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Sports Briefs

Yeti sighted in Whistler

The Yeti Snowshoe Series comes to Whistler this Saturday, Feb. 11, with athletes attacking a snowshoe racing course around the Lost Lake trails.

The start and finish are at the Lost Lake Warming Hut, and the course is about 5 km long from start to finish with sections of Tin Pants, Donkey Puncher and Molly Hogan Trails. There will be a recreational category (one lap) and competitive categories (two laps) available, with the race getting underway at 10 a.m.

According to local adventure racer Jen Segger, who is coaching snowshow running clinics at Seymour and is a member of Team Yeti, you don’t necessarily need to know how to snowshoe to take part.

"We get a few people who have never been on snowshoes every race, and they have a blast," she said. "It’s definitely all about fun. There will be some people out there competing, but we get all kinds of people, some who run, some who walk. It’s a chance to get out there and enjoy a new sport."

The conditions are hard packed, and Segger is expecting a fast course.

"It’s not too hilly, and there’s lots of room to pass… so I think we’re going to see some fast times," she said.

If you can run a 10 km on the trails, you can do a 10 km Yeti, although she warns newcomers that they will probably be feeling it by the end, especially if there is any new snow.

"It’s such a good workout, your quads and calves are going to be burning by the end, which is why it’s such great cross-training for the winter," she said.

The pre-registration period closes tonight (Feb. 9) at midnight at www.theyeti.ca, but event day registration is available in the Cross Country Parking Lot (Lot 4) from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. There will be a shuttle from the parking lot to the start/finish area at Lost Lake.

The cost is $35 by the end of the pre-registration period and $45 on the day of the event. Snowshoe rentals are also available.

Following the race there will be refreshments and an awards presentation at 12:30 p.m. at the Whistler Brew House.

The Whistler Yeti is the second event of the series, with additional events at Mount Seymour on Feb. 25 and a series final at Cypress on March 11. There will also be a snowshoe ascent race from Deep Cove to Pump Peak on Mount Seymour on April 9. For more information visit www.theyeti.ca.

Whistler skiers top Freeskiing Championships

With a crowd of over 1,000 people looking on, almost 50 of the top big mountain skiers in the world converged on Snowbird, Utah for the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Championships last week.

Whistler’s Laura Ogden won the women’s event ahead of Lynn Kennen of Alpine Meadows, Calfornia and local skier Libby Bittner.

Whistler’s Christian Boucher also had the lead going into the final day, but exploded after taking the most aggressive cliff line of the day. Local Nick Greener took the win, but gave props to Boucher.

"I’m really bummed that Christian fell," he said. "I wanted him to win. But of course, victory at my home mountain is incredible. I just skied how I always do here. Snowbird is an amazing training ground."

Adrien Coirier of Les Arcs, France took second place, followed by countryman Guerlain Chicherit of Tignes, France.

While Boucher didn’t podium, he did come away with the Sick Bird award for being the skier who pushed the boundaries the most.

Hellevang, Van Loon, Routley, Kindree receive grants

The Chance For Kids Society of Pemberton is contributing $16,000 to four local athletes, using funds raised at the first Chance For Kids Golf Tournament. The goal it to help athletes focus on their Olympic goals.

Some 14 athletes applied for the grant, and a committee decided the recipients based on their goals and objectives, past Olympic achievements, current rankings, community contribution, and their explanation of how they would use the grant money.

The four recipients, receiving $4,000 each, are:

• Pemberton’s Heather Hellevang, 20, a local paddler who is looking to make top-three in the national team time trials this summer, and be on the national team in London for 2012. Her best result is an eighth in the 2005 national team time trials.

• Pemberton’s Sydney Van Loon, 17, a cross-country skiing competitor who hopes to compete at the junior world championships this year. Her goal is to be on the national team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Her best finish is a 14 th in the nationals in the Classic Spring category.

• Whistler’s Will Routley, 22, is a former elite mountain biker who switched to road a few years ago, and is currently racing with Team Symmetrics. His short-term goal is to be a national champion, and he has his eye on future Olympics. To date his best result was in the Tour de Beauce, an international event in Quebec where he was named the best young rider.

• Squamish’s Neal Kindree, 18, is already considered to be one of the top mountain bikers in Canada, and placed eighth in the world at the last mountain bike world championships. His short-term goal is to win the national title this year, and his long-term goal is to medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Chance For Kids plan to offer grants through the next three years. The organization has another golf tournament and fundraiser planned for May. They will also receive funds from the Spirit of B.C. Pemberton Committee from the Winterfest Snowdown this weekend.