www.Skiinfo.co.uk is reporting a week of fresh snowfalls all over Europe allowing many resorts to open their doors.

With Kitzbuhel, Austria’s earliest ever opening this past weekend, following Planai the week before that, as well as seven glaciers areas to choose from, Austria continues to offer the biggest choice of skiing in the Alps. The heavy snowfall there last week has set up some great conditions with most areas reporting a three- to five-foot base. The glacial areas are Dachstein, Hintertux, Molltal, Kitzsteinhorn (Kaprun), Pitztal, Solden, Stubai, Tux).

In Switzerland, the latest ski area to open is Glacier 3000 above les Diablerets near Gstaad. The area joins the Engelberg, Saas Fee and Zermatt glaciers, which are all already open.

Exciting news from Italy, too, as Bormio has announced it will open this weekend and the country has reported some of the best new snow this week. Bormio will run a cable car and a high-speed chair serving 12.5 miles of slopes between 7,500 and 9,000 feet in altitude. It joins Cervinia, which will now be open daily after this weekend, and still-open summer ski areas Passo Stelvio and Val Senales.

In France, les 2 Alpes is open this week for its new festival week, but will close again on Monday for four weeks until opening for the winter on November 28. Tignes, the other French resort that has now been open for six weeks this season, is currently suffering from a snow shortage and needs more.

In the Pyrenees, there are no areas open yet but the first heavy snowfalls have been reported. Formigal in Spain has reported the first snow of the season on their slopes. The dusting at Spain’s largest resort is a good sign for the coming season and forecasters are predicting a further few inches tonight. The Pyrenees received some of the best snow in decades at many resorts last winter, and it all began in Autumn last year, so the region is hoping for a repeat of winter 08-09.

There are more than a dozen ski areas currently open in Northern Europe. Sweden currently has five ski areas: Funäsdalen, Kåbdalis, Tänndalen, Tärnaby and Hemavan. Tänndalen is the only area that is open daily.

In Norway, skiers have six different ski resorts to choose from for the upcoming weekend: Gaustablikk and Bjorli opened on October 17, and Gålå has announced their season starts this weekend. A ski season that starts in mid October is early, even in cold Norway, and this means that the first winter ski resort opened before the last summer ski resort closed (Galdhøpiggen Summer ski resort closed on October 25). Kvitfjell, Trysil, Hafjell, Geilo, Kongsberg and Uvdal all aim to open on November 7.

Back home, the good news continues. The Rockies are being hit with a big storm that might bring more than two feet to higher elevations.

From SAM Magazine–October 28

BC Ferries has banned a cheeky new book — with an equally cheeky cover — written by Whistler author Stephen Vogler.

Vogler, 45, who grew up in Whistler, has written an entertaining recollection of the wild, weird and wacky things that have happened in the last 30 years in the famous ski town that in a few months will host the Winter Olympics.

And while Vogler takes a lively look at the town’s party-hard cast of characters in the just-released book, he thinks the cover is what caused the biggest stir with BC Ferries.

On the cover of Vogler’s Only in Whistler — Tales of a Mountain Town, there’s a picture of four naked women on skis ready to load onto a blue chairlift. The photo was taken by Squamish-based photographer Gary McFarlane in the early 1990s.

Only in Whistler is now in bookstores across B.C., but Vogler has been told it will not be in any of the busy onboard bookstores run by the ferry corporation.

“The book explores Whistler’s irreverent and rambunctious spirit,” he said. “It is Whistler laid bare — and the cover reflects that.”

Vogler also thinks he may be caught up in the midst of a campaign to keep Whistler’s image squeaky clean with the Olympics on the horizon.

“Apparently we are showing ourselves to the world with the Olympics and this book didn’t fit those guidelines,” he said of the book published by Harbour Publishing.

Ironically, Vogler details troubles at the Whistler Answer newspaper, prompted by running photos of nude skiers on its cover in the early ’90s. At the time, Vogler was a contributor to the publication, and notes now that Whistler has a “tradition of public nudity.”

“It’s rather humorous, considering I chronicled the whole Whistler Answer nudity scandal from the early ’90s ,” he said.

BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall confirmed that the nudity on the cover of Only in Whistler forced the book’s removal from store shelves.

