The Whistler Mountain Ski Club sent a full squad to the Kal Tire K1 Westerns at Silver Star last weekend, one of two major races along with the provincials that will determine who will get to represent B.C. and Canada at the Rio Tinto Alcan Whistler Cup in April.
So far Emma Swaffield looks to be a shoo-in, winning two gold medals and a silver, and placing fourth in another event to take the overall title for B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan.
"My coaches kept telling me to focus on my skiing instead of the results and I think that is how the results came," said Swaffield. "And it wasn't raining!" she added, alluding to earlier events that have been delayed or cancelled because of the weather.
On the boys K1 side (ages 11 and 12), Kasper Woolley was the top WMSC skier, placing third overall with a bronze in the slalom and a silver medal in the kombi.
There were two of each kind of race, but results were kept separately for each competition. The second Kombi races were cancelled on Sunday because of time issues.
In the first giant slalom on Friday, Laura Swaffield placed first in a field of over 70 racers, finishing a full second faster than the next racer. The other K1 in the top 15 was Gabrielle Smith in 12th.
Swaffield was a DNF in the second race. Gabrielle Smith moved up to ninth.
In the first boys' GS, Finn Iles cracked the podium for the WMSC in third place out over more than 80 racers. He was the only WMSC skier to crack the top 15.
In the second race, Kasper Woolley placed fifth, and Finn Iles was eighth.
In the slalom on Saturday, Laura Swaffield placed second in the first race and fourth in the second. She was the only WMSC skier in the top 15 in either race.
For the boys, Max Krishenblatt led the way in the first race in fifth place, with Finn Iles in ninth. Kasper Woolley was third in the second race, and Finn Iles solid once again in seventh.
That left only the Kombi race, a new format that was created to combine all the elements of different racing styles. At Silver Star, the course was designed like a ski cross, with a few gate sections thrown in.
Swaffield finished on top once again, and was once again the only Whistler skier in the top 15.
For the boys, Kasper Woolley picked up the silver medal. Kyle Alexander was 13th, after starting with Bib 47.
That was a trend for the team. For example, Maggie Tuer started once race with Bib 71, but finished in 23rd. Nicole Tobias finished in 24th in one race after starting 61st.
Pridy just shy of podium at Aspen
A NorAm Cup event at Aspen transitioned into the U.S. Nationals last week, with a downhill competition for men and women on Feb. 16.
On the men's side, Whistler's Conrad Pridy finished the DH in fourth place. Alberta's Dustin Cook took the win, followed by Will Gregorak and Erik Fisher of the U.S.
Also from Whistler, Morgan Pridy placed 10th.
Whistler's Madison McLeish placed 15th in the women's competition. The U.S. Team swept the podium, with Julia Ford in first, Kiley Staples second and Abby Ghent third.
Three NorAm Cup events also remained. In the men's super combined, Morgan and Konrad Pridy were 13th and 20th respectively in the super G portion. Morgan Pridy moved up to eighth after the slalom, while Conrad was a DNF.
In the final super G, Conrad Pridy moved up to fourth place, edging the national team's Jan Hudec by five spots. Morgan Pridy was 25th.
K2 girls sweep Enquist
The Enquist Slalom is one of the longest running alpine races in B.C., turning 75 this year with a K2 (age 13 and 14) competition at Mt. Seymour.
The Whistler Mountain Ski Club was a factor on both days, and swept a few podiums.
In the first women's slalom, WMSC skiers took the top six spots with Mikayla Martin in front by over two seconds, Stefanie Fleckenstein taking the silver medal, Kelly Steeves in third, and Rachel Vander Veen, Caitlin Millham and Esme McTavish placing fourth through sixth. Also in the top 15 were Madison Brainard in eighth, Sabrina Wong in ninth, Siobhan Finan in 10th, Cheyenne Ling in 12th and Emma Swaffield in 15th.
On the boys' side, Sam Kirshenblatt was fourth, Dalton Pehota fifth, Cameron Alexander sixth, Alex Gershon seventh, Cooper Yates 10th, Jeffrey Cadman 11th and Max Peiffer 13th.
The women swept again on day two, with Kelly Steeves in front, followed by Rachel Vander Veen and Elizabeth Kepl. Emma Swaffield was fourth, Cheyenne Ling fifth, Sabrina Wong seventh, Chantal Deane ninth and Cassidy Deane 12th.
Marc Leroux placed third for the WMSC in the men's race, followed by Cameron Alexander in fourth, Alex Gershon in fifth, Sam Kirshenblatt in sixth, Max Peiffer in 10th, Jeffrey Cadman in 11th and Carson Llewellyn in 14th.
Next up for the K2 team is the Teck Under 16 Provincials from Mar. 3 to 6, followed by the K2 Nationals in Ontario from Mar. 21 to 27.
