Current and future alpine and para-alpine racing stars are set to compete at Whistler Blackcomb March 24-29, as part of the 2016 Sport Chek Canadian Championships. Athletes will vie for the coveted ‘National Champion’ title in each alpine discipline: downhill, super G, alpine combined, giant slalom and slalom.   

Big names from the Alpine Canada Alpin national alpine and para-alpine teams will be racing in the 2016 Sport Chek Canadian Championships. National alpine team members and Whistler locals, Morgan Pridy and Broderick Thompson, will be racing, along with technical superstars, Erin Mielzynski and Marie-Michèle Gagnon. Para-alpine team members and Crystal Globe winners, Mac and BJ Marcoux and Kurt Oatway, will be also be at the Canadian Championships looking to capture more podium finishes to cap off an incredible season. 

“Whistler Blackcomb is thrilled to once again host the Alpine and Para-Alpine Canadian Championships,” says Seb Fremont, Event Manager at Whistler Blackcomb. “It is amazing to see the next generation of national team hopefuls compete against Canada’s most recent top international competitors here on our mountain.”

While the 2016 Sport Chek Canadian Championships will close out the successful 2015-2016 season for the Canadian alpine and para-alpine teams, it marks an opportunity for up-and-coming athletes from the provincial and club level to test their skills against the best national team members. The event also provides an opportunity for athletes to improve their International Ski Federation (FIS) points. 

Alpine race events will take place at the Dave Murray National Training Centre located on Whistler Mountain, and will run as per the following schedule:  

2016 Canadian Championships Alpine Schedule:

March 24, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Ladies' Downhill

March 25, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Men's Downhill

March 26, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Ladies' & Men's Super G & Team Event

March 27, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Ladies' & Men's Alpine Combined

March 28, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Ladies' Slalom & Men's Giant Slalom

March 29, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Ladies' Giant Slalom & Men's Slalom

2016 Canadian Championships Para-Alpine Schedule:

March 26, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Ladies' & Men's Team Event

March 27, 2016 – Blackcomb, BC – Ladies' & Men's Slalom

March 29, 2016 – Whistler, BC – Ladies' & Men's Giant Slalom

Race enthusiasts will not want to miss the next big event at Whistler Blackcomb, The Whistler Cup presented by Mackenzie Investments, occurring April 1-3. Now in its 24th year, The Whistler Cup has grown to become the largest and most important ski race internationally for athletes aged 12 to 15.

The 2016 Ski Cross Canadian Championships were held Sunday in Smithers, with representatives from both the World Cup and 'next gen' teams on hand for the event that was hosted by the Smithers Ski and Snowboard Club.

PHOTO CREDIT: Camus Photography – Events

Veteran ski cross racer Christopher Del Bosco (QC) claimed top spot for the men giving him the Canadian Championship title. Del Bosco was the only World Cup representative from the men's team and battled tough competition from the next gen athletes.

“You’ve gotta be on it the whole time with the 'next gen' guys who are pretty fired up right behind me,” said Del Bosco. “I was the solo representative of the World Cup team but it was good to take on those next gen athletes and see the talent coming up.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Camus Photography – Events

The athletes raced in slightly overcast conditions with the first heats battling low light. By the time the finals rolled around, the ladies capitalized on better visibility. Whistler's Marielle Thompson took the Canadian Championship title on the ladies’ side, closely followed by teammate Kelsey Serwa from Kelowna, who finished in second place. 

“It was so great to see so many fans out for the race today and the Smithers community was in full force to get the Nor-Am and Canadian Championship races off this week,” said Thompson. “It was a really great course and you had to stay active through all of it and work the features the whole way down.” 

“We had solid fans out," said Serwa, "It’s always fun to race in front of a crowd and it seemed like everyone had fun out there!”

This closes out the 2015-16 season for Canada Ski Cross. They’ll be enjoying some time off until they head to Sunshine, Alberta in April and May for spring training.

Tiana Gairns of the Prince George Ski Club was right in the mix with the big guns, finishing 4th in the Canadian Championships and one of two Nor-Am races also held in Smithers. Also earning a 4th place finish in one of the Nor-Am contests was Zoe Chore of the Kimberley Alpine Team.

Click for VIDEO of the event from CFTK TV

PHOTO CREDIT: Camus Photography – Events

Ladies’ Ski Cross 2016 Canadian Championships

1 – Marielle Thompson (CAN)

2 – Kelsey Serwa (CAN)

3 – Tanya Primak (USA)

4 – Tiana Gairns (CAN)

Men’s Ski Cross 2016 Canadia Championships

1 – Chris Del Bosco (CAN)

2 – Tristan Tafel (CAN)

3 – Kris Mahler (CAN)

4 – Zach Belczyk (CAN)

Team of four Canadians wins first-ever Nor-Am Cup Team Event in Aspen

by Kathy Stahr | Mar 16, 2016 | Member News

The first place team was made up of Candace Crawford(CAST), Stephanie Fleckenstein (BCST), Trevor Philp (CAST) and Erik Read (DU).  The third place team was Valerie Grenier (CAST), Georgia Burgess (AST), Phil Brown (CAST) and Raphael Quenneville (SAQ).
 

The Canadian team of Candice Crawford, Stefanie Fleckenstein, Trevor Philp and Erik Read won the inaugural Nor-Am Cup "Team" event at the NorAm Finals in Aspen, Colorado. After Tuesday's cancelled SG race due to snow, the team event was held in excellent conditions at the base of Aspen. A second team from Canada, composed of Valerie Grenier, Georgia Burgess, Phil Brown and Raphael Quenneville finished in 3^rd place.

The team event is run in a head-to-head format on a 22 gate paneled SL course which was about 20 seconds long, placing a premium on the start and no mistakes. Aggregate time differential for the 4 member team decides the winner, and there were 3 heats to determine the winning team. Winning team rookie Fleckenstein exclaimed “it was a really fun format, head-to-head racing, and super intense. The start was everything, and racing down that short a course, right beside your competitor, was totally new to me. I’m still smiling from the adrenalin…”

The team event was run as a test event for next year, when the FIS World Cup Finals come to Aspen. It is arguably the most spectator-friendly event, due to the head-to-head format and the fast pace of the races. Crawford, Read and Philip were members of the silver medal winning team at last year’s World Championships help at Vail/Beaver Creek. Crawford noted “it was a fun day for all participants. I now have another team event medal to hang beside the silver medal from last year’s World Championships. I hope to make it to next year’s World Cup Finals here at Aspen.”