Whistler's up and coming freeskiers have a special relationship with Red Bull it seems. Last season Kye Petersen placed first in the Red Bull Cold Rush competition at Retallack Lodge, an event that merged big mountain skiing with terrain park skills.
This week Sean Pettit, 17, came close to winning the Red Bull Linecatcher competition at Vars, France, with a similar format - big mountain lines with a few features that allowed for freeride spins and flips. Pettit finished second overall behind hometown hero Candide Thovex, while also winning the "Best Trick" award after landing a corked 360 off one of the bigger cliffs on the mountain.
Whistler skiers top 10 at Revelstoke
The Canadian Freeskiing Championships took place in Revelstoke last week with organizers going the extra mile on the final day with a heli-drop contest on an unskied slope on Mt. Mackenzie.
American skiers swept the women's event with Jess McMillan of Jackson Hole scoring 70.8, followed by Jacqui Edgerly of Jackson Hole with a 69.2 and Angle Collinson of Snowbird with a 67.63. There were no Whistler skiers competing in the final.
It was a different story on the men's side. Arne Backstrom of Lake Tahoe won the men's contest with an 81.9, followed by Julien Lopez of La Pagne, France with a 74.1 and Luke Nelson of Fernie with 73.2.
Two Whistler skiers were in the top 10 with Ryan Sullivan placing sixth overall with a 70 and Alex Blais just 0.17 points back in seventh. Christian Boucher was 20 th .
Parsons K2 Super G this weekend
One of the longest running ski races in Whistler is the annual Bob Parsons Memorial Speed Series. This is the 30 th anniversary of the Memorial Race, hosted by the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, which itself was a continuation of a youth downhill race series created by Parsons in 1969 - 41 seasons ago.
The goal of the 2010 event is the same as past year, to give young racers a safe and early opportunity to compete in speed events that typically aren't available for Canadian athletes until they are older. Parsons recognized that this kind of race was essential to compete with European racing programs where speed events are introduced much earlier in a skiers' development.
It's a huge undertaking. Compared to most ski races where the only equipment needed are gates and timing gear, the Parsons Memorial course requires more intensive grooming and slipping, jumps and safety netting.
Parsons died in 1979, and in his honour the 1980 event was named after him.
The 2010 event takes place from Jan. 14 to 17 on Whistler Mountain, with training on Thursday and Friday and K2 (age 13 and 14) and J1 (age 15 and 16) skiers getting three runs over two days. Awards are presented at 4 p.m. at the World Cup Plaza in Creekside on Saturday and Sunday with medals for the top three K2 skiers and the top three overall (J1s included). The top male and female after two days of racing are also recognized.
Saturday night showdown at King of the Rail
The second of two King of the Rail rail jam events is set to take place Saturday, Jan. 16 under the lights at the base of Blackcomb Mountain.
This jibbing contest is open to skiers and boarders of all ages, getting underway at 6 p.m. and wrapping up at 7:30 p.m. after sessioning the rails and boxes in an open jam format.
Registration runs from 5 p.m. to the start of the event at the base of the Magic Chair, and is available for $15. The top skiers and riders in each category can win a cash prize based on the number of entries in that group and all participants are eligible to win draw prizes from event sponsors.
What makes the King of the Rail series unique is that the athletes themselves cast votes for the top rider, with judges overseeing the voting to keep it honest.
Helmets are required, mouthguards are recommended. Shin pads aren't a bad idea either.
Park Rider Sessions slopestyle on Sunday
The second slopestyle event of the Park Rider Sessions, presented by Telus, calendar will take place on Whistler Mountain Sunday, Jan. 17. While the first event took part in the highest level terrain park on Blackcomb, this is a friendlier contest in the Habitat Terrain Park of Whistler on some smaller but fun features.
Early registration is available for $26 from Whistler Blackcomb Guest Relations desks, and day of event registration is $30 at the Roundhouse Lodge until 9:45 a.m.
Helmets are mandatory, mouthguards recommended, and all skiers and riders taking part are eligible to win draw prizes.
Test of Metal breaks record for registration
The 2010 Test of Metal smashed the previous record of 48 minutes to sell out 800 remaining spots in the 67 km mountain bike epic on Jan. 1, selling out all 800 spaces for the 15 th edition of the race in less than 25 minutes.
"I'm amazed every year at how quickly this thing sells out," said race director Cliff Miller," and every year we seem to get entries from farther afield. This year we've got 64 riders coming from out of country."
All told, riders registered from six different provinces, five U.S. States and five countries. Around 200 riders are from outside Sea to Sky and the Lower Mainland.
As well as 800 riders, the race also has a core of 300 volunteers at the start, finish, feed stations and trailheads, which have been credited with making the race so enjoyable and popular.
"To be frank, without the volunteers and the people of Squamish lining the course this would just be a bike race," said Miller. "It's the town that makes it the event that it's become. They're the ones who ensure this sells out so quickly."
The 2010 race takes place on June 19, and will be surrounded by other events as part of the now annual Squamish Mountain Bike Festival. Other events include the Pre-Test Festival in downtown with a lot of fun events for families, the kids mini Test on Sunday and the Rock Start Invitational Downhill on Sunday.
The course for the Test should be the same as previous years, although there is always a chance that more singletrack can be added if it replaces any road or doubletrack sections.
Long track speed skating team named
Speed skaters have been some of Canada's top medal earners in past Winter Games and the country is expecting great things at home in a month when the Olympics get underway. In fact, speed skaters are crucial to Canada's Own The Podium goal of placing first among nations in total medals.
This week Speed Skating Canada named 16 athletes who will represent Canada in the Long Track events.
The women's team will be led by Olympic veterans and medalists Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen - Canada's most decorated Olympian of all time, but not quite in race form this year after getting surgery on both knees in 2009. Also back are Kristina Groves and Christine Nesbitt, who are leading the World Cup rankings this year in the 1,500 metre and 1,000 metre events respectively. Shannon Rempel will be competing in her second Winter Games, while Brittany Schussler, Anastasia Bucsis and Tamara Oudenaarden will wear the red and white for the first time.
Denny Morrison will lead the men's team, although most of the attention will go to three time Olympian Jeremy Wotherspoon who has also battled injuries lately. Also racing are Kyle Parrott, Jamie Gregg, Mike Ireland and Francois-Olivier Roberge.
