A Run of Olympic Proportions

By Jim Barr, SnowSeekers Inc.

Today was day four of the torch being back in the province and its fourth community celebration – Camrose. Yesterday was a day off for the torch and the massive train that travels along with it, and the job that VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee) is doing to bring the Olympic spirit into communities throughout this country is really impressive.

The day off was a great opportunity for everyone involved to take a breather, regroup and take stock of what we had been witnessed to so far – most of which is truly amazing.

Wednesday night, Brandon Boucher, SnowSeekers’ director of Photography, and I got the chance to see the relay up close and personal as it made its way through the streets of Edmonton. It wasn’t intentional.
We were at the Parliament Buildings (there’s an excellent tour you can take virtually anytime) and as the torch made its way out from the celebration they had on its steps, we decided that it would be a good idea to follow it up the road to bring you the best possible video of it.

As we made our way back out onto the street, we started to run alongside the bearer keeping pace right to the end of his run which allowed us to witness the passing of the flame to the next torch bearer – which was really, really cool.  Than the next bearer started to run and he was moving fast – fast enough that we had some challenges just trying to keep up but we weren’t letting that flame out of our site.

VANOC has about 10 support vehicles which travel with the flame (stay tuned to future blog posts and we’ll bring you a look at the vehicles). As each torch bearer is finished his or her leg, VANOC picks them up and bring them all up to the main community celebration, which in this case, was Edmonton’s Sir Winston Churchill Square in the centre of the city. 

If you are as fascinated by the operation as myself, have a go to www.vancouver2010.com and click on Olympic Torch Relay where you can even find a cool map laying out all the stops.

The Heritage Flame

As former Olympian and Edmontonian native Doreen Ryan finishes raising her arms in spiritual triumph, Native Edmontonian singing group Asani raise their voices in triumphant spirit. 

In school, we had to learn both the English and French versions of O Canada, no different than two sides of a cereal box.  The bi-lingually legislated part of our heritage is omni present.  But, Canada is not a bi-lingual country, and we share a far deeper heritage beyond that of our colonial ancestry.  Edmonton especially has a rich history involving our Native heritage.  So like the crisp night air stealing breath, Asani’s rendition of O Canada was both refreshing and overwhelming. 

Asani are described as a “contemporary Women’s trio from Edmonton, who [carry] with them the traditional influences of First Nations and Metis music accompanied by drums and rattles.  Their songs resonate with their own blend of traditional vocals infused with the sounds of jazz, folk and blues.”  They, thankfully, were on stage during the pinnacle moment of tonight’s torch relay.

As the crowd grew close, and all generations of Edmontonains cheered on the torch’s arrival, the crowd became one and the singing of the National Anthem was announced.  Just like we’ve all been taught, everyone straightened and prepared to belt out a familiar rendition.  But then something unexpected happened.  Debbie Houle began a low vocal rhythm, lightly rattled her drum, and everyone gave pause.  Before anyone knew what to expect, Sarah Pocklington charged ahead with a vibrant melody and Sherryl Sewepagham carried everyone’s ears with a swooping and bold harmony.  The words of the anthem were gone, replaced instead by a comforting feeling, like finding something you never knew was lost.  It perfectly articulated the symbolic nature of the torch, the enduring human spirit of the games, and the deep connection Albertan’s and Canadian’s share with one another.    

Sunny's final shoot at Snow Valley

by Justin Kowalczuk


Upon arriving at SnowValley we noticed the fresh powder being made on the hill, thus., it was apparent from the get go that today was going to be an epic shoot. The crew was fully determined to shoot the final day with ease and confidence that presented the true strength of each other. With some quick planning by the director Brandon Boucher any scenes that were once missed were completed. Furthermore, we were able to film some truly great scenes that will lend a hand in the editing room. Also, Sunny continues to tear up the slopes, and it seems with each day she is getting better, and better. Today, she was carving down the slopes with Christina like a pro. It is apparent in their smiles that both Sunny and Christina have created a natural bond together, and trust one another as they shred the pow. Sunny’s mother stood at the bottom of the hill watching proudly as her daughter tackled what seemed like a beast of a hill on the first day. Today was a truly glorious day, everything ran smoothly and perfectly. Next, we will all be heading to Castle Mountain! Stay tuned for more updates about the crew and Sunny’s adventure in achieving our goals.

Affirming the Passion

Last night I watched a girl learn to make the most of winter; I watched her learning to ski and it was an event that re-affirmed just why I love snow sports so much. With eyes wide open and a big smile on both her and her mother’s face, Sunny Gantumur took to the slopes and nailed it.

                                                                         Photo by Kristy-Lynn Polowich

It was really the debut of a project we here at SnowSeekers have been working on since July - that to produce a documentary about a little girl who learns to ski.  It's in partnership with the Digital Media Students at NAIT, so it was a full on film crew out there last night, boom mic, two cameras and all.

With rosy cheeks and a big cheer in her eyes, I sat at the end of the lesson in awe with how energized our subject of the film was. The biggest and brightest surprise I received was when she asked if after her lesson this Saturday if she could stay on to practice and this was after her first lesson! As her family originates from Mongolia, only moving to Canada four years ago, Sunny was already conditioned for a big winter outside. With a brother who speed skates Sunny was looking to enjoy winter in a new way by hitting the slopes instead of the ice.

We were down at Snow Valley, a ski resort here in the heart of Edmonton Alberta for the first shoot of our documentary to be released February 1, 2010 and in association with the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance. After a few stretches in the parking lot, Sunny took to the slopes like a champ. “She is really picking things up quick,” said her instructor Christina Schmidtke, who learned to ski on these same slopes and now gives back by instructing a few hours a week. We watched as Schmidtke passed Sunny through a few drills, like getting in and out of her skis and becoming confident in moving around in them. After the first half an hour of giggles and laughs shared by Sunny and her instructor I asked if she was cold and needed a break, “no I am good, but my cheeks they feel a bit cold,” my immediate response was “yah, you’ll be the one in class tomorrow with the rosy cheeks and all your class mates will be asking you where you were last night!” You could see her eyes light up with excitement from the statement as she jumped back onto the magic carpet for another spin.

Those rosy cheeks are the sign of a skier, snowboarder or fan of the snow. Get out there and get your glow back, visit us at www.snowseekers.ca! Watch for more updates as Sunny takes to the slopes through the next few weeks leading up to her climax December 12th weekend at Castle Mountain Ski Resort as she tackles the Canadian Rockies for her first time.

Stay Tuned!

Big News!

SnowSeekers has sealed a deal with The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. We're set to move operations into their Duncan McNeill Centre for Innovation Sept 1 '09. We'll be stationed close to the pub, the gym and it allows us to work with some of the top students from the world of digital media. Some very exciting results for SnowSeekers every where.

Although working from home IS nice, it will be good to get up and GO to work.

Now that that's settled, we just need some snow so I can really get down to business!

for the scoop on your favorite powder filled destination check out www.snowseekers.ca