200 of the continents best young skiers and snowboarders are expected to hit Revelstoke this week as the resort plays host to the North American Junior Freeride Championships.
The Junior Events Tour of the Americas, or JETA for short, is a series of junior freeride competitions put on by the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association (IFSA).
The tour consists of 31 events held across Canada and the United States. It is not to be confused with the Junior Freeride Tour (JFT), which is a separate tour run as a qualifier for the Freeride World Tour.
“The JFT has given kids the opportunity to compete however their competitions are getting harder to get into because they’re in such high demand,” said Catherine Iwanchuk, the athletes co-ordinator for JETA. “The IFSA and JETA have come together in order to give the kids more opportunities both regionally, nationally and at the championship level.”
Revelstoke is playing host to the IFSA North American Junior Championships this week from April 3-7. About 200 skiers and snowboarders from the ages of 12-18 are expected to descend on the resort for the event.
The competition kicks off on Wednesday, Apr. 3, with the qualifiers for the snowboarders and the girl skiers on Separate Reality. On April 4, the boys aged 12-14 will have their qualifiers on Separate Reality. April 5 will see the 15-18-year-old boys qualify in North Bowl.
The finals for all groups is set for Saturday, Apr. 6 in North Bowl.
Iwanchuk said the competition will run regardless of conditions, though some features might get closed off for safety reasons.
“I think a lot of them are going to really exciting to watch,” said Iwanchuk. “I was surprised watching the competitions how big the kids go and, frankly, a little nervous because they have to pull it off, which is a little scary and nerve wracking.”