Smart thinking for safety on the slopes: national ski hill safety campaign launches
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Media Advisory
When: Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm
Where: Poley Mountain (Sussex, NB), Brimacombe (Orono, ON), Mt. St. Louis Moonstone (Coldwater, ON), Mt. Sima (Whitehorse, YT), Snow Valley (Edmonton, AB)
Why: Launch of national youth ski and snowboard safety campaign: SNOWSMART
More information: To arrange interviews, please contact Valerie Smith at 647-776-5116 or vsmith@parachutecanada.org.
(Toronto, Dec. 18, 2012) Five ski hills across Canada are to officially launch SNOWSMART, (www.snowsmart.ca) a new, national campaign aimed at reducing injuries on the hill, primarily among youth and children. Parachute has partnered with Canadian Ski Patrol and Snowboard Canada on this education campaign that tackles three risky behaviours: excessive speed, loss of control and collisions with people or objects.
The Canadian Ski Council’s research found that youth 10-19 years old typically account for 55% of all skiing and snowboarding injuries. Most of these injuries are linked to at least one of these three risk factors. Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, SNOWSMART Days will be held over the Christmas and spring breaks at five ski areas across the country. Media are invited to attend the Dec. 27 launch at any of the five locations.
On SNOWSMART Days, patrollers will give a prize to anyone “caught” following the Alpine Responsibility Code. The resort will also be promoting the PACE Penguin Children’s Ski Safety Program. The program encourages fellow skiers and snowboarders to slow down and give children extra space and also provides parents with young children PACE Penguin Kits, which include brightly-coloured ski bibs so their kids are more visible to others on the hill. The campaign also includes a youth-targeted video competition that is accessible at www.snowsmart.ca
About Parachute
Parachute is a national, charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives. Parachute was formed in July 2012 and unites the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada into one leader in injury prevention. Parachute’s injury prevention programming and advocacy efforts are designed to help Canadians reduce their risks of injury while enjoying long lives lived to the fullest. For more information, visit http://www.parachutecanada.org.