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Sima hosts its biggest palooza yet

Even if you have zero interest in slapping on some skis and carving some powder, Simapalooza is still a pretty cool place to be.
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Even if you have zero interest in slapping on some skis and carving some powder, Simapalooza is still a pretty cool place to be.

There was live music, a beer garden, a barbeque and a ton of super friendly people at Mount Sima’s end-of-season celebration April 8-9.

And you’d have to be made of stone to not enjoy watching the Slush Cup, in which people attempt to ride skis and snowboards — as well as some inflatable crafts and a snowbike in one case — across a stretch of cold and slushy water. About half make it across, the other half go for a chilly dip.

In the four years since Sima almost went belly-up in bankruptcy, Simapalooza gets bigger and better each year and this past weekend was no exception.

“In terms of tickets sold, food, beer garden — in the four years, it was probably the most successful Simapalooza,” said Sima general manager Cindy Chandler. “We had a great line-up of music, great events.”

“There was more attendance, events were run better, having James (Boyle) as emcee, having music playing — it’s starting to feel like an event you’d go to at a bigger resort,” added Sima terrain park builder Tyler Nichol.

Sima has plenty to celebrate too. The resort sold 1,160 season passes this year — a record for the hill. There’s also been a 25 per cent rise in day visits, says Chandler.

“We’ve had, I think it was five days closed because of cold, and we’ve made that up,” said Chandler. “Our food and beverage and our snow school have increased all of their objectives as well. So it’s been a great year.”

Though Simapalooza usually marks the final weekend of skiing and boarding in a season, that’s not the case this year. Sima will host the Yukon Freestyle Ski Championships this coming weekend and will stay open as long as Mother Nature allows.

“With all the snow that we have, it would be a shame to close it,” said Chandler. “Because it’s been colder we’ve made a lot more snow this year and it’s allowed us to extend (the season). We have to play it week by week, but we’re very confident we can stay open for Easter.”

Of course there was also a bunch of friendly competitions — big air, slopestyle, ski and snowboardcross, and more. See results at www.yukon-news.com.

Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com

FULL RESULTS

Junior jam

Best method — Josiah Walker

Best spread eagle — Jacob Robertson

Best 360 — Anwyn Tillet/Kieran Ritchie

Best overall — Louis Mouchet

Big air (ski)

Best style — Dylan Reed

Best trick — Miguel Rodden

Best overall — Etienne Geoffroy

Big air (snowboard)

Best style — Tim Schirmer

Best trick — Max Melvin McNutt

Best progression — Sammy Mather

Ski-cross (under 12)

1st Anwyn Tillet

2nd Kieran Ritchie

3rd Mavirek n/a

Ski-cross (under 18)

1st Austin Shaw

2nd Liam Diamond

3rd Bella Mouchet

Ski-cross (open)

1st Sam Schirmer

2nd Jarrid Davy

3rd Dale Panchois

Snow-cross combined

1st Jarrid Davy

2nd Sam Schirmer

3rd Tim Schirmer

Snowboardcross (under 12)

1st Joshia Walker

2nd Ben MacPherson

3rd Eli Marsh

Snowboardcross (open)

1st Matt Johnson

2nd Tim Schirmer

3rd Dan Boyle

Slopestyle (snowboard)

1st Tim Schirmer

2nd Max Melvin-McNutt

3rd Sammy Mather

Slopestyle (ski)

1st Etienne Geofroy

2nd Miguel Rodden

3rd Dylan Reed