Great news for all BC clubs and racers. In partnership with Sun Peaks Resort, BC Alpine will be hosting exclusive training (the mountain is closed to the public) in the third week of April. The conditions are expected to be optimal for training and this will give clubs and racers a chance to get a big jump on next season.
“Our goal is to bring athletes and coaches from around the province together for a variety of training opportunities. This will give our racers more time on-snow in their home province … and it’s not everyday we get to take over a mountain which is closed to the public!”
Johnny Crichton, BC Alpine Vice President
BC Alpine will centrally manage the Sun Peaks “Training Centre” in terms of tickets and lane space, and will help create different environments for all the teams and clubs that want to take advantage of this great opportunity.
*Athletes must come with a club coach* *Teams must bring their own coaches and be responsible for their athletes*
Benefits:
12 days of exclusive-access ski race training (Weather/ Snow dependent)
Closed mountain to public – access for racers only. Cycle on Elevation Lift only
3 different trails with different terrain to work on ski technique and tactics
Exposure to the BC Ski Team athletes and coaches
Q&A with BC Ski Team athletes and coaches
Legend Coaches (TBD) will be in attendance
Parent ski day with Johnny Crichton, which will be an on-snow seminar: athlete development, race education, and the alpine pathway. (Date TBD)
Groups confirmed so far:
BCST & BCST invitee training groups W/M
Girls Fast Forward
Development Level & Performance Level Coaching Courses
Ontario Ski Team & Ontario Development Team
Ontario U16 Groups
(Your team here)
Eligibility: All athletes U12 and older (cap at 250 athletes per day)
Dates: April 13 to 24, 2022 (12 days possible on snow)
Where: Sun Peaks Resort, BC
Cost (lane, lift and grooming): $100 per day/athlete (salt if needed will be extra)
Lodging can be booked by parents at the Sun Peaks Grand or the Cahilty Hotel and Suites. (NOTE: the Cahilty will offer a meal plan for those interested.)
*Link to book accommodation at the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel. They have a great deal for a 5 Star resort at $149.60 a night plus tax based on double occupancy.
“This is an incredible opportunity for some incredible kids. They will be representing British Columbia as part of team BC at Canadian U16 National Championships, which is an extremely inspiring, competitive, and fun event. Putting yourself in a position to go up against the best of your age group in Canada is a privilege and believe me, these kids have earned it. BC Alpine is extremely proud of this group and hope to see many of them working towards representing Canada one day!”
It was a rewarding experience for the Grouse Tyee Ski Club to host over 200 athletes for the U14 Provincial Championships on their home hill, Grouse Mountain. As athletes came together to race over three days, March 11th through the 13th, nineteen clubs represented the four zones. Grouse Tyee welcomed racers with an exciting west coast weather experience, a turbulent weekend that saw clear skies, poor visibility, rain, sleet and snow. However, athletes persevered the changing weather, tackling one of the most important races of the season with not only a smile on their face but new friendships and a weekend to remember! (Above photo courtesy of Samantha Duess)
Harrison Duess, U14 Grouse Tyee. Photo by Samantha Duess
Photo by Samantha Duess
Women GS, Valerie Chan (Grouse) Photo by Samantha Duess
The event kicked off with a training day on March 10th, where a sunny yet cold day had 211 racers, consisting of 92 female and 119 male athletes, spread across multiple runs on Grouse Mountain. Friday was a two-run GS day, where athletes faced thick fog, snow and sunshine as they tackled large ruts and a course that wrapped around one of Grouse’s longest runs, Expo. With a Friday filled with crazy weather and snow under their belts, athletes woke up to a beautiful, blue-bird powder day on Saturday. The powder had to be packed down by athletes, coaches and volunteers, an experience that offered opportunities for communication amongst the teams. The provincial championships concluded on Sunday, March 13th, with a Dual Team event where teams were made based on the GS results. The dual event was an opportunity for racers across the province to meet, establish contact, and form friendships. The thirty-two teams consisted of six athletes each, where all participants skied down a dual course. However, with the cold and rain taking over the opportunity for a successful team event, athletes were collectively content to have the event cancelled. As coach Maia Matson said, “Cancelling the rest of the dual event showed everyone that the entire event was about skiing together, getting to know everyone in the province, and doing your best at any given opportunity.“
Photo by Samantha Duess
Photo by Samantha Duess
Men Slalom, Sam Weinstein (Smithers) Photo by Matthew Yee
The Grouse Tyee Ski Club would like to thank the 211 racers for their enthusiasm and grit, the 120 hard-working volunteers and Teck, the event’s primary sponsor. We’d like to especially acknowledge and thank the U14 Provincial Championship’s biggest sponsor: Grouse Mountain, who supported our volunteers and coaches with lift tickets, the race runs with grooming, ski patrol personnel, early tram loads, and gear movement around the hill.