“We do not carry that (book) title,” Marshall said. “That one, we were concerned about the cover. It is a bit racy and it was deemed not appropriate. We do have lots of children in our bookshops.”

John Kucera (Calgary, AB), Marie-Michèle Gagnon (Lac-Etchemin, QC) and Lauren Woolstencroft (North Vancouver, BC) took top honours among members of Canada’s alpine ski teams, each winning athlete of the year awards in their respective categories, the national governing body for ski racing in Canada announced today.

Several TELUS Awards of Excellence for Alpine Canada Alpin were handed out Tuesday at a gala event in Laval, QC while other winners will be presented with their awards at an event in Western Canada later in the season.

“TELUS congratulates this year’s award recipients. We are proud of the entire Alpine Canada Alpin team, including the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team who do so well in competition and put Canada at the top of the world rankings,” said Steve Podborski, TELUS director of Community Sports and Olympian in Alpine Skiing. “The TELUS Awards of Excellence highlight the success of our nation’s athletes while they demonstrate to the world the passion and dedication they have for this great sport as they compete for Canada for their places on the podium.”

Kucera, the 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships downhill gold medallist, is a first time winner of the highest ACA honour for a Canadian male alpine ski racer.

“It’s a huge honour to win a TELUS Award of Excellence as male athlete of the year. I would definitely like to thank everyone at TELUS for standing behind me through my career so far supporting me personally the way they have,” said Kucera.

“It was definitely a fun year, culminating in the win in Val d’Isère, of course. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of people contributed to my success. I need to thank my family, the coaches, support staff and my teammates for everything they have done for me. They are a big part of this,” Kucera added.

Winning the downhill at the world championships last season was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me and this award is certainly icing on the cake for what was an amazing season. I’m looking forward to carrying the momentum into this new World Cup season and, of course, the Olympics in February right here at home,” said Kucera.

Gagnon had the first two World Cup top ten performances of her career and a dominant season on the Nor-AM Cup circuit to capture the ladies overall title, earning a World Cup spot in all disciplines in the process.

“I was really happy with the progress that I made last season. I know that I am on the right track and I am looking for more success in the near future. Thanks to TELUS for this award,” said Gagnon.

Woolstencroft is a six-time CPAST winner of a TELUS Award of Excellence, including the past three seasons. Woolstencroft won the IPC overall Crystal Globe in the ladies standing category, capturing her fourth overall title. She also won four medals at the IPC Para-Alpine World Championships in Korea.

“It’s always an honour to receive an award like this. I’d like to thank my coaches and all my teammates for pushing me and all the staff and volunteers who support what we do and make it possible,” Woolstencroft said.

The fan’s also had their say, selecting para-alpine sit skier Josh Dueck (Vernon BC) as this year’s recipient of the Fan’s Choice Award. Dueck received 34 per cent of the 1012 votes cast this year for the award.

Dueck, the 2009 IPC World downhill champion in the men’s sitting category, was also named the Breakthrough Para-Alpine Athlete of the Year while the Andrzej Kozbial Coach of the Year award went to CPAST team head coach Jean-Sébastien Labrie.

Anna Goodman’s six top-24 World Cup results helped her earn Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.

Richard Petrone and Kerry-Lynn Houde were named Male and Female Master Athletes of the Year respectively.

The TELUS Awards of Excellence for Alpine Canada Alpin began in 2002 with a mandate to honour outstanding individuals who excelled during the previous ski racing season. Through the years, more than 100 outstanding recipients have been honoured for their relentless pursuit of excellence.

TELUS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE FOR ALPINE CANADA ALPIN
Complete list of 2009 Award recipients
John Kucera … Male Athlete of the Year / Athlète masculin de l’année
Marie-Michèle Gagnon … Female Athlete of the Year / Athlète féminine de l’année
Anna Goodman … Breakthrough Athlete of the Year / Athlète émergeant de l’année
Lauren Woolstencroft … Para-Alpine Athlete of the Year / Athlète para-alpin de l’année
Josh Dueck … Breakthrough Para-Alpine Athlete of the Year / Athlète Para-Alpin émergeant de l’année
Jean-Sébastien Labrie … Andrzej Kozbial Coach of the Year / Entraîneur de l’année Andrzej Kozbial
Richard Petrone … Male Master Athlete of the Year / Maître masculin de l’année
Kerry-Lynn Houde … Female Master of the Year / Maître féminine de l’année
Josh Dueck … Fan Choice of the Year / Prix du public

