GO Cranberley - Winter 2022

We live in a community built on strong roots. We have a community family that is steadfast in its support of each other, our families, our businesses and our city. These roots make us resilient and focused on a positive and prosperous future.

We all stand united and work together to make Cranbrook the wonderful place it is to live, work and play.

We look forward to the possibilities the future will bring to each of us, and our community. The future is bright.

Photo: Cranbrook Tourism

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GO Cranberley Magazine is published four times per year and is printed in Canada.

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"

What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk through the Fire"

W: Jeff Pew

KIMBERLEY AND ITS MOUNTAIN RESORT

FORGED FROM FIRE

ON DECEMBER 18TH, 2021, Kevin Leslie arrived at the Kimberley Alpine Resort (KAR) for his 12:30 am graveyard groomer shift. He checked the fluids of his Prinoth 350 Snowcat, reviewed his task sheet, then headed up the hill. At the top of the NorthStar Express High-Speed Quad, he shaped and groomed the offramp’s snow, which had been subjected to the fresh edges of opening-day crowds. Once done, he drove to the backside, groomed Dean Left, then made his way to the front shortly after 2 am. As he descended Vimy Ridge, he looked up toward the quad chair. “It was a raging inferno, burning like mad,” he recalls. Immediately, he radioed Assistant Mountain Manager, Ryan Watters, who was on the hill to deal with some mysterious power bumps — unknowingly, at the time, related to the fire. “The top quad shack is on fire,” Leslie yelled, then raced as fast as he could up Caper. When he arrived, he grabbed his fire extinguisher and ran as close to the hut as he could get. Within seconds, his fire extinguisher was empty. “All I could do was stand back and watch it burn,” he says. For the next three hours, Leslie spent the night shuttling KAR managers, RCMP, and the Kimberley Fire Department to the top of the hill. Within the first hour, the structure was declared a crime scene.

“Things get bad for all of us, almost continually, and what we do under the constant stress reveals who/ what we are.” — Charles Bukowski, What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk through the Fire

PHOTO: YANA KEHRLEIN

BY FIRST LIGHT, it was clear the fire had completely demolished the lift operations building, which housed specialized electronic equipment that runs the chairlift. Fortunately, the cable and bullwheel remained unscathed. The RCMP's initial investigation deemed the fire “suspicious,” but on January 10, 2022, Sergeant Steve Woodcox, Kimberley Detachment Commander, declared: “Further investigation...has led investigators to believe this fire is arson and deliberately set.”

Kimberley was in shock. Two weeks earlier, the Kimberley Gymnastics Club facility had been destroyed by arson. Residents speculated on motives and whether the two incidents were connected. Murmurs circulated that the arsons were a violent protest against vaccination requirements at the Kimberley Gymnastics Club and KAR. On the heels of Covid-19, Kimberley felt sucker-punched.

KAR’s General Manager, Ted Funston, recalls last year’s opening day joy. “It’s like a Broadway production and the curtain’s finally gone up. It’s always such a relief.” On the resort’s social media, KAR congratulated a group of seven fifteen-year-olds who slept in tents to earn the coveted first chair. Then, the unimaginable occurred. “We went home that night and around 3 am I received a phone call from Ryan Watters,” Funston says. “My first thought was if anybody was hurt. Then, I just felt sad for the people of Kimberley, the young kids, the old guys and retirees, all the businesses and tourists, and finally, the people who holiday here.”

Conner Mohnssen, one of the teens who earned the opening-day first chair, recalls the moment he heard about the fire. “I was really pissed,” he says. “I suspected the chair would be out for the season and it was really coming down that night, so the next morning was a pow day wasted.”

After witnessing the crime scene and meeting with RCMP investigators, Funston was back in his office by 5:30 am. “We knew the lift wasn’t running but had no idea what that really meant,” he says. “I had to put out a notice that the resort was closed for the day.” Funston strategized with RCR's upper management and discussed the future. “Our energy was focused on what we could do, not what we couldn’t,” he says.

CONNER MOHNSSEN & FRIENDS SLEPT IN TENTS OVERNIGHT TO BE ON THE FIRST CHAIR, OPENING DAY | OPPOSITE PAGE: TED FUNSTON, GENERAL MANAGER AT KAR, IN FRONT OF THE NEWLY REBUILT LIFT OPERATIONS BUILDING | PHOTOS: JEFF PEW

LIFT OPERATIONS BUILDING FIRE, DEC.18, 2021 | PHOTO: COURTESY OF KAR

“Our energy was focused on what we could do, not what we couldn’t.”

