THE LIFTLINE CMCA NEWSLETTER SPRING 2020 PLEASE TAKE A COPY HOME THE LIFTLINE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION PHOTO BY A. Heidel CALENDAR OF EVENTS By2020 Brent Harris, CMR SkimoSKIMO Race Director RACES FEBRUARY Maritime night 1 anuary 4 and 5, 2020 saw Castle Rustler, exiting via Cinch Fork to the Base J Mountain Resort host the 8th Annual Area. Once again they ascended on skins Super Bowl Party 2 Ski Mountaineering (Skimo) Races. Big and boot packed up Thunder to Haig Torchlight Parade 8 thanks to CMR’s Events, Food and Ridge, skied up the Cat Road and Beverage, Operations and Snow Safety descended in the Cat Skiing terrain for a Moonlit Snowshoe & Fine Dining 14 staff for all their hard work in making it total race distance of 12.7km and eleva- Family Day Weekend Events 15-17 a success. Also big thanks to members tion gain/loss of 1410m. The winning of the Castle Mountain Community Asso- time for this race was 1 hour 28 minutes! Night Skiing on Green 15-16 ciation who stepped up and into various The 2020 edition of CMR Skimo was the Community Potluck 22 volunteer roles. Skimo races require a first of four stops on the Canada Cup lot of pre-race work including course Circuit. Other 2020 host Skimo venues Nancy Green Terrain Event 23 layout with fencing, corrals, rope lines include Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, and course markers. During the event, Marmot Basin and Blackcomb. Combined MARCH volunteer tasks include timing, check results from all four Canada Cup Skimo Sierra Noble Home Routes Concert 1 points, and start/finish officials. events determine our National, Develop- The Saturday Sprint Racing on Whiskey ment and Youth Teams for 2021. IFSA Junior Big Mountain Regionals 6-8 Jack was action packed, providing great Skimo Canada is deeply appreciative of Alpenland Demo Day 7 spectator viewing. The Sunday Individual CMR and CMCA for hosting Skimo and Race added the extra challenge of wind contributing to the growth of the sport Moonlit Snowshoe & Fine Dining 13 but hey, it’s Castle! Forty-nine racers in Canada. Beats in the Base Spring Music Series 14-15 toed the start line and circumnavigated the Mountain. The course took the Look for the spandex suits of the racers Casino Royale 14 racers up North Road and North Bowl and volunteers with the bright green, 21-22 along the ridge, across Skyline, followed red, and yellow flags adorning their Beats in the Base Spring Music Series by a boot pack above the Tamarack packs next Castle ski season. King / Queen of the Castle 21 Chair. Skiers then descended High Follow Skimo Canada on www.skimocanada.org Community Potluck 21 Jib in the Park 21 Beats in the Base Spring Music Series 28-29 Tom Tataryn World’s Longest Slalom 28 LSA Spring Fling Fiesta 28 APRIL Beats in the Base Spring Music Series 4-5 Slush Cup 5 PHOTO BY B. HARRIS AROUND THE MOUNTAIN THE LIFTLINE CMCA NEWSLETTER SPRING 2020 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE KEEN ON CASTLE By Kevin Finn, President, Castle Mountain Community Association lot of things have gone our way this winter. the gaps between CMR’s, CMCA’s, and the per adult), plus optional donation to A Castle’s new snowmaking system MD of Pincher Creek’s needs and wants. [email protected]. Please note your worked as advertised and really paid off Thanks also to Reeve Brian Hammond, address and phone number on the trans- early in the season. All bare spots were councillors Bev Everts, Terry Yagos, fer. Remember, membership & donation covered and the hill looked pristine on Quentin Stevick, Rick Lemire and council’s support is open to all Castle Community opening day. Then the hill shrugged off advisors Roland Milligan and Gavin Scott supporters. You don’t need to be a resident. the liquid snow event just before Christ- for supporting our community’s sustain- Fees and donations allow us to continue mas and it’s been great skiing ever since. ability and continued development. with worthwhile projects like base-area Big thanks to the whole CMR Operations Alberta Tourism and CMR. Alberta Tourism lighting, the Liftline Newsletter, summer team. Exceptional grooming! has a strategy to double tourism reve- nues weed control, infrastructure projects like Mother Nature has also been on our side in the next decade. The new Castle Parks the playground, trail making, Little so far this winter. Over six meters of snow will be the focal point for tourism in SW Libraries, and accessible defibrillators, has fallen and it’s only the middle of Alberta, and CMR is to become the commer- and political