Cover photo by Phil Best (courtesy of Whitewater Ski Resort)
This four-day celebration of alpine and backcountry ski and snowboard culture in the Kootenays takes place both on the slopes at Whitewater Ski Resort and in nearby Nelson, BC. Participants can take part in clinics, competitions, gear demos, and arts, cultural and social gatherings, like the Ranger Night at Backroads Brewing in Nelson and the Stellar Film Competition. On Feb. 22, Coldsmoke’s Backcountry Relay event will be a creative take on uphill relays, with team participants donning costumes while ski or splitboard touring uphill, using an avy beacon to find a hidden egg and firewood, then embarking on a slalom-style ski/board descent to the final task of starting a fire and cooking and eating the egg in a frying pan participants carry along on the entire relay.
The Organic Slopestyle on Feb. 23 is also a popular spectacle. This human-powered, off-piste competition for skiers and snowboarders starts with a boot pack before participants incorporate natural features into their tricks and jumps through Whitewater’s breathtaking Powder Keg terrain. Coldsmoke clinic topics include managing avalanche terrain, park skills, a telemark meet-up, women’s freeride snowboarding, skiing/riding steeps and deeps, adventure photography, freeride jumps and tricks, and more. Skiwhitewater.com. (OTO)