ENGINEERS and electricians from Leitner-Poma, the company that designed the NorthStar Express, were on-site immediately to determine whether KAR could access the parts required to make the NorthStar operational. Soon, it became apparent that this wasn’t possible and the facility would require a rebuild.

Although the obvious business decision would have been to close the hill for the season, Resort of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) — KAR’s parent company — decided they wouldn’t give in. By noon that day, RCR announced that KAR would remain open for the season and focused their efforts on getting skiers and riders access to the mountain. They decided to open the backside, operating the Easter and Tamarack chairs, where skiers and snowboarders could hike twenty minutes along Ridgeway to access the Tamarack chair. As well, they would run the Owl T-Bar and the Magic Carpet at the base area.

Immediately, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse, and Castle mountain resorts offered snowcats to help transport people with mobility issues. Local businesses reached out asking what they could do to help. “We just kept saying, ‘Yes,’” Funston recalls. “The more positive people were about it, the harder we wanted to make it work.”

Despite RCR’s efforts, fewer tourists were visiting the mountain, and Kimberley experienced an immediate drop in the tourism and service industry. Kieran Hickey, the owner of a Kimberley property management company, was doing renovations on a property when he first heard the sirens. “That morning, I learned there was a significant fire on the ski hill and worried that Kimberley’s winter economic lifeline was severed,” he says. “From a business perspective, we were finally coming out of the Covid fog and seeing the light that things were going to be manageable. Then, this happened. Regardless of the arsonist’s motivation, did they have any idea how they’d impact an entire community?”

Denai Bell, who owns Arrow and Axe General Store — in Kimberley’s Platzl — alongside her husband, Jarret, remembers that Saturday morning clearly. “Our kids were so excited. They had their skis and snow gear laid out on their bedroom floors. In the morning, I started receiving texts from friends and family: photos and posts full of anger and frustration expressed by the town. It took an hour for it to sink in. The kids were devastated.

DENAI BELL, OWNER OF ARROW AND AXE GENERAL STORE, SETTING NEW EXPECTATIONS AFTER THE REDUCTION IN TOURISM | SGT. WOODCOX, ARSON IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION PHOTOS:

JEFF PEW

I don’t think we truly thought, as business owners, what that would mean until the next day when the realization sunk in. We’d just managed to stay afloat during Covid and, with a store full of inventory, were excited about what we’d hoped would be a normal year. Following the fire and immediate reduction in tourism, we just focused on breaking even again. We set our new expectations and dug in for a bumpy ride.”

Kimberley is such a resilient community. Everyone picked themselves up and looked for the positive.

FUNSTON never wants to see something like this happen again. “Kimberley is known as a welcoming, happy place. This seemed so aggressive and out of character for our town.” To help safeguard from this, RCR put a $100,000 reward on the table. “We’re serious about finding the person who did this,” he says. “We don’t ever want to feel the threat to the resort or our community again.” In addition to the reward, RCR has hired night security guards and installed cameras throughout the resort to help deter any possible vandalism.

Sgt. Woodcox reports the arson is still active and under investigation. “We do not have any suspects identified,” he says, “but we’re still utilizing investigative techniques to help us identify the person(s) responsible.”

Both Funston and Kimberley’s Mayor Don McCormick focus on the positive outcome of how Kimberley rallied together following the fire. “Rarely are the broader consequences of an act like this considered when choices are made,” McCormick says. “It put businesses, jobs, and families in jeopardy.

MAYOR DON MCCORMICK, PROUD OF COMMUNITY RESPONSE

PHOTO: CHELSEA BOYD-GIBSON, MEADOWSWEET PHOTOGRAPHY

But Kimberley is such a resilient community. Everyone picked themselves up and looked for the positive. RCR created an amazing response under very challenging circumstances, keeping the ski hill operational which salvaged much of the winter season for so many people. We have so many reasons to feel proud and positive about our community.”

There’s a reason for all the adages about how we deal with adversity: It’s where our true nature emerges and Kimberley was no exception. Following the fire, Kimberley experienced a number of historic windfalls: Kimberley won CBC’s Best Small Town contest, Kimberley’s Ben Cohen won BC Alpine Coach of the Year, KAR won BC Alpine Resort of the Year, Kimberley Alpine Ski Team beat out 67 other Canadian ski communities to win the $50,000 McKenzie Top Peak contest, and Heather Gemmell won CBC’s SearchLight Top Three Voter’s Choice for her song “NorthStar Burning” written to denounce the arsonist and muster the strength of her town.

