At the recent Canadian Ski Patrol National Annual Conference, Yukon Zone earned the prestigious "Outstanding Zone Award" for its exceptional accomplishments over the past several years.

The conference was held in Sun Peaks, British Columbia, from July 11-13. In attendance from Yukon was Nadele Flynn, vice president of administration for the zone.

There are 60 zones across Canada and the short list for the 2008 Outstanding Zone Award included Calgary Zone (boasting such hills as Nakiska, Lake Louise and the Canada Olympic Park) and Kawartha Zone (in the Toronto region).

This is the second time that Yukon Zone has been presented with the award, also winning it in 2000.

Tim Sellars, president of Yukon Zone issued the following statement: "On behalf of Yukon Zone, I am honoured to have been recognized by the national system through this prestigious award recognizing our patrol and its members as the best in the country," he said in a press release. "I am proud of the dedication, hard work and proficiency of our patrollers.

"This underscores the extra efforts that many of our patrollers put into making sure that the public enjoys many of their favourite winter activities in safety.

"Even with Mount Sima closed last season, the patrol was very busy with first aid training, cross-country patrols, avalanche awareness programs, first aid support of summer events and various other activities."

The Canadian Ski Patrol System is a national volunteer organization which not only provides ski patrol services during the winter months at nordic and alpine venues, but also promotes safety and provides first aid and rescue services at summer activities such as triathlons, marathons and road relays.