Hockey High to Rocky Mountain Dream

Life was good or so she thought. A good marriage, the kids were grown and doing well. She had an exciting job promoting women’s and girls hockey in Ontario.

There were the persistent "Move west for a great life in the Rocky Mountains" sales pitches from her sister including numerous invitations to her new hometown of Cranbrook, British Columbia.

The births of a nephew and niece also meant frequent trips to the beautiful East Kootenay corner of BC. With each visit it became more difficult to leave the peacefulness and fresh mountain air to return to the traffic jams and chaotic life in southern Ontario.

Then one September evening in 2007, when chatting on-line, her sister excitedly typed that she found a website for the new Shadow Mountain golf course development.

Well that was it. A month and two trips west later, the decision was made to invest towards retirement in the amazing Rocky Mountain playground.

Next question, how could Melanie McFarlane and her husband Rick make the dream happen sooner than later? Could Melanie leave the women’s hockey world where she had spent the last 18 years involved in local, provincial, national and international events; her efforts culminating in being honoured as the 2003 Woman of the Year for Health and Fitness for the City of Hamilton.

Then in 2006, Melanie received national recognition when Hockey Canada presented the left-winger turned goaltender with the Isobel Gathorne Hardy Award. The prestigious "Player of the Year" award is attributed to an active player, at any level of the game, whose values, leadership and personal traits are representative of all female athletes. The award recognizes a player that has demonstrated strong community involvement and dedication to the game of hockey.

Could the lure of a life in south-eastern BC be greater than her hockey life? The answer was YES!

Melanie and Rick were excited at the prospect of joining the friendly and fast growing Cranbrook community, with Shadow Mountain offering a very special place to ultimately put down retirement roots.

Making the mid-life move, Melanie looked for a business idea which also offered an opportunity to get to know local folks. Who better to ask then someone who has a finger on the Kootenay pulse.

Over a coffee, Shadow Mountain Sales Consultant Irene Barnes and Melanie talked about the exciting future for Cranbrook, the Kootenays and Shadow Mountain.

The new Rocky Mountain International Airport was a key ingredient in the future growth of the region. It provided international access to the local recreational lifestyle communities. With Delta Airlines offering a link to their western hub Salt Lake City, the world was finally discovering BC’s best kept secret.

Irene mentioned the need for someone to help the future recreational homeowners keep care of their homes while vacant. What a great idea! The wheels began turning and the company name happened before the end of the day.

Thinking about the bear shadow on Shadow Mountain a perfect name would be The Bear Necessities Home Watch Service. Melanie could offer home checks, snow removal, lawn mowing, house cleaning, stock fridges, greet deliveries, airport shuttles and much more.

One goal would be to offer the recreational home owner a chance to spend more of their precious time on recreation and less time in the grocery store or cleaning. The company’s services would also be provided to permanent Cranbrook and area residents going away on vacation.

The transition west has started. Melanie has made the move and The Bear Necessities Home Watch Service is up and running. Rick currently remains in Ontario and is looking forward to joining Melanie soon in their new western adventure.

Melanie has certainly found a niche market as young families, baby-boomers and retirees all discover this recreation paradise. Not wanting to forget about her love of hockey, Melanie packed her goalie gear and was lucky enough to find that the new Cranbrook Women’s Rec Hockey League needed a netminder. Playing hockey in the Rockies, living in the beautiful City of Cranbrook…..dreams do come true!

Now it is Rick and Melanie’s turn to make the persistent "Move west for a great life in the Rocky Mountains" sales pitch to Ontario family and friends!

Sullivan Landing enters the planning phase

Real Estate growth in Kimberley BC is moving forward, with the Lois Creek development – Sullivan Landing entering the re-zoning phase.

This development has been acquired by a new group, OKKO Communities. A previous attempt was made to bring this project to fruition, under the ‘Wildflower’ brand.

OKKO has put in a rezoning application for the land, from R2 to a new CD5 zone, which would allow a variety of building types.

Sullivan Landing Development will proceed in 4 Phases, the first of which includes 45 lots and 63 dwellings.

It is still very early in the planning process, and an open house will be held after the first reading of the zoning bylaw. An additional public hearing will be held at City Council.

Backcountry telemark skiing movie shot in the Kimberley Area.

Each year Utah based Powderwhores crew produces ski films, when the snow failed to fall in their home mountains forced the Powderwhores to hit the road.

For months we have been hearing from the Powderwhores that PW07 would have a different groove then the Utah-based crew’s previous Wasatch-centric productions.

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A very late start to winter in their home mountains forced the Powderwhores to hit the road. “We got into February and realized we had no movie,” Noah Howell said, “so we did what everybody else was doing and headed north.”

