Whistler Opening and Ottawa Skiers
November 15, 2007
Skier: Smiley | Photo: Paul Morrison | Courtesy: Whistler Blackcomb
If you've been sleeping under a rock you may not know that Whistler Mountain is opening on November 17, 2007. That's one week early. The valley is stoked. The Ullr party is tonight and more snow is forecast. Time to shred!
The skier pictured above is Shawn 'Smiley' Nesbitt. He is a long time Whistler local and hangs with the 'A' crowd in town, including Richie Schley. Smiley is one of the many Ottawa transplants here in Whistler. Over the years there have been many notable freeskiers who cut their teeth skiing on the icy slopes of a handful of ski hills around Ottawa. I've had the pleasure to ski with many of them both in Ottawa and Whistler including; Wendy Brookbank, Chris Winter, Smiley, and Paddy Kaye just to name a few.
And another Ottawa skier has gone on to fame if not fortune in another way. Paul 'PK' Kristofic was recently named Canadian Ski Coach of the year. What an incredible honour! I grew up ski racing with Paul and we started coaching at the same time. Paul has stuck with the profession and has been a key architect on the huge success of the Canadian Men's Ski Team. Here is a link to an interview with Paul in SRC.