Vancouver, B.C. (Monday May 26, 2025) — BC Alpine Ski Association is proud to announce a continued partnership with Teck Resources Limited (Teck) as the lead partner and major sponsor of alpine ski racing in British Columbia.
Teck’s significant contributions over the next five years will have far-reaching and long-lasting effects on the development of ski racers in communities throughout BC.
Teck has been a partner with BC Alpine and its 32 ski clubs and over 6,700 members since 2008, as the title sponsor of the Teck U14 and U16 race series, a provincial program for 11-to 16-year-old skiers from across the province. Teck will continue to play a large role in the success of more than 50 ski race events hosted by BC ski clubs between December and April each year.
Anders Hestdalen, CEO of BC Alpine, says that a huge part of BC Alpines success is that we have been able to sustain programming and support over decades, through ups and downs, and that’s how you end up as a successful organization and sport. “We have very strong grassroots programming and medalists from World Championships and the Olympics. That is largely thanks to our Teck partnership that now will continue for another five years. Thank you, Teck and let’s build our communities even stronger!”
The unique relationship between Teck and BC Alpine is based on “community”. Teck employees are passionate and engaged in community activities and many are involved as volunteers or have children in BC Alpine clubs across the province.
“Living in British Columbia offers an incredible opportunity to enjoy nature through activities like skiing and we are proud to support BC Alpine Ski Associations’ initiatives that engage youth across the province,” said Carleigh Whitman, Head of Social Performance & Indigenous Relations at Teck.
The agreement between Teck and BC Alpine commences in the 2025–26 season and extends to 2030–2031.
For more information please contact: Kathy Stahr, BC Alpine – kathys@bcalpine.com
BC Alpine coaches and staff are still smiling from ear-to-ear after a massively successful camp and race series at Sun Peaks, to cap off the 2024-25 ski racing season and kick-start next season, all at the same time.
The racing and training conditions at Sun Peaks Resort were world-class, and teams from across B.C. and from other parts of Canada were ecstatic about the on-snow environment on home snow.
“Spring conditions, personal bests, and an unmatched training environment came together for a week of unforgettable skiing at the 2025 Mega Camp and Mega Cup Races,” said BC Alpine VP, Johnny Crichton.
With athletes and clubs from B.C., Alberta, Ontario, and the United States, this year’s event proved that world-class alpine training and competition can thrive right here at home—and at a fraction of the cost of traditional summer camps abroad. Link to results at the bottom of the story.
With the resort closed to the public and fully dedicated to ski racing, participating clubs had access to premium, uninterrupted terrain, top-tier grooming, and race-quality snow surface preparation throughout.
“From the opening day of camp to the final racer across the finish line, we showcased the full potential of late-season training in Canada,” explain Crichton.
World-Class Terrain, Homegrown Opportunity
According to Crichton, the elite alpine training environment was able to support every level, including:
Roller Pack Lane – Perfect for athletes to develop foundational movement and agility.
Cariboo Trail Pitch – A true technical challenge for SL and GS work, with consistent surface and very steep pitch.
Speed Terrain – Super G blocks allowed safe and progressive speed exposure for U16 FIS-level racers- including a jump.
“This camp checked every box, great terrain, great surface, and no distractions,” said a coach from Ontario.
Mega Cup Races: Fair, Fast, and Full of PBs
The Mega Cup Races, held April 24–27, were a true highlight—executed with professionalism, precision, and athlete-centered intention. Despite late-season warmth, the race surface was kept firm and consistent thanks to a perfectly timed salt application program, high-level grooming, and a relentless commitment to efficiency.
Races were completed in under three hours, a near-unprecedented feat for a dual-gender, two-run FIS event with two separate courses and ~125 athletes. The result?
✅ Dozens of personal bests
✅ Safe, fair conditions from first racer to last
✅ No unnecessary delays! just great racing
Collaboration Across Clubs and Provinces
Mega Camp drew participation from all over Canada and beyond, creating a rich environment for collaboration and performance growth. Athletes and coaches from BC, Alberta, Ontario, and the U.S. shared training lanes, learned from each other, and pushed standards higher—all without the costs and logistics of international travel.
“It was high-performance, athlete-focused, and community-driven,” said BC Alpine VP Johnny Crichton. “This is the future—training together, investing locally, and making sure every athlete has access to excellence.”
A Blueprint for the Future
With elite terrain, zero public traffic, and a strong collective effort from clubs, coaches, and volunteers, Mega Camp 2025 delivered a spring training and racing model that’s sustainable, scalable, and proudly Canadian. Plans are already in the works to build on this momentum for Mega Camp 2026—and after what was accomplished this year, the expectations have never been higher.
Personal bests. Professional execution. Proudly Canadian.
