Canada’s national team athletes and experts tell you where they love to ski

 This issue: Freestyle Canada athlete Kaya Turski on four season resort Whistler Mountain

 Montreal-born Canadian slopestyle skier Kaya Turski is a seven time X-Games gold medalist and the 2013 World Champion in her sport, which debuted at the Sochi Olympic Games earlier this year.

We caught up with Kaya as she was on the World Cup circuit and preparing to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Among other things, we asked her where she most likes to ski when she has a rare free day.

“I adore Whistler, because it’s one of the most versatile mountains I have ever skied. When it snows, which is often, you can have fun playing all day in the deep powder all over the mountain. I also love skiing park and Whistler/Blackcomb set up such a great assortment of features and jumps for all ages and levels.”

Kaya also pointed out that there’s more to Whistler than winter sports. “When not out skiing – during the spring and summer – you can do a bunch of other fun activities like zip lining, one of my favorites. There are also endless hikes to explore. The shopping is great, the dining is great, the night life is a ton of fun… there isn’t really anything I don’t like about Whistler! Plus it’s easy to get to and from the airport and then it’s only a beautiful drive up the freeway to get to one of my favourite destinations ever.”

 Quick facts about Whistler/ Blackcomb:

125 kms from Vancouver, or a short 2 hour drive from Vancouver International Airport

• The largest ski resort in North America with 4757 acres of skiable terrain at Whistler; 3414 acres at Blackcomb and over 1500 metres of vertical
• More than 200 runs to choose from (35 green; 110 blue; 35 black; 20 double black)
• Two runs that are 11 kms long (6.8 miles) – Burnt Stew at Whistler and Green Road at Blackcomb
• 10.22 metres a year snowfall
• 39 lifts, including 13 high speed quad chairlifts
• Venue for the alpine skiing events at the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games

For more information visit http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/

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Canada’s national team athletes and experts tell you where they love to ski

This issue: Snowboard Canada’s strength and conditioning coach Matt Fisher on Mount Washington

Matt Fisher is the strength and conditioning coach for the national team snowboarders representing Canada in the slopestyle and half-pipe events at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Check out his pre snowboarding stretches and post snowboarding injury prevention tips.  Matt spoke to Snow Sports Canada during a break from training for the Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado. Despite the fact that his work takes him to some of the best mountains in the world, Fisher’s favourite is still a mountain close to home, where he skied for the very first time on a grade 7 field trip.

“Mount Washington is the only mountain you can get to from Victoria without getting on a boat or a plane,” he laughs. It’s got a lot to offer though, whether you’re from the Island or further afield. “I love it because it’s so genuine. You don’t need to drive a fancy car or stay in a five star hotel to feel comfortable there. And there’s a really nice little sushi restaurant at the base of the mountain that serves sashimi better than anything I can get in the middle of Colorado.”

He also recalls the mountain’s reputation for huge snowfalls and diverse terrain. “It’s big enough to have some great runs and good variety, but not so enormous that you can get lost for days. And there’s so much snow most years – I was there with some athletes from eastern Canada, and they were all taking pictures of the snow because they said they’d never seen so much snow other than in Japan.”

Quick Facts about Mount Washington:

• Located near the Comox Valley, 100 km north of Nanaimo and 350 km north of Victoria.
• Average annual snowfall of 10.5 metres (34 feet)
• 1,700 acres of skiable terrain – 14% beginner, 35% intermediate and 51% expert /advanced runs
• 55km (30 miles) of machine groomed cross-country trails and 22 kms of snowshoe trails, meandering through the resort and scenic parklands.
• 360 degree alpine to Pacific Ocean ocean views
  • 5 chairlifts including the Boomerang, a high-speed, double-offload chair which serves two separate sides of the mountain
  • Two terrain parks
  • On-mountain ski-in, ski-out accommodation options
  • For more information, go to http://www.mountwashington.ca

 

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That’s a Wrap! The 2014 Paralympic Winter Games have come to a close, with outstanding performances from our Canadian athletes! A huge congratulations to all the Snow Sports Canada athletes who participated and earned 14 of the 16 medals for Team Canada. Here are the highlights for our Snow Sports Canada athletes.

Alpine

Mac Marcoux
Gold-Men’s Giant Slalom
Bronze-Men’s Downhill
Bronze- Men’s Super-G

Sixteen-year-old Mac Marcoux‘s dream came true this year at Sochi. Guided by Remy Femy, Mac left Sochi with three medals!
Josh Dueck
Silver-Men’s Downhill, Sitting
Gold- Men’s Super Combined,Sitting

Sit Skier Josh Dueck was selected as the flag-bearer for the Canadian Paralympic team at the Sochi 2014 closing ceremonies. Dueck left sochi with a Gold in the super combined and a silver in the downhill.