Even the walk along the Ridgeway to the Tamarack chair became a ritual of resilience for the 2021 ski season. People joked about it being the warm-up for the ski day, constantly racing to beat their best time. And, how often did we see the determined fiveyear-old taking big, tired strides as he plodded along, his skis bundled in his mom’s arms? When he collapsed and his mom said, “We’re almost there,” he grumbled, got up, and kept walking for what might have seemed like forever.

In the second week of December 2022, Funston believes the future season looks great. “Everything’s coming together,” he says. “The engineers and electricians from Leitner-Poma have been working tirelessly to ensure the lift is operational by their scheduled third-week-of-December opening.”

Meanwhile, the KAR crew is getting the show ready for opening day. Kevin Peel “Peeler” is talking about the new groomer they bought and posting photos of sunlit corduroy he’s just laid down on the Main. Newly-hired staff are shovelling the parking lot stairs and an engineer from Leitner-Poma is slapping Electrical Manager Mike Byrnes on the back as they watch a NorthStar chair turn quietly in the terminal before it ascends the mountain.

At the end of the day, Ted Funston leaves his KAR office and walks in the dark toward his truck. There’s a light dusting of snow. “We’re getting there,” he says. “It’s almost showtime.”

The NorthStar Blues

“It feels like I was turning lemons into lemonades,” Heather Gemmell says referring to her reaction the day she learned that the NorthStar lift was destroyed by arson. Gemmell, a roots & blues musician based in Kimberley, wrote the song “NorthStar Burning” following the fire. “These poor folks at the hill had to stay positive and keep people coming to the hill,” she says. “I tried writing a straightforward song that told it like it was. This sucks! Someone had to say it.” Once launched on social media, there was an overwhelming reaction from the public. The next week, she learned that CBC’s Searchlight Contest — the annual talent search for aspiring, undiscovered artists — was running. It was perfect timing. “I’ve got a song that’s touching a lot of people,” she says. “1600 people submitted songs, and I won the Top Three Voter's Choice, which awarded a distribution package from MPE and a $1,000 gift certificate from Long and McQuade. It was pretty cool.”

Gemmell is putting the finishing touches on her new song, “NorthStar Turning, A Bluebird Day,” a happy-go-lucky song about skiing, sun pits, and where the only thing that’s burning is our thighs.

HEATHER GEMMELL | PHOTO: KARI MEDIG

WE’RE BACK BABY

This will be the most exiting lift line we’ll ever stand in. For a year, we earned our turns. We hiked in, skinned up, pulled kids and ‘cat skied.' We kept our heads down and supported each other. And we did it. Together. Purcell is here for all your gear needs and ready to help you let the good time roll. Congrats everyone. We’re back.

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“ARTS AND CULTURE IN CRANBROOK have, sadly, taken a socioeconomic backseat over the years,” says newly elected Cranbrook Mayor Wayne Price. “Historically, it seems that arts and culture was overshadowed by heavy civic investment in professional-league sports, which worked for a while. Traditionally, Cranbrook was a staunchly blue-collar industrial centre, with the sawmills and the railways and the mines and such. And everyone’s community-entertainment attention was focused mostly on hockey. But that’s gone now. In our modern reality, it seems that sports have taken a backseat of their own, and arts and culture as community entertainment is on the rise.”

WAYNE PRICE , former long-time chief of the Cranbrook Fire Department and an energetic two-term Cranbrook City Councillor, won a landslide victory over incumbent mayor Lee Pratt in the October 2022 municipal elections, partially due to his very vocal campaign platform which promoted community transparency and the embracing of the Key City’s neglected arts-and-culture industry, concepts which have proven invaluable in the modern excitement of the smaller, tourism-driven Kootenay communities surrounding Cranbrook on all sides. Price is one of the most grassroots-popular Cranbrook politicians seen in many years, due to his down-home approachable friendliness, his proven care for his community, and his straight-shooting atti tude.

“We’ve got a huge percentage of highly talented people here in Cranbrook,” says Price. “A lot of that comes from our local public school arts programs: drama, visual arts, music, and such. And we have established mainstays like Cranbrook Com munity Theatre, Symphony of the Kootenays, the Fisher Peak Performing Art ists Society, and the like. If artis tically motivated youngsters graduate from high school and have the desire to pursue their calling, they have local entities to develop themselves right here in town. It lessens the ongoing brain drain we’ve seen over the decades where everyone instinctively runs off to the big cities.”

