The Revelstoke Ski Club and Revelstoke Mountain Resort were delighted to host the NGSL Okanagan Zone Finals on March 2 – 3, 2024. With over 100 cms of snowfall in the week leading up to the races, the storms cleared just in time for a fantastic weekend of racing. Although the constant low wind kept things cooler than expected for our volunteers and racers, enthusiasm remained high.
Over 100 athletes from Apex Ski Club, Big White Ski Club, Vernon Ski Club, and Sun Peaks Ski Club travelled to Revelstoke for the Zone finals.
Saturday saw the U6 and U8 athletes compete in the dual slalom races, while Sunday featured the U10 and U12 skiers. Sunday’s racing was slightly more challenging as 10 cms of fresh snow had fallen overnight, adding an extra element of excitement to the competition.
A huge thank you goes out to all the volunteers who made this event possible, as well as Revelstoke Mountain Resort for their unwavering support. We are also immensely grateful to all our sponsors who contributed to the success of the race.
The home team (RSC) showcased an impressive performance, with notable results in the U12 category, see the results below.
U12 Girls – March 3rd
1st: Indie Carson, Revelstoke Ski Club
2nd: Mavis Gokiert, Revelstoke Ski Club
3rd: Valen Skringer, Vernon Ski Club
4th: Bryn Eyben, Revelstoke Ski Club
5th: Harper Holland, Revelstoke Ski Club
6th: Bria Gauer, Revelstoke Ski Club
7th: Charlie Henshall, Revelstoke Ski Club
8th: India Shearing, Revelstoke Ski Club
9th: Lola Foster, Big White Ski Club
10th: Anna Lang, Sun Peaks Ski Club
U12 Boys – March 3rd
1st: Dawson Wilkey, Revelstoke Ski Club
2nd: Ryder Milaney, Revelstoke Ski Club
3rd: Sylas Bowlen, Revelstoke Ski Club
4th: Mateo Colvin, Revelstoke Ski Club
5th: Hugo Beruschi, Revlestoke Ski Club
6th: Willem Irving, Revelstoke Ski Club
7th: James Rorstsad, Revelstoke Ski Club
8th: Fionn Kelly, Revelstoke Ski Club
9th: Jayden Gauer, Revelstoke Ski Cub
10th: Ben Belsham, Revelstoke Ski Club
Special thanks to our Platinum Sponsors: Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Eagle Pass Heli Skiing, Regent Hotel and Cheers Liquor Store, Cabot Revelstoke, and Mackenzie Village. We also extend our gratitude to our sponsors for providing prizes, goodie bags, and snacks for the event, including Mackenzie Village, The Wax Bench, Skookum Ski and Bike, Free Spirit Sports, Save On Foods, Southside Market, Powder Rentals, Integrated Apparel, Somewon, and Stoke FM.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event a memorable success!
~ Report submitted by Jennifer Ratelich, Revelstoke Ski Club
Whitewater Ski Team was pleased to host the Kootenay zone Nancy Greene Festival this past weekend, March 10th at Whitewater Ski Resort. We had 5 clubs in attendance – Summit Lake, Salmo, Red Mountain, Phoenix and Whitewater. We welcomed 140 athletes for a fun festival that included 5 different events. This year we had snow all day which proved exciting for the volunteers and athletes alike!
There was a long jump, a speed trap, a ski cross, a super G and a dual slalom. The distance was recorded on the long jump, the speed recorded on the speed trap and both the GS and SL runs were timed. Medals were given for the U12 and U14’s on the SG and SL events, and team certificates were handed out with ribbons for team placement. Each individual certificate had the athlete’s recorded results!
A huge thank you to all the Whitewater Ski Team volunteers for making this possible, to Whitewater resort for making this possible for our team to host, from hill space to terrain building, hauling of gear, lodge space and overall support. Thank you to the coaches, parents and athletes for travelling to join us for such a FUN event! It is a great way to end the Nancy Greene Ski League season.
~ Report Submitted by Megan Moscatelli, Whitewater Ski Team President
Big White Ski Resort was buzzing this past weekend with the Teck Ski Cross BC Provincials, hosted by Big White Ski Club! Nearly 140 Ski Cross racers descended on Big White Ski Resort’s Telus Park Ski Cross track. This highly anticipated event included teams from Apex, Cypress, Vernon Ski Club, Revelstoke, Sun Peaks, Big White, Mt. Seymour, Grouse, Whistler, Lake Louise, Golden Kicking Horse, Rabbit Hill and Nakiska. Participants even came as far as Alberta North FIS, Evolve Ski Cross Team, Blue Mountain in Ontario, Mt.Tremblant, Quebec and a few American friends from Skykomish Washington! There were categories for U14 Women/Men, U16 Women/Men and FIS Women/Men.
