This dad and daughter’s sick shred tour is sure to make any powder junkies very jealous.
For 34 consecutive days, Greg Scott and Hali ScottSmith hit the slopes at all 39 lift-serviced ski hills from around Alberta, ending their ambitious journey in Banff on Sunday (Jan. 26) after about 8,300 kilometres on the odometer.
Innisfail, La Crete, Cold Lake? Yes, all these places have ski resorts and in search of pow pow, the dad and daughter crossed them all off their list like they did at Lake Louise, Sunshine and Nakiska.
“There’s such diversity from every corner of the province from big mountains to river valley skiing, Alberta kind of has it all,” said Scott, who lives in Kimberley, British Columbia.
Inspired by their trip last year, when they skied 44 B.C. ski hills in 44 days, the duo hit the road in Alberta in December with their first stop in Pass Powderkeg in Crowsnest Pass and went up their last lift at Mount Norquay Ski Resort in Banff National Park.
“We have a fantastic relationship,” said Scott. “For the time we’re doing these ski trips, we are joined at the hip for the entire time and yeah, it’s been really awesome.”
Along the way of big mountains, white powder days and prairies, there have been some unique features at various ski resorts around the province.
For example, at Blue Ridge Mountain Resort in La Crete, which is in the northwestern part of the province, a 36-seat ski sleigh takes eager skiers up the hill. Down at the Innisfail Ski Hill, a rope tow, running off of swather in a motor shed pulls winter lovers up the slope
“I think the thing that impresses both of us the most is just the people behind all of this year,” said Scott. “There’s just so much passion right across the entire province for people to create skiing and boarding opportunities for people.”
The stories behind these, as well as Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country ski hills, are told by local ski legends as part of Scott and ScottSmith’s “Chairlift Chatters”, featured on their social media pages, Tidbits of Change.
Although the dad and daughter have given powder days a whole new meaning, Scott said there are a few more factors that go into it rather than getting in as many runs as possible.
“When my daughter was 11 years old [in 2012], my birthday present to her was that we were going to visit a different place each year and play music together, busking essentially, and picking a cause and raising money and awareness for that cause,” said Scott.
“We had heard how we had encouraged others to do their own projects and so we created a foundation (Tidbits of Change) to try to snowball that and encourage Canadian youths to do a project with a parent or a mentor.”
Scott previously worked with Alpine Canada and Alpine Alberta and is a big supporter of one-on-one time with kids. The belief has inspired Tidbits of Change to offer three bursaries – one $5,000 and two $1,000 – for the most inspiring stories we hear about youth doing projects in collaboration with a parent or mentor.
Applications are open until March 31.
“You know you spend time with your kids when they’re growing up and your relationship with them for the rest of your lives becomes pretty special,” said Scott.