Price notes how the current post-pandemic economic instability plays a large part in the local shift. “Money is indeed tight, but people are still finding ways to invest in themselves and get out publicly again,” Price observes. “People are more prepared to spend entertainment money on the arts, since there’s so much quality art being produced here — three productions per season at the Studio Stage Door, live music in the bars and at the RecPlex, and all the new funky eateries as well fall into that arts category, too. We’ll get through the shaky times with the help of entertainment, as we always do.”

The new mayor openly recognizes the dramatic shifts afoot in Cranbrook’s oftentimes calcified political groupthink and embraces it as good for the city’s present and future. “The community is waiting for the City to publicly make a shift and set a direction,” says Price. “And there are key local businesspeople, this new generation of community builders, who got tired of waiting for the City to officially authorize and tangibly support that shift, and they took matters into their own hands. Over the past ten years we’ve developed a new wave of young, open-minded entrepreneurs here in Cranbrook, a solid core who have transformed the downtown culture and are steering the socioeconomic rudder themselves. They’ve created a very real vibrancy and hum. And they’ve forced the City, and us on City Council, to follow their lead...or be left in the dust. What is our new focus? It’s on Cranbrook’s downtown revitalization. It’s about aggressive marketing of our tourism attractions. It’s about encouraging, and, yes, capitalizing, on our growing cultural assets, and connecting with said assets across our local East Kootenay region.”

In a time when many people have long grown disillusioned and cynical about most political structures, be they municipal or provincial or federal, it’s refreshing to hear bullshit-free civic concepts described publicly and openly with depth and detail.

“Those concepts have been bandied about for decades by previous city governments, but the time has long come to be serious and honest about it. There needs to be a quotient of community patience with the City, as we have to deal with upgrading aging infrastructure in order to properly boost downtown revitalization and cultural development. This will, realistically, be stretched out over the next decade or two, but it’s more than fair for the community to expect visible, real changes for the better — and to keep us and future councils accountable for it. Our new council is unified in seeing the City contribute to the success of Cranbrook’s downtown and to the success of the community transformation. We’re striving to accomplish this.”

SHADOW MOUNTAIN SHADOW MOUNTAIN

This 5 bedroom, walkout bungalow located on Shadow Mountain Golf Course backing onto the pond. Open concept that offers stunning views the moment you step in. Main floor living includes an office/bedroom, mudroom, 4p bath, butler pantry with additional cupboard & counter space. Kitchen offers an island with down draft gas range so th at you may entertain while preparing with prep sink & wine fridge. The dining room overlooks the scenery & the floor to ceiling marble fireplace. The primary bedroom, access to your deck that spans the entire back of the house, two-person shower, separate water closet, spacious walk-in closet & side by side laundry finish off the main floor. A family room downstairs with fireplace, walkout & plumbing for a wet bar. 3 more bedrooms, each with their own walk-in closets, 4p bath and another laundry room. A generously oversized, triple garage with room for your boat, work shop, two vehicles and don’t forget your golf cart!

Located at the base of the ski hill, this one bedroom, end unit condo on the first floor, offers all the amenities you need. The open concept kitchen is equipped with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. The

ing area is cozy and welcoming, with a fireplace that adds a touch of ambiance.

This beautiful Trickle Ridge home is a great deal for anyone looking for a spacious home close to all the amenities that Kimberley has to offer. Situated just steps away from the Trickle Creek Golf Course, this home features a ground floor family room, bedroom, bath, and laundry. The second floor has vaulted ceilings and an open concept kitchen with stainless appliances and quartz countertops. From the front deck you have a great view of the sunrise over the mountains. The master ensuite includes a beautiful large tile shower. There are two more bedrooms on this floor. In the backyard you will find a hot tub, BBQ, and plenty a spacious deck to enjoy after a long day of hiking or skiing. This is a must see! Call today to book your viewing.