Above: Kael Oberlander, Big White Ski Club/OST – Photo Credit: Andrew Jay, Big White Ski Resort
Photo Credit: Big White Ski Club
Photo Credit: Big White Ski Club
A blue bird training day on Thursday kicked off the competition with some tight timing sessions on Friday on a smooth, flowy track. Despite some challenging weather conditions on Saturday and Sunday – fog, high winds, you name it – the excitement was palpable. All the ski racers showed incredible resilience and determination, making every moment count on the slopes.
Photo Credit: Andrew Jay
Photo Credit: Andrew Jay
The host Big White Ski Club, made a strong showing with multiple podium finishes on the exceptional track. And not to forget the highlight of Saturday night – the banquet at the Happy Valley Day Lodge. With a buffet dinner, DJ, and special appearance by Big White’s very own Olympic silver and gold medalist, Kelsey Serwa, it was a night to remember.
Photo Credit: Andrew Jay
Speaking of podium moments, there were plenty to celebrate. In the U14 Ladies category, Nikita Ciesla of Grouse Tyee claimed gold on Saturday, with Haylee Laurell of Golden Kicking Horse Alpine Team taking silver, and Cecily Gibbons of Whistler Mountain Ski Club earning bronze. On Sunday, Big White’s Alexandra Walker snagged gold, while Tegan Anderson of Lake Louise took silver, and Ava Dye of Sun Peaks clinched bronze.
Photo Credit: Andrew Jay
Photo Credit: Andrew Jay
For the U14 Men, Eames Kim of Grouse Tyee took double gold, while Alec Brayman of Rabbit Hill Ski Club secured double silver. Jayden Cai of Cypress Ski Club grabbed bronze on Saturday, and Tristan Yee of Grouse Tyee claimed it on Sunday.
In the U16 Ladies, on Saturday, it was a Grouse Tyee podium sweep with Chloe Anderson winning, followed by Valerie Chan and Zoe Gold. Sunday’s race went to Maina Battista from Mt. Tremblant, with Chloe Anderson and Zoe Gold close behind.
Photo Credit: Andrew Jay
For the U16 Men, Wyatt Tondl of Revelstoke Ski Club won Saturday’s race, with Cory Kwan of Whistler Mountain Ski Club in second and Dominic Reid, also of Whistler Mountain Ski Club, finishing in third. On Sunday, Trayle Porter of Sun Peaks claimed the gold medal, with Harrison Duess of Grouse Tyee and Aidan Carreon from Big White Ski Club in second and third respectively.
Photo Credit: Big White Ski Club
In the FIS women’s category, Kael Oberlander from the Okanagan Ski Team/Big White Ski Club took the win in both races, with Camryn Steele, also from the Okanagan Ski Team/Vernon Ski Club, in second and Chloe Collingwood from the Okanagan Ski Team/Smithers Ski Club in third. Maelly Battista, from Mt. Tremblant finished third on Sunday.
For the FIS Men, Kaleb Barnum of Evolve took double gold, Charlie Lang of Evolve secured double silver, and Finley Cashin from Okanagan Ski Team/Big White Ski Club earned double bronze.
Photo Credit: Andrew Jay
Overall, it was an unforgettable weekend filled with thrilling competition and camaraderie. A huge thank you to all the participants, volunteers, coaches, and Big White Ski Resort who made it all possible. A huge shout out to Big White Ski Resort for hosting us, and a special thanks to Flynn Seddon and his Telus Park Crew for helping us with this very successful event.
~ Report submitted by Andre Thomas, Ski Cross Coordinator, Big White Ski Club
It has been a very challenging year for the Coast Zone ski clubs. Low snowfall has meant many teams have been traveling away from their home mountains to find snow to train. As February approached Cypress Ski Club worried their club would not be able to host as planned on March 2-3. Fortunately, Whistler Mountain Ski Club graciously offered their training centre to Cypress Ski Club, and the last U14 Teck Coast Zone race could take place before the U14 Provincials at Red Mountain.
Wouldn’t you know that days before the race the snow finally began to fall, delivering so much that race organizers faced a new challenge – buried b-nets. With the help of coaches, course crew workers, and a contingent of volunteers from Tyee Ski Club, safety netting was re-set and ready for all race runs.
Nearly 130 athletes from Cypress, Whistler Mountain, Grouse Mountain Tyee, Mount Seymour, Sasquatch Mountain, and Mt. Washington ski clubs took part in the two-day event, featuring slalom on Saturday, March 2, and the GS on Sunday, March 3. Despite the falling snow, athletes were in high spirits and were excited to put their skills to the test. The courses held up pretty well considering the challenging mornings and all events were a success.
“The Coast Zone proved itself to be a champion ski community this weekend. So many volunteers, including alumni, came together to ensure the athletes had the opportunity to compete and prepare for the remainder of the season.”
