It’s been a while, but so worth the wait – here’s another installment of Pridy’s Blog

by Kathy Stahr | Jan 24, 2019 | Member News

About damn time for another BC Ski Team update… It’s been a long few months since I touched base with my 5 avid readers so here goes:

It’s not been for a lack of trying, but it’s hard to write in-season updates and not get pulled towards a results-based look at everything. Where did we place? Did we hit the box? How far out? How far ahead? Who beat whom? All valid questions for the athletes and for the fans (parents and creepy old European men on Facebook…), but I don’t want to be a part of the problem. Live timing and FIS can provide all the results you could want; I will instead try to continue documenting the day-to-day journey of the BCST and, perhaps, throw props on occasion.

There’s been a lot of goings on so let me give y’all the real condensed version of events up until now. Pretty much, we will cover two months in 300 words or less. Ready…. go!

Bright eyed and bushy tailed, November 15^th.

Trucks packed, crew piled in. No snow in sight on the Creekside ski out. Turn the wheel and point it direction: Sun Peaks for our official start of the race season. Arrive at the foot of Mount Nancy Greene, brush the dust off the boots and get to it. Not bad is becoming okay, and okay is starting to look like half decent. A little more training and we might be seeing some pretty good.

Squirrel races come and go. From a coach’s perspective it’s nice when “tune up” races don’t end up as “getting tuned up” races. The crew is beginning to show some pace, now lets pack up and hit the road. This time we are Alberta bound, a place where we can idle the trucks and blast country on the way to the hill.

Slightly haggard and frizzy tailed, December 10^th.

The fatigue, stress, and cabin fever have set in, compounded by the armpit effect that only Panorama in December can provide. Fortunately, the BCST learned all about grinding in the summer, and hopefully they are thinking the same thing I am: Being tired is just something other people feel.

Haggard AF and homebound, December 22^nd. Everyone got a little something to put in their back pocket from these last two months. Some are coming home with PB’s, some with confidence, some with second scores, and being young in this sport I believe they all are coming into the break knowing a few new ways how to not perform. In other words, the essential failures that lead to future successes. 

Alright, look at us go. We’re caught up! Now it’s time for me to take you on an adventure out east. Pack the truck… just kidding! Screw that, pack the plane instead and get ready for take off. The thought of going to the other half of our country doesn’t seem like much of a trip when you’re on a team that routinely hunts snow on other continents, but travel is travel and new is new. Ella, Nicole and I hopped on a Boeing 740whatever that would be landing in the 6ix, while Nick, Marcus, Myles, and Kyle took a very similar looking plane headed to Montreal.

Touchdown, deplane, wait for your luggage, stress because your luggage takes its sweet time, make a mental plan about how you will make do with whatever happens to be in the one bag that has shown up, then let out a big sigh of relief when the belt spits out the rest of the bags an hour later. Pick up the car, and then play Tetris with all the bags until they fit. Finally, the biggest question, where should the Women’s team ring in the New Year? Brampton Ontario of course! The definite highlight being some lovely Indian food, and all three of us having to pretend that “very mild” wasn’t actually lighting our mouths on fire.

Escarpments eh? I’m like 90 percent sure that they (Ontarionians… Ontarieites?) are not using that word correctly… I feel qualified to say that after spending 30 seconds looking up escarpments on Goggle, but that is neither here nor there. Dressing up a hill with a bigger word doesn’t add any vertical. With that said, this is exactly the Ontario I was hoping for.  Perfect race conditions everywhere; natural injection and cold temps to keep it in all-time shape from first runner to last. The Peaks was the ladies first race destination on this trip. “The best hill here” as the Peaks people would tell us, and they weren’t exactly wrong. Starting with a great side hill up top to keep you honest (luckily, we train pretty equal amounts of left footers and right footers, so it was a non-issue), then as you break over the pitch Georgian Bay lies before you.  If you weren’t looking at the course, you could see for days. The two days of GS here were great races, and even though it took some time to acclimatize to the conditions, there was a good effort from the team, and by the time we switched venues they were both looking comfortable on the ice.