(Announced Thursday)
Terry Hooper … Volunteer of the Year – Western / Bénévole de l’année – Ouest
Prentice Smith …Volunteer of the Year – Eastern / Bénévole de l’année – Est
Bob Shore … Official of the Year / Officiel de l’année
Richard Jagger … Jason Lapierre Domestic Coach of the Year / Entraîneur domestique de l’année Jason Lapierre
Mélanie Turgeon … Alumni of the Year / Ancien de l’année
Lake Louise Nor-Am (Speed) … Race of the Year / Course de l’année
Grouse Tyee Ski Club … Ski Club of the Year / Club de ski de l’année

ABOUT ALPINE CANADA ALPIN
Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) is the governing body for alpine ski racing in Canada with more than 50,000 athletes, coaches, officials and volunteer members and over 200,000 supporting members. ACA manages the high performance programs for the athletes of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team who represent Canada throughout the world. For more information on Alpine Canada Alpin, visit www.canski.org.

As the Fernie Alpine Resort Summit Fund heads into its third year after inception in 2007, the fund reaches a donation tally of $90,000 plus in-kind donations to a total of 30 local organizations and over 50 unique projects. The Fernie Alpine Resort Community Summit Fund is a $150,000, 5-year initiative that aims to enhance the community of Fernie by supporting sustainable local projects.  They look forward to continuing their support to local causes and initiatives as a part of their contribution to the community.

Some of the major contributions include:
Isabella Dicken Elementary School Playground
Fernie Historical Society
Fernie Search and Rescue
Taste of Fernie
Emily Brydon Youth Foundation
Fernie Interpretive Centre
College of the Rockies

“We have been encouraging the community to tell us how we can support programs, organizations and events, and the Summit Fund is our way of giving back and helping to support the community,” says Matt Mosteller, VP of Sales and Marketing for Fernie Alpine Resort, “We’ve been thrilled with the response so far, and we are building great local partnerships and relationships in the process.” The community initially built the ski hill and helped the current organization avoid bankruptcy in the late nineties.

All local organizations, groups and charities are eligible for the program. Grant applications are typically reviewed by the Community Summit Fund committee on a quarterly basis. To be eligible, a written application must be submitted, outlining the following: the background/history of the beneficiary organization; a description of the project receiving the grant; and date/timeline of the project in question. Applications are available for download at www.skifernie.com/summitfund

There has been a change of ownership at the Fernie Real Estate Company but it is ‘business as usual’ for this long-standing independently owned brokerage.
Todd Fyfe has worked as a realtor with Fernie Real Estate establishing himself as a committed, hard working professional with vision.  That vision has lead to his taking on the ownership of a company recognized as a local success story.

As the Fernie Real Estate Company celebrates 10 years of business there can be no doubt that this successful brand owes much to Tammy’s Monsell’s leadership, dedication and hard work. “Our clients can be confident that the Fernie Real Estate Company will continue to provide the same level of specialized service” says Todd, “I am excited to think about where the next 10 years will take us.”

Tammy remains with the company she built, and will continue to extend her expertise and energetic commitment to new and existing clients. “As the company moves into new ownership, we would like to take the opportunity to thank friends, partners, and clients for their continued support.  You are invited to help us celebrate our achievements to date and toast our future success on November 13 at a Wine & Cheese Open House at the Fernie Real Estate office.” says Tammy.

Two members of Canada’s Men’s alpine ski team are using sophisticated training technology at the GM Aerodynamics Laboratory in Warren, Michigan today, seeking that critical aerodynamic edge just weeks away from the start of the World Cup speed season.

Jan Hudec (Calgary, AB), winner of the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart downhill in 2007, was joined by two-time Nor-Am Cup super-G winner Tyler Nella (Toronto, ON) working on positioning exercises and other tests in the GM wind tunnel.

“I have been fortunate to work with GM staff in the wind tunnel a few times now,” said Hudec, 2007 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships downhill silver medallist. “I feel like I have learned a lot about positioning, about finding the position that works best for me.”

