Jackson Bathgate transitioned nicely from junior to the Freeride World Qualifier.
In the Canadian Open Freeride Championships at Red Mountain Resort on Jan. 23 and 24, the 19-year-old former junior world champion scored the victory.
Bathgate praised the conditions near Rossland.
"It was like a pow day every day we were there. On the finals day, there were 40 centimetres of fresh snow," Bathgate said. "A couple of the Whistler boys came out for it, so it was like skiing around with your buddies, having a good time."
Bathgate used the snow to great effect, especially considering the competition was one where skiers needed to score points in each section of the course. He said while he was bested in the first two zones, it was his overall consistency that helped him earn the win over Mitchell Long and Tyler Curie.
"It's split judging, so you had to do stuff in every section. Otherwise, you wouldn't score that well," he explained. "That's what happened to Mitchell — he had me beat in the two top sections but then in the bottom section, he didn't do anything.
"You have to pick little things that you can link up, hit three or four smaller features instead of one big feature."
Bathgate adds the win in this two-star event to a 10th-place finish in a four-star event in Revelstoke about a month ago. His twin brother, Cooper, placed fourth in that event while West Vancouver's Tom Peiffer, a Whistler Freeride Club alumnus, scored the win. Bathgate will continue his season on the Freeride World Qualifier, focusing on four-star events, with an eye toward gaining enough points to crack the Freeride World Tour.
Bergermann hits first World Cup podium
Whistler resident Zoe Bergermann snagged her first individual FIS Snowboard-cross World Cup medal in Feldberg, Germany, on Feb. 3.
Bergermann, 23, placed second to only Italian Michela Moioli and edged out France's Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau for the silver.
On the men's side, Canadian Kevin Hill was just off the podium in fourth.
In a second race on Feb. 4, Bergermann took seventh while Carle Brenneman was the top Canadian in sixth. The best Canuck on the men's side was Baptiste Brochu in eighth.
Bergermann has won two World Cup medals this season in the team event with Meryeta O'Dine.
The medal comes at a great time for Bergermann, who recently earned her nomination to the Canadian Olympic Team. The Feldberg event was the final tune-up before the Games begin in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Alexander strong at Junior Worlds
Whistler Mountain Ski Club alumnus Cameron Alexander has put up a strong showing for Canada at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Davos, Switzerland.
In three races so far, Alexander has hit the top 20 in all three with a highest placement of fifth in the super-G on Feb. 2, placing 0.39 seconds off the podium and 1.30 seconds back of winner Marco Odermatt of Switzerland.
Alexander also took 13th in the Alpine combined on Feb. 4 and 17th in the downhill on Jan. 31.
Riley Seger, meanwhile, finished only one of the four races he's challenged to this point, taking 20th in the downhill.
On the women's side, Stefanie Fleckenstein rebounded after some early struggles where she didn't finish her first two races. However, Fleckenstein posted an 18th-place finish in the super-G and 16th in the Alpine combined.
In the team event, the Canadians failed to defend their gold medal from 2017, placing seventh in the eight-team challenge.
WMSC alums shine at Kimberley
Former Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) and current B.C. Ski Team racers posted some strong results at Kimberley Alpine Resort last week.
In the Feb. 2 super-G, Ella Renzoni and Julia Ross took seventh and ninth, respectively, on the women's side while on the men's side, Kyle Alexander snagged a podium appearance in third, with Max Kirshenblatt, Asher Jordan and Myles Kowalczyk taking seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.
In the Feb. 1 downhill, Gigi Kranjc hit the podium with a second-place finish on the women's side while Alexander and Kirshenblatt were just off the podium in fourth and fifth, while Alexander Valentin and Jordan were seventh and eighth.
In that evening's night slalom, Jordan earned some hardware with a second-place showing while Kirshenblatt (fourth), Valentin (seventh) and Kowalczyk (ninth) also hit the top 10.
In the Jan. 31 downhill, Canadian NextGen racer Mikayla Martin took second in the women's race while Renzoni snagged sixth. As for the men, Alexander and Kirshenblatt finished fifth and sixth.
Complete results are online at www.bcalpine.com.
WSL offering sweetheart specials
What says "I love you" better than hurtling down an icy track?
If your darling desires some high-speed fun, the Whistler Sliding Centre is offering some deep discounts on Feb. 13 and 14.
Those wanting to try luge can do so from 5 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 13 for $20 per person. Participants eight and older will start from corner 13.
Skeleton will be offered on Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon for $50 a person. Those taking part will cover the final third of the track from Maple Leaf start.
Bobsleigh will run from noon to 3 p.m. with participants doing a track walk before taking two runs in a two-man sleigh, once as a driver and once as a brakeman starting from corner 7. The cost is $50 a person.
Those looking for more information or to register can call 604-964-0040 or visit www.whistlersportlegacies.com/valentinesdayspecial.