Destination 2 was also at “The best hill here”, but this time it was coming from the folks at Alpine. What they lacked in steep, challenging terrain they made up for in a goliath 40-million-dollar lodge at the base, so that was pretty neat. This whole day was a new experience for our two women; a one-run-qually slalom with only the top 32 going on to race the duel that afternoon. The charge was there, but so were the mistakes that come with pushing to find speed, and on an unforgiving hill with a full field it was close, but no cigar. It’s all a build though, and they were ready to move on to mountain number 3.

Osler Bluff didn’t give us the runaround about it being the “best resort around”. I think because they only had a 39-million-dollar lodge (and it was still under construction) they felt a little self-conscious… They did, however, put on a hell of an event and gave our women another great opportunity to test their mettle against the top North Americans outside World Cup.

As I write this, I am reminded that it’s not always sunshine and best days, but that’s the point.  You never go to a race and plan to get beat, nor do you feel content with less than your best, but you also don’t move forward if you only look to win against little fish in little ponds.  From time to time, having your goose cooked in someone else’s back yard isn’t a bad thing. Train hard – find pace – beat people – get piped – train hard – find pace – beat people.

Back in the car (the best place for a nap unless you’re driving) en-route to mini France, more new mountains, and one more series to tip-up in. And hey, would you look at that, we are reunited with the Men’s team!

Welcome to Mont Tremblant. A few days of training sounds great and it’s always good to get the team back together, even if it’s only for a short while. We decide on a nice place for dinner and decide that this is as good a time as any to introduce the team to raclette. Sounds harmless enough, its only cheese right? We sit down in a cozy little log cabin at the base of Tremblant. With guests we are nine, spread out around a long table. Everything is going well, conversation and laughter as everyone catches up. The server comes up and stations a racletter (cheese melter) at either end of the table, each with a half wheel of cheese. Still so far so good. Then he says, “Don’t worry. If you finish the wheel we will bring you another, but no one ever finishes them”. Well shit. Unanimously, the table has accepted this as a challenge and immediately splits into two groups, both dead-set on one thing: to eat the whole wheel of cheese before the other half of the table can finish theirs.  I’ll tell you right now, no one wins when you take part in an hour-long cheese-crushing marathon…

See ya later men’s team! Now that everyone is a few pounds heavier it’s once again time to move mountains and head into rural Quebec. Not like “deep woods” rural (“deep woods you’d better have the Fleur-De-Lis tattooed somewhere on you” comes later in the season. Foreshadowing! Go me!), but still rural enough. Val St Come and Mont Garceau would be our final venues of the trip. VSC was maybe the coolest SL track that the team will race on this year. A little bit of everything and a perfect length to set however you want. Here, the team made some great steps. Be it for a run or a section, they showed the giddy-up and pace needed to compete in slalom anywhere else we go this year. Garceau was a fun-looking GS, not built to create large field separation, which made for tight and exciting races both days, and gave the ladies some good pressure to practice with.

Next for the BC Ski Team is a mid-season tune up in Sun Peaks.  A small break from racing at last, and an opportunity to get dialed in by virtue of repetition over consecutive days. 

Fun Facts

• “You can pay on counter. Some food takes longer time, because it is different time to cook food.” – Quebec
• Georgian Peaks is known for its Kitzbuhel-like terrain
• There is always room for Chocolate fondue
• Gracias is NOT French
• The Alphorns Birthday song isn’t that catchy…

2018/19 BC Ski Team Athlete Bios:

Ella Renzoni

Frances MacDonald (injury status)

Nicole Mah

Marcus Athans

Kyle Alexander

Myles Kowalczyk

Teck Kootenay Zone U12/U14 GS races hosted by Kimberley Alpine Team

by Kathy Stahr | Jan 22, 2019 | Member News

Kootenay Zone U12/U14 Giant Slalom Race – Kimberley Alpine Resort
Kimberley Alpine Resort and Kimberley Alpine Team hosted the first Kootenay Zone Race of the season on Jan 19 and 20th. The event saw non-stop action with 2 days of GS racing and a night Dual Slalom on Saturday. The race had 133 entries from Red Mountain, Whitewater, Windermere Valley, Black Dogs, Golden, Fernie, Fortress, and Kimberley. 