The resulting film: PW07, is a masterpiece on many levels, but none more for the way that the film unselfconsciously documents the exciting state of the sport of telemark skiing, here at the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century. This probably would not have happened if Utah had not failed to go off early last season.

Backcountry telemark skiing gets a lot of attention, in the athlete segments and in the segment shot on the Powderwhore’s trip to Kimberley, British Columbia. The ski mountaineering crowd is not forgotten in a beautifully shot.

And then there is the Alaska segment. What would a telemark manifesto be without seeing modern freeheel athletes on what has become the world’s biggest big-mountain stage? Comprising nearly a third of the movie, the footage that the Powderwhore production team brought back from the Chugach is totally off the hook. Dave Stratton and Devore, among others, shred huge lines with style and elan, and on a level unseen before in a telemark ski movie. The camera work is superb and the skiing is incredible.

Wonderfully paced and without apparently trying, PW07 takes the viewer on a ride which covers the main elements of freeheel skiing as it has evolved in the modern era. Technique is well represented by some of the strongest and most talented tele skiers ever captured on film, including young phenom Nick Devore, who made history last year at the alpine world’s premier big-mountain competition, the US Freeskiing Championships at Snowbird. Devore turned heads as the first tele skier ever to make the finals, while also finishing 18th out of a field of 150 of the world’s top freeskiing athletes.

Finally, the movie closes with a segment accurately titled, “Deep Powder,” and with a musical score written especially for this segment, this is the stuff from which dreams are made for many of us. Exceedingly rare are the days when the sun comes out and you get great light while the powder stays fluffy, and yet that’s what we have here.

Simply put, it’s the most awesome tele pow footage the Powderwhores have given us yet, and that’s saying a lot.

www.powderwhore.com

Kimberley Continues Upgrades to Recreation Infrastructure

The City of Kimberley’s Curling Rink just got a major upgrade. The renovation is part of the Kimberley’s vision to transform its spotting venues into world class training and competitive venues for disabled athletes and spectators.

Upgrades had to be made to the building’s roof and supporting structure, so it was decided to make the building fully accessible. In the past, athletes in wheelchairs had to be carried into the building and onto the ice.

“We’ve got a really nice facility for anyone with a disability to get into,” said Gord Jenkins, president of the curling club.

The main entrance and fire exits feature wheelchair ramps and automatic door openers. Another ramp leads down to the ice surface. The locker room was removed to make way for accessible washrooms. Also new are a reception area in the foyer, additional lighting, insulated walls as well as new dividers and a new zamboni.

Columbia Basin Trust came on board to support the $223,000 project with a $57,000 grant, “We’re honoured to be part of these projects,” states CBT board chair Garry Merkel. “But the people who make this happen are certainly not us, we just have the money.”

Kimberley Mayor Jim Ogilvie says the rink is now a very attractive asset to the community and thanked the curling club and CBT for partnering with the city to make it possible.

The curling club will be hosting the B.C. mixed Provincials in March, welcoming athletes to the new facility.

Construction of Conference Centre to Begin Spring 2009

Kimberley’s Paralympic Conference Centre , to be located at the base of the ski hill, should be ready for next ski season. The project is now entering the tendering stage and construction is scheduled to begin spring 2009.

The Paralympic committee is happy with the final draft plan, says Mayor Jim Ogilvie. The architect is currently finishing the blueprints and final tender documents.

“These delays have actually turned out to be good for us,” Ogilvie said. “We couldn’t come in on budget before and I made a promise that we wouldn’t go ahead unless we could come in on budget. But the new price of materials and availability of labour will help us. And it will create some jobs at a time when they are really needed.”

One reason for the delay was trying to come up with a design for the building to accommodate the two separate functions of the building. It became clear that this building was going to need two storeys, one for each function, but that brought on accessibility issues.

The revised plans take advantage of the location at the base of the ski hill, allowing the building to be built into the hill. This allows for the Paralympic centre on the upper level with access to and from the ski lift level, and the conference centre on the lower level with access from the parking lot.

This is a radical departure from the original plans, which had the conference centre on the top level.

“It became clear we needed a different design for accessibility,” Ogilvie said. “When the Paralympic Centre was on the bottom there were real problems with getting onto the lift level. And if you had a large number of people in wheelchairs, getting them into two elevators is a major problem.”

With the new design community access to the conference centre will be through the parking lot level, but a paralympian skier will be able to go down a ramp from the level.

Ogilvie says that construction will begin in the spring of 2009 and the centre should be ready for next ski season.

