A year ago the snow universe lost its queen, Sarah Burke. The past year has hopefully brought healing to the broken hearts of all she left behind. We have had a million different perspectives and opportunities to get a glimpse of what an amazing person she was because her legacy is just that big. For all the reasons there are to #celebratesarah we have  double the reasons to acutely feel the loss of someone so awesome and so alive.

Carolyn Breton photo

Here’s a few ways you can #celebratesarah and her legacy (and probably have so much fun doing it – would she want it any other way?)

1. Fight for what you believe in and never give up.
2. Show up to on-mountain comps in time to see the girls compete.
3. Share the things you find joy in so others may be inspired. See this and and this and this for examples of what I mean.
4. Scare someone. And make sure you tape it.
5. Treat everyone like you would your best friend. And when you are getting pictures taken with these people, pull that beautiful face of your’s into a silly grin.
6. Dance your ass off. Then do vodka shots.
7. Next time you see a girl drop into the pipe or hit something in the park give her an encouraging holler.
8. Smile like you mean it.
9. Laugh. And then smile some more.
10. Love hard.

Sarah’s families and friends have asked that in remembrance we get #celebratesarah trending on Twitter so tweets your thoughts and remembrances to show the world Sarah Burke Was Awesome and we will always Celebrate Sarah. Read Sarah Was Celebrated, a post written after the last April’s tribute.

Momentum Ski Camps will honour and remember much loved camper and long time coach Sarah Burke in the creation of the ‘Spirit of Sarah Scholarship’. Each year a Free Summer Camp will be awarded to a young female skier who embodies Sarah’s very special strengths and characteristics.

One of the causes dear to Sarah’s heart was encouraging young girls to follow their dreams and believe in their skiing abilities. Sarah was a huge influence in getting Momentum Ski Camp’s ‘Girls’ Week’ off the ground and she inspired so many young women through her incredible skiing talent, but more importantly through her demonstration of modesty, kindness and her wonderful approach to life. To learn more about Sarah Burke’s incredible legacy please Momentum Ski Camp’s tribute page and read the many stories from campers who she inspired over the past 11 years.

To apply for the scholarship, applicants are asked to create a presentation explaining why they feel deserving of the camp. The presentation can be a letter, a video, photos, powerpoint or a combination of these and applicants can also include letters of support from local ski coach, teachers or other people.

Deadline for submission is June 1st, 2012.
Winner will be picked by June 7th.
Please send your application to info@momentumcamps.com
Momentum will award a Full Package all inclusive Girls Week Camp, July 6 – 14, 2012. Winner is responsible for airfare to and from Vancouver.

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Tonight Whistler Village was the setting for a tribute fitting of the incredible Sarah Burke. As one bright star shone brightly over a stage emblazoned with Sarah’s glowing smile, friends and family reminisced through tears and laughter about the light Sarah brought to their lives.

For such a short time on earth, the impact of this beautiful woman has been tremendous on everyone she touched, whether as an athlete, wife, daughter, sister, aunt or friend. To symbolize the legacy her spirit will have on the lives of all in attendance, the flame of one candle, held by husband Rory Bushfield, was shared to light every candle in the huge crowd. This act cements the hope “One light will not go out if it lights 1,000 more.”

At then end of the night, the celebration closed with a “Moment of Noise” that had everyone who loved Sarah bring their voices together to fill the village with the sound of their joy, love and gratitude for the light she brought to their lives.

The snow universe will sorely miss its queen but in hearing the stories and tributes, and in seeing the strength and love of those closest to her, it is apparent Sarah Burke’s reign has only just begun. From inspiring the next generation of female freeskiers to reminding us all that every little thing in life is something worth celebrating, I am going to carry Sarah’s spirit in my heart  as a reminder to laugh more, to love more and most importantly, to fear less.

If you have stories or inspirations to share please leave them in the comments. And to Sarah, Whistler will always celebrate you and believe in you forever.

Carolyn Breton photo

A public celebration of life for our friend, sister, wife, daughter, mentor, athlete and inspiration Sarah Burke will take place on Tuesday April 10 in Whistler Village.

Sarah’s family invites all to attend the ceremony to share in the memories and celebrate her life. The gathering will take place at 8pm in Whistler, Village Square.