It was exciting to see zone racing back on Kimberley’s infamous Dreadnaught run. For most racers this was their first introduction to the Dreadnaught. Many  of them will be back to race in Speed events as they get older. Despite battling a low snow year the course crew managed to set up an amazing venue for the weekend's events. Saturday's GS race saw a great turnout of volunteers who helped keep the track buff despite some fresh snow. The crew worked hard right until the end of the day, with the last racer completing the course just before lifts closed at 4pm. The track was a bit bumpy in the afternoon which made for some excitement. Despite a few DNF’s the entire pack finished the day happy, healthy and eager for the next day of racing. 

The Night Dual BBQ Extravaganza kicked off in the Kimberley Alpine Resort Plaza with an awards ceremony. Then all the athletes, coaches, and volunteers were treated to a BBQ, bonfire, s’mores, music, and beverages in the Kimberley Alpine Resort Plaza, a great spectator spot for the Night Dual. Athletes were racing under the lights on the final pitch of the ski hill and finishing right in the base area in front of an enthusiastic crowd. This was a no-award event focused on athletes racing with/against their friends, meeting kids from other clubs, checking out North America’s longest night skiing run, and most importantly HAVING FUN RACING!

Sunday’s cooler temperatures made for a firmer track and clear skies, resulting in an awesome day of racing. With the weather cooperating and volunteers working hard, the race ran like clockwork. The Kootenay Zone is looking strong and it made for exciting racing and tight results. The weekend ended with everyone gathering in the Plaza for one more round of awards. Thanks to Jeff Rees from Teck and Ted Funston from Kimberley Alpine Resort for supporting our athletes and handing out awards. 

This was the first of many races to hit the slopes of Kimberley this year. Coming up next we have the Kimberley Nancy Greene Festival followed shortly by both the U16 and FIS Speed series.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Teck, Kimberley Alpine Resort, Dreadnaught Ski Racing, and all the hard working coaches and volunteers that helped make this a great event!

Report submitted by Ben Cohen, Program Director Kimberley Alpine Team – Race Photos by The Real McKenzie Photography and Lesley Chisholm Photography

2018/19 TECK RACE PHOTOS

SPAC hosts TECK U14 Okanagan Zone Slalom Racing at sunny Sun Peaks

by Kathy Stahr | Jan 21, 2019 | Member News

The busy Sun Peaks Alpine Club volunteers played host to Teck racing for the second weekend in a row January 19 & 20. This time it was the Okanagan Zone U14's competing for slalom glory. Approximately 111 athletes ranging in age from U12 to U16, and hailing from Big White, Apex, Revelstoke, Vernon and Sun Peaks, enjoyed two days of racing in perfect conditions – sunny skies and firm snow! Always a hit with the athletes and spectators, Nancy Greene Raine was on hand to present awards to the race winners. A BIG thank you to Teck for sponsoring junior ski racing in BC, and to Jaimie Dickson from Teck/Highland Valley Copper Mine for attending, showing support and assisting with the awards ceremony! 

TECK 2018/2019 PHOTOS ON FLICKR

COMPLETE RESULTS HERE

Congratulations to all competitors – here are the top-10 finishers in each race:

Photo by Rob Sidjak

Coast Zone U14’s kick off 2019 at Whistler Mountain Ski Club Teck Event

by Kathy Stahr | Jan 16, 2019 | Member News

TECK U14 Coast Zone Race – January 12, 13, 2019

Dave Murray National Training Center (Ptarmigan Run), Whistler Mountain

Hosted by the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, this event was the first chance for the Coast Zone U14 athletes to square off against each other in an official manner, bringing the WMSC athletes together with the Grouse/Tyee, Cypress, Seymour, Hemlock Valley Ski Racing Clubs, and from across the Salish Sea, the Mount Washington Ski Club.

The racers were faced with some challenging conditions on an equally challenging slope. The warm and soft conditions that racers faced on their Friday training session, turned hard and in places inconsistent with some ice balls on top of a hard, frozen base. However, that firm base held up so well that on both days the same courses that were set in the mornings were used for their 2^nd runs in the afternoons.

