Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club hosted the 14th annual U12 Tyee Cup at Grouse Mountain, February 25–26, 2023. (See the event photo links at the bottom of this story for more incredible images).
Sponsored by Sporting Life, this Coast Zone event was scheduled to run for two days and include GS, Kombi, and SL races for both men and women. Over 185 athletes from Grouse Tyee, Cypress Ski Club, Mt Washington Ski Club, Sasquatch Mountain Ski Club, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, and Mount Seymour Ski Club came together on a bright, clear, and sunny Saturday morning for the GS race start. (photo above – Bib 120, Luca Valente and teammates watching the GS race from the corral. Photo by Felicia Lo
Bib 160, Daniel Gold of Grouse Tyee, at the starting gate. Photo by Felicia Lo
Pre-race pep talk with teammates. Photo by Felicia Lo
Almost as soon as the races began, the clear skies turned to snowy skies. The racers showed tremendous energy and excitement throughout the morning’s GS races down Expo run. For the afternoon session, the course crew transformed the GS run into a Kombi course. The athletes seemed high spirited and positive, cheering each other on, and helping to carry jackets to the bottom of the course.
Bib 99, Brooklyn Larsen of Grouse Tyee. Photo by Felicia Lo
Bib 146, Olivier Courcelles of Whistler Mountain Ski Club
The unrelenting snow resulted in a 30+ cm snowfall overnight. Unfortunately, the weather conditions and heavy snowfall caused the second day of racing to be cancelled.
Bib 90, Emily Rempel of Grouse Tyee. Photo by Felicia Lo
Thank you to all of the visiting athletes and families for your participation and enthusiasm for this special event. And thank you to all of the volunteers, organizers, coaches, athletes, and sponsors for making this event possible.
The Whistler Mountain Ski Club welcomed FIS athletes from around BC, Alberta and south of the border, February 20-24, for a week of speed, GS and slalom racing. It was a great warmup for the upcoming Nor-Am Finals running on the same tracks in March.
Monday and Tuesday saw a super-G speed camp run by the FIS coaches, allowing the racers to get ‘up to speed’ before race day. On Wednesday, just in time for the 43rd running of the Bob Parsons Memorial speed race, temperatures dropped to -15 and the winds picked up, making for a chilly day for racers and volunteers. Two super-G races ran on Wednesday with the athletes starting at the top of Raven and finishing at the bottom of the Dave Murray National Training Center (DMNTC).
The Parsons trophy was awarded by Griffin Parsons to the top male and female racer across both super-G races. Congratulations to WMSC athlete Felix Shorter and Okanagan Ski Team athlete Jasmine Coubrough for taking the wins and being added to the prestigious Parsons trophy!
On Thursday, temperatures dipped even further, and the winds got stronger for the longest GS race on this year’s calendar. The athletes ran from the top of Club 21 to the bottom of the DMNTC, taking almost 1 minute, and 30 seconds to complete the course, compared to sub-1-minute runs at most venues. The long, steep, icy course took its toll on the field.
The sun came out Friday for a beautiful, cold and sunny Whistler day to run the slalom. The DMNTC offered up another challenging course down the sunset pitch to the bottom of the training center.
A big thank you to all the volunteers, especially those that put in 3 or more days mid-week to get this race off. Mid-week races are challenging for volunteer numbers, and those that came out really shouldered the load, executing the race with half the volunteers normally out for a weekend U12/U14/U16 event. Also, a big thank you to the Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club and Vancouver Ski Team parents who came out in numbers to help fill volunteer positions, including some of the ROC positions.
There’s no question that Karbon has some of the finest and best quality uniforms out there! Just look at the BC Ski Team above (also check out the Quebec and Alberta ski teams). The Karbon gear is second to none …. and is now available for BC Alpine clubs to customize and make your order for the 2023-24 ski season.
The Whistler Mountain Ski Club will be hosting the 2022-23 NorAm Finals in a few short weeks! We need all hands on deck to provide the best race series possible! We will be hosting the top racers from North America, and some will be racing for World Cup spots for next season. Let’s provide these racers with the best race on the circuit.
Please join us for the course prep days, Thursday March 16 to Sunday March 19th, and of course any or all of the race days! We will find something for everyone, on hill and off hill!
Event Schedule:
Tuesday, March 21 – Downhill Training
Wednesday, March 22 – Downhill Training
Thursday, March 23 – DH Race
Friday, March 24 – DH Race
Saturday, March 25 -SG Race
Sunday, March 26 – SG Race
Monday, March 27 – GS Race
Tuesday, March 28 – SL Race
We have great support for this event from the Whistler Weasel Workers. Let’s get the rest of the race community in BC out to lend a hand. There will be plenty of social time, a little bit of swag and volunteer tickets for those who need them.
There are two easy ways to sign up. Send an email to NorAMs@wmsc.infoor click the button below to volunteer.
Hosted by Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club, the Coast Zone Teck Series race took place at Grouse Mountain Resort on February 10 and 11, 2023, with 43 women and 77 men signed up to compete in giant slalom and slalom race events. (PHOTO above by Jirka Vanourek, Blue Rabbit Photography – Nathaniel Hung, Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club)
Athletes from Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Cypress Ski Club, Mt Washington Ski Club, Mt Seymour Ski Club, and Sasquatch Mountain Ski Club joined the Grouse Tyee for two days of racing in very challenging weather conditions. In spite of rapidly changing weather, from hail to rain to fog, athletes persevered. One parent reported that athletes could only see two gates at a time during the foggy spells!
Photo by Jirka Vanourek, Blue Rabbit Photography
Katinka Hansen, Grouse Mountain Tyee. Photo by Kevin Chan
On Friday, spectators were delighted to see the entire width of the Deliverance run at Grouse Mountain converted into a GS course, making the event extra special to watch.
Thank you to the many volunteers, coaches, and sponsors who worked so hard to make this event come together successfully. Congratulations also to all the athletes on racing in “classic Grouse” conditions.
Race Organizing Committee
Technical Delegate: Russell Kirby
Chief of Race: John Irish
Race Admin: Lauren Eder
Chief of Course: Tim Schafer
Chief of Timing: Justin Dowdeswell
Tyee Race Chair: Jonathan Larson
Athlete Photos
Thank you to the photographers who volunteered to take some amazing photos!
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