Nancy Greene Raine to host virtual fundraiser this weekend

Proceeds from the Telus 3 Mtn Tour will benefit the Sun Peaks Education Society and Royal Inland Hospital

Like many fundraising initiatives, the Annual Telus Alpine Classic has been reimagined this year. The new virtual fundraising event, The Telus 3 Mtn Tour, will take place March 26 and 27 as a self guided tour spanning all three mountains, with a photo sharing component. 

Nancy Greene Raine, fundraiser host and Sun Peaks Resort LLP’s director of skiing, said it was important to keep the tradition going this year to ensure the significant sponsorship funds were still donated, along with the participation fees, to benefit the Sun Peaks Education Society which requires around $100,000 in annual community donations to operate.   

“It’s an opportunity for people in the community to support the needs of the school,” said Greene Raine. 

The event has a long history in Sun Peaks, and is important to the organizations who depend on it for funding. 

“This would have been the 25th year,” said Nancy Greene Raine, “For the first few years, we raised it to help the ski club pay off the debt they had on their club cabin. And then we started putting money into the Sun Peaks Health Association that was used to defray their operating costs and to help build the capital fund. So once the clinic was built, now we’ve switched to supporting the school. And all along we’ve always given a donation to the Royal Inland Hospital for their emergency fund.”

Participants can register in their family or COVID bubbles, and ski or snowboard to the four podium viewpoints as outlined on provided maps, where photos will be taken for online viewing and sharing. 

The fundraiser, open to local area residents, is designed for every level of skier and snowboarder with a green run option on the provided route. Hitting all four photo podiums will take around two hours. Participants are assigned staggered start times and are provided with a COVID-friendly takeaway lunch after completing the course. Participant numbers are limited and there is no social gathering. 

The 3 Mtn Tour, which is a traditional loop featuring all three of Sun Peaks mountains, has changed in recent years due to the addition of the Orient chairlift, allowing skiers to skip longer Back In Time ski run to the Burfield chairlift section. 

Greene Raine said she encourages people to come out, get some fresh air and support the local community, all while collecting photographic mementos of the COVID year.

“The mountain has been in fabulous shape,” said Greene Raine. “The grooming has just been fantastic.”

Entry is $100 per adult or $200 per family, and registration information can be found here.