In Saturday's Giant Slalom race, on the ladies’ side Cypress Ski Club’s Gaia Fameli took home gold with a winning time of 2:14.25. WMSC’s Sarah-Elizabeth Whelan was second with Grouse Mountains Cordelia Hultman coming in 3^rd.

For the men, the local boys swept the podium with Jack Thomas taking the win in 2:05.35 while teammates Milan Novak and Alec Waldrum rounded out the podium positions. A local favorite Felix Shorter had a healthy lead after the first run but unfortunately had a ski pop off in one of the ruts in the second run just a few gates from the finish, knocking him out of Saturday’s race.

Sunday dawned clear and cold again with a better surface for the Slalom event. As always, slalom can make for some exciting action as the racers negotiate the quick, tight turns while knocking the gates out of their way. WMSC’s Erin Husken worked the magic of her small stature to take a commanding lead first run, which she easily held onto for a winning time of 1:43.18. Second place went to Cypress’s Sofia Blouin and Jacquie Smith of the WMSC took home Bronze.

In the men’s race Felix Shorter got his redemption (from the DNF in the GS) to take home a gold medal, winning the race in 1:40.75. Grouse Mountains Pearce Manning Avini, a 1^st year U14 took silver and Jack Thomas (WMSC) took home bronze, his second medal of the weekend.

Most improved awards went to Viveka Deck Stang for both the ladies GS and SL events, while JJ Gibbons was the most improved in men’s GS and Pearce Manning Avini moved up the most in the men’s’ Slalom.

As always, a huge thank you goes out to Whistler Blackcomb for fantastic grooming and snow conditions, to the many parents and volunteers who helped to make the race weekend the success it was, to the clubs many sponsors and supporters that make amateur sport possible and our title sponsor for junior racing in BC, Teck!
 

Sun Peaks Alpine Club hosts first round of U16 Teck Open GS & SL racing

by Kathy Stahr | Jan 15, 2019 | Member News

Round one of this year's U16 Teck Open racing took place January 10 to 13 at Sun Peaks Resort and was a huge success thanks to perfect conditions, a suberbly organized SPAC ROC, hardworking volunteers and more than 130 talented racers. The legendary Bobby Swan, recent Canadian Ski Hall of Fame inductee, challenged the slalom field both days. For some perspective, Swan competed for Canada at the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympic Games!  On hand to greet guests and assist with the awards ceremonies was everyone's favourite hometown girl Nancy Greene Raine. A special BIG thanks to Teck for sponsoring the race series, and Teck representative Rachel Paterson for coming out to present medals and ribbons to the race winners. 
Thursday GS – Girls (photo above right)

1. Noa Hooton (Sun Peaks)

2. Sara Stiel (Whistler)

3. Brynn Applegath (Sun Peaks)

Thursday GS – Boys (photo above)

1. Ben Jacoby (Sun Peaks)

2. John Nicolls (Whistler)

3. Markus Cordy-Simpson (Grouse)

Euan Currie (SPAC) in the GS start gate

Friday GS – Girls

1. Brynn Applegath (Sun Peaks)

2. Fiona McInnes (Whistler)

3. Noa Rogers (Apex)

Friday GS – Boys

1. Heming Sola (Apex)

2. Taylor Nellis (Grouse)

3. Matthias Shorter (Whistler)

Saturday SL – Girls

1. Noa Rogers (Apex)

2. Brynn Applegath (Sun Peaks)

3. Sara Stiel (Whistler)

Saturday SL – Boys 

1. Heming Sola (Apex)

2. Chase Burns (Whistler)

3. Taylor Nellis (Grouse)

Sunday SL – Girls (photo above)

1. Charlotte Gibson (Prince George)

2. Noa Rogers (Apex)

3. Melinda Kobasiuk (Prince George)

Sunday SL – Boys (photo above)

1. Chase Burns (Whistler)

2. David Wood (Whistler)

3. Cameron Seward (Grouse)

Slalom most improved (photo above)

More results below: