YODEL THE SINGLES LINE DATING IN INTERIOR BRITISH COLUMBIA Words Trevor Husted Everyone received a sheet to jot down each candidate’s name y ears and eyes were burning from a dancer’s rendi-and number and there was space to write a simple “Y” or tion of Duran Duran’s “Hungry like the Wolf” when “N.” A Y meant you were interested, but two Ys were neces-my friend Jill sold me on my next great idea inside a pub in sary for a match. After the event, Kowalchuk planned to link Nelson, BC: skied dating. the matches together via email. The Silver King lift, the only Although I was leaving the following day, I wanted to see double chair on the mountain, was the setting for our quest what other tricks this small mountain town of about 11,000 for on-snow connection. Slow, creaky, with a slight chance of people had up its sleeve, and this event seemed right up my love in the air. alley—a ski version of speed dating built around a double As we loaded the chairlift, I tried to channel bluebird chair. So the next morning I packed tightly into Jill’s friend’s skiing into something witty and charming. The only words Subaru Forester; skis up top, boots and bags piled in the back. that came out were quirky compliments and jokes that didn’t It was a love wagon full of skied daters. seem to translate from American English. Or maybe they just “If you are tired of standing in the singles line at the resort, weren’t funny. While my dates were a little confused as to then maybe skied dating is for you!” why a strange American passing through town was spinning That’s Tara Kowalchuk’s slogan for the annual event at lifts to spit game, I assured them I was just trying to have a Whitewater and Red Mountain Resort that she’s run for five little fun with Kootenay-style dating. My joke seemed to fall years. The play on speed dating focuses on the chairlift, as on toqued ears. dates last exactly one lift ride (given “Well, that was a little awkward,” you can cobble a conversation said Jill after she told us about how together for that long). It can even she ran into her ex-boyfriend on extend to a downhill ski together if the hill—heart pin attached to her you play your cards right. jacket. As the bull wheel spun on, When I asked the ladies on the I didn’t fare much better. After a drive up about the dating scene in series of unsuccessful conversations, Nelson, they chuckled and replied I boarded the chair for one last ride that it didn’t really exist. Kowal-with a woman named Rachel. “What chuk is trying to change that, or at do you think about throwing down least add another element to it. The on some figure 8s to the bottom?” first year, she had to convince her I asked. She humored me and friends to come out, but since then agreed. But my vision of perfectly she’s gotten the resorts, local news synchronized turns faded as I outlets and social media helping to struggled to keep up and she left me grow the skied dating community. behind. Should have waxed my skis The registration fee is $10 CAD, or something like that. Bye, Rachel. which includes being entered to My luck had run out, but Kowal-win a dinner date donated by a local chuk thinks her experiment has brewery and an après-ski mingle in a future at resorts across Canada. the lodge bar. Who knows, perhaps skied dating Throughout the registration Built for romance. TJ Kolanko and Lisa Manning on will soon be coming to a mountain process, Kowalchuk handed out the two-seat Love Boat at Alta, UT. near you. Until then, I’ll see you in numbered pink heart pins to help Photo: Lee Cohen the singles line. identify the skied-dating candidates. M 106 The Ski Journal
The Ski Journal Volume 14, Issue 1: Page 106