Race Day 1 Results (Top 3): Friday, March 11, 2022
WOMEN – 2 RUN GS
Morgan Ring, SPAC, 1:53.73
Teagan Mac Con, WHIST, 1:54.07
Maika Lennox-King, WHIST, 1:54.08
MEN – 2 RUN GS
Dreas Gibbons, WHIST, 1:49.06
Marek Novak, WHIST, 1:50.27
Dominic Reid, WHIST, 1:51.87
Race Day 2 Results (Top 3): Saturday, March 12, 2022
SAVE THE DATES: Spring training opportunities at Sun Peaks between Wed, April 13th and Sun, April 24th
We’re making big plans in an effort to offer BC ski racers more time on-snow in their home province in the spring. Our goal is to bring athletes and coaches from around the province together for a variety of training opportunities. The mountain will be closed to the public and we will run the training center for our groups. Sun Peaks Resort is very supportive of this project and we are excited to get it on the calendar!
The 12-day program will include the following:
BC Ski Team Invitee Camp – April 14th -18th (criteria details coming soon)
Girls Fast Forward Camp (for U14 and older) – April 19th – 21st (sign-up link and information coming soon)
Super Camp (for all athletes U14 and older) – April 22nd to 24th (sign-up link and information coming soon)
Development Level Coaching Course – April 13th to 17th (REGISTER HERE)
Performance Level Coaching Course – April 18th to 22nd (REGISTER HERE)
We know these dates include the Easter weekend, and that part of the camp falls mid-week, but we have to go when there is snow and the hill space is available – that’s a part of our sport that we can’t control. We hope this initiative will be popular and we look forward to inviting most of the athletes in the province to take advantage of great on-snow training before the summer break.
Big White Ski Club hosted the 2022 Nancy Greene Ski League Okanagan Zone Finals at Big White Ski Resort, March 5th and 6th. Hill conditions were perfect – machine groomed packed champagne powder. The weather was sunny and crisp, with clear skies and unrestricted visibility. Each day offered two parallel slalom races for the young competitors. In all there were 112 U6/U8 racers on Saturday, with 91 U10s and 29 U12s on Sunday. SEE COMPLETE RESULTS HERE
Maya Verner – U10
Photos courtesy of Gavin Crawford; Story submitted by Nancy Setchell
Mount Seymour Ski Club Hosts annual Teck Enquist Slalom
The historic Teck Enquist Slalom was back at Mount Seymour the weekend of Feb 26/27 after a one-year absence. The event features two-run slaloms each day with the top male and female finishers over the two days earning the coveted Enquist Slalom Trophies, awarded since 1953.
Saturday opened with ideal, hard snow conditions on the Unicorn run, while conditions Sunday softened with mixed overnight precipitation. The varying conditions provided a challenge to the U16/U19/Masters athletes from BC Alpine’s Coast Zone.
With first place finishes in the U16 category each day, Vanessa Young (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) and Thomas Legg (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) were the recipients of the women’s and men’s trophies.
The Mount Seymour Ski Club thanks race series sponsor Teck, all the volunteers for making the race possible, and Mt. Seymour Resorts for its continued support.
~ Story submitted by Robert Selby, photo courtesy of Mount Seymour Ski Club
