Upon hearing the sound of an air horn at 10 a.m. last Saturday, 37 snow sliding enthusiasts playing at Shames Mountain flopped into fresh snow to flap out snow angels — a rare opportunity to participate in a Guinness World Record attempt.
The attempt was to make the most snow angels at the same time in multiple locations, and was part of a Canada-wide attempt including hundreds of ski hills in the country.
The effort was part of Canadian Ski Patrol Day, a day that honours the life-saving work of the 4,500 volunteer ski patrollers at more than 220 ski hills and resorts across Canada.
“We wanted to do something fun to celebrate the Canadian Ski Patrol’s 27th anniversary of providing volunteer ski patrol services at Shames Mountain” said Bart DeFreitas, Canadian Ski Patrol Zone President.
“Helping to break the record for most snow angels seemed a fitting way for the skiing community to celebrate the people who look over them on the snow,” he added.
While the coast-to-coast attempt was not successful at breaking the current record of 15,851 snow angels, the event at Shames Mountain was successful at bringing several organizations together and showcasing the value of strong community partnerships.
My Mountain Co-op helped promote the event and prepared an area that met Guinness World Record requirements. Members of the Shames Mountain Ski and Snowboard Club participated in the event and scheduled a ski and board competition later in the day so their athletes had time to make snow angel impressions. Representatives from the Northern Brain Injury Association were onsite to promote concussion prevention and management awareness to hill patrons.
In addition to hosting the snow angels record attempt, the volunteer Canadian Ski Patrol team at Shames Mountain used the occasion to present Shames Mountain with new injury prevention materials and mountain rescue equipment of benefit to the regional community.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to help the co-op make Shames Mountain a safe and enjoyable recreational area for customers,” said Mark Reiter, a ski patrol team leader.
Bart DeFreitas is the Canadian Ski Patrol Zone President at Shames Mountain