Mother Nature cooperates to make Kootenay Coldsmoke Powderfest at Whitewater a tremendous success
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By Bruce Fuhr, The Nelson Daily
Kootenay Coldsmoke Powderfest is an annual grassroots gathering where both experienced and rookie backcountry skiers and snowboarders can celebrate life nestled in breathtaking scenery and world-renowned snow.
It’s obvious from the cars and skiers flocking to Whitewater Resort the 2012 edition was a tremendous success.
“I just love this mountain,” said Shane Harris of Walla Walla, Washington, attending Kootenay Coldsmoke Powderfest to help get the word out on his Powder Hound Snow Bikes.
Harris was just one of many retailers promoting the latest in backcountry skiing, snowboarding and telemarketing.
There was the latest in avalanche awareness equipment.
There were backcountry ski companies.
And plenty of music, snow sculpturing, races and clinics to go around.
Based at the powder capital of B.C., Whitewater Ski Hill — which lived up to its name with no less than 60-plus centimeters for the weekend — the sixth annual Kootenay Coldsmoke Powder Festival started Friday before concluding Sunday.
“This is awesome,” Harris said of his weekend trip north of the 49th parallel.
“Coming up here to Whitewater . . . the steepness and the powder we have, it’s an amazing day.
“Coming down under the Summit Chair, I haven’t skied anything that steep in a long time. It was fabulous. That’s all I have to say.”
Harris has been marketing the Powder Hound Snow Bikes for the past five years.
The newest craze on snow is a cross between a BMX, mountain bike parts and snowboard technology all combined into one.
Harris decided to create the Powder Hound Snow Bikes because of knee surgeries that forced him off skis.
“Now that I’ve ridden them I have so many people ride on these that have never skied, and never snowboarded, they can come to me and ride down a back diamond run in one day,” Harris explained.
Which is just what Kootenay Coldsmoke Powder weekend is for — to get people off the sofa and onto snow, whether it be the backcountry or off a ski lift.
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