Kicking Horse Mountain Resort played host to the Canadian National Downhill championships this past weekend, July 22 to 25.
More than 300 athletes converged on Golden for the event, which was a part of the Dunbar summer series that saw stops at other Kootenay mountain resorts such as Fernie Alpine Resort and Panorama.
Ten local athletes from Golden made appearances on the course, with several making top five apperances.
John Nihsner, a Golden local representing the Derailed team, claimed silver in the Master Men 55+ category, finishing with a time of 4:58.55.
In the U17 Men’s event (ages 15-16), four athletes showed up on the rankings, with Cody Wharton squeaking into the top 10 out of 33 with a tenth place finish and a time of 4:34.52.
Craig Finnegan finished closely behind in 12th, with a time of 4:36.62.
Owen McLennan finished in 18th with a time of 4:49.89, while representing Gravity Driven.
Tabias Frisky finished in 18th with a time of 5:22.73.
In the Sport/Expert Elite Men category for those aged 19-34, Yannik Schulz finished in 17th with a time of 4:42.78 and Tom Scheid finished in 24th with a time 4:51.76 with the derailed team. David Bibeau also had a strong showing in 27th, with a time of 4:58.16. There were 48 competitors in the category.
In the Open Women 15+ event, Galou Minisini finished just off the podium in fourth, with a time of 7:11.43.
It’s the first time that the national championships were held at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. (Matt Clifford photo)
