The Kimberley Alpine Team (KAT) is asking for community support to ensure they stay in the running for $50,000.
KAT is on the cusp of making it to the top ten of the Mackenzie Top Peak Contest.
Ben Cohen, KAT program director, says winning this contest would be huge for them after the main chairlift at the Kimberley Alpine Resort was destroyed.
“This has been an extremely challenging season for our team. After an arsonist destroyed the Northstar Express Chairlift at Kimberley Alpine Resort we were forced to modify or cancel all of our programs. For a small town non-profit sports organization, having to cancel programs for 60 athletes aged 4-10 is a crushing blow to the team’s morale and finances,” adds Cohen.
“When many people may have given up, our team dug deeper. We were able to modify our competitive racing and freestyle programs and save our season. The athletes and have been hiking up the hill to our training areas; they’ve adapted to the way we’ve had to work to train; and they’ve become stronger, faster and more resilient in the process.”
Despite the challenges this season, Cohen says they’ve had some of their best competitive results in years.
There are multiple ways you can vote for KAT. Every photo posted on Instagram with the hashtag #toppeakkimberley2022 is worth 20 points and each user can hashtag up to three photos a day.
Cohen says photos don’t even have to be skiing-related.
“Every photo with this hashtag will help keep us in the running, plus it is a great chance to show Mackenzie Investments all of the incredible images from our area.”
Votes worth five points can also be cast online at www.mackenzietoppeak.ca.
Cohen says they are facing tough competition with some resorts having a population base of nearly two million people, but he believes they can make it to the top.
“Winning this competition would be amazing for KAT, good for the community and surrounding area. But we can’t do it alone. This region always shows its heart by supporting one another and on behalf of KAT, I’m hoping to see everyone get behind our kids and help us make it to the Top Peak finish line,” adds Cohen.
“We might be up against some big resorts with a huge population, but we have heart. Let’s show them how our tight-knit community can make a fairytale comeback.”
The first round of voting ends on March 21 with the top 10 advancing.
The second round of voting ends on March 28, where the top five will advance and the $50,000 prize will be decided by Mackenzie Investments.
Kimberley is currently fifth in votes.