Feb 9^th and 10^th, 2013 – Grouse Mountain, Vancouver BC – The fog rolled in, and the fog rolled out.  But no matter – once again, the Mount Washington Ski Club demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to ski racing. The U12 Ski Team outshone their competitors from Whistler, Grouse, Seymour and Cypress at the Annual Tyee Cup held at Grouse Mountain on Feb 9^th and 10^th.  The Mount Washington Ski Club athletes train in adverse conditions, deep, steep powder and must travel extensively to compete.  Their resilience and tenacity showed itself on the race course and then on the podium.

A personal best for Ava Langevin of the Comox Valley was a highlight with two 6^th place finishes in Slalom Gates and the GS.  For the other U12 women, it was Sylvi Nymann of Campbell River who stole the show securing two podium spots -Silver in the Slalom Gates event and a Bronze in the Stubby Slalom as well as two additional top 10 finishes.  Right on the heels of Sylvi Nymann was Emilie Johnston of the Comox Valley winning bronze in the Giant Slalom, two 4^th place finishes in the Slalom events and a 5^th in the Kombi.

For the men, it was Kieran Nilsen of the Comox Valley who rose to the podium – not once but three times with two silver medals in the Slalom Gates and Giant Slalom, a Bronze in the Slalom Stubbies and a 6^th in the Kombi placing Kieran in 2^nd place overall for the Tyee Cup in a very competitive field of over 60 male athletes.

Adding to excitement was the performance of the entire Mount Washington Ski Team with athletes in both the Men’s and Women’s category placing in the top 20.  Of note were some remarkable performances from Luke Hoeffer of Nanaimo who blew out of the course and had a spectacular crash in the Giant Slalom, only to carry on and secure two top 10 finishes in the Slalom Stubbies and the Kombi.

Eric Luchies and Kieran Harley of Victoria rounded out the team’s results by securing top 10 finishes in Giant Slalom.  Chris Raduy of Qualicum Beach showed his tenacity with 11^th, 12^th, 15^th and 16^th places – consistently maintaining his position in the top 20.

Whistler Mountain Ski Club played host to the Super G/speed portion of the U16 Provincial Alpine skiing championships this weekend and the Mt Washington ski club athletes were up to speed.

The race hill was very steep, the courses were challenging and fast and it was gut wrenchingly icy.  Add to that, the competitive field was tough…very tough.  All but one of the Mt. Washington racing are in their first year of the U16 category and they had some impressive results!

The Super G Event is the next best thing to the downhill event and these athletes came barreling down the mountain at speeds in excess of 90km. The team loved the speed and the airtime of the double jump about half way down the course.  Kole Harle of Campbell River had another strong showing placing in the top 20 in each of his three SG races and top 5 for his age in the Province.  Keegan McCooey of Cumberland also had two incredible top 25 finishes, top 8 for her age in the Province.

Another highlight of the weekend was the skier cross.  Athletes were grouped into teams and Kole Harle of Campbell River led his team to a silver place and Liam Gilchrist of Nanaimo led his team to a third place bronze.

Cole Anderson, Maja Nymann and Logan Frame of Campbell River also had solid results at this Provincial championship, results that have qualified them to attend the CanAm Western Canadian/USA Championships to be held in Panorama resort next weekend.

It was a Bluebird weekend on Mount Washington with the Mount Washington Ski Club and the Disabled Skiers Association of BC partnering to bring a high level of competition to their respective athletes.  The snow on Whiskey Jack was that perfect blend of just tough enough to withstand the ruts that build up and yet soft enough for it to not resemble a sheet of ice!

Local Mount Washington disabled athlete Melissa Pemble swept the Podium with two gold medal finishes in GS on Saturday.  Melissa has been attending the Podium of Life School on Mount Washington this winter and spending her training time with the Mount Washington Ski Club. This young U12 athlete shows incredible promise as a successful racer pushing to compete with the able bodied athletes and she is a force to be reckoned with given that she is very new to downhill skiing.

