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Australian skiers get Canadian experience at Rockets game

Big White sent 162 skiers to the Rockets game on Jan. 9.
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Australians get the Canadian experience at the Rockets game Jan. 9. Photo: contributed

Wednesday night’s Kelowna Rockets game had a number of special guests in attendance. Big White Ski Resort sent a record number of Australian guests down the mountain to downtown Kelowna to witness the experience of a Rockets hockey game. Three buses with a total of 162 passengers came to watch the Kelowna Rockets take on the conference-leading Everett Silvertips.

“It is an experience I would go back to anytime we were here,” said Cath Dunne, who went to the hockey game with her family who’re visiting the resort from Melbourne, Australia. “The club was awesome. The commentator came over to us all last night with the mascot to have photos and got us involved. Really great experience with our two boys – they had a blast,” Dunne said.

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So far this year, Big White has shuttled around 270 visitors to Kelowna to watch a WHL game and has 270 more booked for upcoming games. This doesn’t include the privately chartered buses.

“In January, we have more visits from Australian and New Zealander skiers and snowboarders than any other time of the year,” said Rob Crichton, sales manager at Big White Ski Resort. “It’s amazing that these guests – who have travelled half-way across the world to visit Canada – are able to take in what is a truly Canadian experience and then go home and share with their friends and their family.”

Anne-Marie Hamilton of the Kelowna Rockets says she feels blessed to be able to have a great working relationship with Big White.

“The groups that come down, the families, everybody loves it because they cheer loud and they make the games lots of fun,” Hamilton said. “The players notice, as well – a lot of the times they’ll wear funny hats and sit close to the ice. A lot are repeat customers – they come back every time they come to Big White.”

The Kelowna Rockets lost 4-2 to the Silvertips on Wednesday night, but Big White is sending down another 162 guests on Jan. 16 when the Rockets look for their first win of 2019 against the Moose Jaw Warriors.

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