Bow Valley Ski Event Sends $33,600 to Jasper Recovery

When more than 500 skiers and snowboarders showed up across three Banff-area resorts in early December, the goal was simple: get locals on snow early in the season.

What followed was something more meaningful.

Over three days, SkiBig3’s annual Community Ski Days raised $33,600 for the Jasper Fire: Caring Community Fund, supporting a town still navigating the long road back from the 2024 wildfire.

The event, held Dec. 5 to 7 at Lake Louise Ski Resort, Mt. Norquay, and Banff Sunshine Village, offered discounted lift tickets for Bow Valley locals, with 100 percent of proceeds directed to wildfire recovery efforts.

“This initiative is truly a win-win,” said Pete Woods, president of SkiBig3. “It offers locals the opportunity to ski or snowboard at a significantly reduced rate while ensuring that 100 percent of the lift ticket proceeds support a charitable cause.”

A Local Event With a Wider Impact

Community Ski Days have been running since 2007, originally designed to give locals early-season access to the resorts. Each year, organizers select a charitable cause to receive proceeds.

This year, the choice was clear.

“In light of the recent devastating wildfire in Jasper and the close ties between our communities and Marmot Ski Area, our resort owners agreed it was most fitting for Jasper to be the recipient,” Woods said.

More than 500 participants took part across the three days, skiing through early-season powder at Lake Louise, celebrating Mt. Norquay’s 100th season, and finishing the weekend with fresh snow at Sunshine.

While the event is rooted in the Bow Valley, its impact is being felt roughly 300 kilometres north.

Where the Money Is Going

Rather than targeting a single project, SkiBig3 directed funds to the Jasper Fire: Caring Community Fund to ensure the money could reach those with the greatest need.

“Our focus was on directing the funds as effectively as possible to assist those in the Jasper community facing the greatest need,” Woods said. “We determined that the Jasper Fire: Caring Community Fund offered the most reliable and efficient means to ensure the assistance reached the right people.”

That flexibility has been key on the ground in Jasper.

According to Wanda Bogdane, executive director of the Jasper Community Team Society, the fund has focused heavily on what are known as “wraparound supports.”

“These are delivered through a team-based, holistic planning process to provide comprehensive, individualized services to children, youth and families facing complex needs,” Bogdane said.

In 2025 alone, those supports reached more than 750 people and funded dozens of programs, totaling over $800,000 in assistance.

Meeting Needs, One Household at a Time

In the immediate aftermath of the wildfire, funding was directed toward urgent needs: food, housing, and basic essentials.

But recovery has proven more complex.

“The funds we’ve distributed have been those of last resort,” Bogdane said. “They’ve assisted individuals and families dealing with food and financial insecurity, replaced household essentials, and supported medical costs, housing insecurity, winter clothing, and more.”

She emphasized that recovery is not uniform.

“When a community experiences disruptions as severe as what Jasperites endured, impacts are felt across households, businesses, support agencies and beyond,” she said. “That’s why we work with partners to provide customized assistance that meets residents where they are, walking beside them while life stabilizes and recovery advances step by step. Home by home.”

A Long Road Ahead

So far, the fund has received approximately $2 million in donations.

That may sound significant, but it is only a starting point.

Recovery efforts in Jasper are expected to take years, if not longer. Estimates from the Canadian Red Cross and Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre suggest rebuilding could stretch close to a decade.

To date, 374 properties were fully affected by the fire. Just over half are now in the permitting or rebuilding stage, leaving many residents still in early phases of recovery.

“That’s half not yet moved past the first step,” Bogdane said.

Community-driven contributions like SkiBig3’s $33,600 are playing an important role in bridging that gap.

“Contributions like this go incredibly far in helping us provide assistance directly to the community, and to do so well beyond the acute phase,” she said.

The Human Impact

Behind the numbers are stories of families trying to rebuild their lives.

One message shared with the fund captures that reality:

“Please accept our deepest appreciation. I can’t express how much the support we’ve received means to us right now. This has been an incredibly heavy and overwhelming time, and knowing that others are standing beside us has brought the relief and hope that we truly needed.”

For organizers, that’s what the event ultimately comes down to.

A few discounted lift tickets. A few hundred locals on snow. And a tangible contribution to a neighbouring community still finding its footing.

As Woods put it, the goal was simple from the start: bring people together to ski and give back.

This year, it did both.