A cutting-edge new initiative that aims to build the next generation of Canadian World Cup and Olympic downhill champions was recently unveiled by Alpine Canada.
The ‘Osisko Going4Gold Program’ aims to teach the nation’s best young skiers the skills of downhill racing in a safe, methodical way. A series of ski racing speed camps set to be held across Canada will offer first- and second-year FIS racers, typically aged 15 and 16, the chance to train alongside and learn from some of the best instructors and ski racers Canada has ever produced, including veteran ski coach Don Lyon, who has worked with many of Canada’s greatest speed skiers.
Canada’s last two Olympic medallists in downhill, Ed Podivinsky – who won bronze in Kvitfjell, Norway, in 1994 – and Kerrin Lee-Gartner – the 1992 Olympic gold medallist – headline a star-studded group of alumni who will share their expertise and experience with teenage skiers. The list also includes four-time Olympian Brian Stemmle, 2003 world downhill champion Mélanie Turgeon, World Cup winners Rob Boyd and Felix Belczyk and recently retired 15-time Canadian champion Britt Janyk. Current Canadian Alpine Ski Team members Kelly VanderBeek and Erik Guay, the 2011 world downhill champion, will also lend a hand as program ambassadors.