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Mt. Macpherson Lodge, Revelstoke BC |
Anyone fortunate enough to have skied the magnificent slopes at Revelstoke knows how close-knit the community is. For evidence of this, look no further than the recent completion of the Mt. Macpherson Nordic lodge. This article, written by Jill Zacharias of the Revelstoke Times discusses the process involved with constructing the lodge and the effort put forth by the community to accomplish their common goal.
By working together, they were able to acquire all of
the necessary materials as well as licencing in under a year, a process that typically takes anywhere from 2-5 years. The key, however to the success was the amount of volunteer labour involved. Glenn O’Reilly, a local Revelstoke enthusiast drew up the building designs, free of charge. The day lodge also features maintenance facilities for storing snow equipment as well as race facilities, meaning that races can now be held there.
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A view of Revelstoke's world class snow |
This article really spoke to me as I am someone very passionate about the ski industry and would like to be involved with it for the rest of my life. It seems that every mountain resort you go to has its own culture and a very special community within. Seeing these kinds of things happen reminds me why I love this sport so much.
The people participating are all so passionate about the sport that they do whatever it takes to improve things for others.
To complete a project of that magnitude takes a lot of cooperation from a lot of people and to me, that’s what makes ski communities so incredible. Everyone works together to accomplish as much as possible. From donating time money or materials, the whole Revelstoke community worked together and created a beautiful lodge that will be around for a long time.
Another good example I see of communities working together is Castle Mountain. The resort was very close to going bankrupt, but local business owners decided to buy the resort and keep it going for everyone else who enjoyed the hill so much. For me, it’s the passion of the people in the industry that keep me coming back to the mountain.
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Part of Castle Mountains community |
References:
Zacharias, J. (2011). It takes a whole community to raise a ski lodge. Revelstoke Times Review. Retrieved January 20, 2011 from: http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/revelstoketimesreview/community/114230819.html