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Skiers set to celebrate National Ski Day

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For most skiers, any day in the mountains feels like a celebration of the sport they love.

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On Saturday, though, ski resorts across the country will be getting in on the action and celebrating skiing during the third annual CIBC National Ski Day.

It’s an event that Alpine Canada calls a coast-to-coast celebration of skiing, and will be helping raise money for the national ski team while offering discounted lift tickets.

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“The genesis of the event was a recognition of what skiing means to Canada,” said Alpine Canada president and CEO Mark Rubinstein. “We believe it’s a sport that’s in the DNA of who we are as a country from coast-to-coast, England and French and from big cities to small, and the young to the young at heart.

“We’re a winter nation and we think it’s important that at least once a year all the stakeholders come together.”

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In general, Alpine Canada is associated with the highest levels of elite ski racing. Its website features updates on the latest World Cup and Nor-Am racers, while also keeping fans up-to-date on what Canadian athletes are up to.

Alpine Canada is, after all, the national governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in the country, as well as the high-performance programs that support Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

But National Ski Day isn’t just about the elite athletes who rip down mountains in Canadian colours, it’s also about the grassroots levels of the sport and creating connections between the national teams and recreational skiers who just love spending a day on the slopes.

“It’s an annual event that connects millions of recreational skiers with the Canadian national ski team, so we obviously have the fastest ski racers in the country and often around the globe, but if you think about it, every member of the national ski team started out as a recreational skier when they were a child,” Rubinstein said.

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“To find the 1 per cent who can be exceptional ski racers, you start with a base of a pyramid of every kid who lives in a city or small town to strap on a pair of skis.”

While the even is national in its scope, National Ski Day also offers discounts that can provide Calgarians with a way to get out to the mountains without breaking the bank. All guests have to do is book online by Friday at 11:30 p.m. (http://alpinecanada.org/nationalskiday)

Nakiska, in Kananaskis, is offering 50% off lift tickets on Saturday, meaning skiers can get on the mountain for only $38.47, while Castle Mountain is offering half-price lift tickets as well (adults for $42.48, students/seniors/juniors for $37.48) as well as a free gift upon arrival.

A little further down the road, Panorama is offering 50% discounts on lift tickets as well ($46.00), as are both B.C.’s Red Mountain ($44.50) and Silver Star ($50.00).

“One of the incentives we created as part of this program was to offer significant discounts on lift tickets and prizing and merchandise and other kinds of gifts to celebrate the sport,” Rubinstein said.

daustin@postmedia.com

@DannyAustin_9

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