Celebrate the legacy of Al McInnes by skiing ALL the trails in one day at Mt. Macpherson. ( ~ 30 km) on Sunday Feb 23
Last March, the Revelstoke and the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club lost a legendary figure when we said good-bye to Al McInnes. If you have glided down Easy Al’s or done laps on Evelyn’s Choice, (Evelyn is Al’s widow) you have already encountered some of Al’s legacy. But Al’s roots in the community ran deep and his contributions to the club were outstanding.
Al was a Revelstoke boy from the age of 8 when his family arrived in Revelstoke around 1943. In the early days ski jumping was the rage in town and Al was at the heart of the ski jumping community, spending countless hours coaching, judging and packing ski trails. When Nordic skiing became more popular, Al became an avid skier and one of the early ski trails was named “Alley Oop” in his honour. Those early trails gave way to wider trails at RNSC thanks to Al’s enormous contribution of time and timber after an extraordinary windstorm knocked down a swath of trees. Not only did Al build trails, over 25 years he also spent hours in the groomer each winter setting the standard for the impeccable trails that we enjoy today.
So, perhaps you understand why we are starting a new tradition in his honour. To celebrate Al’s work, we challenge you to ski every bit of the trails he built and groomed so meticulously for all those years. On February 23, 2025, RNSC will be holding the First Annual Big McInnes Event. You choose your route, just like Al did every time he set out with the groomer in tow… but you have to prove (using a GPS track) that you have covered all of every named trail on the club maps. Not up for the full 30ish km of skiing yet this year? Join in to ski The Slider (a 15ish loop around all the trails on the perimeter of the trail network; challenge yourself to ski the crazy ups and downs of “Smider’s Web; or challenge your pooch by skiing the Doggie Bag (all of the dog loop trails). Oh and yes, there is also The Double McInnes for the masochists in town - twice around everything!
We are hoping that this event has something for everyone, partly an athletic challenge, partly a party on skis and a whole lot of fun for athletes and volunteers. See you between 9-3 on February 23!