The BC Ski Games contest has promoted B.C.'s world-class ski resorts and received 30,000 entries from across North America.

Tourism BC's BC Ski Games contest winner has chosen the increasingly popular Fernie Alpine Resort out of 13 different prize packages. The contest is part of a Tourism BC winter marketing campaign that built on the momentum of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Beginning today, Mark Chambers from Edmonton, Alberta and seven of his friends will ski and snowboard at Fernie Alpine Resort as part of his five-day vacation prize package. The prize includes round trip flights for eight, a five-day stay at the resort with four nights' accommodations, mountain lift tickets and equipment rentals, and two dinners for the entire prize group.

On March 18, the winner and his guests will take part in their own BC Ski Games, a one-day event that includes a ski-cross race, a snowmobile scavenger hunt and a hot tub trivia game. As part of the BC Ski Games festivities, the group will also receive ski and snowboard training from campaign spokespeople and Olympic gold medal athletes Ashleigh McIvor and Maëlle Ricker.

Located in the Canadian Rockies, Fernie Alpine Resort is known for deep snow and varied terrain featuring five unique alpine bowls over 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres), the most bowls in North America. This season's record snowfall allowed Fernie to open early. The resort has seen a 20 per cent increase in early season bookings and website traffic over last year, with more visitors from Alberta, across Canada and the U.S.

The winter marketing campaign utilized online advertising, social media, public relations, travel media relations and search engine marketing in Canada and the United States. During the campaign, which ends March 20, visitors to www.HelloBC.com can view special offers for B.C.'s 13 ski resorts, sign up for special offer emails, order a BC Ski eGuide and learn about snow conditions.

Tourism contributed over $12.7 billion to the B.C. economy in 2009 and employed nearly 129,000 people across the province. Winter tourism is a multi-million dollar industry; in 2009-10 there were 5.8 million ski visits to British Columbia.

Quotes:

Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation:

"B.C. is a year-round tourism destination, and the province is known for its wildly diverse terrain, spectacular scenery and world-class customer service. By partnering with our award winning ski resorts we were able to create a campaign that promoted the industry in markets they couldn't cost-effectively reach on their own, particularly the longer-haul Canada and U.S. markets."

Matt Mosteller, vice president, marketing and sales, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies:

"This was an important promotion for us to be a part of and we are thrilled that Mark picked Fernie Alpine Resort as his destination of choice. Having a strong ski and snowboard industry provides critical economic support to rural airports and communities. Tourism BC's winter marketing campaign has brought increased awareness from skiers and snowboarders across North America."

Mark Chambers, BC Ski Games 2011 Winner:

"I chose Fernie because I was looking for a mountain that had great snow, lots of bowls and terrain for different skill levels as I'm bringing seven friends with me. I've skied and snowboarded in B.C. before, at Revelstoke and Kicking Horse. I'm seriously stoked about this trip. It's awesome. I don't normally win things, so this prize is great!"

Quick Facts:

* By Feb. 27, the contest deadline, the contest micro-site had received almost 91,000 unique visits and over 30,000 contest entries from across North America.

* Skiing Magazine named Fernie one of North America's top five ski resorts last year.

* Fernie Alpine is the only B.C. resort in the Canadian Rockies, with approximately 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres), five unique bowls and average snowfall of 8.8 metres (29 feet).

* The 2010 movie "Hot Tub Time Machine" was filmed at Fernie Alpine Resort. Scenes from the Hollywood blockbuster "Inception" we also filmed at the resort.

Learn More:

To learn more about B.C.'s world-class destination ski resorts please visit

http://www.HelloBC.com/ski

To learn more about Fernie Alpine Resort please visit http://www.skifernie.com/

Contacts:

Clare Mason

Public Affairs Officer

Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

250 356-7959

Matt Mosteller

Vice President, Marketing and Sales

Resorts of the Canadian Rockies

403 209-3309

matt@skircr.com

Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.