Several free ski athletes from the Silver Star Freestyle Club and Vernon Ski Club Free Ski programs have hit recent free ski circuit competitions in the Kootenays.
Coldstream’s Jackson Stewart, 19, was seventh in the Canadian Open Freeride Championships at Red Mountain in Rossland in a field of 51 males aged 18-plus. This event was also a collegiate comp with Jackson being the sole member of the UBCO Heat.
Skiers are judged on line difficulty, control, technique, fluidity, and style/energy. The competition run, Links Line, is steep, long and full of rocks and cliffs that challenges athletes to take a difficult line, go big (getting lots of air) but also to remain in control with good technical skiing.
“Any type of slight loss of control costs major points against your overall score,” said free ski manager Sally Stewart.
A few days earlier, Jacob and Owen Tooke also competed on this run in the Canadian Open Junior Freeride showdown. Owen just missed finals, and after a great third in the qualifying run, Jacob dropped to 11th in finals due to some control issues.
The team later entered the IFSA Regional Junior Free Ski comp at Whitewater in Nelson with Silver Star Freestyle Big Mountain team’s Jessica Brown, Liam Bush, Jacob and Owen Tooke, Sam and Ben Rampado, Declan Stevenson, and Ethan Clancy putting down some strong placing qualifying runs.
Jessica Brown, 17, qualified first in the girls 15-18 category. She was third in the finals. Megan Loland placed ninth and Jacob Tooke was 14th.
Many younger Silver Star Freestyle team skiers also attended. In the girls 7-11 division, 11-year old Melody Fagerland (second) and seven-year old Chloe Bicknell (third) cracked the podium, while Ella Garrod was fourth and Bobbi Wooden fifth.
For the boys 7-11, Mason Swanson was sixth, Drew Christensen seventh, Nixon Swanson eighth and Kyle Bush ninth. Talia Brown finished fifth in the girls 12-14, while Sam Rampado was seventh in the 12–14 yr old group.
Mckenna Christensen, Sawyer Lehr, Lucas Ball, Max Ball, Everett Brown, Caleb Johnson, Alex Sewell and Zack Loland all did well in qualifiers.
“Free skiing is certainly gaining popularity as it is incredibly fun and the overall vibes at the events are really enjoyable,” said Stewart. “Silver Star Freestyle Big Mountain skiers are off to events at Kicking Horse, Lake Louise and Revelstoke in the near future.”