Three ski lifts. 8,000 acres of backcountry. The highest snowfall in North America. A skier’s dream. A dream which grew into a co-operative. In the far north-west of Canada, 350 kilometres south of the Alaskan border, Shames Mountain ski area nestles at the head of the forested Shames River valley. For a region which has been hit by economic downturn, Shames is a bright spot in what can be a hard country. “It brings people to town,” says local Jon Hopper. Shames was on the market for several years with no likely buyers before a like-minded group of ski enthusiasts and business people came together to form the My Mountain Co-op.