Arriving to -30 degree temperatures, freestyle skiers from Mount Washington prepared to compete in the BC Timber Tour last weekend.
There were seven skiers from the Island (three boys and four girls): Teal Harle from Mount Washington, Layne Anvelt from Parksville, Todd Heard from Duncan, Hannah Benishchek from Victoria, Mei Pond from Nanaimo, Erin Sketchley from Campbell River, and Sofia Tchernetsky from Mount Washington.
Prince George, which hosts the Canadian Winter Games next year, set up three competitions: slopestyle, moguls and big air. Competitors made the long journey via car or plane to put their skiing skills before judges to see how they placed in the events.
The first day in the slopestyle competition Teal and Hanna won a gold by hitting rails and flying off jumps in a stylish fashion. Mei Pond stood on the podium in third, Erin placed fourth with a solid run, Sofia, who is only 11 placed fifth in the older category, Todd finished eighth and Layne finished 11th.
Attempting to follow the Canadian Olympic mogul skiers who won gold and bronze in Sochi this weekend, the Island skiers attacked the course. But it was only Mei and Todd who stood on the podium in the silver and bronze positions. Hannah and Erin finished in fourth in their respective categories, Sofia finished sixth, and Layne earned seventh place. Teal earned a ride down the mountain in an ambulance after a nasty crash.
“I hit hard enough to crack my helmet,” commented Teal. “The ambulance ride was fun, but just precautionary. I will be training again next week.”
The last event was big air, an event where skiers flip and spin and twist off a huge jump. Hannah won a gold medal, Mei won a silver, and Erin narrowly missed the bronze medal and finished fourth. Todd, Layne and Sofia all finished in the top 10.
The next competition is in Silver Star in March, so the skiers will be home for a while, where some will get back to school at the Podium of Life Snow Sports Academy. With the snow on the way, Mount Washington will again be the training ground for these Island skiers.
– Podium of Life Snow Sports Academy
