There will be a lot of local and regional representation on the Canadian skicross team as athletes have begun to get their racing seasons underway.
Cranbrook-based skicross racers India Sherret and Zoe Chore began their World Cup tour with an event at Val Thorens in France on Friday Dec. 6.
Sherret, who represented Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, landed on the podium with a bronze medal finish, while Chore made it to the small final heat and finished in seventh place.
“I am super stoked with how the first race of the season went,” said Sherret, in an Alpine Canada press release. “I’m super pumped with how I’m skiing.”
Courtney Hoffos, another local skicross racer from Windermere, is also making some noise on the racing scene and finished with a silver medal in the same event.
“It was super fun. I had no expectations coming into this race,” said Hoffos. “Going one heat at a time. You get a lot of confidence skiing with all my friends.”
The race also included Sherret’s Canadian Olympic teammates in Marielle Thompson and Brittany Phelan.
On the second day of racing on Saturday, Hoffos landed on the podium for third place, while Sherret finished fourth and Chore finished in eighth.
“So much fun,” said Hoffos. “One heat at a time. Ski fast. I’m excited to keep performing and inspiring kids back home.”
From Val Thorens, skicross racers on the World Cup circuit will go through an intense schedule, with six races in four venues within 17 days for the Cross Alps Tour (CAT).
Next up will be a race at Montafon in the Austrian Alps on Dec. 14, then Arosa in Switzeralnd on Dec. 17, then Innichen/San Candido in Italy for the CAT finals.
After Christmas, the World Cup will shift to North America, with Nakiska hosting an event on Jan. 18, before returning to Europe with back-to-back races in Sweden on Jan. 25-26. From there, it’s off to Megeve, France for Feb. 1 and then to Feldberg, Germany for a pair of races on Feb. 8-9.
Sunny Valley, Russia, will host a race on Feb. 23 before heading to Veysonnaz, Switzerland, for the final stop on the tour on March 14.
Before the World Cup tour began, Alpine Canada had announced that Sherret would return to represent Canada once again, with Chore and Hoffos joining for their first season on the World Cup circuit.
trevor.crawley@cranbrooktownsman.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
