Skiers from the Smithers Ski and Snowboard Club returned with a handful of medals from a competition in Kelowna last weekend.
The club took 13 athletes to the Western Canada Open Ski Cross Series at Big White to compete against skiers from B.C. and Alberta.
“It was a good event, the kids did well,” said head coach Jan Wengelin.
Sage Murphy made the podium with a third-place finish in the U12 women’s category, with fellow skier Clara Marko, just behind her in fourth.
Caleb Smale and Scott Marko also had podium finishes in the U12 men’s and men’s 18+ categories, respectively.
The skiers battled challenging weather conditions on Friday and Saturday.
“It was pouring rain, it was foggy, it was a real big white out, so to speak, to the point where they barely pulled the race off,” said Wengelin.
On Sunday, warm weather caused the snow to melt and some of the heats had to be cancelled; Harrison McAlonan, Liam Huxtable, Chantel Wickson, Kalum Huxtable, Jason Oliemans and Wengelin were unable to finish their heats.
Despite the uncontrollable weather, Wengelin said the athletes performed well.
“They skied smart because it was tough conditions. They were making the best of the opportunities that they had,” said Wengelin. “They’re starting to understand the nature of the sport, it’s about thinking ahead and tactically thinking about your run.”
Calum Huxtable, Ryan Johnson, Chantel Wickson and Caleb Smale also competed to qualify for the Canada Winter Games, unfortunately none of them made the cut.