In 2008, around this time of year, I got a call saying that my good friend had been airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital. Mike, a proficient and sometimes unbelievable skier, had taken speed off of a blind lip into a rock field. Later, he said he saw the rock he was going to hit, and that if he wasn’t wearing his backpack and helmet, he’d be dead. As it was, his injuries included 6 broken ribs, 4 fractures in his rotator cuff, and 2 in his shoulder blade, one of the toughest bones to break in the human body.
Thanks to rehabilitation and his personal goal (“I will be back on the slope before the mountain closes this year”) I received another call 2 months later, and the smile was evident on Mike’s face as he proclaimed “I’m skiing!”

The familiar tale in Whistler, the agony of injury and the joy of recovering to return to the sport you love, is a main story in ‘Winter’, the new film from The Ski Channel and screened by the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program.
More a series of mini documentaries patchworked together, they are bound by the love of the mountain, and going fast down and around them. Most of the interviewees referred to skiing as an art, and some of the wingsuit/base jumping POV cameras are enough to get that stomach in your throat feeling. In fact, one scene with Kris Holm, a pioneer in mountain unicycling (you read that right, and it’s exactly what it sounds like) made me feel physically sick as he cycled across the top of the infamous Grand Wall on the Chief, in some places no wider than a beer coaster. He mentions that in times like that, your equipment becomes a part of you, an extension of your body, something that is known all too well to anyone that’s ever gone that little bit outside their comfort zone on a pair of skis or a snowboard.

In more familiar territory, the film talks to some of the heroes such as ski dynamo Sean Pettit (compared to Michael Jordan in his relevant sport), Julian Carr, world record holder for the longest inverted freefall at 210 feet, and Rory Bushfield and the late Sarah Burke, whose segment on their relationship with skiing and each other is made all the more poignant after the tragedy that recently befell them.

In addition, the history of the 10th Mountain division that fought the Nazis is examined; many of the veterans returned to North America to kickstart the ski industry that we know today, and with Vietnam veterans learning to ski after losing a limb, it all ties into getting back to doing what you love, despite physical setbacks. Indeed, the final scene is of Karina Hollekim, previously told she’d never walk again, skiing on her own.

I could go on; I was frantically writing notes and reminders while I was watching, but trust me on this:

See this film. Find it.

See it if you’ve ever been injured to remind yourself of that day you got back on the horse. If you’re injured now, watch it to share in the pain of rehab, the agony of waiting. And if you’ve never been really injured, see this film to know what is possible should the unthinkable occur.

A big thanks to WASP for putting this on.

-Mike is still skiing, and he still skis like a maniac.

Sarah Burke loved the X Games and on Thursday night we all saw the X Games loved her too. Early on in the evening as snowflakes covered the mountains in Aspen, friend and mentor Mike Douglas tweeted the following message:

From the snowflakes that kissed Sarah’s friends and family there on the mountain, to the purple ribbons, arm bands, stickers and signs that reminded us all to #CelebrateSarah, the presence of Sarah Burke was felt.

Although Sarah and I were not close, in the last week I have struggled with the sadness born out of the deep empathy I feel for Rory, Sarah’s immediate family, and the scores of friends and admirers mourning her death. The sheer volume of words, photos and video available on the internet; not to mention the real time mourning taking place on Facebook and Twitter, provides us with a million different perspectives and opportunities to get a glimpse of what an amazing person she was, and the impact she had on so many people. And for all of those millions of opportunities, there are double the reasons to acutely feel the loss of someone so awesome and so alive.

Flowers left by the Whistler Parks crew at the bottom of the Blackcomb halfpipe. Justin Lamoureux Photo.

I have been thinking a lot about how I can Celebrate Sarah and how her passing might inspire us all to be the best humans we can be. Although ESPN kind of beat me to the punch with this piece (which is an awesome read) I still felt compelled to share how I think we can all Celebrate Sarah and keep her brightly burning spirit lit in each of us.

1. Fight for what you believe in and never give up.
2. Show up to on-mountain comps in time to see the girls compete.
3. Share the things you find joy in so others may be inspired. See this and and this and this for examples of what I mean.
4. Scare someone. And make sure you tape it.
5. Treat everyone like you would your best friend. And when you are getting pictures taken with these people, pull that beautiful face of your’s into a silly grin.
6. Dance your ass off. Then do vodka shots.
7. Next time you see a girl drop into the pipe or hit something in the park give her an encouraging holler.
8. Smile like you mean it.
9. Laugh. And then smile some more.
10. Love hard.

