By Mary Clayton, Revelstoke Ski Club
The Revelstoke Ski Club’s U14 and U12 skiers had a successful weekend of slalom racing at Apex Resort near Penticton on Jan 10 – 11.
The conditions were challenging for racing on the Saturday, with soft snow and at times, limited visibility. Sunday was a different story, with near-perfect racing conditions — cold temperatures, blue skies and hard snow.
Although the slow start to the winter has affected early-season training, the Revelstoke team managed to place a number of top-ten finishes.
The Apex slalom race is the first competition of the season and skiers from across the Okanagan, as well as from Hemlock Valley and Prince George were there, eager to be in the start gate. The Revelstoke Ski Club fielded seven athletes out of a total 125 skiers at the race.
Leading the charge for Revelstoke was Aleks Klassen, who earned a silver medal in the U14 boys on Saturday, and gold on Sunday. Jenna Knight placed fifth and Colm Molder ninth, both of whom are also U14 racers.
Head Coach Ned Lazarevic was very pleased with the team’s performance, especially the younger athletes who all skied well and with confidence.
“Learning how to attack a slalom course is an important part of a ski racer’s education,” explained Coach Lazarevic. “Slalom can be very intimidating but our young skiers did a great job. It was great to see them getting more aggressive in the gates.”
The team’s FIS racers are currently racing in Schweitzer Basin. The race is a four-day event but at press time, we have had some excellent early results. Emily Unterberger and Mitch Smith both placed sixth in the slalom held on Sunday. As well, our U16 racers will be at Red Mountain Jan 17 – 18. Thanks to Revelstoke Mountain Resort for their continued support of our racing program, as well as our many community sponsors.