Wonderful condo backing onto the ski hill, ski from your back door! An incredible find, truly better than when it was built so many upgrades. Walk into the foyer and to the left is an amazing 40’ family/ bedroom with 2 pullouts for those extra guests and a full bath. Up to the living room, kitchen, and dining room with a deck, on the front for BBQing and a back deck, (newly enlarged) to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the sun going down. A half bath is here and a bedroom as well. Up to the large Master Bedroom, that has been partitioned to accommodate a family, with bunk beds for the kids. Views of the Rockies. Laundry is in the hallway. Additional bathroom with a new shower built with double shower heads. A walkway to another deck with newly refurbished hot tub an amazing place to sit and survey the entire hill. Close to miles of hiking and biking trails and just a two minute drive to a golf course.

only had a few customers my first night on the job at the Snowdrift Cafe and yet I had managed to lose fifty dollars. The sum of the evening’s sales stubbornly refused to tally with the amount of cash in the till. My colleague June wrinkled her nose in confusion as she struggled to make sense of the numbers, eventually telling me I could leave for the night. Shoulders hunched in shame, I crept out, worrying that at best they would think I was inept, at worst, a thief. Either way, I dreaded a phone call asking me not to return.

But no phone call came so I returned the next day, and this time the till balanced. I exhaled a breath. I still couldn’t believe I had been lucky enough to be hired in the first place. Having spent my first year away at university, I had returned to Kimberley for the summer to live with my parents. Summer jobs were few and

far between back then in the years following the closure of the Sullivan Mine in 2001. The town’s population had decreased, and the tourists who were supposed to save the economy came to Kimberley in more a trickle than a wave. There weren’t many jobs, period.

Affectionately known as “the Drift,” the Snowdrift became a Kimberley institution when it was opened by Roy Cimolai and his brother in the early nineties. In an era when “getting coffee” usually meant filling a Styrofoam cup from a gas station carafe, Roy had brought the latte to Kimberley. We were lucky — lattes weren’t just unusual in small mining towns — a Seinfeld episode of the same era was remarking on the latte’s novelty and flair in Manhattan. The Snowdrift was ahead of its time.

W & P: Julie Claire Ma (née Smith) | Ill: Ashley Dodd

DREADLOCKED, PATCHOULI-WEARING STAFF CAPABLY KNEADED THE DAY’S BREAD, DREW TINY CUPS OF ESPRESSO, AND DEBATED SOCIAL ISSUES WITH CUSTOMERS PERCHED AT THE COUNTER.

by origin, Roy himself tuned the beautiful espresso machine that was the flagship of the cafe. Next to the gorgeous chalk-art menu were a number of prints which compelled us to “Keep Clayquot Wild” and “Stop Clearcutting.” Dreadlocked, patchouli-wearing staff capably kneaded the day’s bread, drew tiny cups of espresso, and debated social issues with customers perched at the counter.

The Snowdrift offered organic, vegetarian food before anybody cared about such things. Each element of every dish was made from scratch — right down to the mayonnaise. In the summer most of the produce came from Roy’s mother’s magnificent garden on Selkirk Hill. Who knew you could grow vegetables so well at this elevation? The most popular dishes were the towering nachos, veggie-stuffed sandwiches, cheesecakes, and homemade iced tea. People in the know ordered Roy’s mom’s Galliano cake, flavored with the namesake herbal liqueur produced in Italy.

Like all good cafes, the Drift transcended its offerings. On a snowy day, windows clouded over with condensation, you were more likely than not to bump into a friend. Customers were encouraged to sit, to chill, to borrow one of the many stocked magazines or games. Its clientele tended to enjoy Nordic skiing and discussions of an intellectual nature.

Besides a few constant faces, the staff was a rotating crew who drifted in and out of town with the ebb and flow of nomadic lifestyles. Roll into town, chat with long-time manager Lesley, and she would find room in the schedule for you. There shouldn’t have been enough work for all of us, but somehow there always was.

They were all so cool: Samara, with the nose ring; Robyn, so passionate about protecting the environment; June, who owned a pet crow that flew next to her partner as he hang-glided off mountains. There was beautiful Angie, skater-kid Kevin, and hippie Erin, who squatted on the east shore of St. Mary Lake in a Volkswagen bus, zooming into town for her shifts on a motorbike.

I was out of my league, feeling neither cool nor interesting. A cringing, socially anxious teenager wasn’t the most obvious

fit for this role. Talking to strangers and being friendly was so far outside my comfort zone my stomach did flips before each shift, for a time, until I gradually became initiated into the Snowdrift culture of kindness and acceptance. I could finally begin to relax.

A series of traumatic events will take its toll on a person. I had endured years of bullying at school, and worse, had begun to judge my own self-worth by the way I had been treated. My faith in humanity was further eroded when my brother, Kye, died by suicide. Such was the stigma around mental illness and suicide, no one outside my family really talked to me about his death. It felt like he had never existed, never mattered. I was trapped in a grief that had nowhere to go.

