IIt is a ski race that will go down as one of the greatest in Canadian ski racing history. Jack Crawford and Cameron Alexander, both Whistler Mountain Ski Clubalum, delivered a performance for the ages in Kitzbuhel last week. The reactions around the world, in traditional media, social media and water cooler chatter the world over, it is a moment worth reliving. Over and over.
BC Alpine today announces seven athletes named to the BC Ski Team for the 2024-25 season.
After a productive and challenging pre-season of hard work and overcoming adverse conditions and environments, these young ski racers are ready for the rigours of this important stage of their development.
Since last Spring, the BC Ski Team began with a physical conditioning base, followed by productive ski camps in Chile, South America, and recently in Sun Peaks and Panorama.
“I couldn’t be more excited to get the competitive season. The team has been pushing each other forward over the last six plus months together … our preparation period was a battle against weather and other uncontrollables, but these athletes have been adaptable and keen to take advantage of all conditions. I think we all share in the feeling that it’s time to put the clock on for real and dig into the next few months of racing.”
Morgan Pridy, BCST Head coach
Highlights:
June 11 – July 10: Centralized off-snow training in Fernie, BC.
July 30 – August 25: On-snow prep in Corralco, Chile.
Sept. 30 – Nov. 1: On-Snow prep in Corralco, Chile.
November 11–22: On-Snow prep in Sun Peaks, BC.
November 22 to current: On-Snow prep in Panorama BC.
The season for the BC Ski Team and all FIS athletes will officially kick off in Panorama, first with the Nor-Am races beginning December 10th and then the FIS Christmas Series from Dec. 17-20, 2024.
“I’ve had the chance to spend some time with this team during the preseason, and I’m genuinely impressed with their progress and development,” said Johnny Crichton, BC Alpine VP. “The coaching staff – Morgan, Dillon, and Eric – have done an excellent job tailoring each athlete’s program to match the goals they’ve set together. It’s clear that everyone is putting in the work, and the effort is paying off.”
Congratulations to the following athletes.
BC Ski Team
Women:
Alexa Brownlie (2005) Whistler Mountain Ski Club (Whistler)
Jasmine Coubrough (2006) Vernon Ski Club / OST (Salmon Arm)
Hannah Jensen (2007) Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Thea Torn (2007) Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Left to right: Jasmine Coubrough, Hannah Jensen, Thea Torn, Alexa Brownlie
Men:
Baptiste Cais (2005) Fernie Alpine Ski Team (Field)
Dylan Stevens (2004) Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club (North Vancouver)
Oliver Young (2004) Vernon Ski Club/Okanagan Ski Team (Coldstream)
Left to right: Oliver Young, Dylan Stevens, Baptiste Cais
BCST Coaches:
Morgan Pridy, Head Coach
Eric Schwenk, Assistant Coach
Dillon Prophet, Assistant Coach
Photos by Andrea Heath, during a BCST training camp in Sun Peaks.
Close to 100 coaches, club executives and general members converged in Sun Peaks for a series of informative and thought-provoking meetings, workshops and conversations last weekend. A number of guest speakers stimulated conversations and updated coaches and members, who now aim to kickstart the 2024-25 ski season in a positive way.
And once again the annual awards banquet – “The Goldies” – put a bow on last season by awarding athletes, coaches, volunteers and officials in a heart-felt and memorable evening of cheers, laughs and even a few tears. The legendary skier (Canadian GOAT ski racer) Nancy Greene was on hand to present the awards at the always impressive Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Centre
“It was an incredible celebration of a great season,” said BC Alpine VP, Johnny Crichton. The dinner and presentations capped a productive three-day Member Summit, which included coach meetings, general member meetings and the official BC Alpine AGM. All said, 26 BC Alpine clubs attended the sessions.
Top photo: A highlight of the awards evening was when Kathy Stahr was presented with the President’s Awards, “for her dedication, tireless work ethic and long-term service to ski racing in British Columbia”.
For the first three weeks of August, the BC Ski Team experienced a bit of everything in Chile, South America, during an on-snow camp on Caorralco, a dormant volcano inside the Malalcahuello national reserve.
According to head coach Morgan Pridy, the team had some productive moments – mixed with a fair bit of adventure – for the seven skiers and four coaches. “There was a crazy big wind and rain storm that rolled through Chile on the tail end of our travel day. We had power outages everywhere … luckily our accommodations could be run on a couple generators, and the resort – since it is build in a national park – can’t run power lines up direct to the resort so they run all the lifts on diesel on so they were able to operate normally. It made for a crazy long drive, but a fun adventure for the kids.”
The team also had some productive training sessions, focussed on “slowing things down and working to establish – and to reestablish – strong fundamentals,” Pridy said.
Hannah Jensen (left), Jasmine Coubrough
L to R: Morgan Pridy, Oliver Young, Dylan Stevens, Dillon Prophet
L to R: Jasmine Coubrough, Hannah Jensen, Thea Torn, Alexa Brownlie.
The team then transitioned to training at higher volume and a mix of training environments, which included some sublime training days.
“This was our first on-snow camp together as a new team and new staff so it was a very cool experience learning how the athletes understand skiing and seeing the unique things each of them bring to our daily training environment,” Pridy said.
For Dillon Prophet, in his first camp as a coach of the BCST, it was a productive few weeks. “The surface really came together through the second half of the camp after some early storms,” he said. “Working with many of the athletes for the first time on snow, it was great to see how hard everyone works and how they push each other as a team. We spent some time slowing things down to establish a solid individual focus and laying the groundwork for a productive camp and rest of the season.”
Eric Schwenk, also new to the BCST staff, was equally impressed with the focus level. “Due to the storm the surface the first week wasn’t ideal, but the athletes took it in stride and put in lots of effort in their slow skiing and drill. Once the surface came together we got really solid GS and SL training. They were all working hard and capitalized on each day on snow.”
