Rossland residents might not realize it yet but their ski town is up against the top towns in North America in an online competition presented by one of the top ski magazine’s in the world.
The joint Rossland/Nelson entry was selected by Powder magazine’s editors for its Ski Town Throwdown, an online voting contest.
Mike Rogge, managing editor of Powder, said it was a natural to include the two local resorts.
“It’s simple, they’re badass. You’d be a fool not to select them,” he told the Trail Times from his office in San Clemente, Calif.
“Our associate editor spent a good time in Nelson and I think it changed him for the better.”
He said the West Kootenay slopes are known for its abundance of powder, which explains why the editors also included Fernie and Revelstoke, along with Whistler, as the other Canadian entries in a field of 32 towns.
The competition is set up in a bracket-style format with four regions featuring eight towns and seeded by the editors. The contest allows people to go online and vote for their favorite.
Rossland/Nelson is the top seed in its eight-city bracket, which includes Whistler and towns in Montana, Oregon, Washington and Colorado, dubbed the Backscratcher Region.
The combo cleared its first hurdle last week by garnering more votes than Maine’s Sugarloaf ski resort.
It was close as Rossland/Nelson defeated Sugarloaf by a narrow 1,308-1,028 margin. So the local resorts are hoping people get on the bandwagon for the next round at the end of the month.
Anyone can vote for their favourite ski town during allotted periods at facebook.com/powdermagazine.
The next challenger for Rossland/Nelson in the bracket will be either Whitefish, Mont., or Whistler. That voting is set for Nov. 28 and 29.
Rogge explained the concept was another way to engage readers.
“It’s been interesting. We didn’t know what to expect to be honest. What I’m learning is that people are really stoked on where they live. And that’s been the coolest thing for us.
“If your town or ski area is on the list it’s obviously a great place to ski and live.”
He said the majority of comments have been positive and people enjoy having a forum to tell other skiers in North America why their place is so great.
He added certain regions are really trying to drum support like Montana University, which passed out flyers to encourage people to vote. No word yet from Red Mountain Resort on any plans to promote the vote.
The top town will be crown after the final voting on Dec. 19 and 20.
The visibility and free advertising that comes with a Powder Magazine title certainly wouldn’t hurt generating publicity for the local resorts. Powder Magazine has a paid circulation of over 120,000 readers and is widely read around the world via its website.