The Whistler Mountain Ski Club delivered another successful race weekend, this time under blue skies and on an ideal hard-packed racing surface.
The first Coast Zone race of the season for the U14 age group was held on the Ptarmigan run at Whistler Mountain, welcoming athletes from across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
Racing action kicked off on Saturday with a two-run combined giant slalom (GS), followed by a two-run combined slalom on Sunday. The event also served as a qualifier for the BC Winter Games, scheduled for February 25–March 1 at Red Mountain Resort.
“The coaches and volunteers came together to make this race a memorable experience,” said Whistler Mountain Ski Club representatives. “We’re grateful to the Dave Murray National Training Centre and Vail Resorts for their continued efforts in maintaining safe and high-quality race conditions on Ptarmigan.”
BC Alpine extends its thanks to the dedicated volunteer team whose efforts made the weekend possible, including Chief of Race Andrew Kirker, Chief of Course David Trent, Start Referee Michelle Douglas, Finish Referee Duncan Reid, Chief of Slip Chris Kelly, Chief of Timing Amie Chu, Chief of Gates Mirna Kokot, Race Office and Administration lead Gwendolyn Margetson, and Volunteer Coordinators Jenn Heyries and Marie-Eve Thierrien.
Challenging conditions kept athletes, coaches, and course crews on their toes last weekend as U16 racers took on the Ptarmigan run at the Dave Murray National Training Centre on Whistler Mountain.
The first Whistler Mountain Ski Club–hosted race of the season—and the first Coast Zone race for the U16 age group—went ahead thanks to a tremendous collective effort. Mild temperatures and heavy snowfall tested racers throughout the weekend, demanding focus, adaptability, and resilience.
“All of the coaches were pleased with the grit and determination the athletes showed despite the challenging course conditions,” said WMSC coach Jayden Metcalfe. “We loved seeing so many positive attitudes, smiling faces, and supportive teammates. The hard work put in during the pre-season was clearly reflected in a race environment.”
BC Alpine would like to extend a sincere thank you to the dedicated volunteers who made the event possible, including Chief of Race Josh Douglas, Chief of Course Andrew Kirker, Start Referee Martin Suchy, Finish Referees Josh Sarkis and Duncan Reid, Chief of Slip Darren Chalmers, Chief of Timing Amie Chu, Chief of Gates Euan Cormack, and Chief of Manual Timing Isabelle Poirier.
Despite demanding conditions, the weekend delivered strong performances and an exciting start to the Coast Zone U16 racing season.
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
Under stunning bluebird skies with early-morning firm snow conditions, Revelstoke Mountain Resort (open until April 21st!) and the Revelstoke Ski Club hosted the Okanagan zone for one last red-blue-red-blue show down.
A total of 152 athletes aged 12-19 from ski clubs in Sun Peaks, Big White, Apex and Vernon arrived, ready to show the skills and speed they have developed all season. The skill, progression and confidence shown in the final race series of the season in the zone but awesome.
“The energy was high as they took to the GS course on Saturday and the SL course on Sunday,” a club representative said. “The U12s even tested their new skills, cross blocking on a three-quarter slalom gate course for the first time in competition!”
A huge thank you goes out to all volunteers, coaches, and parents who dedicated their time to making this event possible. A massive thank you to Revelstoke Mountain Resort and all our sponsors.
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 total of 72 International Ski Federation racers from 11 ski clubs in the province – as well as others from Spain, Iran, Germany, Japan and Eritrea – arrived at Apex Mountain Resort ready to showcase their best stuff as the competitive season starts to wind down.
“We had an amazing volunteer crew, starting with Martin Parilak who made sure the course was perfect. Chief of Race David Warriner helped make everything run smoothly and the TD, Julie Klotz, was so knowledgeable and helped make the race a great success,” the club said in a statement after the race series.
A few U16 racers from the Apex Ski Club had the opportunity to forerun the races, to set the track and to gain experience, an added bonus for the club.
A big thank you to Apex Mountain Resort to helping make the race possible on the Adrian’s Alley trail.
