Whistler Mountain Ski Club

The Latest News

• January 25, 2012 | Racers face the Elements at Teck Seymour Enquist Slalom
  K2s persevere in the 76th Enquist Slalom
  K2s persevere in the 76th Enquist Slalom
  
  101 Coast Zone K2 and J1 racers met Mother Nature at the 76th running of the Teck Enquist SL at Mt Seymour. Nasty weather buffeted the athletes, with pouring rain and thick fog greeting training on Friday, followed by fog and snow Saturday, and a howling gale and heavy snow on Sunday. The weather served to make the 4 SL runs on Seymour 16 more interesting for the competitors, as the regular venue Unicorn run was deemed unfit for racing, and many athletes recorded personal best results.
  
  Saturday kicked off (literally, given the “start mound”) with strong performances from Antonia Wearmouth winning the ladies 1st run by over 1 sec, and WMSC’s Max Peiffer besting J1 Paul Cotton by 11 hundies to claim the “honour” of starting 30th on the flip. The run 2 set encouraged the racers to “give ‘er”, and winning runs were put down by WMSC’s Steffi Fleckenstein, almost 4 secs faster than run 1, and J1 Paul Cotton scorching a 3+ sec faster run. Antonia held off Steffi’s charge to take the day 1 victory, with WMSC’s Mikayla Martin rounding out the podium. Sam Mulligan had the best 2 run combined time to take the K2 men’s race, with Max Peiffer bagging the silver and WMSC’s Alex Gershon nabbing the bronze. For the J1’s, WMSC’s Chantal Deane posted 2 solid times to win gold, while on the men’s side, Paul Cotton dominated to win by almost 2 seconds. The ladies top 10 from WMSC included Esme McTavish in 4th, and Sabrina Wong in 9th. K2 men’s top 10 performances were carded by Riley Seger in 4th, Cameron Alexander in 5th, Alex Uryga in 7th and Cooper Yates in 9th.
  
  While Saturday was foggy and damp, it was a lowly opening act for Sunday’s weather. The athletes were greeted on the top of the start mound by head-on 80km winds and sideways snow. While the athletes visit to the mound was limited to 1-2 “tentless” minutes, 6-7 hardy volunteers from Mt Seymour Ski club and WMSC “enjoyed” the high point of the course for the entire day. Mikayla Martin, wearing bib #1 showed the ladies how to race in a gale, winning run 1 by almost ½ sec, while Sam Mulligan bested Max “wax” Peiffer by a scant 2/100ths to lead the men. The re-set was the week-end’s most interesting course, set by K2 head-coach Jeff McLennan, and included lots of tricks to keep everyone in focus. Steffi Fleckenstein took run 2 by just under 1 sec to move into 2nd place from 7th , while Mikayla Martin held on for the win. Antonia Wearmouth in 3rd rounded out the “mirror” K2 podium from day 1. J1 Chantal Deane completed the weekend sweep, winning gold again. The men scorched the final course, with J1 Paul Cotton posting the fastest time of the day. Sam Mulligan won the K2 men, with Max Peiffer showing how much he liked the view from the podium with a repeat silver medal performance. Top 10 WMSC ladies performances were carded by Esme McTavish in 4th, Gabby Smith in 7th, Shelby Slay in 8th and Sabrina Wong in 9th. The men’s top 10 had Jeffery Cadman post 2 strong runs in the same race to nab 4th, Cooper Yates finish a strong 2 day performance in 5th, Alex Gershon in 6th, Alex Uryga 7th, Max Kirshenblatt in 8th, and Carson Llewellyn in 9th.
  
  The 76th running of the Teck Enquist K2 race was one for the record books, with every kind of weather…except sun. Based on the 4 run combined times, Steffi Fleckenstein hoisted the ladies Enquist trophy, while Sam Mulligan took the men’s crown.
  