Delta Flies at Capacity with NorAm Cup Skiers

Visitors to the Canadian Rockies International Airport (YXC, Cranbrook) on Saturday had a Bombardiersized treat. Delta carrier SkyWest’s regular 50 passenger jet was replaced for this flight only by their larger RJ900, which carries 76 passengers. Why? Athletes from the International Paralympic Committee’s NORAM Cup were going home.

The 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing NorAm Cup hosted by Kimberley Disabled Skiers Association wrapped up on Friday at the Kimberley Alpine Resort. 52 athletes competed representing 9 countries. Competitors came from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia and the USA.

Those returning on Delta through Salt Lake City were joined for the outbound flight by several “general” passengers, rendering the 76 passenger jet near full.

“The new Delta air service is an important link here”, says Laurie Reed, Coordinator of Air Partner Programs for Kootenay Rockies Tourism, “for Delta & SkyWest to be able to switch to larger jets to accommodate large groups and team needs is phenomenal, and the implications for tourism, business and economic development are huge.”

Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak agrees. “We see Sport Tourism as a real growth opportunity,says Manjak “having air service that can be this responsive to our travel needs is a great step in the right direction.”

And it’s not just about tourism. AR of the industries and communities of the region can benefit With this kind of service, the Canadian Rockies International Airport can be a gateway for large gatherings of all kinds …. literally bringing in visitors and delegates from all over the globe.

Discover the Powder Highway

If spectacular views, oceans of champagne  powder,  and a huge variety of terrain are what you are looking for, look no further that BC’s Powder Highway. This is  a collection of authentic rural Canadian ski resorts and one of the last uncovered winter destinations in North America.

“This is one of the last pristine jewels, that has yet to be overdeveloped” said Irene Barnes, sales representative for two developments in the area. “The beauty of the area is truly breathtaking, combined with the fact that the lift lineups a short in the winter, and you can get a tee time in the summer, makes this area a great choice.’

Located in the Kootenay Rockies region in southeast British Columbia, the Powder Highway has one of the world’s highest densities of snow-sports operations, with more than 60 along the 530-mile loop. There are eight alpine resorts and dozens of backcountry, heli and snowcat ski operators, along with other activities, from snowshoeing to dogsledding to snowmobiling.

This area has been destination for skiers from the Calgary area and Europe for years, but the Powder Highway has been mostly an untapped resource for U.S. skiers and boarders.

Delta’s new direct flight from Salt Lake City to Cranbrook should change that.

The service, offered by Delta, began Dec. 17 and will run through April 1, with roundtrip fares starting at $278. Instead of a four-hour drive from Calgary, the two-hour flight gives U.S. skiers direct access to the Powder Highway, starting with Kimberley Alpine Resort just up Highway 95A up to Revelstoke Mountain Resort on the loop’s northwest corner.

There are negotiations to extend the service to the summer, when visitors can take advantage of outdoor activities like golf (27 championship courses), fishing and kayaking.

“We’re really touting ourselves now as fly-in, fly-out, ski-in, ski-out because in western Canada that’s unheard of,” said Bob Dyrda, the manager of Tourism Kimberley. “You might be used to that in a place like Colorado, but here you often have to drive four hours once you fly in. Now, people are going to have access to some pretty wild country.”

Kimberley, just minutes from the Canadian Rockies International Airport, is home of the Kimberley Alpine Resort, and the incredible Timberstone Development. This condo complex is located right on the ski hill for true ski out your door convenience.

The hill offers numerous long, true fall-line runs of all levels; covered with light, dry interior-range powder. The front side is famous for its many miles of delightfully groomed trails. With over 1800 acres of ski terrain, moguls and glade area to choose from, this charming ski resort is an option hard to pass up.

The city of Kimberley has the look of a Bavarian alpine village, and is renowned for its consistency of quality snow and four-star family fun. The picturesque Trickle Creek Lodge provides the convenience of simple ski-in/ski-out residence ensuring an even longer ski day.

Unlike the wet, heavy snow of western B.C., the snow along the Powder Highway is dry and fluffy, creating pristine champagne powder. There’s a lot of it — most places average around 30 feet a year — so skiers can often find fresh powder three or four days after a big dump.

Ski For $1 At Fernie Or Kimberley

You can ski for only $1 at Kimberley or Fernie with an inaugural Delta flight. You can ski for only $1 at Kimberley or Fernie with an inaugural Delta flight.

Skiers and snowboarders never find lift tickets this cheap. But a lift ticket at Kimberley Alpine Resort or Fernie Alpine Resort actually only costs $1 for early riders on Delta Airlines new service into Cranbrook, B.C. That’s a deal you can’t afford to pass up.