“This sport is so competitive that you have to be searching for the small adjustments that will make you faster than everyone else. We are all seeking the hundredths of a second that will put us on the podium,” he added.

Wind tunnel training is held in the state-of-the-art GM Aerodynamics Laboratory, where automotive engineers develop the aerodynamic specifications for new GM cars and trucks. The initiative is made possible through a unique partnership between GM, Alpine Canada Alpin and Own the Podium 2010.

General Motors has opened its wind tunnel facilities for aerodynamics testing for eight straight years.

“GM provides the technical expertise, world-class facilities and vehicles to drive Canadian skiers to be the best,” said Fred Lautenschlager, Manager, Promotions and Special Events, GM of Canada. “We take our relationship with Alpine Canada Alpin beyond the traditional sponsorship by making the latest aerodynamic technology available to propel Canada’s Team to greater success on the World Cup circuit this year.”

The World Cup Men’s speed season opens with the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart downhill and super G on Nov. 28 and 29 respectively. That will be followed by Ladies downhill races on Dec. 4 and 5 and super G Dec. 6.

ABOUT ALPINE CANADA ALPIN
Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) is the governing body for alpine ski racing in Canada with more than 50,000 athletes, coaches, officials and volunteer members and over 200,000 supporting members. ACA manages the high performance programs for the athletes of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team who represent Canada throughout the world. For more information on Alpine Canada Alpin, visit www.canski.org.

The Fernie Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the Community & Business Excellence Awards Recipients for 2009:

2009 YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT:
Jenna Lamothe
Jenna, a student at Fernie Secondary School, is very involved and active at her school. She has been recognized as an organizer and a leader.  She is Team Leader for the Fernie Secondary School Leadership Committee. Jenna organizes workshops and motivational speakers for her school and the Sparwood and Jaffray Schools, as well as organizing the Mentor Workshop at Isabella Dicken Elementary School for the incoming students.  She also organizes the Trash Bash community clean up.  Jenna is also very active as an award winning athlete in a number of different sports.

2009 YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:
Carolyn Doyle (Big Bang Bagels)
Carolyn started small, filling a niche market with her amazing bagels. In a short time she grew her business to relocate downtown.  Big Bang Bagels energy and enthusiasm brings a new excitement to the downtown experience for locals and visitors. Big Bang Bagels offers great food, made fresh daily,  and great value.

2009 ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:
Carolyn Doyle (Big Bang Bagels)
Carolyn showed great innovation in choosing a smaller location to start up her business, keeping costs down while she established her business. She began by selling product at the Farmer’s Market and door to door to downtown businesses until she established a customer base and followed this up with a move to a larger more central location.

2009 NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR:
Big Bang Bagels
Big Bang Bagels began with a big idea, in a small out-of-the-way location.  They focused on their product (which is excellent) and growing a loyal customer base, and in less than a year have moved into their new, much larger, downtown location.  Big Bang Bagels’ offers fabulous healthy food that’s real and great service with a smile. Staff and atmosphere are always enthusiastic and welcoming. One nomination form said: “Great people, great food, sexy staff”. Big Bang Bagels sponsors numerous community events and Carolyn volunteers as the head coach of the Fernie Women’s Hockey Team.

2009 OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Ghostrider Trading Company
The Ghostrider Trading Company continues to grow despite the slow economy. Their new shoe store was a bold move during a recession, which has proven a huge success, offering the best selection in the East Kootenays.  If they don’t have what you’re looking for at the store, they will do special orders for their customers. Ghostrider staff is friendly, helpful and know their products inside and out.  They make shopping at Ghostrider Trading a very positive and memorable experience for locals and visitors alike.  They are involved in many community organizations, among them is fundraising for the Ghostrider Adventure Camp for Kids; and a fundraiser which benefits East Kootenay families who are required to travel extensively for medical care for their child.

2009 FERNIE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR:
Parastone Developments Ltd
Parastone Developments has demonstrated leadership in coordinating affordable housing in Fernie. Parastone is among the first local companies to step up to the plate to address this priority community issue.
Their restoration of several downtown heritage buildings reflects a deep respect for local heritage.  Parastone is a major employer in the local construction industry, and they sponsor several charitable organizations and events each year such as the Fernie Historical Society, Fernie Ghostriders, Fernie Mountain Bike Club, the Lions Club, and the Soap Box Derby to mention just a few. In addition, company owner, Simon Howse is very active on City and community initiatives, and sits on numerous committees such as the OCP Planning and other downtown initiatives.