 

 

 

Chris Williamson
Bronze- Men’s Slalom, Visually Impaired

Toronto native Chris Williamson, guided by Nick Brush, made a remarkable comeback from an injury and a last-minute change to his guide by winning bronze in the Men’s Visually Impaired Slalom at Sochi.

 

 

 

Kimberly Joines
Bronze-Women’s Slalom, Sitting

Kimberly Joines conquered the rough, low-visibility course conditions in Women’s Slalom, leaving Sochi in the end with a bronze medal. Joines fell from silver to bronze after a jury overturned the disqualification of a German skier who took home gold.

 

Caleb Brousseau
Bronze-Men’s Super-G, Sitting

Caleb Brousseau, of Terrace, B.C., earned a bronze in Men’s Super-G sitting. It has been a dream in the making since watching the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics.

 

 

Cross Country

 

Chris Klebl
Gold- Men’s 10km, Sitting

Chris Klebl put down the performance of the Games when it counted most , winning Canada’s final gold medal at Sochi. Klebl’s performance secured Canada’s place in the top-three Countries for medal count.

 

 

 

 

 

Brian McKeever
Gold- Men’s 10km
Gold-Men’s 1km sprint
Gold-Men’s 20km
Visually Impaired

Brian McKeever secured the nation its first, with three golds at Sochi, he raised his medal count to 13 (10 golds). With the help of his guides Erik Carelton and Graham Nishikawa, McKeever scored a golden-hat trick in Sochi! 

 

 

 

 

Mark Arendz
Biathlon:
Bronze- Men’s 12.5km, Standing
Silver-Men’s 7.5km, Standing

24-year old Mark Arendz, battled through brutal race conditions to win the bronze medal in the men’s 12.5-kilometre standing. Earlier in the games Arendz became the first Canadian to win a silver medal in a Para-Biathlon event!

 

Congratulations to all of our Snow Sports Canada and Paralympian Team athletes.You have demonstrated strength and perseverance and continue to prove that anything is possible!

 

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Chris Klebl grew up alpine skiing and snowboarding in Austria. Participating in many other sports, he also competed in running and rowing in high school. A broken wrist caused him to narrowly miss the U.S. Junior National team for rowing. In 1995, Chris broke his back jumping off a cliff on his snowboard in Colorado. After a few years living in Kauai, Hawaii, and working as a massage therapist, he moved to California and worked in the Software industry where he started racing hand-cycles. After moving back to Colorado, a hand-cycling friend introduced him to sit-skiing, and three months after his first day on snow he raced his first World Cup.

After racing for six years where he competed in two Paralympics, and racked up more than one dozen IPC World Cup podiums, and 11 U.S. national titles, Chris moved to Canmore, Alta. to race for Canada. His two biggest accomplishments in Para-Nordic skiing are his two World Championship medals, including a gold in 2011. Chris looks forward to more great results, which he sees as a direct result of the much more comprehensive support that is available on the Para-Nordic Team in Canada. It is much more gratifying for Chris to be part of a group of dedicated professionals who are all working for the combined goal of high level international success. Chris was able to get on World Cup podiums for a number of years with minimal support, but the results somehow felt empty….not anymore since racing for Canada.

While he still contemplates what he’ll do after ski racing, Chris enjoys photography, travel and warm weather when not skiing.

For Chris’ full bio visit: http://www.cccski.com

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Mark Arendz is a 23-year-old student from the province of Prince Edward Island, and a member of the Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team.  After making his Paralympic debut in 2010, Mark enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2010-11 where he finished second overall in the IPC World Cup standings after accumulating three gold medals, two silver and one bronze. He proved in 2012 he was not a one-season wonder, but is definitely one of the emerging leaders on the Canadian squad, after racking up two gold, one silver and three bronze medals at IPC World Cup races to finish second overall once again. Mark took things a step further during the pre-Paralympic season when he finished first overall on the IPC World Cup biathlon circuit for his category – a season highlighted by one gold and two bronze medals at the 2013 World Championships. Mark is now competing at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Being competitive by nature, Mark took a liking to sports at a very young age. He began skiing in the backyard when he was about five years old.  After a farm accident where he lost his left arm, Mark began his competitive career in 2003 with the use of a ski prosthetic where he started racing in able-bodied competitions only.  His interest turned towards biathlon after watching the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City when he decided to give it a try.  The following winter he began rifle shooting, and soon was on the local cadet biathlon team.  Mark had great success with that team, setting record results at Nationals and becoming the first Island team to medal.

For Mark’s full bio visit: http://cccski.com

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Brian McKeever is one of Canada’s most-accomplished Paralympic athletes having racked up 13 medals in three trips to the Paralympic Winter Games, including ten gold. Teaming up with former guide, and brother Robin, Brian has won nearly everything on the table in Para-Nordic skiing. Brian has continued his tradition of winning with new guide and childhood friend, Erik Carleton. In 2010, Brian became the first athlete in the world to be named to the Olympic and Paralympic Teams. While Brian did not start in the Olympic races in Whistler, he went on to win three gold medals at the Paralympics. Brian has worked his way through the national program competing at all levels in both able-bodied and Para-Nordic skiing. He competed in his first World Championships in 2007 where he led the Canadians with a 21st-place finish in Sapporo, Japan. Prior to being diagnosed with Stargaard’s disease in 1998, Brian also represented Canada at the Junior World Championships in Pontresina, Switzerland.

It wasn’t only his father’s influence that shaped Brian’s life, but a rare genetic disease as well. Brian’s father and aunt suffered from Stargaard’s disease (macular degeneration or loss of central vision – fine detail and colour). Doctor’s had always told Brian that he may get the disease, but both his father and his aunt contracted the disease in elementary school. Brian felt that he may have beat the odds as he grew into his teens.

In 1998, Brian competed in the 1998 World Junior Championships, but by 1999 he was having trouble reading billboards from the car window. He had his eyes checked and was diagnosed with Stargaard’s disease. “The easiest way I can describe the feeling is that if you stared at the sun for a long time and turn away, you get these fuzzy spots. Well for me, the fuzzy spots don’t go away. It’s the loss of central vision. Sort of like a fuzzy blob in the middle of my vision. I always knew it was a possibility,” continues Brian. “But it wasn’t much of a transition because soon after I was diagnosed, the disabled team came knocking.”

For Brian’s full bio visit: http://www.cccski.com

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Para-Nordic skiing is the sport of cross-country skiing and biathlon for participants and athletes with a physical/intellectual impairment as defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). It is a sport which is accessible by all ages and abilities either individually or in a group setting. Cross Country Canada (CCC) supports and promotes Para-Nordic skiing at all levels consistent with our overall mission…” to develop and deliver programs designed to achieve international excellence in cross-country skiing.”

Para-Nordic skiing is organized and governed by the IPC at the international level and Canada follows IPC rules and regulations. The IPC defines all Para-sport as being for those with a primary impairment that belongs to one of  10 ‘eligible’ impairment types. Generally this means a physical impairment but athletes with an intellectual disability (ID) are now recognized by the IPC and some Para-sports have begun to integrate ID athletes into competition. Para-Nordic competition currently does not include categories for ID athletes. Competition for ID athletes is organized separately by the International Sports Federation for para-athletes with an Intellectual Disability. In Canada local grassroots programs may include ID skiers but once a skier gets to a certain level and wants formal programming or to begin competition they should follow the appropriate path for their disability.

“Para” comes from the Greek meaning (“beside” or “alongside”). The current use of the term stems from the Paralympics which refers to being the “parallel” Games to the Olympics. The word Paralympic may have originally been a combination of ‘paraplegic’ and ‘Olympic’, however with the inclusion of many different disability groups and the close association with the Olympic Movement, it now means a parallel Olympics to illustrate how the two movements exist side by side. The IPC does not formally use the term “Para-Nordic”. Canada has adopted the term which means “parallel” Nordic sport to indicate how it exists side by side with able-bodied Nordic sport.

Para-Nordic skiing includes both cross-country skiing and biathlon. In able-bodied skiing these two disciplines are governed by separate organizations with separate rules and competitions. In Para-Nordic they are both organized and governed by the IPC with integrated competitions and many of the same athletes participating and competing in both sports.

Para-Nordic skiing preview video from XCZone.tv:

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A former prospect athlete who moved up to the national team in 2011 after forerunning at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Winter Games, Luscombe has recorded eight top-10 finishes at IPC World Cup and world championship events since his first World Cup season (2012), and he became the men’s Canadian giant slalom champion in 2013. He had his leg amputated after contracting necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) as a child and competes in the standing category. Luscombe, who calls Duncan, B.C. home, likes to road cycle in his spare time, and is known on the team for his sense of humour and flowing mullet.

For Braydon’s full bio visit: http://www.alpinecanada.org/athlete/luscombe

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One of the world’s most decorated para-alpine athletes, Williamson claimed his 100th IPC World Cup podium in 2011, and earned five more in 2013 during his first season back after a two-year absence due to injury. The oldest member of Canada’s national team at 41, Williamson competes in the visually impaired category with guide Robin Fémy. He is a veteran of three Paralympics and has more than a dozen IPC World Championship medals. When home in Toronto, Ont., Williamson balances skiing with a full-time job and spending time with his wife and children.

 

For Chris’ full bio visit: http://www.alpinecanada.org/athlete/williamson

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For Matt’s full bio visit: http://www.alpinecanada.org/athlete/hallat

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