BY MIKE TURCOTTE
Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort played host to the Canadian Ski Patrol on Feb. 3 in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most snow angels made at once, participating simultaneously with many other ski resorts across Canada.
Kao Saechao, assistant patrol leader at Chicopee, and also a member of the Canadian Ski Patrol, spearheaded communications with Chicopee to see if the resort was interested in participating in the event this year, to celebrate Canadian Ski Patrol Day. The result was an overwhelming turnout of 624 participants at the Chicopee location.
“We are a national organization of volunteers who provide advanced first aid at the hills and rescue services. Two years ago we celebrated our 75th anniversary, and to help raise awareness for the ski patrol, we decided to try and break the record for snow angels,” Saechao said.
When asked why they chose snow angels, he said, “Because we are kind of seen as the guardian angels of the hills, for people in need.”
At least 15,851 participants were needed in order to break the old record.
Chicopee CEO Bill Creighton said, “I thought that if we could hit over 200 people here participating, I would be happy. I think 624 people is an awesome place to jump off at, and I think we might even get to a thousand next year.”
Previous attempts to break the record have fallen short, and alas, this one did as well. Only 7,058 angel-makers participated. Despite this, the highest club turnout in the past was just over 400 participants, so with Chicopee having over 600, everyone was happy.
When asked to summarize the events of the day, both Creighton and Saechao called the experience “epic.”
More information about the Canadian Ski Patrol can be found on their website at www.skipatrol.ca/.
What is Journalism?