Some of B.C.’s top skiers and snowboarders treated fans to a freestyle spectacle at the sixth annual Showdown Throwdown Hoedown last weekend at Silver Star Mountain Resort.
Despite snowy, foggy, low-light conditions, hundreds of spectators gathered to watch athletes show their stuff at the popular slopestyle competition.
Vernon’s Beau Pearson, a member of the B.C. freestyle team, collected gold in the Open men’s snowboard category, adding to the amateur title he pocketed at last year’s event.
The win capped a stellar season for Pearson, who finished first on the provincial slopestyle circuit.
Taking second and third were Derek Pankoff, and Vernon’s Rhett Haubrich.
Haubrich and Pearson plan to compete with the Whistler-based B.C. slopestyle team next season with the hopes of gaining a spot on the national squad. With its surge in popularity, slopestyle is being considered as a new sport for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
In the Open men’s ski competition, Simon D’Artois finished first, Michael Brush was second and Tucker Visser took third.
Ali Tracey claimed gold in the Open women’s snowboard, followed by Kristina Adams and Kim Cameron in second and third respectively.
In women’s ski, Cassie Sharpe and Jenna Anderson took the top two spots.
In the men’s amateur ski division, Mitchell Wilson was first, Bryce Barker collected silver and Will Finch recorded bronze.
