great chance to meet more of the resort’s regular returnee Aussies who
typically spend anything from two to four months in Sun Peaks.
 |
| Erika Thorburn (left) and Tennille Southcombe (right) decked out for the Aussie Day Sausage Sizzle |
Over that wild weekend there was a more serious element this year: Bushfire
Relief Fundraisers abounded, including an Australian Sausage Sizzle at Masa’s and Mantles, Scouts’ cookie
sales, Club Night at Masa’s, Morrisey’s Pilsener beer
donations, Ski Bike Canada’s proceeds
from the whole weekend, and during the following week, the Sun Peaks Wine Club
held a fundraising gathering at Bella Italia Restaurant. I
also spotted fundraising cookies on sale at Vertical Café, and there were many more charitable
endeavours throughout the village in support of Sun Peaks’ massive Aussie community.
Check out these links
for some of my most recent published ski articles:
Feb 2020 – Style Altitude Magazine (Europe):
Jan 2020 – Sun Peaks Independent News:
Jan 2020 – Silver Travel Advisor:
Jan 2020 – SNOW:
https://thesnowmag.com/snow-high-season-2019-2020/
pp. 54-56 “Plumpjack”
Dec 2020 – Silver Travel Advisor:
Nov 2019 – SNOW:
November 2019 – Cambridge Scholars:
Nov 2019 – Silver Travel Advisor:
Oct 2019 – Silver Travel Advisor:
Oct 2019 -
SNOW MAG - High Season Issue:
Bio p. 30-31
Upping the Ante at Alta p. 36-37 (https://thesnowmag.com/snowpine-lodge-alta/ and https://thesnowmag.com/category/scene/snow-hotels/)
Bringing the Outdoors Inside p. 38-39
La Vie en
Rose p. 56-58 https://thesnowmag.com/cloud-nine-aspen-entourage-rose/
Over the Hill Gang p. 72-77
WintaStar
Shanghai - https://thesnowmag.com/wintastar-shanghai-indoor-ski-center/
Sept 2019 Ski Canada Mag Buyers Guide 2020:
 |
| S SNAP! Me and my buddy, Therese, sporting our The Sky The Sky outfits in a rare moment of sunshine! |
