Chris German

Level 1 kicked off this year’s SuperUnknown with a few days of slush and sun up north at Banff Sunshine Village. A last-second change due to snow conditions at the original host mountain, Palisades Tahoe. SuperUnknown, run by Level 1 Productions, is an annual event bringing in talented and creative amateur skiers through video submissions. A select group of finalists then share a week of skiing with previous SuperUnknown winners as well as other invited pros.

Every ski town has its own traditions, but one thing they all have in common is “Gaper Day”. For the uninitiated, “gaper” is a long-running ski-town slang term for the tourists and occasional Jerry-style skiers rocking questionable outfits and demonstrating interesting technique, but despite not being the best skiers on the mountain, they are usually the most stoked. Over the years, the name has become a badge of honour for closing day festivities.

For years, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies has operated a little like that friend who still rocks a flip phone because “the old one works fine.” While the rest of the ski industry spent the last decade building shiny new lifts, bubbles and heated seats nobody asked for, RCR mostly stayed quiet. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, they’ve decided to up the ante.