  
  Written by Sheryl Beadle for the Whistler Mountain Ski Club
  
  For complete results please go to http://bcalpine.com/news/
  
  

  Posted by: Steeves on January 25, 2012

• January 23, 2012 | WMSC Skiers Hit the Podium but Can't Beat the Cold!
  FIS Racers return from Nakiska with tales of success and frigid temperatures
  FIS Racers return from Nakiska with tales of success and frigid temperatures
  
  

  The Whistler Mountain Ski Club FIS team travelled to the Alberta Miele Cup races planned for January 14-17 and they performed well until the arctic air set in. The slalom races held on the Saturday and Sunday brought slightly soft but good “grippy” snow allowing Rae Swette and Blake Ramsden to reach the podium. The whole group was looking forward to the GS races but when they arrived at Nakiska on Monday the temperature had plummeted to -35 C and deemed too cold for racing. A number of racers even experienced frostbite during warmup through their face tape. Racers commonly apply first aid tape to their faces when the risk of frostbite is high. On Tuesday the ski resort did not even open due to the unbearable cold.
  
  The women were lead by Rae Swette who was second overall and top J1 in the Saturday slalom. Celeste Pomerantz and Maria Trentini also with WMSC had top 15 results finishing in 12th and 14th. They were joined by BC Ski team members Charley Field (8th), Emma King (10th) and Jocelyn Ramsden (11th) who are former WMSC competitors. Rachel VanderVeen had the top first year result finishing in 17th, moving up from a later start number.
  
  The Sunday slalom saw Celeste Pomerantz have the top Whistler result in 15th and she was closely followed by VanderVeen in 16th. The BC team girls from
  Whistler also had good results with Charley Field in 5th, Emma King in 7th, Jocelyn Ramsden in 8th and Sofi Leroux in 12th.
  
  On the Men’s side the Saturday race saw Blake Ramsden have the top WMSC result in 10th, closely followed by Austin Llewellyn in 12th. Marc Leroux had the top first year result finishing in 20th and getting into the mix with the older athletes. Kyle Yates, Dalton Pehota and Sam Kirschenblatt also were able to “split” their bib numbers in half with two solid runs.
  
  In the Sunday slalom race Daniel Kwong had the top result finishing 7th , edging out Blake Ramsden in 8th by “5 hundredths of a second.” Ramsden claimed the silver medal on the J1 podium. Charlie Renzoni grabbed the last space in the top 15 with two good runs. Marc Leroux was the top 1996 racer in the field with a 19th place finish ahead of Dalton Pehota who had another strong day finishing in 22nd.
  
  The team remained in Nakiska on Monday even though the race was cancelled and they had a long trek back in very cold and stormy weather on Tuesday. It is hoped that the GS races can be rescheduled to a date later this season, hopefully it will be a little bit warmer!

  Written by Kim Adams
  

  Posted by: Steeves on January 23, 2012

• January 22, 2012 | Mens DAY
  LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER   
  LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER   
  
  

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   This is your chance to participate in the first Men’s Day since 08 – we need another 10 people to fill up our spots.
  
  • Excellent Coaches – Jeff Hume, Rob Boyd, Ryan Oughtred, Jamie Finlayson and more
  • Hot Breakfast at the club between 7:15 & 7:45am
  • Apres with beer and pulled pork buns
  • Win a 3 day cat skiing trip to Retallack or Bungee Jumping
  • ½ price lift tickets
  • Canadian Cowboys limited edition swag
  
  To register go to: https://wmsc.info/pay/?& and select Men’s day, or call club at 604-932-4644
  
  

  Posted by: Leighton on January 22, 2012

• January 18, 2012 | K1s meet with success at Mt Washington
  Loving the ice and the cold, Whistler brings home the gold
  Loving the ice and the cold, Whistler brings home the gold
  
  

  Kasper Woolley (pictured left)is the young man with the plan and he’s willing to work doggedly to achieve it. While at the K1 Provincial Championships at Mt. Washington in 2011, he placed in the top ten in every race. This year, when the mountain hosted the Teck Mount Washington K1 Coast Zone Race, Woolley put months of hard work into action and went home with four gold medals out of a possible five. Unlike last year’s soft conditions, the snow at Mount Washington on January 13th to 15th was crisp and hard. Whistler Mountain Ski Club’s Woolley may be compact, but showed he is no light-weight. “I feel really good about my skiing right now. I have been working hard to change my technique and it’s finally working,” stated a satisfied Woolley.
  
