Slopes For Hope Surpasses Goal

They skied, boarded, and had fun  — all for a good cause.

Seventy-one skiers and snowboarders took part in the second annual Slopes for Hope at Silver Star Resort on Saturday.

The fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society is a ski-a-thon where teams challenge themselves to ski or snowboard the vertical height of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest (29,029 vertical feet).

More than 17-thousand dollars ($17,297) was raised for cancer research and support programs, surpassing the goal of $5,000.

“Our volunteers and community really came out in spades this year to support our event, we were blown away by everyone’s commitment to the cause.” says Sarah Anne Taylor, Annual Giving Coordinator for the Canadian Cancer Society. “There were such brilliant and hilarious costumes heading down The Comet, and smiling faces everywhere.”

“Vernon has such an enthusiastic ski and snowboarding community that I felt this event was a perfect fit for the region and a great opportunity to raise funds for a cause that touches us all!” says Volunteer Event Chair, Christian Ouellette.

Organizers are thanking SilverStar Mountain Resort and their staff for helping in the development and production of the event; KISS FM who MC’d at the event and aided in the promotions and awareness of Slopes for Hope SilverStar; and a special thanks to Great West Equipment which  stepped up and supported their employees participation by matching their collected donations.