Collingwood (ON), Canada – The Canadian Ski Council’s (CSC) third annual, Winter Feels Good: National Learn to Ski and Snowboard for Free Day will be celebrated at resorts across Canada on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The event is designed to introduce children who have never skied or snowboarded before to try these winter sports and encourage them to come back in the future.nHost ski areas are required to provide a class of Grade 4 or 5 students with complimentary lift tickets, lessons, rentals, lunch and a bus ride to the ski area. For the 2010-11 season 52 ski areas across Canada have signed up to host a winning classroom.

The CSC asked that the regional ski area operator associations help to promote Winter Feels Good: National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Day in a letter and package that is sent to all schools that receive the Grade 4 & 5 SnowPass application forms in the fall. Schools across Canada were asked to send in a class essay outlining why they feel that their class should be chosen for this special day on the slopes and what they feel are the health benefits of skiing and snowboarding. The CSC forwarded these class essays to participating ski areas and asked them to choose their winning school.

“Winter Feels Good is a program that we look forward to hosting at Blue Mountain Resort on an annual basis,” says Kelly O’Neil, Public Relations Specialist at Blue Mountain in Ontario. “The look on the kids’ faces when they set foot on the hill, many for the first time, gives us this amazing feeling that we really hold onto for the entire year – we have reminisced about each group we have hosted. Nothing quite matches watching kids love winter as much as we do; the smiles and laughter are the best part!”