Shames Mountain took a significant step forward in its campaign to acquire a new Snowcat machine, thanks to a $50,000 donation by the Port of Prince Rupert through its Community Investment Fund.
The money brings the total raised to $131,000, through the Port, CityWest, a GoFundMe campaign — which has raised nearly $7,500 so far — and many other corporate and private sponsors. The total Shames’ cooperative is trying to raise is $300,000, but general manager Christian Theberge said they have always been expecting to finance approximately $150,000.
A snowcat is a machine that grooms the ski hill, making it possible for the mountain to operate in any condition. The GoFundMe description reads, “no snowcat means no Shames Mountain Ski Area.”
However, thanks to communities that have been more than supportive in this campaign, which has been ongoing for two years but didn’t really take off until this winter, the cooperative is well on its way.
“It represents to me that the larger businesses in our community recognize the importance and value of our recreational facility in our region. We were thrilled to hear the announcement,” Theberge said.
$300,000 will help purchase a machine three or four years old to replace the current one, which is past its life expectancy and will be retired now that the 2017 season is complete.
The general manager said he hopes that this kind of contribution will encourage other businesses large and small from our region to also contribute.
“Remember how locals and businesses came together to proudly create Canada’s first ski cooperative? How inspiring was that? Now let’s stay inspired and get us a snowcat,” Theberge wrote on the GoFundMe page.
For more information about this campaign, you can email them at shamesmountain@citywest.ca or call Theberge at 250-635-3773.