Two Whistler Mountain Ski Club alumni had a mixed bag of result at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships at Val di Fassa, Italy from Feb. 20 to 26.
Kyle Alexander had the best result of the two, earning a 16th-place finish in the downhill on Feb. 20, 1.54 seconds back of winner Lars Roesti of Switzerland. Alexander, 19, also took a 29th in the super-G but did not finish his other three events.
"It went pretty well. The downhill was probably the highlight of it all," he said. "I just skied well and executed my plan. It wasn't much more than that. I had a couple little mistakes here and there but it was fine.
"The super-G didn't go as well as I would have liked, and I obviously didn't finish the tech races."
Alexander explained he enjoyed the course nestled in northern Italy.
"The snow was awesome and it's a pretty cool track. There's a good amount of terrain and the speed of the track is good," he said.
Asher Jordan, meanwhile, completed all races except for the slalom, posting a 35th in the alpine combined, 37th in the super-G, 42nd in the giant slalom, and 47th in the downhill.
"It was pretty positive for the most part," he said. "It was a great experience to go over there. I'd raced over there a couple times before so I know the competition, how hard it is and just how deep the fields are out there."
Jordan, 19, was particularly proud of his performance in the super-G, as he skied the way he envisioned.
"I was feeling way more aggressive throughout the course. I was feeling really confident with the snow, the hill, to just go for it," he said.
Jordan agreed with his teammate that skiing Val di Fassa was a dream.
"You couldn't ask for better conditions. The snow was hard, beautifully sunny, warm," he said. "The best conditions you could have for ski racing."
With some of his compatriots at Junior Worlds already finding some success at higher levels, Jordan made sure to watch closely for anything he could take home with him. Ultimately, he noticed a higher gear from the European athletes.
"It's that extra level of drive. We have it in North America but it's just so much more over there," he said. "It's really cool to see a bunch of guys my age compete at the World Cup level and be successful."
Though the season is winding down, both athletes have a couple of major events still on tap with NorAm finals starting next week and nationals in Quebec to wrap up. Jordan feels he can wrap his campaign on a high note.
"Confidence is a big thing. I know I can do it," he said. "All the skiing is there and I'm confident going into these last couple races."
