A new charity event seeks to challenge participants to some extreme snowshoeing with the in-person activities taking place at Duntroon Highlands.
The 7 Summits Snowshoe Challenge, in support of Melanoma Canada, will take place on Feb. 26 or, virtually, through the month of Feburary.
The concept is for teams to snowshoe enough distance to collectively scale seven summits – Puncak Jaya, Vinson Massif, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Mt. McKinley, Aconcagua, and Everest – without leaving Duntroon Highlands. All told, that's about 43 km of snowshoeing.
Registration is open online at 7summits.ca for virtual or in-person participation. Virtual participants are required to pay a registration fee of $1 per kilometre and fundraising is optional. In-person teams must pay $1 per kilometre and raise or self-sponsor $450 to participate.
“We are looking forward to uniting with our supporters both virtually and in-person for this unique winter event.” said Melanoma Canada's executive director, Falyn Katz, in a news release. "Our goal is to educate Canadians on the importance of year-round sun safety. Most Canadians put their sunscreen away for the year with their swimsuits! Many don’t realize that snow can reflect the sun's UV rays by up to 80 per cent. This combined higher altitudes can make winter sun every bit as damaging on the slopes as it is on the beach.”
Melanoma and skin cancers are among the few cancers on the rise, particularly in young Canadians aged 15-29 years old, according to Melanoma Canada.
Given that its primary cause is UV exposure, melanoma can be prevented. It is one of the few cancers that is easily detectable.
