ATB donates $4000 to Castle Mountain's Snow Kids program

Castle Mountain's Andrew Rusynyk and GM Brad Brush with 
ATB's Adrian Hartman and Donna Schauerte
C. Davis photo

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Castle Mountain Resort's SnowKids program got a big boost from Pincher Creek's Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB) yesterday in the form of a $4000 donation.  This is the fourth year ATB and Castle Mountain have teamed up for this initiative.

The goal of SnowKids is to encourage children and families to be active together in the winter months.  All children enrolled in grades Kindergarten to Grade 6 are eligible for a free Season Pass.  Castle Mountain gave out 3000 free passes to area children last season, and this season the plan is to give out 7000.  The area covered by the giveaway is huge, extending from the American border north to the High River area and east to west throughout the Livingstone-Macleod area.

Castle Mountain Director of Marketing and Guest Experience Andrew Rusynyk said SnowKids was "One of those feel-good programs. Everyone involved benefits from it."

"In our minds skiing is one of the few, if not the only, winter sport that a family can do together the whole day."

"Ultimately for the resort we're interested in creating the next generation of skiers and snowboarders.  These young ones bring their parents and grandparents out, and it's great to see the family having fun out here," Rusynyk continued.  "At Christmas time the biggest lineup we have is over at our beginner Green Chair, and that's mostly because of the SnowKids coming out and trying out skiing early in the season."

"It's great.  Our snow school is busier with lessons, we offer incentives for SnowKids and their families.  We have a SnowKids appreciation day on February 9."

Pincher Creek ATB's Branch Manager Adrian Hartman and Relationship Manager Donna Schauerte were quite enthusiastic about SnowKids and what it means to the community they serve. "This is our fourth season since starting this out," Schauerte said.  "ATB was instrumental in working with the General Manager of Castle to get this program going.  Our previous Manager before Adrian, Joanne Harris, had contacts in Banff, and they knew that this program was running there so we donated the first bit of money to help them out here to get this program off the ground."

"It just built up from there.  We're their one and only sponsor, and we cover a pretty good percentage of the cost."  She explained the program originally just covered schools in the Pincher Creek area but has grown to include the much larger area it now covers.

"It's all administrated through the schools."

"I think it's wonderful because it starts kids out living a healthier lifestyle instead of sitting playing X-Box or sitting in the house," Schauerte continued.  It encourages families to come out, and they (Castle Mountain) can then increase their numbers."

"It's a partnership that we both really value," said Adrian Hartman.  "Castle is so instrumental in Pincher Creek and area.  We want to make sure that they receive value and that we can help them out in ways that benefit our community."

"Just the trip out here shows what a great facility they have here."

"One of ATB Financial's mandates is we want to be involved in our communities," said Schauerte.  We provide a pretty substantial support and it's a good way to introduce the children to a physical activity that might be around for their children."

Schauerte said that a busy Castle Mountain was also beneficial to the surrounding communities, bringing tourist dollars to our stores, hotels, motels, and restaurants.


Castle prepares for the 2012/2013 season:

December 14 is Castle Mountain's official opening day, and they may have a sneak peek the week before, weather permitting for both.  Christmas day is always busy, and Santa on the Slopes is a popular feature.  For New Years the band Hippodrome is scheduled to be the featured act.  The Canadian Freestyle Championship is returning.  Other events planned throughout the season include Demo Days, Avalanche Awareness Days, Maritime Night, the Junior Big Mountain Free Ski returns for a third year, and a Senior Free Ski is in the planning stages.

Upgrades to Castle Mountain this year include a new rope for the Blue Chair and a shiny new Bison Snow Cat for grooming the runs.

For the adventurous, the popular Powder Stagecoach is back for a third season, ready to take skiiers further from the beaten paths and into "secret powder stashes" and open bowls.  That translates as "awesome".

For more information, visit www.skicastle.ca