Former BCST member Soleil Patterson was also part of the on-hill staff, under the Jonny Kellock Foundation Interface program. Soleil will be working with the Vancouver Ski Team this season, primarily with U16 and also with the FIS athletes.
Pridy was happy with the overall focus and ability to adapt during the camp.
“Everyone performed admirably, took advantage of the bad days just the same as the good ones,” Pridy said. “Maybe it’s a BC upside, but wet & windy conditions didn’t deter anyone and all of our athletes have done the work and understand where they need to focus technically and have given themselves the opportunity for a productive next camp.”
*All photos and video supplied by Soleil Patterson
BC Alpine announced four returning ski racers – and two new additions – to the BC Training Group, a major stepping stone towards BC Ski Team selection.
“It’s always exciting when we arrive at the beginning of a new season. The addition of new athletes & staff to our team adds another level to that excitement. They will all bring things to the table that will continue to build this team up and I’m looking forward to working with them.”
Morgan Pridy, Head Coach
The teams will work together throughout the prep season, starting with a month training together in Fernie (beginning June 11, 2024), and then completing in two on-snow camps in South America during August and October.
Dillon Prophet and Eric Schwenk, both BC Alpine club coaches last season, have joined BCST head coach Morgan Pridy to create a formidable coaching trio.
“I am also super pumped on the new coaches moving up to the BC Team through our BC coaches development pathway,” Crichton said. “Both Dillion and Eric have a ton of positive energy and will be highly effective coaches regardless of who they work with.”
Sascha Gilbert qualifies for Alpine Canada D team
Earlier this week Alpine Canada announced a national development team. Sascha Gilbert, a two year member of the BC Ski Team (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) will join an elite national program to continue his development.
“Congratulations to the athletes who have been nominated to the team. They have all put in significant effort on and off the snow to achieve this nomination,” said men’s alpine head coach John Kucera. “I am very excited for the introduction of the CAST D Team and look forward to all of our staff working to support the athletes on their journey to the podium.”
Dylan Timm lands scholarship at NCAA school
Last season’s BC Ski Team leader Dylan Timm, of Fernie, signed a “full ride” scholarship with the University of Alaska Anchorage Sea Wolves, starting in September. The BCST veteran now continues his ski racing journey with the Sea Wolves. Congratulations and well deserved Dylan!
“We’re really excited about Dylan, we’ve watched him climb the ranks over the last couple of years and what impresses us the most is his consistency and composure,” said Alaska head coach Sparky Anderson. “He’s got all the right tools and has another top gear to grap, he’s a race horse and we’re super happy he’s found a home in our stable.”
BC Ski Team (returning)
Alexa Brownlie (2005) Whistler Mountain Ski Club (Whistler)
Jasmine Coubrough (2006) Vernon Ski Club / OST (Salmon Arm)
Dylan Stevens (2004) Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club (North Vancouver)
Oliver Young (2004) Vernon Ski Club/Okanagan Ski Team (Coldstream)
Alexa Brownlie
Jasmine Coubrough
Dylan Stevens
Oliver Young
BCST Training Group
Hannah Jensen, Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Thea Torn, Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Hannah Jensen
Thea Torn
BCSTCoaches:
Morgan Pridy, Head Coach
Eric Schwenk, Assistant Coach
Dillon Prophet, Assistant Coach
Dillon Prophet
Erik Schwenk
Morgan Pridy
“This time of year is all about building trust and connection between coach and athletes,” said Crichton. “Find the limits and work together to extend them. It’s all about communication and support through physical challenges to prep the team for the long, arduous season. We have a great crew of coaches and athletes who are fully dedicated to becoming champions!”
Three members of last year’s BCST Training Group – Mila Plavsic, Erin Husken and Shayna Little – will not be with the group this season.
Stay tuned for updates on the BCST Training Group’s progress and upcoming events on social media.
Photo credit (top & middle photos): Derek Trussler. Bottom photo by Roger Carry.
Fresh off winning the pinnacle award in ski racing, the Crystal Globe which is awarded to the overall World Cup winner, Marielle Thompson returned home recently joining an impressive roster of podium-winning teammates to celebrate a record-setting season and to help launch a new fundraising initiative in support of ski racing in British Columbia.
A handful of CANskiteam attended an event at Porsche Vancouver recently to launch “Driven to Win”, organized in partnership between Alpine Canada and BC Alpine with the goal to support provincial and national level ski racers from BC. The car raffle features a grand prize 2024 Porsche Cayenne AWD vehicle (valued at $126,000). Click here for more and see the photo gallery below.
Driven to Win: Prizes
Grand Prize: 2024 Porsche Cayenne (valued at $126,075)
In Carrera White Metallic paired with a black leather interior. Exemplifies the pinnacle of automotive quality and design. Provided by Porsche Centre Vancouver
Prize: Commemorative Bar of Silver
100 troy ounces of silver commissioned by Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. Approx. value $3,052. Sponsored by Wheaton Precious Metals
Prize: Rossignol Sender Ti 184CM skis.
Full sidewall ski combines the playful response of a powder ski with the confident grip of a big mountain board. Value $1,000. Sponsored by Rossignol
Prize: BC Ski Team Karbon Uniform Jacket and Pants.
Technical performance meets style with the unique uniform created for the BC Ski team athletes. Value $1,050. Sponsored by Karbon
Content Details
Purchase Price of Ticket(s): 1 for $50.00;3 for $135; 5 for $200
Maximum tickets being made available for sale will be 17,000
“2024 Porsche Draw”: June, 15 2024 at 4:00 PM. Online at BC Alpine #403–1788 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC
