Canadian Open Junior Freeride Championships Recap
RED Mountain Resort has long been a freeskiing and riding mecca, and nothing puts your terrain to better use than unleashing the future on it. Over the weekend, the 19th Annual Junior National Canadian Open Freeride Championships presented by Helly Hansen concluded, with all young competitors using the 47 centimetres of fresh snow and RED’s famous terrain to charge for the judges.
RED hosted over 150 athletes from 15 North American Freeride Teams and independents to compete and aspire to the title of the Canadian Open Freeride Champion—and ultimately the top title of IFSA’s North American Champion. Day 1 and 2 saw athletes from as far away as Colorado, California, and Alaska competing to qualify for the finals. Regional representation was as deep as the snow, with teams from Whistler, Panorama, Golden, Kimberley, Fernie, Castle, Big White, Silver Star, Whitewater and of course RED throwing down their best lines and tricks. Throughout the final day the resort welcomed five centimetres of fresh snow. This, combined with decent visibility, allowed the athletes to throw down, stomp landings and complete smooth runs.
“Creative, dynamic and technical lines were laid down on Link's Line, the perfect venue for a junior national freeride event. I was impressed by the caliber of athleticism. The athletes pushed the boundaries while staying within their abilities. It’s beautiful to watch the youth learn about physical and mental boundaries while having a blast,“ noted an enthused Jeff Holden, the Canadian Open’s Head Judge and Technical Director.
“RED’s Links Line makes for an excellent venue as it gives athletes a wide range of steep, natural challenging terrain with various cliff features and hits. Plus, with our abundant snowfall, it promotes athlete confidence to ride the terrain aggressively,” stated Nicole Briggs, RED’s Marketing & Events Manager.
The Collegiate side of of the Canadian Open, which is an IFSA 2* Open event, is scheduled to start on January 23rd, and has seen 100 athletes register. With the weather providing plenty of snow, the conditions for this portion of the event look very favorable. Check out the results from the Junior division below, and for more information the the 19th Annual Canadian Open Freeride Championships, visit canadianfreeskiing.com.
