To say David Grose is excited about an upcoming event might well be an understatement.
The active skier has been busy putting a new team together for this year’s iteration of 24 h BLUE MTN. The round-the-clock relay fundraising event runs Feb. 22-23 to benefit Special Olympics Ontario and the Blue Mountain Village Foundation.
“My first experience of an actual 24-hour skiing or boarding event was at Mont Tremblant,” begins Grose.
He happened to be in Quebec with other local families participating in a racing camp and became intrigued with the fundraiser. He was all set to organize a team to return to Tremblant the following year when he caught wind that something similar was in the works much closer to home.
Michael Ney and Frank Abels had earlier been inspired by the 24-hour event in Quebec’s Laurentians. It started modestly in 2001 and grew into a significant fundraiser while providing a unique opportunity for skiers and snowboarders.
“We said wow why can’t we do this at Blue Mountain,” recalls Abels.
The pair approached management at the Collingwood-area ski resort and pitched the event and Special Olympics Ontario as the beneficiary. The non-profit organization supports Ontarians with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports. Proceeds this year will also go to the Blue Mountain Village Foundation.
Ney and Abels launched the event in 2018, keeping it running every year with the exception of 2021, during the pandemic.
Grose, meanwhile, was involved with the resort’s ski racing committee at the time and mentioned the event in the newsletter in hopes of developing a team. A team can consist of up to 12 members. It is up to the individual teams to determine who skis when and for how long, there are no set increments.
“We got 12 people in a matter of a week or two,” says Grose. “We each took two hours to ski the continuous 24 hours.”
That year his team took home the trophy for the most number of laps skied.
This year, with the help of a co-captain, he has organized a team with the Toronto Ski Club which expects to raise more than $10,000 for the causes. And they have a lot of fun while trying to do some good.
Grose cherishes having the Smart Alec run all to himself at 2 a.m. with a view to the village and community below.
During its six years the event has raised $708,900 for charitable organizations. And in that time, members of 181 teams have logged in 34,107 runs.
So far about 30 teams have registered for the event. And Abels is encouraged that the fundraising pace is higher than last year. The event, he adds, may well raise somewhere in the area of $150,000 this year.
But he hopes to continue growing the event by getting more representation from the ski clubs operating on the Niagara Escarpment through increased support from local businesses.
“We’ve been blessed with good conditions and good weather this year. It’s exciting. The mountain will be in good shape,” he says. “That’s the beauty of skiing, you can do it when you’re seven years old, but you can do it when you’re 70.”
Anyone interested can sign up right until Feb. 22 by going to the 24 h BLUE MTN website.
As he turns 55, Grose looks forward to moving from Toronto’s Beaches to the Collingwood-Blue Mountain area where he has become part of an active community.
And he looks forward to many more 24 hours and other events.
“I feel like getting outside and getting regular exercise is how I’m going to live a much longer, healthier and luckier life,” he says.