ROSS REBAGLIATI, Okanagan-Coquihalla Liberal MP Candidate

By DAVID CROMPTON

Penticton Herald

Olympic gold-medalist Ross Rebagliati recalls in his younger days spending the summer holidays at his grandparents’ home in Naramata. After accepting the job as director of snowboarding and skiing for Kelowna Mountain – a four-season residential resort planned for Kelowna – Rebagliati will be close enough to visit Naramata on his lunch break if he so desires.

“I’m just a 20-minute drive away on my dirt bike from where we are at Kelowna Mountain,” said Rebagliati, who became the world’s first Olympic snowboarding champion at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano.

“My Mom looks after the house (in Naramata) now and we’ll be visiting as often as we can.” The house is located across from the site of the old Country Squire Restaurant. “I was born in July so practically every birthday party I had was in Naramata,” said Rebagliati, who has lived in Whistler for the past 17 years. “I remember back then we used to have a train go right by our place all the time. We don’t have train tracks now, we’ve just got the lake. It’s a great place to be.”

Rebagliati and wife Alexandra plan to split their time between Whistler and the Okanagan. Alexandra will work with Macdonald Realty in Kelowna. Rebagliati said Whistler used to be a quiet retreat, but said things are understandably different now. “With the notoriety I’ve gotten, it’s probably a little small in Whistler,” said Rebagliati. “It’s always been a dream to live in the Okanagan, especially to be close to all my family. To be able to come here and get involved in snowboarding, and with such a fantastic project like Kelowna Mountain, I couldn’t be more excited.”

Rebagliati, who was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, said he also hopes to spend some time at Apex Mountain Resort. “I used to go up to Apex as a kid and I just loved it,” Rebagliati said of the Penticton area ski resort. “I don’t have a specific plan right now at Apex, but if there was a (snowboarding) competition, it would certainly get me out there. I’m not under any exclusivity contract at Kelowna Mountain or anything.”

Rebagliati is in fact still hopeful of representing Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Whistler. He’s planning to continue training in Oregon and Colorado and also compete in several races. “I’m pursuing 2010 all the way if I can,” said Rebagliati, who was born in North Vancouver. “If it doesn’t happen, so be it. Kelowna Mountain will be the beginning of the rest of my life. It’s nice to have options.”

The Rebagliati Alpine Snowboard Training Academy (RASTA) will officially open next year at Kelowna Mountain. The training academy will focus on riders of all levels who are looking to improve in the sport of snowboarding. Rebagliati has been hired to design and manage the snowboard and ski operations at Kelowna Mountain, an exciting, youth-amenities-oriented residential resort at the corner of Chute Lake Road and Gillard Forestry Road in the Upper Mission neighbourhood.

“With Ross on board, we know we’ll have a top-notch facility,” said Kelowna Mountain co-owner Mark Consiglio. “We’re also excited about supporting Ross as he trains young people for the Olympics.”