Wrangle the Chute shifted from a primarily social event to a true big mountain competition in 2014 and organizers at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort are looking to ramp things up even further in 2015.
The two day event will take place on Mar. 27 and 28 (with Mar. 29 as a potential backup date if there is inclement weather). Qualification runs will take place on the south side of Terminator Ridge while the finals will once again take place along the modified runs of Truth and Dare, although both are subject to change depending on conditions.
This year, and for the first time, Wrangle will be a co-sanctioned four-star event between the International Free Ski Association (IFSA) and the Free World Qualifier (FWQ).
“As a four star event (a win) will give you enough points to make the world tour next year…there’s only four stops in North America, one in Canada. We are the last stop of the series as well so a lot of guys are hunting for their last chance to make the tour next year,” said Maxime Cretin, director of business development and guest experience at KHMR.
The event will feature 100 qualified riders along with 10 wildcards that are to be chosen by the organizing team at Kicking Horse. Among the wildcards will be local ski patroller Alex Giesbreck, who was voted by his peers to represent the resort’s patrollers.
Despite Wrangle’s evolution into a serious big mountain competition, there will still be plenty of fun for competitors and fans.
During the finals on Mar. 28 there will be a party atmosphere at the base of the course in Bowl Over.
“We’re going to have DJs at the bottom, we’ll be working on some activities with some of the sponsors…we also have a professional videographer coming too who will install remote cameras throughout the course with different angles,” Cretin explained.
And once the competition is complete, the real party will begin in the day lodge with DJ Skratch Bastid spinning tunes until the early hours on Sunday.
Tickets are available for purchase at guest services at Kicking Horse and in town at Plain Wayne & Jane and Cretin is advising everyone to pick up their tickets in advance as space will be limited.
