While the ski and snowboard season is probably pretty far from the minds of most Whistlerites, that’s certainly not the case for the members of Canada’s national ski team, who’ve been hard at work Down Under. This month, they’re taking advantage of the white stuff on New Zealand mountains to ramp up their off-season training in on-hill camps and races.
Whistler’s Robbie Dixon showed he still has plenty of speed in the off-season by winning the Southern Lakes Cup last Wednesday (Aug. 4). The FIS-sanctioned giant slalom race was the first such event in several months for the skiers, and Dixon threw down the top time of one minute, 40.83 seconds, in two runs at the Coronet Peak Ski Area.
“I’m stoked about it for sure. It’s obviously early, but my GS skiing and training is coming together pretty nicely… I still need to work hard, but this gives me a big-time confidence boost,” said Dixon, who had the best World Cup results of his career last season, in terms of the 191 points he earned on the circuit and finishing 43rd in the overall standings.
Whistler’s Manuel Osborne-Paradis, also coming off a career-leading World Cup season, tied for fourth place with Kiwi skier Benjamin Griffin, both posting times of 1:41.69. Canucks Tyler Nella and Ryan Semple claimed the other two podium spots, while Mont-Tremblant’s Erik Guay, the 2010 FIS super G Crystal Globe winner, joined Calgary’s Jan Hudec as race forerunners.
The FIS World Cup season is set to start with GS races in Sölden, Austria, on Oct. 23 and 24.
Xterra approaching
On Sept. 5, Whistler is set to be the site of the national Xterra Off Road Triathlon Championships, and event organizers are calling for more local athletes to take up the challenge. On the line will be nearly $10,000 in prize money for professional athletes, and 40 berths in the Xterra world championships in Maui.
The event will involve swimming in the fresh waters of Alta Lake and mountain biking and running on Whistler’s famed trails, and the course is set to conclude at Nita Lake Lodge. The race will include Championship and Sport distances, as well as a duathlon option (bike and run) in the Championship length.
The Championship distance involves 1,500 metres of swimming, 30 km of biking and nine km of running, while the Sport course requires a 750 m swim, 15 km bike and 4.5 km run. Teams can enter both the traditional and duathon Championship-distance races.
An impressive group of Xterra champions is expected to be among the field in Whistler, with the likes of three-time world champions Melanie McQuaid and Conrad Stoltz hitting the course alongside two-time world championship runner-up Danelle Kabush and North Vancouver’s Mike Vine, winner of the 2008 U.S. championships and winner of the 2000 Canadian championship in Whistler.
For more information or to register, click to xterracanada.ca.
