Story By Michael Mastarciyan
Photos Courtesy of Alpine Canada/Perry Thompson Photography
Canadian Alpine Women’s Ski Team Release “Skin Suit” Calender
With the holidays fast approaching, the women of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team have decided to enter the gift giving arena with a novel twist on the traditional swim suit calendar – a “skin suit” calendar!
Skin suit may sound raw, but this is not your run of the mill pin-up calendar. As tasteful as it is sexy, this calendar is a celebration of the athletic female form in race tights with the emphasis on suit instead of on skin.
The fundraising brainchild of Mikaela Tommy, one of Canada’s rising alpine stars, proceeds from sales go directly into the coffers of the women’s alpine team.
“The idea to make a women’s team calendar was something that started at the beginning of the summer during an Alpine Canada Calgary Stampede party, “says Tommy.
“Although we had always talked about doing a Photoshop or making a calendar to promote our women’s team, we never really got around to actually committing to it. During the party I met a photographer who immediately said he would like to do a shoot for us one day so we could have good and proper pictures of ourselves for our sport. From there, the idea just snowballed into a calendar.”
With the assistance of Alpine Canada, ski racing’s national governing body north of the border, the generosity of Calgary-based photographer named Perry Thompson, and Helly Hansen the Canadian ski team’s new clothing supplier, the calendar went from idea to reality when it was unveiled at the team’s annual kickoff gala in Toronto in late October.
“We couldn’t have achieved this without Perry who volunteered his time, Alpine Canada who paid for the printing of the calendars, and Helly Hansen who supplied the suits showcased in every picture of the calendar,” Tommy added.
If you are interested in buying one; they are available on the team’s blog: www.canadianalpinewomen.blogspot.com.