Today at Kananaskis Village the volunteers were recognized for their vital role in the continuation of grooming in Kananaskis. The support of volunteers was crucial to keeping groomed ski trails open in K-Country this winter. Thank you for making a difference!
Ken Hewitt from Nordiq Alberta
PLPP Tracksetter James, on behalf of the provincial government, accepted a $210,000 cheque from Nordiq Alberta to cover the costs of grooming in Kananaskis.
Ribbon Creek Tracksetter Jeff who is retiring, was recognized for his 38 years of grooming in Kananaskis.
One volunteer who didn’t receive recognition today was Ken Hewitt. A huge thanks to Ken for everything he’s done, and it has been a lot, to make sure that grooming was reinstated. I’ve been working with Ken over the winter and have developed an enormous respect for his organizational abilities, knowledge, and diplomacy. Not to mention the hundreds of hours he has put towards this cause.
Ken also presented the preliminary financial statements which are pictured in the photo gallery below.
The proceedings were live-streamed on Zoom to the volunteers. I hope that next year all the volunteers can attend and receive their recognition in person. Due to the pandemic, only ten people were in attendance.
Nordiq Alberta Volunteer Appreciation and Kananaskis Grooming Update
A huge thank you to Bob, Ken, and all the volunteers. Signage for the parking pass grooming program was prominently posted at the cash registers at Norseman ski shop. Quite a few customers asked about it, and we did our best to explain and promote the concept. Personally, I encouraged folks to contact their MLA and other politicians about the grooming and parks in general.
OK, so this might be sacrilegious, but as one of the volunteers for Nordique, I find myself wondering just how useful it was, really, to have volunteers out in the parking lots. It seemed that in PLPP anyway, about 70% of skiers had their passes when they arrived. That is, they had been convinced already that buying the pass was a good idea. Since more money was raised than needed, perhaps the money from this 70%, who bought without volunteer encouragement, was sufficient. Sure, being a volunteer was pleasant enough, but I wonder how much it really contributed. Maybe next year it would be interesting to try advertising only, and see what the result is. Signs could be put at the entrances to the parking lots stating something to the effect of: Trail grooming is done due to voluntary contributions of users. Please buy a pass at:……….
Hi Doug, you offer some interesting suggestions going forward. For this past winter, nobody knew in advance how successful the fundraising would turn out to be. All the bases had to be covered. I expect that some skiers would not have bought a pass if they didn’t have the “incentive” of being reminded by a volunteer. How many people would avoid buying a Parks Canada pass upon entering Banff if they knew they would never be checked?
That’s great news all around
Did this get recorded?
Hi Gord, yes, it was recorded. Ken is seeking permission from everyone who is on the video to post it publicly. If permission is granted, I’ll post a link.
Fingers crossed!
A video of the March 31 event is available at https://youtu.be/-MKll1p1Xks
Only accessible via the above link. Bob’s presentation is near the very end – around the 45 minute mark.
Thanks!
Pretty amazing result from Nordiq AB, Ken Hewitt and all the behind the scenes folks who helped to put it together.
Thanks to all of you!
My wife’s and I were part of the 162 volunteers who worked shifts at PLPP. We enjoyed talking to the skiers. We asked them where they were going, what wax they were using.
One can only hope going forward, that keeping Albertans mentally and physically healthy is a priority recognized by our Politicians. Reinstating the grooming program should be one of their top priorities.
Thanks Ken, Jeff, James, and volunteers!
Big shout out to the Nordiq Alberta volunteers!