The Whistler Blackcomb Freestyle Ski Club (WBFSC) defended its home turf at the Timber Tour and Super Youth Championship stop on Blackcomb Mountain last weekend.
And the club is hoping there will be some extra turf to defend in the future.
In addition to winning 32 Timber Tour medals and 31 Super Youth medals, the club also used the weekend to promote its National Freestyle Training Centre project. The project would install a world-class moguls course and a permanent airbag training area on Blackcomb Mountain's Catskinner run.
With great facilities in the region for many other skiing disciplines, it would be a welcome addition for athletes in the area, said WBFSC head coach Jeff Fairbairn, noting it would bring Whistler equal with the country's other top resorts.
"Having that facility available to our athletes, having that run to train would save us a lot of time and money from having to travel around to other larger courses like Apex or back east (Val Saint-Come, Que.)," he said. "This gives us more access to more training that's more suited to the level of skiing. What we have right now works for the younger kids, but now we're in a position where my competitive older skiers are getting better and better, and getting better quick."
The club has secured $300,000 from the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation for the project and is looking at matching that to begin Phase 1 of construction in June. Phases 2 and 3 will require $325,000 for grading of the airbag site, additional equipment and installing snowmaking capabilities.
On the existing courses this weekend, Fairbairn said it was a strong three days of competition all around.
"The mountain really came together, helped out the course, but more importantly the athletes performed like rock stars," he said.
The Timber Tour event kicked off with moguls on Feb. 3. Medallists were: Maya Mikkelsen and Chase Capicik (first and third in U14 girls); Ava Dunham, Jessica Linton and Raine Haziza (first, second and third in U16 girls); Oscar van Dongen (second in U14 boys); and Kevin Leslie and Owen Ternoway (first and second in U18 boys).
In the next day's slopestyle event, local podium finishers were: Capicik (third in U14 girls); Josephine Howell, Linton and Haziza (first, second and third in U16 girls); Mina Itaba and Sienna Hamilton (first and second in U30 women); Hugh Saint Jacques and Steven Kahnert (second and third in U14 boys); Kai Smart and Ben Lynch (first and second in U16 boys); and Chase Ujejski (first in U18 boys).
The weekend concluded with the big air, as WBFSC medallists included: Capicik and Malica Malherbe (first and third in U14 girls); Howell, Skye Clarke and Linton (first, second and third in U16 girls); Itaba and Hamilton (first and second in U30 women); Kai Martin (third in U14 boys); Smart, Julien Chartrand and Lynch (first, second and third in U16 boys); Ujejski and Ternoway (first and second in U18 boys).
As for the Super Youth event, slopestyle medallists were: Linda Madi and Lauren Kelley (first and second in U10 girls); Leda Walker and Emily Howell (first and second in U12 girls); Emmet Guy (first in U8 boys); Floyd Guy and Luca Booth (first and second in U10 boys); and Landon Owen-Mold (first in U12 boys).
In moguls, medallists were: Kelley and Madi (first and third in U10 girls); Walker, Howell and Jayden Rainnie (first, second and third in U12 girls); Guy (first in U8 boys); Armaan Asrar Haghighi and Booth (first and third in U10 boys); Owen-Mold, Hugo Mason and Byron Jackson (first, second and third in U12 boys); and Daniel Gannon and Owen Scarth (first and second in U14 boys).
Lastly, in big air, champions were: Madi and Kelley (first and second in U10 girls); Howell and Walker (first and second in U12 girls); Guy (first in U8 boys); Asrar Haghighi (third in U10 boys); Matthaeus Heslop (second in U12 boys); and Scarth, Kenzo Okazaji and Gannon (first, second and third in U14 boys).
Full results are available at www.freestylebc.ski.