And yet, somehow in the daily rhythms of working in the Snowdrift that first summer, and in all the summers to follow, my heart began to heal. We did it all; we were the barista and the server and the cook and the baker, simultaneously. There’s a simple pleasure in working with one’s hands, in making things that bring joy, in being surrounded by pleasant chatter. We were always busy, always moving, to the soundtrack of REM and Bob Marley.

Roy and Lesley did right by their employees. Bosses who never bossed, they created a culture of mutual trust and respect. They paid us fairly, even when times started to get tight. We rose to meet their high opinion of us — not out of fear for our jobs, but out of love for them.

Everyone deserves a break, deserves someone to give them more than they at first appear to deserve — someone who can see past the superficial, to the glimmer of potential within. At the Snowdrift, I was shown only grace and compassion, certainly far beyond my capacity as an employee, which, though I tried, was average at best. It remains one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. Reminiscing with some of the others, I know I’m not alone in this sentiment. They treated us like humans. Faith in humanity restored.

New Dawn Developments has been committed to o ering exceptional service, value, and quality throughout the East Kootenay region since 1978. As a full service, one-stop builder based out of Cranbrook, British Columbia, we have all of your building needs covered. With our own team of in-house architectural and interior designers we are able to work closely with our clients to bring their visions to life; and with a fixed-price construction agreement we take the financial stress o of you.

A Metaphor in Three-Four Time

W & P: Dan Mills | Ill: Ashley Dodd

Ishuffle cautiously forward until the tips of my skis are just slightly overhanging my comfort zone, that place where the steep begins and my confidence ends. Below me stretches all the proof any denier should ever need — the world is not flat; it is indeed entirely too perpendicular.

As I look down the slope — trying to decide between a gutsy route straight down the fall line or just taking off my skis and going home — I am suddenly enveloped by a wave of emotional déjà vu. There is something familiar about these diametrically-opposed feelings of anxiety and confidence, of awkwardness and grace, of excitement and dread, all of which are at this moment twisting around in my gut.

I am still fidgeting around with the straps on my poles when it comes to me. In my mind's eye, I see a young man nervously making his way across a high school gym towards a girl. He shuffles forward

“We are fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.”

~Japanese Proverb~

until his toes are hanging over the very edge of his comfort zone, and without even looking up from his shoes, he asks, “Would you like to dance?”

The memory makes me smile. I push off with both poles and with all the confidence I can muster, drop into my first turn. The music has started. It’s time to cut a rug.

My telemark technique may be somewhat suspect, but it affords me the opportunity to embrace Mother Nature, to hold her close even when the snow is deep.

The slope is uncomfortably steep, and I find myself making long, looping turns trying to check my speed. I feel vaguely out of control as I try to remember the steps to this telemark dance. Then the nervousness fades, replaced by the overwhelming rhythm of it all. One-two-three. One-two-three. Glittering powder arcs into the sunlight with every genuflected turn. It is that kind of powder snow that the cool kids call cold smoke, an ethereal partner oh so light on her feet and I am dancing with her.

wanted an adult-sanctioned opportunity to hold that someone you loved (or lusted after) close when the band at the high school dance played that last slow song. And that last song was almost always Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," and there was always a swirling mist floating up from the dry ice machine.

A lot of us fell in love for the first time while waltzing through cold smoke.

My telemark technique may be somewhat suspect, but it affords me the opportunity to embrace Mother Nature, to hold her close even when the snow is deep. It gives me a clumsy chance to cut in on her less-impassioned admirers and dance with her while she wears that special white dress. And trust me, she looks stunning in her crystalline, formal attire.

By the time I reach the bottom of the slope, I have fallen twice — once a full-on face plant due to poor technique and once a bailout to avoid impacting a spruce tree even bigger around than me. My old legs are rubbery with fatigue and my face hurts from smiling. It was a fine run.

I have to pole my way down the slight incline of the old logging road that will lead me back to my vehicle. The temperature is slightly warmer down here in the valley and the snow is heavier beneath my skis. The wind carries the smell of spruce sap turn. They are, however, not terms used to describe yours truly.

The adjectives graceful and athletic are often used to describe skiers who have mastered the beautifully delicate telemark

I am that all-important exception that proves the rule; I am an awkward teleskier. This deficiency of grace, this dearth of athletic ability, may also explain why I am not now, nor ever have been, much of a dancer.

