Canada: Fun and fundraising go hand-in-glove in Banff

By Jay Jones

Dec. 20, 2012 12 AM PT

Pack your parka and gloves plus your binoculars, camera and autograph book and head to Alberta at the end of January for some winter fun and celebrity-spotting in the Canadian Rockies.

The Fairmont Banff Springs Sports Invitational will draw Hollywood A-listers, plus athletes and other celebs, to Banff National Park for four days of fun and fundraising Jan. 31-Feb. 3. Best of all, the masses can enjoy most of the activities for free.

The 2012 gathering brought dozens of familiar faces to the snowy slopes to snowshoe, toboggan, ski, and toast s’mores. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, supermodel Christie Brinkley, and actors Alec Baldwin, Marcia Gay Harden, William Shatner and Alicia Silverstone were among the participants.

There’s no charge to people-watch, and there’s also a chance to get up close and personal with the stars. Lyle Lovett will provide the entertainment at a star-studded, red-carpet dinner and silent auction on Feb. 2. Tickets, which are expected to be priced about $500, are available through the host hotel, the Fairmont Banff Springs

The annual bash is a fundraiser for the Waterkeeper Alliance, a New York-based charity headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Members of the Kennedy clan are regular attendees at the event, which has raised nearly $10 million over the last decade.

“The funds raised … help Waterkeeper Alliance fight for a world where everyone can safely swim, drink and fish,” Executive Director Marc Yaggi said in a statement.

The town of Banff – at an altitude of 4,800 feet – is 80 miles west of Calgary, which has a major international airport.