Raul Anguita, Cypress Ski Club Program Director
Cypress Ski Club would like to share its utmost appreciation to Whistler Mountain Ski Club. The races were only possible because of their guidance, patience, and generous offer to co-host. Cypress Ski Club and all the Coast Zone athletes are indebted to the parents, coaches, race organizers, and volunteers for their hard work and dedication over the weekend. The club would also like to thank its sponsors, especially Odlum Brown Limited, Roper Greyell LLP, Orr Development, and Cypress Mountain.
~ Report submitted by Virginia Abbott, President Cypress Ski Club
Join an all-star cast of coaches and guests for three days of on-snow ski training, strength & conditioning training, connection, health workshops, athlete panels and more at Sun Peaks on April 17–20!
The Girls Fast Forward Camp will again take place at Sun Peaks during the Mega Camp for female-identifying ski racers from all over BC, who will have a chance to connect and train together! The GFF athletes will experience 3 days of on-snow training with Canada’s top female coaches and athletes, strength & conditioning sessions, a female health workshop, an athlete panel – with national and provincial level female skiers – and a chance to connect with their future teammates from around the province.
(see Athlete & “Coach-Up” registration buttons below – the deadline is March 31st.)
Girls Fast Forward was started to create a more equitable experience in ski racing. In 2020, Canadian Women & Sport’s “The Rally Report” showed that 1 in 3 girls were dropping out of sport in Canada by late adolescence (Article linked here). Since 2020 the number of female ski racers in BC is trending positively! Considering these stats and that “If you can see it, you can be it”, Girls Fast Forward continues to strive for a future where more female ski racers are staying in the sport longer, performing at higher levels and experiencing more female leaders throughout!
Canada’s Stef Fleckenstein
“One of the focuses of the GFF camps is to continue to make female coaches and high-level female ski racers visible to the younger female skiers throughout Canada. It starts with access to these role models and continues with connection. Creating an environment where athletes and coaches can share their experiences and learn from one another is one of the coolest things. As a coach, having a crew of all-female coaches to work with is truly a special feeling. I think every athlete should have a chance to work with female coaches, just as they should with male coaches. Everyone offers something different and that diversity is important to development as an athlete and a coach. I am very excited for this year’s camp and hope to see you all there!”
Montana Molyneux, Women’s BC Ski Team Head Coach
GFF 2024 camp has an even bigger line-up of athlete-coaches featuring:
Cassidy Gray – CAST, Olympian, great human
Britt Richardson – CAST , World Junior Champ, awesome person
Sam Mulligan – One of our favorite male allies, Olympian, BC Team, SL Specialist
Eleri Smart – Top level Nor-Am racer & new addition!
Simon Fournier – Nor-Am winner & new addition!
Amelia Smart – CAST & new addition!
Stef Fleckenstein – Word Cup Speed Skier (appearing virtually!)
BC Women’s Ski Team
“I can’t wait to hang out with all the girls again, and just soak in the whole experience. Camps and experiences like these are what made me fall in love with skiing in the first place!”
“I‘m looking to share participation in ski racing with females from all different environments! I‘m also very excited to meet all the athletes and coaches that are participating in such a cool project! Hearing from the past editions I can wait to witness the energy that this camp is bringing! I feel very privileged to be contributing to such a positive event in the mission of supporting and elevating women in ski racing and sport. See you all in April!”
Marie-Eve Boulianne, CAST Women’s Ski Coach
GFF Athlete Camp Information:
Who: Graduating U14, U16 & FIS age BC registered female ski racers (YOB 2010 & older) When: April 17 to 20, 2024 (arrive April 17 between 17:00 and 18:00 PST; depart April 20 12:00 ot 13:00 PST) Where: Sun Peaks Resort & Cahilty Lodge Cost: $620.00 (price includes accommodation, meal plan April 18-20, training, lift tickets, lane space, etc. (April 17 dinner, transportation to and from Sun Peaks NOT included) Equipment needed: Equipment needed: Full SL & GS skis & protective gear, tuning gear, activewear, lots of layers for weather on snow, extra snacks!
Who: ACA registered female coaches looking for more coaching experience and to be “Coached Up” by experienced, high-level female coaches and work with older/higher-level ski racers. What: You have the opportunity to practice setting, work on athlete-coach connection/feedback, increase your fitness knowledge, connect with other female coaches from across the country. Professional development credits will be offered, EL Certification pieces can be performed. Please email Monty at girlsfastforward@gmail.com if you have questions about the camp experience. When: April 17-20, 2024 (arrive April 17th 17:00-18:00 PST, depart April 20 12:00-13:00 PST) Where: Sun Peaks Resort & Cahilty Lodge Cost: $620.00 (includes accommodation, meal-plan April 18-20, lift tickets & training, GFF swag. Excludes transportation to and from event & April 17th dinner)
