By Barbara Arnstein
This year, express love the day before Valentine’s Day by going to the fourth annual fun and exciting Ski4ACure Ski Day at HoliMont on February 13th. HoliMont is a deluxe skiing and snowboarding destination in Ellicottville, NY, and the event benefits the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Another good thing: HoliMont (which also offers lots of fun all year round) is located mere minutes from the main shopping and dining area in the downtown village. The family-friendly annual event, presented by HoliMont and the Ski Club of Lockport, will stretch from 8:30am-4:30pm so there will be plenty of time for checking in, learning about and registering for the activities, and purchasing tennis balls for the Bombardier Ball Drop, and raffle tickets for a chance at amazing prizes. Buying an all-day ticket permits each participant to enjoy a full day of skiing, a delicious lunch catered by Dina’s at the Mont, and ski demos from local ski shops, The City Garage and Snowflake Ski Shop & 245 Board Company. In addition to the Bombardier Ball Drop, they can also participate in a Scavenger Hunt, a giant slalom “Match-Your-Time” downhill race (for the most consistent time), a 50/50 Drawing, Basket Raffles and Special Basket Raffles. Options for non-skiers include cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, for which rentals will be available. Commemorative Ski4ACure tumblers ($20 each or two for $30) will only be available on the day of the event, while supplies last. All proceeds from their sale go to Roswell Park.
The Downhill Ski Parade will meet at 2:30pm at the top of the Exhibition Express Chairlift. “It will be a joyous celebration of cancer fighters, survivors, family and friends”, said Thomas Doran a member of the Ski Club of Lockport, “and a warm remembrance of those whom we have lost to cancer.” A ski patroller will lead the skiers from West Connection Run to Gulley Road, and then back to Exhibition, where they will then “snake” down the hill to support cancer fighters and survivors. Participants are encouraged to wear color beads that signify all the many “Awareness Colors of Cancer” which will be provided, or they can wear costumes or anything that contains appropriate colors. The many colors representing types of cancers include: pink, for breast cancer; pearl or white, for lung cancer; and black, for skin cancer.
According to Ski Club of Lockport member Tom Doran, “Our goal for Ski4ACure is to bring together ski groups and families, to enjoy an array of skiing events, while giving support to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s most pressing needs involving cutting-edge research and treatment.” He continued, “It’s encouraging to know that for every dollar donated to cancer research, Roswell Park is now able to leverage an additional twenty-three dollars from external grants toward that research.” About the ski demos, Doran commented, “People have said they loved having one-on-one help from the technician.”
As they did last year, Team Pritchard Real Estate Company will be sponsoring the timed race. The Gold Sponsors: Doran & Murphy PLLC, National Grid and Prudential. Snowflake Ski Shop & 245 Board Company is raffling off a big ticket item, and Roswell Park will raffle off an autographed Buffalo Sabres jersey.
The money raised by the event will support accelerated promising research and clinical trials in immunotherapy, donor-funded research initiatives, Quality of Life programs supporting patients and their caregivers, and wigs and head coverings.
Pre-registering for tickets before January 31st ensures a price of $125, while, from February 1st through the day of the event, tickets cost $135. HoliMont is located at 6921 Route 242 in Ellicottville, NY. For more information, email Tom Doran at Ski4ACure@gmail.com or visit https://skicluboflockport.com/ski-for-a-cure. Get tickets by visiting https: //holimont.com/events/