The new flights from Salt Lake City head direct to the Canadian Rockies International Airport beginning Dec. 17. Flights run on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The “Ski for $1″ deal is being offered by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, owner of both Kimberley and Fernie. The air-lift ticket package is only available for purchase through the ski company rather than the airline.

Inbound flights must be scheduled for Dec. 15, 20, or 21 and originate in the continental U.S. to get the $1 ski ticket deal. The offer is valid for one day of $1 skiing per airline ticket purchased. It also is based on round trip airfare.

You can purchase airline tickets with the $1 lift ticket by calling Resorts of the Canadian Rockies Central Reservations at (800)258-7669. Mention the “Ski for $1″ offer when making the booking in order to get the deal.

New Air Service = More Play Time on BC’s Powder-Packed Slopes

Getting to the snow just got a whole lot easier, thanks to new direct air service between Salt Lake City and the Canadian Rockies International Airport.

On December 17, Delta Airlines will ready the runway for its first direct flight to the Kootenay Rockies destination – and that means easier access to BC’s bountiful snow at family-favourites Fernie Alpine Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort and Fairmont Hot Springs.

An added bonus?

With Fairmont and Fernie just a 60 minute jaunt away and Kimberley even closer at a mere 20 minutes from the Cranbrook airport, one can fly the friendly skies and buckle the bindings all in one day. 

For the ultimate road trip, hit the Powder Highway, a scenic circle tour that links some of BC’s best alpine resorts, and the ideal route for discovering even more Kootenay Rockies gems.

Whitewater Ski Resort, Red Mountain Resort, Panorama Mountain Village, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, and of course Fernie, Fairmont and Kimberley – along with over 50 backcountry operators offering snow-cat skiing, heli skiing, backcountry touring and nordic adventures – can all be found along the Powder Highway.

Add in fun activities like dog sledding, snowshoeing and igloo dinners, and you’ll understand why the Powder Highway is travelled by devotees the world over.  And why not?

With the world’s highest concentration of powder possibilities like these all wrapped up in one great destination, you’re no more than a flight, a shuttle and a shush away!

Ski Hill Conference Centre is a Go!

KIMBERLEY BC – The City of Kimberley just took a giant step forward in becoming southern British Columbia’s four season tourism destination. Construction will begin this Spring on a new Conference Centre, located at the base of the Ski hill.
At a special press conference held on the Kimberley Alpine Resort the Mayor Jim Ogilvie was joined by Kootenay Columbia MP Jim Abbott, on behalf of Minister of Western Diversification Rona Ambrose, and Southeast Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett on behalf of Minister of Community Services Ida Chong to make the announcement.
“I’m pleased to announce the Government of Canada and the province of British Columbia are jointly investing $2 Million dollars towards the construction of the Kimberley Conference Centre.” Jim Abbott announced.
The 12,000 sq foot Conference / Paralympic Centre will be built in the heart of the Kimberley Ski Resort’s Village, just a quick stroll from the Marriott, Timberstone Spa Resort, Sullivan Stone Lodge, and the Polaris Lodge.
“The front entrance will face the village square that is slowly developing at the Resort. A very important element is how the building fits in with the existing architecture at the Resort. It is a very visible site, and the building will have to fit with the existing architecture and surroundings.” said Jim Ogilvie
“Our goal is to be open by next winter,“ said Mayor Jim Ogilvie. “We need to have a training facility ready for international teams prior to the Olympics. We also want to bring them back for the Olympic year to train before the Games. There’s a better chance of that if they have a year to test the facility.“
“There is nowhere else in Canada has a dedicated ski run with all the nets and timing equipment available,“ Kimberley’s Mayor continued, “A lot of places don’t have that equipment available at all. We have it all stored right on the mountain.“
“The Government of Canada is proud to support this project, which increases conference centre capacity and supports business and tourism opportunities in the community of Kimberley,“ said Jim Abbott.
MLA Bill Bennett said that the real credit for the announcement goes to Ogilvie, Kimberley City Council and the citizens of Kimberley.
“I’ve witnessed all the city has done in the past 15 or 20 years to get ready for the closure of the mine,“ Bennett said. “They’ve continued to have a vision for what this community can be. They have created golf courses and saved the ski resort. They are developing Paralympic training and performance facilities. And now, as a result of the generosity of the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies and this program, they are creating this wonderful new conference centre in the resort village. This will make a real difference to people’s lives in Kimberley and the area.“
This facility could very well push Kimberley past the tipping point in achieving the goal of becoming a year round tourism destination.

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