There's no doubt that Nelson and Rossland are great ski towns. But how do we stack up against other downhill destinations across North America?
A new competition in POWDER magazine, dubbed the Ski Town Throw Down, will soon reveal the answer to that question, as readers are given a chance to vote for their favourite hills.
In several rounds of competition, two ski hills will go head-to-head in an effort to collect the most votes and advance to the next round. The first round of voting for Rossland/Nelson will open Wednesday.
"We hope everyone will go online and vote," said Whitewater marketing and operations general manager Anne Pigeon. "If we can really get the town behind this, I think we could go all the way to the end and be named the best ski town in North America."
The recognition would be huge for Whitewater and Red Mountain, Pigeon said, particularly given how widely distributed POWDER magazine it. The California-based glossy is read by some 300,000 skiers across North America.
"Getting our name in there as the best ski town, that's something money can't buy," Pigeon said.
In today's vote, Rossland/Nelson is up against Sugarloaf, a ski hill in Maine, four hours south of Quebec City, which has gained recognition for having the largest ski area east of the Rockies.
If we win this round, we'll move on to a competition against either Whitefish Mountain in Montana or Whister on November 28-29.
"I'd love to see us beat Whistler," Pigeon said. "I think we can definitely stand up to the competition. We have something special here, that the big hills can't compete with."
That something, she said, is the sense of community on the slopes.
"It's all about the community spirit of the hill and the people who ski here," she said. "We have so many great supporters and if we can get them all to vote, and tell others to vote, I think we'll kick butt in this competition."
To vote, go to facebook.com/powdermagazine. For updates on how Whitewater is doing in the competition, friend "Whitewater Ski" on Facebook or follow @WH20 on Twitter.