British Columbia’s U16 athletes showed great adaptability, moving from preparing for super G, to actually racing three slalom races over four days (Feb 1 – 4) at Kimberly Alpine Resort on the famed “Dreadnaught” race hill. When changing conditions prior to the event made it apparent that training and racing super G would be an uncertain and unsafe endeavor (a common thread in many race series throughout BC this year), the Dreadnaught Ski Racing (KDSA) ROC made the call to switch to the technical discipline of slalom. Through excellent communication with the head coaches and club communication channels, the teams arrived ready to race with the proper gear!!
The lower part of the Dreadnaught downhill track was converted to a slalom race hill, with the assistance of many parent volunteers working with the local Dreadnaught Ski Racing crew. This race hill was an amazing challenge for the U16 athletes, as it was arguably the longest slalom many of the athletes had raced, with a 152 metre vertical drop over three pitches.
Spring snow conditions had course workers and coaches working to apply salt to the race track to get the race surface ready, AKA the Teck Open Salty Cup! That work paid off, as the course surface remained in excellent race shape throughout the series. The random seeding format for the U16 athletes ensured that each athlete had two race runs per day, and experienced racing from various start positions while doing 100% attack runs.
Saturday night was the awards banquet at the Kimberley Conference Centre, featuring a fantastic buffet. With 15cm of overnight snow Saturday night, the final day of racing was called off in the name of safety, with many teams enjoying a powder day on the full Dreadnaught run. A great way to end a memorable series.
Big thank you to Dreadnaught Ski Racing and Kimberley Alpine Resort for being such gracious hosts to the BC Alpine community.
~ Report submitted by Rob Tupper (Chief of Race)