2009 CITIZEN OF THE YEAR:
Alice Ferrarelli
Alice has been an active and tireless volunteer in her community for many years. Alice never thinks of herself and will lend a hand to whoever needs it. Alice is a working mother and widow who raised her children on her own and still found time to give back to her community. Alice is humble and unassuming, helpful and committed to whatever she is involved in.  Among Alice’s volunteer efforts are: Ghostrider bingo, Cancer Society, Relay for Life, and numerous other cancer fundraisers.  Alice helps local seniors, takes them to appointments, visits shut-ins, buys groceries and helps them with things around their homes. She is very active in her church, Rocky Mountain Village and the Seniors Drop in Centre.

2009 CHAMBER BUSINESS EXCELLENCE:
Parastone Developments Ltd
Parastone Developments have created an architectural legacy for Fernie with the restoration and development of the old schoolhouse.  Parastone Developments owner, Simon Howse is a visionary thinker who possesses the ability to take an idea and turn it into a reality on a grand scale. No matter that most people said the old high school building was a derelict eyesore and should just be torn down and demolished. Simon had a vision of what it could become, and he has proven it to us all.
Parastone is a major employer in the local construction industry, and has created countless positions and opportunities for numerous trades’ people.

Congratulations to this year’s award recipients. Well deserved.
Thank You to our sponsors, The City of Fernie, GPI Chartered Accountants, and Community Futures East Kootenay for their continued support of the annual Community & Business Excellence Awards.

What are the effects of an El Niño on Canada? Off the coast of British Columbia, the warm coastal waters during an El Niño tend to bring more southern marine species northward to our latitudes. With an El Niño, the returning Fraser River sockeye salmon tends to favour travelling via the northern route through Johnstone Strait instead of the more commonly used southern route through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Since the sockeye in Johnstone Strait can only be caught by Canadian vessels, while the ones in Juan de Fuca Strait can be caught by both American and Canadian vessels, an El Niño tends to shift the catch in favour of the Canadians.

During the winter of an El Niño event, the air temperature tends to be warm over most of Canada, with the greatest warming centred around Manitoba-western Ontario, where a temperature anomaly of up to +3 degrees Celcius (averaged over the last nine El Niño events) can be found (Hoerling et al., 1997; Shabbar and Khandekar, 1996). Southern Canada also tends to be drier during an El Niño winter (Shabbar et al., 1997). Southern British Columbia tends to receive less snow (Hsieh and Tang, 1999).

In the case of the cold La Niña event– the opposite of the warm El Niño event– the coastal waters off British Columbia tend to be cool. In a La Niña winter, the Canadian air temperature (especially west of Quebec) tends to be below normal (Hoerling et al., 1997; Shabbar and Khandekar, 1996), while the precipitation in southern Canada tends to be above normal (Shabbar et al., 1997). Southern British Columbia tends to receive more snow (Hsieh and Tang, 1999). Poor Canadian prairie wheat harvests often follow La Niña events (Garnett and Khandekar, 1992; Hsieh et al., 1999).

Note that La Niña does not give anomaly patterns which are exact opposites of El Niño, as can be seen from the nonlinear projection of the El Niño index to the extratropical Northern Hemisphere winter climate anomalies (Hsieh et al. 2006).

More information from Environment Canada.

Call it Olympic aversion or the Whistler skier spinoff, but what ever the phenomena, other British Columbian ski resorts are happy to help out skiers who want to avoid the Olympic hoopla in Whistler next year.

Several B.C. ski resorts say their bookings have increased for before and during the 2010 Games where Whistler, B.C., will host alpine ski events.

It’s a double-digit benefit for the ski mountains of Big White and Silver Star in the Okanagan.

“We’re seeing it in increased Christmas bookings, February inquiries are way up,” said Michael Ballingall, senior vice president of both mountain resorts.

He said thousands of skiers who usually go to Whistler to ski every day are going somewhere else because of the Olympics.

“Those people aren’t going to the Olympics, there’s a whole new crowd coming in. They’re displacing those skiers, they’ve got to go somewhere.”