  WMSC’s Head Coach, Raul Anguita, was extremely pleased with the consistency of many of his skiers but also with some of the surprises that were served up over the competition’s three days, “Conditions at Mt. Washington were the best they could be. Hard snow, nice rolling terrain, sunny weather, and a very professional organization.” It all came together with Whistler skiers winning every available gold medal, with the exception of one. The three days of racing included an opening day of giant slalom (two one-run races), a second day of GS with a two-run combined race which challenged consistency, and a last day of slalom races (two one-run).

   
  Katie Fleckenstein (pictured right) may have bunnies on her speed suit and a smile that could power a small northern community, but don’t underestimate the girl in pink! Fleckenstein says she came to Mt. Washington to “ski her best”. It’s safe to say that she met her goal: Fleckenstein carted home four gold medals and a 4th place ribbon from Mount Washington. Her grin firmly in place, Fleckenstein added, “It’s always so fun going on an ‘away’ trip, especially when the conditions are perfect!”
  
  Mollie Jepsen, (pictured left on top of the podium) whose work ethic also stands out, got to try out a new vantage point at Mount Washington; she stood on the top of the podium for the first time in her K1 career. “I was nervous and excited at the same time. I could not believe I won the gold!” Jepsen may get used to the view at future races, she showed her potential by coming in the top ten in every race at Mount Washington.
  
  Another stand-out performance came from WMSC’s Finn Iles. The Flying Finn brought home a spectacular four silver medals, with Saturday’s combined GS eluding his grasp. Whistler’s Kyle Alexander had a great showing in the first days with two bronze medals on Friday and a silver in the two-run GS on Saturday. His teammate, Asher Jordan, improved his results with each day of the completion. Jordan was 26th on the first day, 4th on Saturday and got comfortable on the podium with two bronze medals on Sunday. With traces of a celebratory Beavertail proudly displayed on his face, Jordan praised the course, “I liked how the course was steep, icy and cold. Overall, I had a great weekend and I learned a lot about myself. So many of my teammates did well this weekend and that made it really fun for everyone.”
  
  Those teammates included Lucy Turner, who came back from a spectacular “Wide World of Sports” training fall to take a bronze in Friday morning’s race, following up with another bronze in the combined GS on Saturday and solid performances in every other outing. Turner and her friends (pictured right) turned out to award ceremonies dressed down in their one-piece footed pajamas, a sure signal that they know how to après ski as stylishly as they dominate the slopes.
  
  For the Whistler girls, Micah Morris, Martina Gershon, Erin Finan, Anna Gosney and Hannah Morris all made frequent appearances in the top ten over the course of the weekend. First year K1, Sierra King, won the parental coachability award. When her mother suggested that she should take four seconds off her time in the slalom on Sunday, King flew down the course and – you guessed it – made her mother happy.
  
  Coach Anguita had a lot to smile about with excellent performances from Davis Bonsall-Jevning (including four top five finishes), Griffin Smith and first-year racer, Myles Kowalczyk. Matthew Macdonald showed his promise and may have surprised himself with his consistent performances over the course of the three days. First year K1, Dawson Yates, hoped to make the top twenty and bettered his expectations by a long shot when he came tenth on Sunday in the slalom.
  
  Mount Washington allowed many Whistler racers to let their hard work do the talking, with outstanding results. The competitors will keep that work ethic intact in the upcoming (February 10th and 11th) speed camp on Whistler Mountain.
  
  
  For complete results please go to http://bcalpine.com/news/  
  
  Written by Agnes Finan
  Photos by Dickson Wong and Steve Fleckenstein
  

  Posted by: Steeves on January 18, 2012

• January 15, 2012 | Concussions 101, a Primer for racers and their parents
  a lot of talk about concussions in all sports right now... check out this video!
  a lot of talk about concussions in all sports right now... check out this video!
  
