Whitehorse’s Miguel Rodden has been wowing crowds in Whistler, B.C., as of late. But he was back on old stomping grounds to regain a title last weekend.
The multi-time Yukon champ took first place in the open men’s division at the 2014 Yukon Freestyle Ski Rail Jam, hosted by the Yukon Freestyle Ski Association on Saturday at Mount Sima. The 21-year-old won the masters division of the rail jam at the end of 2012.
“It was really fun. It’s good to shred with the Yukon homies,” said Rodden. “It’s good to see them, they are getting a lot better. It was a good competition - everyone killed it.”
This ski season Rodden has been performing in the Whistler resort’s Fire and Ice Show, a weekly show for tourists in which snowboarders and skiers - including Rodden - jump through a ring of fire.
He took first on Saturday with a nose butter 450 onto the rail and a pretzel 270 off.
“I’ve done it before, but not many times,” said Rodden.
Judges had their work cut out for them. Rodden finished just one point over second place’s Ettienne Geoffroy, the rail jam’s defending champ. Geoffroy won Yukon’s first-ever gold medal - and three gold in total - at the Canadian Junior Freestyle Skiing Championships last March.
Anna Smith made it two in a row on Saturday. Smith, who won silver and bronze at the 2010 B.C. championships, defended her title from last year with a 270 out of the double barrel set up.
“I’ve never seen her do it before, and she was landing perfect,” said Stu Robinson, head coach of the Yukon Freestyle Ski Team. “She even went for a 450 as well.”
Snowboarders were back in the mix after being absent from last year’s rail jam.
Tim Schirmer, 16, rode the rails to a first place finish in open male with a back 360 on to 180 out on the rail.
“I don’t have much to say about it, it was just a fun competition,” said Schirmer. “There were a lot of good guys out there, a good vibe.
“I’m excited I won. There were a lot of hard tricks out there.”
Schirmer has been named to Yukon’s snowboard team for the Canada Winter Games this February in Prince George, B.C., along with third place’s Adam Waddington and fifth place’s Esa Suominen.
Schirmer won a silver and two bronze in juvenile male at the 2014 Arctic Winter Games last March.
Yukon’s freestyle ski team hasn’t been named yet, but Robinson is confident it’ll be a strong one.
“There were some really technical tricks out there today,” said Robinson. “It was difficult to judge because it was really close.”
Results
Under-12 ski
1st Louis Mouchet
2nd Cole Beaman
3rd Bjorn Boone
4th Axel Anderson
Under-15 ski
1st Evyn Dinn
2nd Argus Huggard
3rd Milan Lapres
4th Logan Kruse
5th Jacob Finton
6th Isaac Pumprey
7th Anthony Barteaux
Open female ski
1st Anna Smith
2nd Lyndsey Boorse
Open male ski
1st Miguel Rodden
2nd Etienne Geoffroy
3rd Kyran Allen
4th Aidan Allen
5th Josh Harlow
5th Dylan Reed
7th Niko Rodden
8th Sam Schirmer
Masters male ski
1st Steven Harlow
Open male snowboard
1st Tim Schirmer
2nd Graydon Keenan
3rd Adam Waddington
4th Tyler Koenen
5th Esa Suominen
Mixed youth snowboard
1st Sam Mather
2nd Crystal Legoffe
3rd Ethan Davy
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com