New Favorite Person

Marie Cameron’s Open Arms

Words: Megan Michelson

“Our beloved lift operator, Marie Cameron, shares a warm hug with a skier before they load Sundance (Blue) Chair. It’s a familiar sight for anyone who spends time at Castle Mountain, AB—after scanning your ticket or pass, Marie greets you with her signature hug. She embraces everyone, whether it’s your first day on the mountain or you’re a longtime local who knows her by name.” Photo: Lizzy Reimer

 

Alberta’s Castle Mountain is the kind of place where lift tickets still hang on the outside of your jacket and the chairlifts are known by the color of their paint: red chair, blue chair, green chair. When you ski up to the blue chair, also known as the Sundance triple, you’ll be in luck if Marie Cameron is checking tickets that day. Because Cameron, age 70, is the kind of lifty who sings you a song, cracks a joke or asks about your favorite run while you wait in line. “Ticket checking is the perfect job for me,” she says. “I love talking to people.”

Most of all, Cameron is known for her hugs. She grew up in nearby Pincher Creek and she’s been skiing at Castle Mountain since she was a teenager. A former schoolteacher and bookkeeper, she’s been checking tickets at Castle since 2004, making her the longest-standing lifty on staff. She knows everyone who rolls through the lift line regularly, and it all started years ago when she’d hug a friend she hadn’t seen in a while, then another friend would ski into the line. “People would say, ‘What about me, Marie? Can I get a hug?’” she says. Soon she was hugging everyone who rolled through.