A quartet of Olympics medalists will receive a hero’s welcome this week as Apex Mountain Resort hosts the Canadian moguls championships.
Alex Bilodeau, Mikael Kingsbury, and Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe will be among more than 100 elite moguls skiers who will compete at nationals March 27 to 30.
The event at Apex kicks off with training runs on Thursday and Friday, single moguls on Saturday, and the exciting head to head action of dual moguls on Sunday.
Single moguls (Olympic discipline) involves speed, turns and air. Any skier who has had to negotiate bumps, or moguls, at some point knows how challenging they can be. The incredible skill, athleticism and courage of the world’s top mogul skiers makes it look easy, as they race straight down the fall line at lightning speeds. The top skiers are covering as many as four moguls per second.
In dual moguls (world championship discipline) competitions, skiers race head-to head in knock out rounds. The added adrenaline of racing side-by-side means skiers often push themselves beyond their limits, resulting in either spectacular crashes or some of the most awesome bump skiing you will ever see.
Among past and present Okanagan athletes who have qualified to compete are:
• Women
Andi Naude—Penticton, Apex Alumni, Canadian national team, currently ranked 7th in the world
Mason Barzilay—West Kelowna, Apex Alumni, BC team
Kassidy Todd—Keremeos, Apex, BC Development team
Mackenzie Schwinghamer—West Kelowna,Apex, BC Development team
• Men
Josh Kober—Penticton, Apex Alumni, Canadian Sports Institute
Jordan Kober—Penticton, Apex Alumni, Canadian Sports Institute
Connor Spence—Penticton, Apex Alumni, BC team
Kolten Phipps—Penticton, Apex
Brayden Kuroda—Penticton, Apex
Hayden Pearson—Vernon, Silver Star
Admission to the event is free. Apex Resort is a 30-minute drive from Penticton.