I hope, gentle reader, that if you are not of my ancient vintage, you will allow me to explain how some things may have been different in high school before your experience. For example, gym class back in my epoch included some dance instruction. However, despite the gallant attempts of well-meaning high school teachers, I was never able to master the do-si-do or the allemande left when they made us take square dancing way back in Grade 10. My tentative grasp of the polka was and is limited to bouncing twice on each foot while spinning recklessly around with terrified-looking bridesmaids at weddings. While the complicated footwork of the tango and Texas two-step are totally and forever beyond me, the one piece of basic choreography I did manage to almost learn back in high school was the waltz. Now don’t get me wrong. This was no intricate, Johann Strauss-esque, ballroom dance step. It was more of a shuffle-from-side-to-side-withoutlifting-your-feet-so-you-don’t-step-on-your-partner’s-toes kind of thing. However, it was also absolutely essential to learn if you

and hints of an early spring. Not yet though. Not until I hear the unmistakable song of that long absent, red-breasted bird. It’s not exactly a Led Zeppelin tune, but it is a sure sign nonetheless that winter's dance is almost done.

NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 23

What did the Queen mean to you?

Gallery Exhibition

DECEMBER 16 & 17

Live@Studio64

Leather Apron Revival Live Music

JANUARY 3 – 28

Neal Panton, Sense of Space Gallery Exhibition

JANUARY 21

Live@Studio64

Barney Bentall & Wild Honey Live Music

JANUARY 31 – FEBRUARY 25

Challenge accepted Gallery Exhibition

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 25

Adjudicated Young Artists Gallery Exhibition

Legacy Property Team in Kimberley

Kimberley’s former economic driver, the once mighty Sullivan, is now a closed and reclaimed mine managed by Teck’s Legacy Properties team. The Legacy Properties team is responsible for the management of legacy properties across Canada, the United States, and Australia. Did you know that the team employs over 40 local employees and contractors in the Kimberley area who are focused on advancing initiatives related to mine closure, environmental stewardship, community engagement, safety and more? Learn more about our work by visiting: www.teck.com/sullivan

January’s Child

W: Julie Claire Ma (née Smith)

Give me the cold the dark the still frozen nights the bitter blue mornings the fifty different kinds of snow but especially the softly falling in the woods kind. Give me the post-holiday calm the solitude the reflection the new beginning.

With cold fingers clasped around a hot cup cheeks rosy with pleasure or maybe just the wind -it looks nice on you anyway.

The future is bright

As we approach the end of 2022, it feels like the last chapter of a tumultuous book we’ve all been reading together. This New Year, perhaps even more than any one before, brings the promise of new beginnings. Here at Kootenay Media, we have a feeling that we’re onto an entire new book that is going to be even better.

After almost three years, the pandemic that shaped our lives seems to be waning* and has paved the way to a future that includes travel, gathering, and all of the social things we once took for granted, like picking up a magazine in a public space. You’ve almost surely grown tired of hearing about its affect on both businesses and individuals, but we all struggled through it in some way. Yet, we know that not everyone or everything made it through. The phoenix, however, finally seems to be rising from the ashes.

The ashes, in some cases, were literal; and the phoenix, in some cases, was a chairlift. Or perhaps it’s an entire town, ready to rise up and celebrate the collective determination of our community.

In some cases, the phoenix is a magazine, it’s survival based on the sheer tenacity of the people that make it, even despite the loss of our North Star and Managing Editor, Karen. We’re happy to report that GO Cranberley will grow stronger in 2023, with the addition of some new, energetic faces, who share our commitment to celebrate the communities our magazine has always embraced. Like a phoenix, an aeroplane or a chairlift, Kootenay Media will rise up and be part of the next chapter in a new book, one that’s hopefully even more fun to read.

*Immediately find wood to knock on.

DR. JORDAN ENNS

DR. SPENCER DUNN

DECEMBER ~

DEC 20 | Toddler Tuesday –December Holiday Edition | Story Time & Crafts | Cranbrook History Centre | 10:30 am

DEC 26 | Turkey Run-off Snowshoe Race 2022 | Lois Creek Trails, Trail St. Entrance | 11 am

DEC 29 | Dynamiters vs. Fernie Ghostriders | Kimberley Civic Centre 7 pm

Dec 31 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Trail Smoke Eaters | Western Financial Place Arena | 6 pm

DEC 23-24 | Santa Visit | Kimberley Alpine Resort | 12 pm

DEC 31 | New Year’s Eve Torchlight Ski | Kimberley Nordic Centre | 6 pm

DEC 31 | New Year’s Eve Party in the Plaza | Kimberley Alpine Resort | 7 pm

DEC 31 | New Year’s Eve Fireworks Kimberley Alpine Resort | 9 pm

DEC 31 | Cabaret: New Year’s Eve Gala | Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

