Behind this rejuvenation are the resort's new owners along with its young mountain manager Andre Quenneville, who came on in November. Together this winter, they've raised two historic events from the dead. Built for Banff's unsuccessful bid for the 1968 Olympics, the old Nordic jump and Jetson-age judging towers sat mothballed since the early '80s under the North American lift. This January, the resort cleaned out the judging towers, prepped the snow, and hosted its first Nordic jumping event in decades. They even built a mini-jump for kids. "With the upcoming Olympics in Whistler, there's interest in all kinds of winter sports," notes Quenneville. This weekend, the resort resurrected their Mountain Smoker for the first time since 1982. For those with bionic knees that work like jackhammers, the smoker uses Lone Pine's near vertical double black diamond. With the record standing at 20-plus runs, skiers cram in as many laps as they can in three hours. "It's 1,300 vertical…but a relentless 1,300 with moguls the size of Volkswagon Beetles," says Quenneville, who adds laughing, "It's for fame, fortune, and a $10 trophy."
Norquay Resurrects North American Life
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