Dave Brownlie, president and CEO at Whistler Blackcomb, agreed ticket sales are down, but he doesn’t begrudge the benefit for other resorts.

“It’s not about the 17 days, it’s about the 17 years afterwards,” Brownlie said, pointing to the infrastructure improvements and long-term publicity the Olympics will generate.

Brownlie said people do have the misconception that the mountain is closed, when in fact, 90 per cent of the mountain will be open during the Olympics.

“If you can get here, it’s going to be an amazing time to ski and snowboard,” he said.

Brownlie said the barrier is getting access and parking to the mountain and he said that’s still being worked out.

Whistler has worked out a compensation agreement with the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee, but he wouldn’t discuss details of the agreement.

Sun Peaks Resort, north of Kamloops, B.C., is also expecting more skiers.

Resort spokesman Christopher Nicolson called it the “aversion effect” associated with the Olympics as people bypass Whistler.

“There’s obviously a concern about the hustle and bustle, the security checks, the parking problems, all that kind of stuff associated with the Games.”

Mark Dobson, director of sales at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, said this year will be good and next year will be even better.

“There’s going to be greater awareness around the Canadian product to the international product because of the Olympics,” Dobson said.

The Kicking Horse Resort is also planning a week of celebrations as the Olympic torch passes in the nearby town of Golden, B.C.

“We’ll light the torch and welcome the world.”

Erik Kalacis, general manager of Red Mountain near Rossland and close to the Canada-U.S. border, has been involved in three Olympics and will be a ski-cross official during these games.

He said he’ll be waving the Red Mountain flag while working at the Games.

Red Mountain’s bookings are up by about seven per cent over last year and Kalacis hopes people going to Olympics will explore other parts of the province.

“Just give us 10 per cent of those two million visitors, we’d be really happy,” Kalacis laughed, referring to Whistler’s annual ski and snowboard visitors.

Mount Washington’s resort hasn’t recorded an increase in bookings yet, but anyone who goes to the Vancouver Island resort will certainly see an increase in Olympic athletes.

Olympic teams from 10 countries will be on Mount Washington leading up to the 2010 Olympics, said the resort’s public relations director Brent Curtain.

“I think what they’re looking for is time on snow,” he said. “They want to be out of the pressure cooker of the Sea-To-Sky area.”

Teams from the United States, Russia, Germany, Sweden, France, Switzerland and others will be adjusting to the time and getting used to the snow, which is similar to that of Whistler, Curtain said.

The resort also plans to use it as a selling point to get the local skiers on the hill.

“It’s a perfect way to see world-calibre athletes before the Olympics,” Curtain said.

“All you need is a lift ticket.”

By Terri Theodore (CP)

A B.C. ski resort is looking for a ski bum who will brag about the facility - to the world.

The winner of Sun Peaks Resort’s I Want to be a Snow Bum contest must be able to ski or snowboard and have the charisma to woo tourists to the resort through a daily blog and updates on Twitter and Facebook.

Resort spokesman Christopher Nicolson said Thursday that applicants must submit a 60-second YouTube video about why they should be chosen for the three-month gig that starts Jan. 4.

“We’re looking for charisma, creativity and all the things that would make them the ideal ski bum at Sun Peaks,” Nicolson said of the resort near Kamloops, B.C.

“They have to have an enthusiasm for winter and they have to be able to demonstrate an enthusiasm and charisma and an ability to communicate.”

He said the resort is expecting thousands of entries from around the globe for the job that will net the winner a season’s pass, accommodation, meals at local restaurants, and gear - all things they can boast about through the social networking sites.

Visitors from Australia, New Zealand and Germany are already a huge draw to the resort that Nicolson said has top-notch facilities “without being pretentious.”

Nicolson said the resort, which is the training venue for the Austrian national ski team ahead of the 2010 Winter Games, was inspired to launch the contest after a hugely successful contest in Australia last year.

An Englishman beat more than 34,000 applicants from around the world to land the coveted wad of cash, about $134,000, to become the six-month caretaker of Hamilton Island and blog about his experience.

The Sun Peaks contest closes Nov. 15 and 20 finalists will be chosen Nov. 20, before the winner is announced on Dec. 1.

Contest rules are available at www.snowbumCanada.com.