Another highly-successful GFF camp in the books as BC Alpine once again hosted a Girls Fast Forward camp at Sun Peaks, in pursuit of gender equity and effective mentorship within the female-identifying ski racers in the province, and this time supported by the Vancouver Ski Foundation.
A total of 46 skiers from all over BC in the U14 to FIS age groups were coached by six World Cup and Europa Cup level female ski racers from Canada, alongside coaches from the provincial team and Canadian para-alpine ski team and national team alumni.
The camp kickstarted the 2025-26 season by working on building a strong foundation and athletic position on snow.
Off-snow, the coaches led a tuning info session, athlete panels on female health and menstrual cycles, as well as how to take ownership on your development. Fitness sessions with core and mobility and video tech talks with national team athletes all happened in 3 days
“The athletes developed strong bonds and built upon their confidence on and off snow all in a positive, fun environment,” said Montana Molyneux, former BCST coach and driving force behind the Girls Fast Forward program.
“Having so many strong female leaders at this camp models for these young athletes that they can be ski racers, coaches and so much more moving forward in their journeys! If they can see it, they can be it. FIS numbers have grown for female ski racers in BC but we still are lacking representation at high performance levels and at the coach and program director levels. This camp aims to inspire more athletes to stay involved in sport!”
Coaches:
Samantha Fournier – GFF coach lead
Rachel Topping – Canadian Para Alpine Development team
With months of planning and preparation, the Whistler Mountain Ski Club did it again. The Whistler Cup. Easy to say, very hard to do.
With over 450 young ski racers from all over the world – Europe, South America, U.S., Asia and elsewhere – the event was a smashing success.
Starting with the super-G on the Dave Murray National Training Centre on Whistler Mountain, the U16 racers impressed mightily, despite wet and challenging conditions. The ever-diligent army of volunteers, led by the WMSC crew, worked hard to maintain safe racing conditions.
The racing then shifted to slalom on the Dave Murray Downhill track for the U16s, while the U14s got their racing series started with slalom for the girls and a Team Dual for the boys from the top of Raven, on Friday. The weather and conditions were favourable, and the course sets gave the youngsters a good challenge.
On Saturday the U14s swapped venues, girls for Team Dual and the boys to slalom. The weather continued to improve with good visibility and mixed sun; the course conditions were maintained with salt and fertilizer to withstand the warming spring weather.
All participants enjoyed the legendary Whistler Cup banquet on Saturday night, with the awards presentation at the Whistler Conference Centre. Rob Boyd was working the mic as the energetic emcee, while ski cross Olympian & world champion Reece Howden gave an inspirational special address about how he manages doubt and fear. The athletes were gripped by his speech.
Awards for the U14 women’s GS & U14 men’s SL and the U16 Parallel were presented at the end of the racing day in Skiers’ Plaza on April 13. O2E Brands’ event sponsor Brian Scudamore gave out the awards along with prizes from Atomic, with Rob Boyd assisting the presentations.
“One of my key take-aways is how so many people came together to run such a successful event,” Boyd said at the conclusion of the event. “Someone mentioned how it takes a village, and it really does! The number of volunteers is remarkable – it certainly makes the event run smoothly and there is such enjoyment for the athletes and the volunteers.”
– Rob Boyd
Despite some weather challenges to start the event, the Whistler Mountain Ski Club did a fantastic job, once again, with delivering a world-class event. BC Alpine congratulates and thanks Whistler Mountain Ski Club for a job well done!
U14 Nations Festival Cup
(Team with most points accumulated throughout GS and SL races within the top 15 places):
First Place: USA1
Second Place: Japan
Third Place: Switzerland
2025 Whistler Cup, Team Standings U16:
First Place: Norway
Second Place: Switzerland
Third Place: USA
Top U14 Canadians:
U14 Girls 1st – Nancy Greene Trophy: Lilli Brovender, Vernon
U14Girls 2nd: Amelia Park, Grouse-Tyee
U14Girls3rd: Cecily Gibbons, WMSC
U14 Boys 1st –Dave Murray Trophy: Gabriel Morin, WMSC
U14 Boys 2nd: Cameron Pierce, Craigleith Ski Club
U14 Boys3rd: James Coon, Ontario
Top U16 Canadians:
1st Place – Nancy Greene Trophy: Sarah Decary, Quebec
2nd Place: Elena Deda, Canada 2
3rd Place: Logann Guay, Canada 1
Dave Murray Trophy : Adrien Cote, Quebec
2nd Place: Laurent Legare, Canada 2
3rd Place: Jacob Mackey, Canada 1
Race Officials
Technical Delegates: Jill Firstbrook, Carmen Kirshenblatt, Colin Pitt-Taylor
Chiefs of Race: John Novak, Jeff Parkhill, Jason Shorter
Chiefs of Course: Rob Cook, Josh Sarkis, Scott Waldrum
Race Admin: Vicki Schenk
Chief of Volunteers: Jennifer Heyries
Link to results (results will be posted here; I can send pdf copies of all official race results)
The Vernon Ski Club proudly hosted the U16 Western Championships presented by Sporting Life, March 24-28, 2025 at SilverStar Mountain Resort.