DEC 31 | New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball | Black Tie Dress | Historic Wasa Hotel/Museum | Fort Steele Heritage Town | 8 pm

~

JANUARY ~

JAN 3-28 | Neil Panton – Sense of Space Art Exhibition | Solo Art Exhibition | Centre 64 Gallery Tuesday-Saturday | 1-5 pm

JAN 6 | Dynamiters vs. Castlegar Rebels | Kimberley Civic Centre 7 pm

JAN 6-7 | Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour | Key City Theatre 7 pm

JAN 13 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Wenatchee Wild | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

JAN 13-15, 19-21 | Cabaret: Live Show | Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

JAN 14 | Locals Coffeehouse | The Stage Door | 7:30 pm

JAN 15 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Vernon Vipers | Western Financial Place Arena | 4 pm

JAN 21 | Dynamiters vs. Golden Rockets | Kimberley Civic Centre 7 pm

JAN 21 | Barry Bentall and Wild Honey | Centre 64 Theatre | 7 pm

JAN 25 | Ed Talk — Suzette Mayr, 2022’s Giller Prize Winner Cranbrook History Centre | 7 PM

JAN 25 | Fisher Peak Winter Ale Series — The Heavy Lighters with Brackish Betty | Key City Theatre 7 PM

JAN 27 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. West Kelowna Warriors | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

JAN 27 | LARRY: Live | Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

JAN 28 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Pentiction Vees | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

JAN 28 | Dynamiters vs. Sicamous Eagles | Kimberley Civic Centre 7 pm

JAN 28 | Ideas Bobert: Live | Key City Theatre | 7:30 PM

JAN 29 | Lost Marbles: Diary of a Breakdown — Cranbrook Poet Barbara Phillip | Key City Theatre 7 PM

JAN 31 – FEB 25 | Challenge Accepted: Unlock Your Creative Spirit | Open Art Exhibition Centre 64 Gallery | Tuesday-Saturday 1-5 pm

JAN 31 | Dynamiters vs. Creston Valley Thunder Cats | Kimberley Civic Centre | 7 pm

~ FEBRUARY ~

FEB 2 | Snowed In Comedy Tour Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

FEB 3 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Prince George Spruce Kings Western Financial Place Arena 7 pm

FEB 4 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Vernon Vipers | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

FEB 4 | Symphony of the Kootenays: Folk Roots with Daniel Lapp | Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

FEB 4-5 | Western Canadian Championships | Kimberley Nordic Centre

FEB 8 | Ballet Jorgen: Cinderella Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

FEB 10 | Dynamiters vs. Creston Valley Thunder Cats | Kimberley Civic Centre | 7 pm

FEB 11 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Trail Smoke Eaters | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

FEB 11 | Dynamiters vs. Columbia Valley Rockiers | Kimberley Civic Centre | 7 pm

FEB 11 | Burlesque: A Love Affair Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

FEB 16 | Lunasa Live in Concert Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

FEB 16-19, 22-25 | The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Directed by Nathaniel Leigh Cranbrook Community Theatre Stage Door

FEB 19-26 | Flannel Fest 2023 Virtual and Live Events | Kimberley

FEB 22 | Fisher Peak Winter Ale Series — John Reischman and The Jaybirds with Shawna and Anie Key City Theatre | 7 PM

FEB 24 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Vernon Vipers | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

FEB 25 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Salmon Arm Silverbacks | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

FEB 25 | J.J. Shiplett Live | Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

FEB 28–MAR 25 | Adjudicated Young Artists: 12-29 Years of Age Open Art Exhibition | Centre 64 Gallery | Tuesday-Saturday | 1-5 pm

~ MARCH ~

MAR 10 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Surrey Eagles | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

MAR 11 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Langley Rivermen | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

MAR 11 | Ballet Kelowna: taq?š and Other Works | Key City Theatre 7:30 pm

MAR 14 | I Am Woman, Hear Me Laff! Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

MAR 15 | George Canyon: Our Country Tour 2023 | Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

MAR 15 | Circus Incognitus | Key City Theatre | 7:30 PM

MAR 16 | Nicolas Ellis and The Agora Key City Theatre | 7:30 pm

MAR 24 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Prince George Spruce Kings Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm

MAR 25 | BCHL Hockey: Bucks vs. Prince George Spruce Kings Western Financial Place Arena | 7 pm