Mount Washington may be dormant in the fall, but the Marketing Department is far from it. Marketing Director Karen Bonell has become a bit of a world traveler, heading to the four corners of the earth for ski shows – well, Courtenay, Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Melbourne and London, anyway!
Tobin Leopkey of Section 8 Snowsport Institute displayed at the ski shows in Melbourne, Australia and London, England and Sarah Nicholson of Tourism Mount Washington went to London as well.
Mount Washington Alpine Resort plans to offer a Ski Shuttle from Courtenay to the Resort with a second stop at the base of the mountain this winter. From Friday to Sunday, the shuttle would go up in the morning and down at the end of the day.
The shuttle would also operate in the evenings (Thursday through Saturday) to accommodate people wanting to take advantage of night skiing.
The shuttle is still subject to licencing approval, Resort Marketing Director Karen Bonell said. Smith Transportation will continue to offer bus service to Mount Washington from Victoria to Nanaimo.
Jessie Percival is back in his role of Ski Patrol Supervisor after recovering from a serious accident last year. Welcome back.
The Resort installed a state-of-the-art telephone system. However, don’t count on hearing Lily Tomlin’s “one ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingies” telephone operator skit anytime soon.
Joanna Fox, who served with Canadian Sport Centre Pacific, has left her post at PacificSport to start a new job with the Province of B.C. as Manager, Sport Marketing and Public Relations in the new Ministry of Healthy Living & Sport. Fox is known at Mount Washington through her work on the Vancouver Island Mountain Sport Society building project and athlete promotion program.
Mount Washington has received a 2010 weather station at the top of the Sunrise chairlift, courtesy of Environment Canada. The weather station measures the amount of snow that has accumulated on a daily basis.
Max Oudendag, former Special Events Co-ordinator at the Resort is now working with Phillips Brewery as their North Island Representative. Oudendag still lives in the Comox Valley.
By popular demand from the Resort Community, Tourism Mount Washington will be sponsoring a Village Lighting Contest this year with some great prizes to be won. Property and business owners are encouraged to get out the LED lights and decorate their chalets, balconies and buildings. This will help us create a spectacle of Christmas Lights for our visitors over the season.