Submitted by Whitewater Ski Resort
Whitewater Ski Resort has established itself as a breeding ground for some of the world’s best new freeskiers.
The ski resort held its ninth annual Junior Freeski event over the weekend of Jan. 9 to 12. One hundred and forty nine athletes between the ages of seven and 18 made the most of 60 centimetres of fresh snowfall throughout the weekend, seeking to impress the judges with their line choice, technique, style and energy.
Ninety four athletes made it through qualifiers on Friday and Saturday to compete in the finals on Sunday, held on the resort’s iconic run Blast right underneath the Summit chairlift.
With prizing for males and females in the 7-11, 12-14 and 15-18 age categories, athletes from the Whitewater Freeride team took up spots on every single podium. Most notably, the top-eight finishers in the male 15-18 category were all from Whitewater. Dylan Moynes and Brodie Jensen took third and second place respectively, with the title clinched by Adam Kuch.
“Whitewater is proud to be part of the development of some amazing athletes and to be able to help them at the beginning of their careers in freeride,” says Whitewater general manager Kirk Jensen.
“We are incredibly lucky to have access to such amazing terrain and a dedicated team of very talented and passionate coaches. I hope that our humble ski area can be a core part of this sport, long into the future.”
Whitewater is becoming notorious as the birthplace for some of the world’s top freeski athletes, as well as the most up-and-coming. Sam Kuch, older brother of Adam, was recently named the 2019 ‘International Athlete of the Year’ by High5 Festival. Sam was also awarded the titles of ‘Best Male Freeride’ and ‘Best Male Performance’ at the IF3 Festival and Powder Awards, respectively, for his segment in the latest Matchstick Productions film Return to Send’er.
Sam’s newfound stardom as “The Kootenay Kid” resulted in two sell-out shows during the international tour of the MSP premiere, in his hometown of Nelson, on Oct. 28, 2019. As hosts of the screenings, Whitewater Ski Resort re-invested all of the profits from the premieres to support the local freeride talent.
Part of this re-investment was used for a special premiere of the film at Sam Kuch’s middle school, Trafalgar Middle, to inspire local youth that freeskiing is within their reach. A second segment of the proceeds were put towards the Whitewater Freeride Team, from which Sam graduated just a few years ago. For the 2019-20 season, the freeride team has expanded and now includes a girls-only team to specifically encourage female freeriders.
The final percentage of the profits will be used to pay for a coach to support the Whitewater athletes going to the 2020 Freeride Junior World Championships (FJWC) in Kappl, Austria between Jan. 28 to 31. This is the sixth consecutive year that Whitewater will be represented on the Canadian National Team. The resort’s athletes have finished on the podium at the FJWC in three of the last five years.
There’s plenty of other notable names in freeskiing who call Whitewater home. Trace Cooke, previous athlete on the Freeride World Tour and North Face sponsored skier, is still a regular face seen on the chairlifts. Chandrima Lavoie and Andy Mann are other up-and-coming Whitewater sponsored athletes making names for themselves on this year’s Freeride World Qualifiers circuit.
Scroll down for the event’s results:
7-11 Female
1. Juna Pressman – Ullr Big Mountain
2. Teigyn Fenton – Ullr Big Mountain
3. Pearl Fogel – Silver Star Team
4. Jaime Moynes – Whitewater Freeride Team
5. Aili Brackett – Whitewater Freeride Team
7-11 Male
1. Flynn Tracey – IFSA Independent w/Certified Parent Coach
2. Nixon Swanson – Silver Star Team
3. Liam Curwin – Whitewater Freeride Team
4. Jake Joyce – RED Junior Freeski Team
5. Oliver Broadwell – Revelstoke Freeride Team
12-14 Female
1. Aziza Rubenstein GNAR – Golden Alpine Rippers
2. Josephine Diplock – Red Mountain Academy
3. Dominique Miller – Big White Team
4. Freya Keyserlingk – Whitewater Freeride Team
5. Meadow Webber – Red Mountain Academy
12-14 Male
1. Xander Bankes – IFSA Independent w/Certified Parent Coach
2. Wyatt Atkins – Whitewater Freeride Team
3. Ethan Knight – Whitewater Freeride Team
4. Parks Boutilier – Red Mountain Academy
5. Kaden White – Whitewater Freeride Team
15-18 Female
1. Claire Mcpherson – Telluride Telemark Team
2. Indigo Bowick – Whitewater Freeride Team
3. Rebecca Fux – Silver Star Team
4. Nuha Machhiwala – Ullr Big Mountain
5. Talia Brown – IFSA Independent w/Certified Parent Coach
15-18 Male
1. Adam Kuch – Whitewater Freeride Team
2. Brodie Jensen – Whitewater Freeride Team
3. Dylan Moynes – Whitewater Freeride Team
4. Christian Kooznetsoff – Whitewater Freeride Team
5. Mason Scott – Whitewater Freeride Team
Related:
• Nelson skier Sam Kuch brings Return to Send’er to Trafalgar
