Rarely would you ever see wet, soggy conditions at Big White in January, but the pineapple express that hit the coastal mountains made its way to the Okanagan, home of the famous champagne powder this past weekend!
Heavy cloud and damp conditions gave way to rain on Saturday, but it did not dampen the spirits of over 120 Ski Cross hopefuls. Racers from BC and Alberta registered for the event, and kicked off the first stop in the Western Canada ski Cross Open Series.
Below are the top-3 podium finishers in each race – COMPLETE OFFICIAL RESULTS HERE
| DIVISION | GENDER | PLACE | SATURDAY | CLUB | PLACE | SUNDAY | CLUB | |
| U12 | L | 1st | JENELLE GIEBELHAUS | BWR | 1st | EMMA KLAPATIUK | LT. CRK. | |
| L | 2nd | EMMA KLAPATIUK | LT. CRK. | 2nd | JENELLE GIEBELHAUS | BWR | ||
| L | 3rd | SAGE MURPHY | SMITH. | 3rd | KIERA SWIFT | BWR | ||
| U12 | M | 1st | KONNOR KIMBALL | OPEN | 1st | KONNOR KIMBALL | OPEN | |
| M | 2nd | CALEB SMALE | SMITH. | 2nd | ADAM FRICSKA | BWR | ||
| M | 3rd | OWEN LARSEN | LT. CRK. | 3rd | CALEB SMALE | SMITHERS | ||
| U14 | L | 1st | HALLI JENKINS | BWR | 1st | HALLI JENKINS | BWR | |
| L | 2nd | AMY JORGENSON | BWR | 2nd | AMY JORGENSON | BWR | ||
| L | 3rd | COURTENAY ACKIMENKO | SUNRIDGE | 3rd | SAGE STEFANI | RED MT. | ||
| U14 | M | 1st | ALEXANDER MAKAREVSKI | GROUSE | 1st | BLAIR NELLIS | GROUSE | |
| M | 2nd | BLAIR NELLIS | GROUSE | 2nd | ZANDER TORRES | BWR | ||
| M | 3rd | LUKE MCMILLAN | BWR | 3rd | LUKE MCMILLAN | BWR | ||
| U16 | L | 1st | NICOLE FOSTER | FERNIE | 1st | CANCELLED | ||
| L | 2nd | MICAH MORRIS | FERNIE | 2nd | ||||
| L | 3rd | BROOKE LUKINUK | BWR | 3rd | ||||
| U16 | M | 1st | DEVIN MITTERREINER | FERNIE | 1st | CANCELLED | ||
| M | 2nd | GAVIN ROWELL | PR GEO | 2nd | ||||
| M | 3rd | RYAN FINLEY | FERNIE | 3rd | ||||
| U18+ | L | 1st | TIANA GAIRNS | PR GEO | 1st | ZOE CHORE | AB SX | |
| L | 2nd | SARAH LEPPINE | IND. | 2nd | ALEXA VELCIC | AB SX | ||
| L | 3rd | ZOE CHORE | AB SX | 3rd | MADELAINE KELSON | SMITHERS | ||
| U18+ | M | 1st | BRENDAN DAVIDSON | IND. | 1st | CANCELLED | ||
| M | 2nd | ROBERT DUNN | AB SX | 2nd | ||||
| M | 3rd | SCOTT MARKO | SMITH. | 3rd |
What a difference a day can make. Saturday’s rain gave way to clear skies and warm temperatures on Sunday.
A hard track in the morning made for some stellar photo finishes in the early heats, but the softening snow was too much for the track and the older racers. The 8 final heats that would determine the winners for U16/18 men’s and the U16 ladies were in jeopardy. Race organizers struggled with the decision, but racer safety prevailed and the race was cancelled.
There were over 100 volunteer shifts during the 2 day event, and everyone gave all they had to preserve the race, but Mother Nature won out in the end.
Regarded as one of the top ski cross tracks in Western Canada, Big White Resort staff also contributed to the preparation and execution of the race located in Telus Park. Next stop in the series is Fernie on February 7 & 8.
(report submitted by Catherine Martin)
