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Canadian ski legend gets entire memorial bridge at Big White

Kelowna - The ski bridge was named Jimmie Spencer Memorial Bridge in his honour
16000150_web1_190318-KCN-memorial-bridge
Big White Ski Resort

Big White Ski Resort is honouring a Canadian legend by dedicating an entire ski bridge to his legacy.

On Sunday, March 17, Big White Ski Resort Ltd. honoured the life and legacy of Jimmie Spencer with a special bridge dedication ceremony. The skier bridge over Hummingbird run was named the Jimmie Spencer Memorial Bridge, with a plaque commemorating the man who developed the Canada West Way, according to Big White in a news release.

“I had the privilege of meeting with Spencer and my grandfather, my uncle, and a few times on my own,” says Peter Plimmer, president and CEO of Big White Ski Resort Ltd. “I left every meeting knowing more about our industry and how important it is to maintain a long-term vision for growth of a mountain resort. Our family is honoured to name the Village bridge in memory of Jimmie Spencer.”

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Spencer, who died on July 16, 2018, moved to Canada from Great Britain in the 1970s and took over the helm of the Canada West Ski Areas Association in 1979 – a position he held until 2011. During his tenure, he developed strong and lasting relationships between ski area operators, industry leaders, governments and winter sports enthusiasts throughout Western Canada, the release said.

“Few people have influenced and propelled the Canadian ski industry as did Spencer,” says Christopher Nicolson, president and CEO of CWSAA. “And, few leaders have mentored so many personal lives for the better. Jimmie challenged us to be better than we thought we could be. His legacy will continue through the future leaders of our industry.”

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“As a family, it’s absolutely amazing,” Spencer’s wife Andy says. “It justifies everything he stood for his entire life.” Spencer wasn’t concerned about the marketing side of the ski industry, his wife adds, but in “making the ski areas work cohesively.”

“If you learn to ski on your small, home hill, and then go to a larger resort, there’s been a link,” she says.

In 2011, Spencer was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame for his limitless contributions to the development of winter sports in western Canada.

Spencer served in the British Army for 32 years, and represented Great Britain in cross-country skiing at the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Winter Games. Spencer’s European background also influenced the way resorts developed in Western Canada. “Dad got them thinking of the European flavour of skiing,” says his son Iain. “You know, walk to the lifts, that kind of stuff.”

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