Besides being a mountain home for an international tourist base- Revelstoke has also produced some talented winter sports athletes. Many of these athletes are famous ice hockey professionals.
In the 1970s and 1980s Revelstoke bore Bruce Holloway, Ron Flockhart and Rudy Poesc. These men later were picked up by the Revelstoke Bruins. Revelstoke has also produced high caliber players for the Revelstoke Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. The team these players are placed for being the Revelstoke Grizzlies- which is quite an appropriate name, as there are lots of powerful grizzly bears prowling through the woods of Revelstoke. Many of the athletes stay at pet friendly accommodations in Revelstoke BC.
Skiing and ski jumping was actually brought over to Revelstoke by Norwegian immigrates. By 1910 a couple ski jumping hills had been built around town. After its success, the Revelstoke Ski Club was founded in 1914. Just one year later the membership had sprung from a couple to 102 members! The Winter Carnival Tournament really increased the club’s publicity. They held their first tournament in 1915- which housed ski jumping and cross country skiing. Revelstoke’s own athletes set world record in that competition. In 1948, the resorts were renovated in anticipation for the 1968 Winter Olympics. The town considered a bid, but didn’t get it.
Revelstoke has heavy snowfall- so it’s naturally the perfect place for Heli-skiing and cat-skiing companies. They have four Heli-skiing companies and lots of major snowmobiling destinations.
Three years ago, Revelstoke became part of an elite group of ski resorts. They were featured in the Freskiing World Tour- which is great publicity for the town. The tour combines both European and North American skiing tours. The six stop world tour, now called the Swatch Freeride World Tour, starts in Revelstoke, Canada and ends in Verbier, Switzerland.
In 2011, Revelstoke locals Stephanie Ells and Michael Curran created a Revelstoke Derby Assocaition- a league who provides the only affordable sports team option for women on the market.