Several Yukoners attended an International Ski Federation (FIS) ranked event through Snowboard Yukon.
Five athletes competed at the B.C. provincial series slopestyle events in Whistler, B.C., from Jan. 11 to 12. Three Yukoners finished the games on podium spots in their respective age categories.
Seamus MacDonald ranked first out of nine other competitors in the U15 age division, with Leo Spiers Leung from Snowboard Yukon ranking fourth as well.
Stian Langbakk, aged 15, finished second place twice in the U18 age division against 24 other competitors over the weekend. Snowboard Yukon also sent Aven Sutton, who achieved fourth in the U18 girls’ division against nine other competitors.
A $21,000 "podium pathway" grant was awarded to the Snowboard Yukon Association in November, according to a Yukon government news release issued on Nov. 25, 2024. A "foundations" grant of $41,000 was also included as part of the funding packages awarded to the association through various streams.
Snowboard Yukon’s head coach, Esa Suominen, spoke to the News on Jan. 16 and provided information about the Yukoners’ performances and other opportunities in the landscape of competitive snowboarding.
Snowboard Yukon’s season runs from mid-November until the end of March, according to the coach. The association plans to enter another competition in March at the Silver Star Mountain Resort in the B.C. Okanagan region.
“Some of our snowboarders are thinking of doing the Nor-Am Cup, which is a higher level, but all our organized Snowboard Yukon trips are just provincial-level competitions. Our next one will be at Silver Star, and then we’ve got Junior Nationals in Ontario,” Suominen said.
The slopestyle events are freestyle competitions judged on manoeuvrability, amplitude, variety and execution, according to Suominen. A similar event took place at Mount Sima from Dec. 6 to 8 when Freestyle Yukon helped put on the Canada Cup events.
Snowboard Yukon trains on Mount Sima’s upper and lower coyote trails for about eight hours a week and does strength and conditioning training for about two hours a week, Suominen said. He noted that some athletes practice yoga and acrobatic techniques on trampolines.
“I can’t even say how stoked I am on the team’s performance and how well they did. We go there with the goal of landing a run and just to do the best that we can. It’s also really great when they accomplish their personal goal of putting down their own run. We’ve got some really talented snowboarders on our team,” Suominen said.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com