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It’s back!

The NMCBDF Annual Fundraiser

Saturday April 15, 2023 @ The Spirit Bar, Hume Hotel, Nelson

$20 per person / Tickets at the Door

Doors open at 7 pm / Silent Auction 7 – 10 / Music 7 – 11

More details TBA

Thanks to everyone who entered the “Gear Up for Winter” contest. We were thrilled to see everyone enjoying the best of the season, just like Nyle did.

Today marks the 5 year anniversary since Nyle left us, and it warms our hearts that his memory lives on amidst big turns and big drops.

Thanks to everyone who entered and a big shout out and thank you to our sponsors: Tribute Boardshop and Baldface!

#senditfornyle

Winner: Maceo Reynolds

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A post shared by Maceo Raynolds (@maceoshoots)

Honourable Mention: Cody Erickson

The Turning Man event was put on by local shredders at the legendary Salmo community run ski hill. Salmo Ski hill boasts the longest T-bar in BC with a 305 meter descent of groomed night skiing perfection. This event was geared for riders to test their speed on a banked slalom. The course was meticulously built and designed by the Tribute Board Shop team. The event brought the Kootenay snowboard industry together for a race of legends.

On race day the stoke was at an ultimate high and energies soared as each rider made their decent down the course. Age categories of riders consisted of Gromes under the age of 16, men’s and women’s category and 40+ master riders. This event truly brought the local talents of snowboarding into one place, one run at a time. This event also featured pro riders including Travis Rice, Robyn Van Gyn, Ben Ferguson, and Hannah Beaman, just to name a few!

Sponsored by Tribute Board Shop, Baldface Valhalla, Burton Snowboards, and Salmo Ski hill, proceeds raised from the event went toward the terrain park at Salmo Ski Hill, and with honour, the NMC Bluebird Day Foundation. 

Turning Man was such a success in 2022. We look forward to being a part of the events in years to come.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to get up to date info on upcoming events!

www.turningman.ca

We remember how much Nyle loved sailing through the air on his board so we’re having a little contest to celebrate that joy.  We want to see how folks #senditfornyle by sending us a video clip or a photo of an epic trick or some smooth moves. Anything that captures your love of playing in the great outdoors, whether that’s you jumping off a cornice, or making some sweet turns.

Please send your entries to nmcbluebirddayfoundation@gmail.com  Contest Deadline is February 28th, 2022

When Nyle died, many felt and continue to feel the loss deeply. Each of us have to find our own ways to navigate our grief while we celebrate the profound ways he continues to live on.

Our friend Hayden, in particular, stitched many days together with Nyle in the mountains, the forest, on the lake or by a river, in the shop, the truck and around the table. Nyle and Hayden were a solid team. In March 2021, 4 years after Nyle died, Hayden created a beautiful way to honour his friend.

Hayden set a goal to spread Nyle’s ashes across a snow covered basin while riding. In his inspired way, he added a pinch of Nyle’s ashes into the color pigments within each smoke bomb, and designed a way to strap the bombs to the board. He organized a posse of friends, family and a film crew and everyone headed deep into the Valhalla range. Riders strapped on the smoke bombs, lit them up and headed down the slope with the colourful smoke trailing behind.

A profound loss compels us to make our own meaning in unique and personal ways and to dive deep to keep living some days. Hayden said this about spreading Nyle’s ashes:

“Eventually the snow melts into surface runoff that goes into the local streams and rivers. Washing down with it necessary nitrogen, calcium and other nutrients to provide proper nourishment for lower elevation biodiversity. Ultimately evaporation will occur, forming condensation to be stored within the atmosphere, only to return into precipitation to start the process over again. Nyle isn’t just with us in spirit , he’s with us in the rivers we enjoy, the fish we catch, the lines we shred, the hikes we walk and even the views we hold dear. He is literally all around us.”

With thanks to the film crew, Baldface-Valhalla lodge and the hydrological cycle. TributeBaldface LodgeBaldface ValhallaVolcom

In a recent phone call with the Volcom people, we learned that along with adding Nyle’s picture to the snowboarding collage on each Olympic team member’s uniform, Volcom will make a donation to the foundation AND they will donate a portion of sales for each pair of Volcom Nyle gloves and mitts. Sold out in most places for now, we hear they will be an item coming out for the 2021-2022 season. Volcom’s generosity and support fills our hearts until the love is spilling out of the corner of our eyes. Volcom is keeping the spirit of Nyle alive!  

