To say the Snowed In Comedy tour changed Pete Zedlacher’s life isn’t an exaggeration.
Since joining the cross-Canada venture eight years ago, the Ontario-born stand-up comedian has moved out West to Calgary, opted to set acting, writing, and directing aside to focus on his comedy career, and, perhaps most importantly, switched from skiing to snowboarding.
“It’s changed my life,” he confirms. “I was a working comic in Ontario and I was doing some TV writing here and there and wasn’t super happy with the way my career was going. I was fortunate enough to get the call to go on the Snowed In Comedy tour.”
The tour started 14 years ago as an excuse to hit the road for work and snowboard in between, but has since bloomed into a massive endeavour, with 70 stops in towns and cities across the country, taking its four comedians through most of winter right up until spring.
“It’s remarkable. We just finished up some shows in Prince George and Smithers—towns we’ve been coming to for eight years—and hearing that yes, this is the best show yet is a tremendous pat on the back,” Zedlacher says.
Part of the appeal for the tour’s comedians—which include Dan Quinn, Paul Myrehaug, and Erica Sigurdson—is it pushes them to write entirely new sets every year, considering just how many people show up annually.
“At the end of the tour when we do the last show in Halifax, we put that material aside,” Zedlacher says. “There are no repeats, because we have people coming back year after year. Stand-up is not like music where you want to hear the hits.”
While the tour has turned its comedians into minor celebrities (particularly in smaller towns and cities where a comic isn’t likely to be buying a coffee in line in front of you), Zedlacher has recently decided to spend more time in the U.S. in an attempt to break into the scene south of the border.
“I always look for a good challenge,” he says. “It’s so rare to have a curveball thrown at you this late in the game. It’s challenging and exciting and rewarding to connect with audiences. Some nights I’ve been like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’ But it’s been fun and it’s cool to see different parts of the U.S. that I’ve never seen.”
Of course, it’s also nice to walk onstage in Canada to an audience that knows you and is ready to laugh. And it doesn’t hurt to be hitting all of the country’s top ski resorts, too.
“I started as a skier and these guys are all amazing snowboarders, so I thought, ‘I’m going to switch to snowboarding.’ I’m alpine fluid; I can do skiing and snowboarding,” Zedlacher says.
Perhaps just as enjoyable as hitting the mountains, the group of comedians is pleased to be enjoying a more straightforward tour this year.
“In 2021, we had a half-capacity audience. It was the best we could do. There were interesting challenges in places like Victoria’s Royal Theatre, which is a 1,400 seater and sold out,” Zedlacher recalls.
Organizers came up with a unique solution and rented out a second theatre with two of the comedians performing at one venue and two at the other. Then, at intermission, they switched.
“I can’t believe we pulled it off,” he says. “Now in 2023, we’re finally here and it feels like we’re back. The audiences are electric. People remember how to behave in theatres. It’s very refreshing and it feels good to be back.”
The Snowed In Comedy Tour hits the Maury Young Arts Centre on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at snowedincomedytour.com/tour.