“This was one of those events where nothing went as planned! Despite months of meticulous work, Mother Nature dealt the mountain a challenging blow and the ROC (Race Organizing Committee) was left scrambling to adapt each race event for the 237 athletes from across Western Canada,” said Brooke McLardy, alpine director of the Vernon Ski Club.
With the solid determination of race enthusiasts, a committed and experienced ROC, an army of volunteers, and incredible on-hill support from BC Alpine, Alpine Canada and SilverStar Resort staff, the event was a great success.
The original plan had slalom, GS and super-G races as well as a skills combined, but the conditions forced some events to be cancelled and the scheduled to be adjusted multiple times. By the end of the event, two slalom races for both men and women, as well as a “skiing skills combine” as well as a team dual event were successfully run, all on Vernon Ski Club‘s Cloud 9 Race Centre. Despite the challenging conditions, the competition was fierce the athletes showed up ready to race. All are commended for their perseverance and commitment to the series.
Festival Atmosphere
A highlight of the week was the impressive array of off-snow activities hosted by the resort and club. Monday night featured a parade through the SilverStar village and a welcome by the resort’s General Manager Herwig Demschar, who shared his personal ski racing history and commitment to alpine sports. Cam Alexander from the Canadian men’s alpine team joined by Zoom to speak to the assembled athletes about perseverance and a growth mindset.
On Wednesday night athletes enjoyed a party at Tube Town with a bonfire and s’mores. Thursday there was a BBQ lunch and the athlete banquet, coach and volunteer appreciation, a village carnival and awards where podium athletes were treated to bottles of bubbly to spray at the crowd, in World Cup style.
There are many great results to celebrate from the series, however it was the Skiing Skills Combine that saw a BC sweep for women’s and men’s podiums. The 2025 women’s U16 podium saw Maggie Cormack of Whistler Mountain Ski Club in 1st place, followed by Elena Deda of Windermere Valley Ski Club in 2nd and Valerie Chan of Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club in 3rd. The 2025 men’s U16 Podium saw 1st place go to Quin Clark of Red Mountain Racers, 2nd place to Declan Kirker of Whistler Mountain Ski Club and 3rd place to Eric Krastev of Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club.
The 2025 U16 podium for women’s overall went to Elena Deda from Windermere Valley Ski Club and the men’s overall was a tie between Andrew Cross from Calgary Alpine Race Club and Eric Berthiaum from Banff Alpine Racers.
Huge Pat on Back for the Volunteers
While the athletes were enjoying all SSMR had to offer, the ROC, coaches and volunteers were working steadily in the background to make and keep the race centre a viable venue, adjust volunteer rosters, reschedule events and programs, and much, much more. It is truly the efforts of this group that made Western Championships the success that it was. And incredibly, everyone showed up each day with a huge smile, words of encouragement for each other and a drive to put on a great event for these U16s.
Thank you to everyone who put in long hours, stayed nimble and kept smiling. Thanks to the athletes and vollies who tore down the two original venues, including 300 B-Net on the backside of the mountain. Thank you to Sporting Life, BC Alpine, Alpine Canada, local sponsors, SilverStar Mountain Resort and each and every person who pitched in to make this an incredible U16 Western Championships.
A whopping 570 young skiers arrived in Sun Peaks last weekend to challenge themselves, ski a lot and have a tremendous amount of fun.
The Hub International Nancy Greene Festival at Sun Peaks Resort showcased all that is great about the sport of skiing and ski racing. The young skiers took to the mountain with determination and enthusiasm, tackling moguls, kombi, obstacle, downhill speed trap, jump, and the dual glalom venues, spread around the vast Sun Peaks terrain.
“From first-time competitors to future champions, every child gave it their all, showing incredible skill, courage, and sportsmanship,” said Jeff Robinson, Chief of Race. “It was a thrilling couple days filled with big smiles, fast runs, and unforgettable memories!”
Nancy Greene Raine was her usual present and engaging self, cheering on the young skiers and handing out awards at the end of the weekend, alongside Jan Hudec, former Canadian World Cup star and Olympic medallist.
Congratulations to the Sun Peaks Alpine Club for another terrific festival. And a big thank you to all the visiting clubs, parents, coaches and volunteers who participated and supported the event. And thank you to lead volunteers for their dedication and hard work: Race Organizers: Jeff Robinson: Chief of Race; Dave Fox: Chief of Events; Scott Karpiak: Chief of Course; Gabrielle Fox: Chief of Volunteers; Sara Thomson: Race Admin; Gavin Friskie: Chief of Timing.
