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“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller George S. Patton once said: “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” Nice quote. Make sense I guess. Problem is, what if there is no exhilaration of victory? I bring this up because I find myself facing a new challenge. Over the years I have skied every area at Marmot Basin, from the Lower…

Canada’s most influential sports figure you’re probably never heard of… Ernie Gare.

With the 2022 Winter Olympics getting underway in Beijing, perhaps it’s time to take a look at one of the many, many Canadians who helped pave the way for young athletes to become world-class competitors and Olympians. There are so many men and women who work in the background to enable the athletes to achieve their full potential. Some are recognized, many are not. Ernie Gare was one who was…

Shedding light on an Olympic gold medal performance

John Korobanik With Canada’s Olympians in Beijing for what will be for many the greatest moments of their athletic careers, I thought I would take a look back at what I consider one of the most impressive performances in Canadian Olympic history. It was Feb. 11, 2006, Day 1 of the Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Jennifer Heil, the petite dynamo from Spruce Grove, Alberta who was the most dominant…

Slow beginning for world’s fastest animal

Saving the once-endangered Peregrine Falcon

When you look at the three little balls of white and brown fluff, two of them nervously looking around and the third one squawking loudly, it’s difficult to imagine that in a short time they’ll develop into the fastest animals on earth.

On this recent morning, the three baby Peregrine falcons, just weeks old, were watching cautiously, probably…

Canadian Ski Hall of Fame welcomes six new inductees

  Bob Swan, who helped bring legitimacy to the national ski team program in the 1960s, still races today at age 75.

Thomas Grandi and John Kucera, who achieved monumental Canadian firsts during their illustrious racing careers, head a field of six new inductees into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.

Grandi was the first Canadian male to win a World Cup technical race – a giant slalom in 2004 – and…

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Nancy Greene’s Olympic gold medal victory

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Nancy Greene Raine, gold medal around her neck, leads a group down the slopes of Sun Peaks Resort to begin a day of celebrating 50 years since she won the Olympic medal.

When Nancy Greene raced down the slopes of Chamrousse, France to win the women’s Olympic giant slalom on Feb. 15, 1968 it wasn’t just Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in alpine skiing, and the culmination of a dream for a…

Brent dropping into Tres Hombres

John Korobanik

There are few things in life more satisfying for parents than to spend quality time participating in their children’s activities. It’s easy to do when the children are young and we get involved in their sports or dance or music or whatever piques their interest.

It gets more difficult when they’re adults, when they have their own lives and families…

It’s not cancer, it’s not cancer!

 John Korobanik

Mason on  Christmas morning.

So that was Christmas, done for another 12 months.  I apologize for not sending out Christmas greetings and well wishes to all our family and friends on and off social media, but this Christmas 2017 will, for me, always be remembered as one of the most emotionally trying holiday seasons of my life.

Oh, Dec. 25 was just fine. Had the entire family at…

Pregnancy shouldn’t stop moms-to-be from skiing or snowboarding … for a while

John Korobanik

It is one of those semi-controversial topics that arises every winter: should a woman ski or snowboard while pregnant? There are valid points to be made for both sides of the debate, but speak to doctors, ski instructors and moms who have enjoyed the slopes while pregnant and there is one point all agree upon: the decision is up to the individual mom-to-be.

There are, without…

Being pregnant shouldn’t stop moms-to-be from still skiing…for a while

John Korobanik

It is one of those semi-controversial topics that arises every winter: should a woman ski or snowboard while pregnant? There are valid points to be made for both sides of the debate, but speak to doctors, ski instructors and moms who have enjoyed the slopes while pregnant and there is one point all agree upon: the decision is up to the individual mom-to-be.

There are, without…

It’s not skiing or snowboarding and there’s very little snow but curling is a major winter sport and the next nine days will determine Canada’s men’s and women’s teams for the 2018 Winter Olympics. So I’m here in Ottawa writing for Curling Canada’s publication, Morning Road.

http://www.curling.ca/2017roaroftherings/morning-roar/

http://www.curling.ca/2017roaroftherings/files/2017/12/TRIALS-DEC-2-…

 John Korobanik

The snow keeps falling, the hills keep opening and the smiles on skiers and snowboarders just keep getting wider and wider. Fernie and Kicking Horse are the two latest resorts to fire up their lifts and welcome visitors this coming weekend.

Fernie, which had a preview weekend Nov. 25-26, opens for the season on Saturday and the lift line is already forming. Forming behind Greg…

It’s the words: we are open!

The upper slopes of Marmot Basin Monday

They are the three words skiers and snowboarders wait anxiously to hear from their favourite resorts: we are open.

There were a lot of happy skiers and boarders this past weekend. Unless your favourite resort is Whitewater, Kimberley, Kicking Horse or The Big Mountain, there’s snow and terrain ready for cruising, jumping or however one prefers to ski and…

Marmot Basin to open “unbelievable” Tres Hombres area this winter

Marmot to open “unbelievable” Tres Hombres area Posted on November 9, 2017 by lifeadayatatime

John Korobanik

Unbelievable. That was the word Dave Gibson, president of Marmot Basin, used a number of times Wednesday evening to describe the newest area that will be opened in the resort this winter – Tres Hombres.

From experience, I can say it will be an area of incredible expert skiing that will…

Magnificent opening day at Marmot

John Korobanik

To all those skiers and boarders who did not come to Jasper today because you thought, well it’s opening day, it’s only Nov. 10, conditions can’t be that good, I don’t want to hit any rocks, blah, blah, blah…. boy did you blow it.

Marmot Basin’s opening day – two weeks earlier than normal – was everything advertised: outstanding snow conditions on all the open runs, top to bottom,…

Magnificent opening day at Marmot

John Korobanik

To all those skiers and boarders who did not come to Jasper today because you thought, well it’s opening day, it’s only Nov. 10, conditions can’t be that good, I don’t want to hit any rocks, blah, blah, blah…. boy did you blow it.

Marmot Basin’s opening day – two weeks earlier than normal – was everything advertised: outstanding snow conditions on all the open runs, top to bottom,…