representation of Castle January. Luckily, there is no such thing as cial heart of the Castle Parks. CMR and community interests to local, provincial too much snow at a ski hill. CMCA have worked closely with AB Tourism and federal governments. for the past five years, and will continue to The new CMR Area Structure Plan was Finally, please remember that CMCA is a brought to final passage by the MD of do so, to help develop these plans. non-profit volunteer organization and Pincher Creek in January 2020. This plan CMCA membership and donation drive many hands make light work. If you can will guide how we use and develop our 90 was a success. Regrettably, we didn’t get help for a few hours with any of the up- odd acres of fee-simple base area land to every interested person. If we missed coming community events please contact for the next decade or so. Thanks go to a you, there is still an easy way to Judy Clark at [email protected]. lot of people, especially Glenn Armstrong renew/obtain your membership and/or Thanks for your support! (CMCA) and Dennis Miller (CMR) – who make a donation. Send an email transfer worked tirelessly for five years to bridge with your annual membership fee ($20 COME & GET YOUR GROOVE ON! EVERYONE IS WELCOME! MANY THANKS TO Beats in the Base Music series Potlucks in the Day Lodge Volunteer Patrols Dan & Steve is happening EVERY Weekend Feb 22nd & March 21st for pulling a car out of the ditch March & April Doors open 6:00 pm Dining at 6:30 pm near Castle! CASTLE FREESTYLERZ LAUNCH INTO 2020 By Ryan Brown, President, Castle Mountain Freestyle Ski Club ook right while riding the blue chair and three years, the amazing volunteer mem- kids competing at Revelstoke and Fernie, L you see something through the trees. bers of Castle Freestyle have repaired the with our full team looking to compete as A big red giant rises from the snow. A bag, graded the air site and re-introduced home favorites in the Castle Free Ski breathing, heaving, mass of vinyl and this awesome training tool. Kids are event in March 6-8. canvas rises slowly with each breath of air flipping, spinning and launching to new Look for our athletes in their Blue on Blue being fed to it. heights without fear of injury as they land team suits on the hill and at the competi- on a cloud of air while coaches provide It starts small but as you watch it grows to tions, we hope to make our community constructive feedback with each jump. proud! over twelve feet in height and fifty feet wide. Our Freestyle and Big Mountain athletes Then you see one brave knight charging are becoming more confident in the air Our club welcomes newcomers of all ages it, down the slope with determination in than ever before. and enjoys nothing more than watching the eyes. The launch, the trick and then our athletes grow as skiers and individu- All this training is leading to something, als. Does your son or daughter aged 6 – the explosion of the big red monster as right? Why yes, it is! Castle Freestyle kids this brave knight knocks the wind out of it, 17 want to get involved? Welcome to our will be competing at a number of upcom- team, welcome to Castle Mountain slides off the back with a smile and climbs ing competitions including a Mogul the slope for one more round. Freestyle! Check out www.castlefreestyle.- Provincial Comp at Canyon Resort and a ca for more information or shoot us an This, my friends, is Castle Freestyle’s air Provincial/Club Comp at Sunshine at the email at [email protected]. bag and the kids are having a blast! After end of February. We have Big Mountain 2 THE LIFTLINE CMCA NEWSLETTER SPRING 2020 TAKEAROUND A COPY THE HOME MOUNTAIN FREE ANOTHER FANTASTIC RACE! YES YOU CAN By Lauren Lynch-Staunton Take a Step towards Water Conser- vation: Low cost and high efficiency toilets can be purchased for as low as $129 and are of good quality. Tour into the Cat Ski Area on Sundays & Mondays during the Ski Season, check skicastle.ca/snow-re- port-conditions under Trail Status for any closures. Park your snowmobile trailers in the North East Parking Lot. Parking them in the other places messes with the Ski hill parking and with the loader clearing snow from those areas. In addition, pedestrians & moving sleds don’t mix. Invite staff for dinner at your home. There is a list of staff who would like to meet you. Contact Steve at PHOTO BY L. LYNCH STAUNTON [email protected] or ou may have noticed many Lycra suited etc. and to the visiting race parents who talk to him at the Ticket Office Ykids with skinny skis on the ski hill pitched in too.