Inspired by Volcom’s gifts, Mandala Homes, the company belonging to Nyle’s dad, Lars and his wife Rachel, stepped up and offered to match the donation. The Chose Family, Nyle’s Uncles and Aunt, also joined the party with a donation. The funds will continue to go to sponsoring young people who share Nyle’s love of the backcountry and want to build their skills to work and play there. 

It was 4 years ago that Nyle lived the best snow week of his life. The Volcom outerwear in-house design crew were making their annual trip to Baldface to test product and talk about the new gear for the next year. They flew into BF with Moore, Iguchi, Lynn, Longo, Bergrem.  One of Nyle’s favorite people, Kevin Sansalone was there too.

Nyle was given some lead guide duties, they had ”insane blower powder” days, and the riders claimed it to be “as good as snowboarding ever gets”. The stoke was captured in this video:

The shot of Nyle in front of the snowcat with the wings on the Volcom logo has always been a favorite, taken just days before he died. And it is going to the Olympics. Volcom is the official apparel partner of the US Snowboard Team and will outfit both the men and women when they compete in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. On each uniform will be a collage of what makes snowboarding awesome and they want to include the shot of Nyle with the wings. We are very excited with the news. Jeff Pensiero, captured the feeling for us all in this text:  “Its like Nyle will be in the Olympics with every US rider! Nyle. In the Olympics. On the uniforms. WTF? Stoked.”

In Nyle’s memory, at the 4^th anniversary of his passing, we are launching a Donate Now button. All donations are accepted with deep gratitude. The funds will continue to go to sponsoring young people who share his love of the backcountry and want to build their skills to work and play there. 

We’ve all had our lives put on hold in one way or another due to Covid-19, which included our selection committee not being able to meet in person to review the 2019/2020 applications for funding.

It was our intention to hold our 3rd Annual Fundraiser at The Spirit Bar in Nelson back in April, where we would have gathered to celebrate another great season, remembered Nyle and publicly announced this year’s successful funding recipients.  

But alas, we weren’t able to do that.  

However, we were able to review the applications.  Last year we reached out to 11 industry professionals and asked them to recommend members of their staff who might be worthy candidates for funding.  We received 6 recommendations for applicants who met the criteria and unanimously decided to fund them all.

We are happy to announce the 2019/2020 NMCBDF   recipients, assisting them with their backcountry skill development training costs!  

Congratulations to: 

• Gabe Carpendale – Selkirk
• Mike Wigley – Keefer Lake
• Scott Beauchamp – Baldface
• Tristan Kodors – Kingfisher
• Fannie Dufour – Monashee
• Tara Morris – Carlyle & Valhalla

We know it’s been a difficult year for everyone, and that includes our intrepid back country colleagues, guides, and industry professionals.  Even the most optimistic outdoor recreational enthusiasts have had to reinvent themselves this year.  Some backcountry businesses are preparing to operate at reduced capacity, some are postponing their operations until early in the New Year, while others are deferring all operations until the 2021/2022 season!  

We wish everyone the best as they navigate this new terrain.

We’ll be meeting early in the New Year, probably via Zoom, and will let you know as soon as we have a date for our 2021 fundraiser! 

In the meantime, we’re staying home, staying positive and doing our best to stay healthy.

All the best from the NMCBDF Board of Directors:

• Lynn van Deursen
• Natalia Skiba
• Jeff Reyden
• Joaquin Klein
• Hayden Markin
• and our esteemed Advisory Committee Members
• Lars Chose
• Susan Mulkey

Happy Leap Year!

Just wanted to update everyone on this year’s funding opportunity through the foundation. In December 2019 we sent out a call for recommendations to industry professionals asking them to nominate worthy candidates. We then sent those folks an application for funding and wished them the best of luck! We’re thrilled to get the opportunity to review these applications as they come in and are impressed with the calibre of people working hard to excel in their professional development. We will be meeting with our selection committee in early March to make our final decisions as to who will receive funding this year. And we’ll be announcing this year’s recipients at our 3rd Annual NMCBDF Fundraiser which is taking place on Thursday April 23rd at The Spirit Bar in Nelson! Hope to see you all there to celebrate and to raise funds for next year! #senditfornyle