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Skier depth ‘whole ‘nother level’ at Big Mountain challenge in Lake Louise

“Being a part of this sport has really changed how I see skiing and the ski racers are so creative in how they ski the mountain and what they see and in terms of their bravery. For anyone who likes skiing, it can be a really mesmerizing sport.”

LAKE LOUISE – It was liftoff at the Lake this past weekend for a horde of local freeriders.

Local clubs Canmore’s Ullr Big Mountain and Lake Louise All Mountain Ski Club (LLAM) competed at the Lake Louise Jr. Big Mountain Challenge between March 4-6 at the Lake Louise Ski Resort.

Fourteen Bow Valley freeriders, ages 10-18, landed on the podium (first to fifth place) at the competition, and for Jordy Burks, Ullr’s program director, he’s seen immense growth

“The whole time I’ve been coaching big mountain, a decade or something, there’s always really good skiers to marvel at every [competition], but the depth this year was a whole ‘nother level,” said Jordy Burks, Ullr’s program director.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jordy Burks (@ullrbigmtn)

Big mountain, also known as freeriding, is competitive skiing and snowboarding with no set courses or on groomed snow.

The sport’s point system rewards skill, tricks, jumps and clean riding, all in about a two-minute ride from top to bottom.

“Being a part of this sport has really changed how I see skiing and the ski racers are so creative in how they ski the mountain and what they see and in terms of their bravery,” said Burks. “For anyone who likes skiing, it can be a really mesmerizing sport.”

Bow Valley freerider results at Lake Louise include:

Ullr’s Kalea Giesler finished third, and Milah Morgan-Smith was fifth in U12 female.

Ullr racers Ethan Secord, Logan Penner, Kieran Rapaich, and Walter Crosland finished first to fourth, respectively, in U12 male.

Ullr’s Anjah Morgan-Smith, Juna Pressman, and Mary Huggill finished gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in 12-14 female.

LLAM’s Samuel Magee-Dumoulin won gold in 12-14 male.

Ullr’s Rae Tourigny and Mya Firlotte won gold and silver, respectively, and Lily Huggill finished fourth in 15-18 female.

Ullr’s Jack Kolesch won silver in 15-18 male, and Tristan Fenton took fourth.

“The conditions allowed for the kids to show their best stuff,” said Burks. “I just thought, especially in the 15-18 category, I’ve never seen it so competitive. From the start of the event right to the very end … it made the whole event quite suspenseful because they were all just skiing so well.”

Up next, the athletes travel to Revelstoke for the final local circuit competition of the season.

In early April, the North American Championships get underway in Big Sky, Montana, USA.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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