Does Nelson still run on Kootenay Time?

Famously, the only time a Nelsonite is early for anything, is the first lift on a powder day. For the rest of the year, 2pm means 2:15, or maybe 2:30. And why rush to get something done by tomorrow, when you could get to it before the end of the week?

The Kootenays epitomises “chill time” and Whitewater really embodies that. There’s no need to ‘quickly touch base’ via email or text, when you could just pop next door for a coffee or a beer. And why buy your early bird season pass in July, when you could leave it until 11:55pm on September 30th?

Since the ski hill opened in 1976, Whitewater hasn’t been in a rush to change. Although there have been a number of improvements and updates in the last decade or so, the ethos of the place is still the same: it’s all about good skiing, good food and good people. There’s no Wifi, no cell service and no automated ticket machines. People talk to each other on the chair, high five in the lift lines and make new friends in the bar. After all, there’s no need to rush around with your elbows out when there’s enough fresh powder lines for everyone.

But is that changing? With Nelson becoming a more popular ski town and tourist destination, are we losing the essence of Kootenay Time?

Mark, co-owner of Sacred Ride on Baker Street, has been around long enough to notice the town changing a little bit. “Sacred Ride will be turning 25 next year. In that quarter century, we’ve seen Nelson transform from this sleepy little skibum outpost, into a destination that people travel from all over the world to come to.”

Simon, manager of the shop, agrees. “There’s definitely been a shift in what is expected of us now. Even like 4 years ago, we used to just close the shop on powder days and get to repairs and tune ups when we could. Now though, we’re so busy that’s just not in the cards. We get a ton of customers coming through every day, so we can’t really run on Kootenay Time anymore. We have to stay open just to keep up with demand!”

So maybe visitors to the area don’t get it, that need to move slowly, but I think the locals still do. As the rest of the world runs full-tilt towards technology and doing more more more, it is refreshing and wonderful to live and work in a town which gives you time to breathe. Where everyone values a slower pace of life and embraces the opportunity to stand still when the snow falls.

As more people arrive into the region or pop by for a visit, there is no doubt that change will happen, and that our sleepy little town will begin to buzz just that little bit more. But I wouldn’t worry too much about that change happening quickly, because well, we run on Kootenay Time after all.

Written by Bex Dawkes

Sacred Ride is the only full-service multi-disciplinary shop on Baker Street. They offer repairs, services, rentals and sales of: skis, snowboards and fat tire bikes. If you’re in a rush to get things done, head to their website. But if you still run on Kootenay Time, pop in to their shop at 213B Baker Street and say hello.