   

  Posted by: nloring on January 15, 2012

• January 15, 2012 | WMSC's Rae Swette 2nd
  At Miele Cup Slalom in Nakiska  
  At Miele Cup Slalom in Nakiska  
  
  

  
  MIELE CUP - Slalom, Ladies - AB - NAKISKA
  1/14/2012

   1 12 CARROLL, Tianda CAN ASA J2 46.27 (1) 46.00 (1) 1:32.27
  2 9 SWETTE, Rae CAN WHIST J1 47.92 (3) 47.76 (3) 1:35.68
  3 11 DAVIES, Tess CAN BANFF SR 48.86 (12) 47.46 (2) 1:36.32
  4 10 GARTNER, Stephanie CAN FERNI J1 48.02 (5) 48.31 (4) 1:36.33
  5 22 HENRY, Mia CAN FERNI J1 48.81 (11) 48.36 (5) 1:37.17
  6 14 HONSBERGER, Jamie CAN NATC J1 48.48 (8) 48.85 (6) 1:37.33
  7 2 ALBOIU, Vanessa CAN NATC J2 48.69 (10) 48.97 (8) 1:37.66
  8 13 FIELD, Charley CAN WHIST J1 48.34 (6) 49.54 (11) 1:37.88
  9 8 MILES, Thea CAN NATC J2 47.94 (4) 50.08 (16) 1:38.02
  10 21 KING, Emma CAN WHIST J1 49.10 (14) 48.98 (9) 1:38.08
  11 4 RAMSDEN, Jocelyn CAN WHIST J2 48.65 (9) 49.49 (10) 1:38.14
  12 25 POMERANTZ, Celeste CAN WHIST J1 49.02 (13) 49.97 (14) 1:38.99
  13 6 CORMIER, Lisa CAN SUNSH J1 50.20 (21) 48.89 (7) 1:39.09
  14 1 TRENTINI, Maria Elena ITA
  J2 49.96 (18) 49.79 (12) 1:39.75
  15 27 BERENDT, Mckenzie CAN SUNSH J1 50.11 (20) 49.93 (13) 1:40.04
  
  MIELE CUP - Slalom, Men - AB- NAKISKA
  1/14/2012
  
  1 13 LAW, Michael CAN BANFF J2 44.43 (1) 48.68 (1) 1:33.11
  2 5 GREIG, Rob CAN PANO J2 44.67 (2) 49.48 (3) 1:34.15
  3 10 GIGIC, Filip CAN NATC J2 45.07 (5) 49.69 (5) 1:34.76
  4 12 MCKILLOP, Curtis CAN BANFF J2 45.34 (8) 49.68 (4) 1:35.02
  4 9 LAW, David CAN BANFF J2 44.94 (3) 50.08 (8) 1:35.02
  6 3 RONSKY, Russell CAN BANFF J1 45.31 (7) 50.30 (9) 1:35.61
  7 6 NACIUK, Anthony CAN CARC J2 45.94 (13) 49.91 (6) 1:35.85
  8 8 MONOD, Mathew CAN BANFF J1 45.86 (12) 50.57 (12) 1:36.43
  9 4 MCCARTHY, Trent CAN RABBT J1 45.34 (8) 51.21 (17) 1:36.55
  10 7 RAMSDEN, Blake CAN WHIST J1 45.82 (11) 51.00 (15) 1:36.82
  11 39 LEITCH, Jack CAN CARC J1 47.53 (21) 49.32 (2) 1:36.85
  12 26 LLEWELLYN, Austin CAN WHIST J1 46.15 (14) 50.75 (13) 1:36.90 13 17 GEIGER, Christian AUS SR 46.71 (17) 50.42 (10) 1:37.13
  14 20 MCNAIR, Daniel CAN RABBT J1 47.29 (19) 49.98 (7) 1:37.27
  15 31 HICKS, Lachlan CAN REVEL J1 46.89 (18) 50.91 (14) 1:37.80
  

  Posted by: Leighton on January 15, 2012