Sarah Burke Was Awesome and we will always Celebrate Sarah.

Michael Overbeck Photo

Hello everyone and welcome to the arts column for Whistler Is Awesome.

Sarah Burke,  Sept 3rd, – Jan 19th.  Rip Sweet Lady of the Mountains.

I will not talk of when I first photographed her or which picture I got published of her first. What I will talk about is her smile and her drive. Those are the traits that most of us knew and saw daily through her actions. She almost always had a smile on her face, even in pain she found the spirit to smile, that was Sarah. A very strong women with the motivation, dreams and desires of more than just a champion, she was a legend.

As you know, this week has turned sour with the news one of our heroes and an angel has gone. Sarah Burke has passed away.

It is a sad day for the sports world but as a friend said, “Through her young years, she has accomplished more than many dare to dream or even find conceivable.”  Words of truth, sad, but very true. She has done so much and become such a role model, spokesperson and even model for the sport that we can not help but look at her life in astounded way and say, she lived to ski and skied to live. She did that and she did it better than anyone. She was Sarah, the one.

May we all remember her fantastic smile and enthusiasm that affected us all while we are in this time of grieving. Please wish Rory and the Burke family your best wishes and if possible, maybe consider a small donation, or big, to help them pay for her medical costs they incurred in the US.  You can donate here. www.givefoward.com/sarahburke

Also,  I will offer this photo, professionally  printed, chrome piece to the highest bidder. I will then donate the money to give forward and the Burke family. Contact me here or on Facebook.

May we all remember your smile Sarah.

Paper This, Millennium Place, Whistler, Jan 23 to Feb 9th.

Well, other arty news.  The Paper Show will be up at Millennium Place, Scotia Plaza as of later today!  Woot woot, this will be the last showing of “Paper This,”  the paper show I produced and curated over a year ago. Let me back track a bit. I made/created over 40 different pieces of custom handmade paper, 16 x 20 inces, out of many different mediums, then I gave them to some of the corridors brightest and most talented artists to do what they wanted. I have taken the show to Vancouver, Whistler, Squamish and now, finally, the last stop, Whistler again. The opening reception will be on January 26 7-9pm.   Unfortunately I will not be in the country so I hope you and all my friends will come to have a look at this great show that has cost us all much time, effort and love, not forgetting gas money too. Hope to hear stories of you being there and having a great time.  Enjoy.

TAKEN FROM GIVEFORWARD.COM/SARAHBURKE…On January 19, 2012, the snow industry lost an icon. Sarah Burke, freeskiing pioneer, six-time X Games gold medalist, beloved wife, daughter, aunt and friend passed away. Sarah was truly a legendary athlete, role model and an inspiration. She was everything so many of us aspire to be.

Female athletes everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to Sarah’s passionate trailblazing efforts over the last 15 years. As the first competitive female freeskier, she successfully lobbied the Winter X Games to include women in freeskiing events on equal standing. It is because of Sarah’s efforts that female winter athletes are some of the only athletes in the world to receive equal prize purses to that of men.

Sarah brought worldwide recognition and validation to the sport she so loved. Every ski athlete chosen to represent his or her country at the 2014 Sochi Olympics will feel her influence. Without her, the sport of freeskiing would not be included.

Sarah is a pioneer of her generation. Her life and legacy embody Read more

Late last night, Rory Bushfield, Sarah’s husband, and members of her family met with physicians to discuss the results of Sarah’s most recent neurological tests and assessments. Based on the information they received, we regret to inform you that they have decided to cancel today’spress conference in order for further tests to be conducted this morning and in the coming days. The family wants to express their deep appreciation for the overwhelming support Sarah has received from all over the world. They ask that everyone continue to keep Sarah and Rory in their prayers. Rory and Sarah’s family remain at the hospital.

The family asks that the media continue to respect their privacy. At the family’s request, there will no further updates today from Sarah’s family or the hospital. Future updates will be released via her website at www.sarahburkeski.com. Fans may continue to express their support via Sarah’s Facebook page and the hashtag #believeinsarah @sarah_j_burke on Twitter.

(Editor’s note) Read this post by Gretchen Bleiler, fellow pro halfpipe athlete (snowboarder), who witnessed the fall and explores the motivations and dangers behind their respective sports. Click here.