Bringing the family together through sport.
Skiing has been a Wilson family tradition for three generations. Leslie Wilson found a passion for skiing early on in life with her family. Growing up in Truro, she was hitting the slopes at Wentworth Ski Hill at the age of two. Skiing became a family event and bonding experience throughout her childhood and into her adulthood.
“I was born into it” said Leslie. “Wilson’s have been involved at Ski Wentworth for three generations now. My grandfather was one of the original skiers here.”
Her family’s connection to Ski Wentworth gave her a deep sense of connection to the sport. Leslie is now the general manager, overseeing the hill’s day-to-day operations.
Thor grew up in Economy, Nova Scotia with the same connection to skiing. He found a love for the sport at age 13. Throughout the winter, he spent as many days on the slopes as he could.
“Coming to Ski Wentworth really meant freedom to me,” recalled Thor. “It was a great place to be outdoors, and to enjoy being with your friends.”
Thor saw what other ski hills across the country were doing with freestyle ski programs and wanted to emulate that at Ski Wentworth. So, he and a friend and became certified as freestyle ski coaches to get a program started at Wentworth. Thor is now the head freestyle ski coach at Wentworth Ski Hill.
With funding from Support4Sport, Wentworth Ski Hill has been able to create a terrain park to train their athletes to compete on a national level.
“Freestyle skiing meant excitement, and the ability to show what you could do in a new way,” said Thor.
The program grew as a response to the demand from many young skiers. Over the past few decades, it has grown to have athletes winning medals in competitions across the country.
“It shows you just what you can do in a small ski area here in Nova Scotia,” said Leslie.
