Snowboarding runs in the Farmer family.
Last weekend, Todd and Margaret Farmer and their daughters Marin, 14, and Heidi, 18, were among 150 competitors in the Dirty Dancer Banked Slalom at Fernie Alpine Resort (FAR).
The Fernie family tore up the course, with Heidi and Marin going head to head in the Pro Female category to place first and fifth respectively.
Margaret also won her category with the fastest Open Female time of 1:10.59 minutes, while Todd placed sixth in Pro Master Male.
Todd and Margaret are keen snowboarders, and their girls have inherited the couple’s love of the sport.
“It’s a great time, I’m glad I don’t have to sit in bleachers or something and watch them play hockey… I get to play as well,” said Todd.
“If you’re not shredding then I don’t know what you’re doing.”
The Farmers weren’t the only family on the Dirty Dancer course in Lizard Bowl.
FAR Events Manager Jeni Pearson said this year’s event attracted a record number of Mini Groms (nine years and under) and Groms (10-14 years).
“We also had a lot of families taking part together this year… because everyone goes down the course one at a time, you can do it at your own pace, so it’s a great event for all ages,” she said.
“Banked slalom events are all about cheering each other on and it’s a great atmosphere with the snowboarding community coming together to hang out and ride with over 100 of your fellow shredders.”
The 2019 Dirty Dancer Banked Slalom was held over two days to allow more entries after last year’s event sold out quickly.
Competitors contended with compacted snow and ice on Saturday before conditions softened on Sunday.
“We had a great crew of volunteers work hard all week to get the course ready,” said Pearson.
“Huge thanks to Morgan from Commit for heading up the dig crew. And a big shout out to the board shops – Boardstiff, Commit and Edge of the World along with Paul, Greg (G-Money) and Adam for all their help to make the event happen.”
The winners of this year’s banked slalom were: Milly Gadd (Grom Female), Kael Lesage-Reid (Grom Male), Jade Anderson (Mini Grom Female), Sunny Simson (Mini Grom Male), Oliver Oxford (Open Youth Male), Heidi Farmer (Pro Female), Steve Corak (Pro Male), Mike T. Wilson (Pro Master Male), Margaret Farmer (Open Female) and Graham Bain (Open Male).
To view the full results, visit Facebook.com/FernieAlpineResort.
On April 6, FAR will host the Griz Kids Winter Carnival, which will feature free games and activities for children 12 and under in the plaza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The following weekend marks the end of the winter season at FAR and Fernival. The two-day music event kicks off with the Raging Elk Powder Pedal Paddle relay race on Saturday followed by live music from BCDC and The Runs.
On Sunday, a pond will be set up near the Mighty Moose for the Slope Soaker before Five Alarm Funk take the stage.
Visit Skifernie.com for more details.