Also on the podium for the weekend in the able bodied category was a double gold medal sweep in GS and Slalom for Comox’s Kieran Nilsen (U12), Campbell River athlete Kole Harle (U16) and Cumberland’s own Keegan McCooey (U16).  Comox’s Ava Langevin secured a place on the podium with Gold in GS and Silver in Slalom while Comox’s Emilie Johnston came away with Gold in Slalom and Silver and GS.  Of note is Hailey Nelson of Courtenay with a bronze medal win in GS on Saturday too.  Kieran Harley of Victoria placed 2^nd with Silver in GS and bronze in Slalom.  Liam Gilchrist of Nanaimo showed his expertise with his silver GS win and his Bronze Slalom win.   In the U14 category, Zarija Djurickovic of Victoria pulled off a masterful Slalom run for a gold medal with a silver medal to add to the gold in GS from the previous day while Campbell River’s own Jared  Perras left nothing to chance winning gold in GS.

The DSABC, the Mount Washington Ski Club (MWSC), the Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports (VISAS) and their many volunteers made the two day event a success from start to finish as the two athlete groups had the opportunity to race together and learn from each other

The Mt. Washington Ski Club focuses on building youth one turn at a time.  The club provides a family oriented environment in which members make friends, develop a passion for Alpine Skiing and Alpine Ski Racing, and achieve excellence in a sportsmanlike culture.

EXPERIENCE THE PODIUM RACE INFORMATION

Once again, the Experience the Podium race that will be held on Feb. 23 and 24.  This event is open to all U10 and U12 racers in the Mount Washington Ski Club.

Don’t forget YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR THIS RACE. If your child isn’t entered, we will presume he/she will not be participating. You can sign up your child via the race link on the left of the blog (please ensure you click on the Podium race, not the Grouse race) or you can sign up via paper in the club cabin – paper sign up is locate on the kitchen bulletin board.  The blog address is http://mwscu10u12.blogspot.ca/

We always need several volunteers to make this event a success.  Please see the sign up sheet in the club cabin.

Club Photo Albums are now available for viewing on facebook.  Direct link to our facebook page from our website homepage.

Mount Washington, BC Canada: The Mount Washington Ski Club (MWSC) and the Disabled Skiers Association of BC (DSABC) are pleased to announce that they are co-hosting a shared Ski Race on Feb 2 and 3 at Mount Washington, BC. Competitors will travel from Prince George, Vernon, Vancouver and Whistler and over 30 athletes will participate in both Men’s and Women’s Races along with U12, U14 and U16 athletes from the Mount Washington Ski Club. Additionally, DSABC will have two BC Para Alpine Ski Team Skiers and the Head Coach participating in the event!

Races will be held on Whiskey Jack at Mount Washington off the Whiskey Jack Chair. The race schedule is:

Saturday, February 2nd – Men’s and Women’s Giant Slalom
Sunday, February 3rd – Men’s and Women’s Slalom

This year is the 40th anniversary of DSABC and the 30th year of operation for the MWSC. DSABC inspires a passion for participation in adaptive snow sports for all and facilitates the development of adaptive snow sports from grassroots to high performance throughout BC. The MWSC provides a family oriented environment in which members make friends, develop a passion for Alpine Skiing and Alpine Ski Racing, and achieve excellence in a sportsmanlike culture.
Press and Media are WELCOME to the event, please contact us to arrange press ski passes and chaperones

The “little ski club that could”, otherwise known as the Hemlock Ski Club, showed that with a little cooperation from Mother Nature, a whole crew of super-keen, hardworking volunteers, and a lot of support from their home mountain (The Hemlock Valley Resort) they can successfully play host to their fellow coast zone ski clubs at a three-day, three-discipline race event. Mount Washington Ski Club U14 Athletes Zaria Djurickovic and Jared Perras attended with their Coach, Krystal Francisty.  Under sunny skies on Friday Jan  18^th Jared Perras placed an impressive 20^th in the GS Race.  On day 2 the Slalom event showed steep competition yet MWSC athletes shone with Zaria Djurickovic  placing 28^th and 30^th in the two separate races and Jared Perras placing a consistent 24^th in the field of 54 male athletes.