Ski Canada December/January 2022

It’s a bit of a crevasse fall whenever I open an old copy of Ski Canada, or Ski Canada Journal as it all started in 1971. I can pore over the entertaining nostalgic pages for hours and quickly forget what I was originally looking up. The content can be both formal and naïve- and often unintentionally comical. My most recent afternoon of distraction opened to a lengthy but inspiring feature on a youthful 99-year-old Norwegian-Canadian icon, Jackrabbit Johannsen, who was still going strong skiing all winter. That particular issue from 1975 wrapped up with a backcover ad from Benson & Hedges. Johannsen, a non-smoker, died in 1987 at the age of 111. Glancing at the masthead (the upfront list of names who make a magazine), I pictured Ski Canada’s “Chairman,…

Bricks or roses, we love hearing from readers on anything in the magazine, just try to be concise: mac@skicanadamag.com. Write “LETTERS” in the subject line. Ode to the Ski Master This is my personal accolade to the late Don Bilodeau (1950-2013). He was my skiing coach. His instruction was delivered in a way I’m sure is unique to me. I was working as a liftee at Lake Louise in the early ’80s. I was assigned to Eagle Chair, a center-pole fixed-grip old double. My great good luck was the terrain served by Eagle. During breaks on a workday, liftees were required to stay within the bounds of our assigned lift, in case we were suddenly needed. For those of us hoping to raise the level of our skiing, one’s lift…

Injuries happen to the best of us—and Allison Forsyth was the best of us when injury struck in the women’s downhill at San Sicario, Italy, at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Allison was left with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a severe-enough injury on its own but combine that with a broken femur and tibia and you’ve got someone at the start of a very long road to recovery. “I’m still on that road,” says Allison with a laugh, as we chat during her morning trail run on Vancouver Island, B.C., adding that a good sense of humour is critical to recovery. Laughing and smiling is a big part of Allison’s day. An effervescent bundle of energy, Allison isn’t the kind of person to let injury rule her life, and she’s…

DIAMOND IN THE FLUFF Just before a sun is born, gravity starts pulling all the pieces together. That’s where Powder King Mountain Resort is at right now, says Jim Salisbury, the ski hill’s owner and general manager. “We’re in the infancy of development of the resort,” he says. “And we’re picking up traction.” Powder King sits right on Hwy 97 in Pine Pass, two hours north of Prince George where the Alaska Highway cuts through the northern Rocky Mountains of B.C. It’s known for its legendary snow—12.5 metres in an average year—and lack of lift lines on its two chairlifts servicing 365 hectares of inbounds terrain. “There’s a lot of mountain to ride already,” says Salisbury. “What we need is more people to come here. What we need is a…

Published medical studies about ski injuries, and indeed just the collection of ski injury data, barely existed before the mid-1980s, so in order to fill in some blanks I chatted with two iconic skiing MDs, Bob McMillin and Peter Fowler. Both physicians have treated countless ski injuries over the past five decades. Dr. Bob was the director of racing at Craigleith Ski Club for 15 years and even coached a young Steve Podborski. He was also often the first guy called to the ski patrol hut in cases of serious injuries. He skied until the age of 88, at which time he settled down and started snowboarding. An orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Peter Fowler is a long-time member of Devil’s Glen Ski Club who’s treated countless injured skiers on-hill as well…

Okay, I’m game. Ted Ligety and Apple have convinced me to shape up before ski season. Or at least stand up. After a pandemic’s worth of couch-sitting, a lot of us want to be ready for the slopes as the season starts. I’ve realized that my regular pre-season routine of watching ski and workout videos (often from the couch), and following along with my dad (to his Jane Fonda workout tapes), might need some updating. One of the avenues I found myself exploring was the dozens of workouts (new ones every week) on Apple Fitness+, more specifically, the Get Ready for Snow Season program. The snow program is developed and led by double Olympic gold medallist and five-time World Cup champ Ted Ligety. Currently there are six curated videos that…