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Locals on top in Crossmax

Cline first, McIvor third in pro category The Saab Salomon Crossmax Series wrapped up in Whistler last week as part of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival. As with all the other events, the weather wasn’t perfect.

Cline first, McIvor third in pro category

The Saab Salomon Crossmax Series wrapped up in Whistler last week as part of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.

As with all the other events, the weather wasn’t perfect. Over the course of the day, the competitors raced through periods of snow, fog, high winds, and flat light, punctuated by a few clear patches towards the end of the day. For most of the racers it was one gate at a time, and pay close attention to the squiggly lines of food colouring lining the course.

Given these challenges, you have to hand it to the racers for pushing themselves and one another as fast as they could go – although the more than $30,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs probably helped as well.

Some 124 pro and amateur athletes took part in this event, with 76 competing in the age categories.

The course was significantly longer than most of the athletes were used to and a lot more difficult as well, with huge rollers, jumps, cork screws, double pumps and offsets thrown in to keep things interesting.

The pro women’s category was particularly awesome for Whistler and Canada, with Aleisha Cline of Squamish and the Whistler Freeride Team taking first place, and Whistler’s Ashleigh McIvor finishing third. Second place went to Anik Demers of Lac-Beauport, Quebec.

With the win, Cline, 32, successfully defended her Saab Salomon Crossmax title, as well as her win in the X-Games this year.

"The competition was awesome," she said. "This is one of the races I’m most excited about."

Eric Kalacis, the event director had nothing but praise for Cline.

"Cline just keeps on winning skiercross events and is virtually unstoppable."

McIvor, who is just 19 and in her first year racing skiercross, gave it her best shot anyway and almost took the title herself.

"I had beaten Aleisha in the time trials and in the semi-finals, and was right up with her in the finals," she said. "We were even coming into a tight corner, we collided, and she got up quicker than I could. By the time I got to my feet, (Demers) passed me, and I was basically out of it. I was really trying to win."

McIvor says the course favoured her style of skiing. A serious prospect for the national ski team at one point, McIvor says the technical course was to her advantage.

"I go pretty smoothly into the turns. Aleisha has a better start, but I was able to pass her around the turns in the semi-finals.

"If I had more experience, I probably would have hung back and wouldn’t have tried to pass Aleisha, but waited until the next straight section."

It’s been an incredible season for McIvor. After winning her first pro race, an X-Games qualifier at Lake Tahoe, McIvor went on to finish second at the U.S. Freeskiing Open, and win the consolation final at the X-Games with the aid of a Whistler fundraiser. She has also competed in a pair of Crossmax events in Alberta, which made the Crossmax finals in Whistler only her fifth contest.

Now she is on the Salomon factory team with Cline, and will be competing in skiercross events around the world next season.

"I’ve gotten right into it – I’ve only had about six days at home since February," McIvor says.

She is already one of the top athletes in the sport, and will spend the summer in the gym, and cross training on her mountain bike and on the water to get in shape for next season.

In the pro men’s contest, the winner was former Canadian national team skier Stanley Hayer, now representing the Czech Republic. Hayer is a former Olympic alpine skier who was competing in his first ever skiercross event. He edged out a group of skiercross veterans, including Crossmax leader and hands-down favourite Lars Lewen of Sweden.

Lewen finished in second place, and third went to Ryan McCullough of Crested Butte, Montana.

Lewen, who won at the X-Games this year, still maintained his lead in the standings and went on to take the Saab Salomon Crossmax International Series title.

All of the categories featured a number of local skiers, including a number of racers with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club in the 14 to 17 and 13 and Under age categories.

Pro men

1. Stan Hayer

2. Lars Lewen

3. Ryan McCullough

Amateur adult men

1. Nickolai Skriabin

2. Matt Melton

3. Sead Causevic

Youth men

1. Cory Zila

2. Nils Bottler

3. Jerry McArthur

Junior men

1. Philip Hudec

2. Ben Maclean

3. Dane Tudor-Olds

Pro women

1. Aleisha Cline

2. Anik Demers

3. Ashleigh McIvor

Amateur adult women

1. Kasie stroshin

2. Jen nychuk

3. Crystal Rose-Lee

Youth women

1. Mikaela Wilmot

2. Nicole Lawton

3. Morgan Mcdonald

Junior women

1. Madi Mcleish

2. Toria Whitney

3. Brynne Benbow