Jan. 25, 2012 - Issue #849: Blind Date
Fall Lines
FALL LINES: after tragedy and local hills
Canadian Freestyle Team back on form after tragedyOnly one week after the tragic death of her friend and teammate Sarah Burke, Canadian freestyle skier Kaya Turski paid tribute with an amazing win in a slopestyle event in Killington, Vermont on Sunday. With a "Believe in Sarah Forever" sticker firmly affixed to her skis, Kaya effortlessly nailed three jumps and three rails, including a beautiful Cab 7 (backwards 720) to finish her run. The rest of the Canadian ladies and gents had good performances, but none that got them to the podium. But there's no rest for the halfpipe and slopestyle teams because they're now competing at the ever-demanding X Games in Aspen, Colorado.
Meanwhile in Lake Placid, NY, the amazing season continues for Canadian mogul skier Mikael Kingsbury, who won his fourth event in a row. An incredible accomplishment considering the field is so deep. Canadian skiers were really prepared for this event, taking four of the top six spots. As a result, their luggage will be considerably heavier with medals as they head to Canada Olympic Park in Calgary for the Freestyle Grand Prix this weekend. I will give mention as well to Canada's aerial skiers, who have posted good early finishes and are now off to Calgary for some hometown atmosphere.
Local hills are freestylin'
The Alberta Winter Games are coming to two of our local hills, with the first bout starting tomorrow at Tawatinaw Valley. The freestyle and snowboard competitions will be held there tomorrow and Saturday, with the Alpine events to be contested at Rabbit Hill on February 10 – 12. For those of you who have never been to Tawatinaw, head north on St Albert Trail for about an hour and follow the signs.
Snow Valley will be hosting its second annual Pump Up The Jam 12-and-under ski and board mini park competition this Sunday. This is a junior event where helmets are mandatory and inverts are not allowed. It doesn't matter if you are a competitor's parent or just along for the show, this could be a great event to spot the next Kaya Turski.
Finally, the Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival is just around the corner. Taking place at the Cooking Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area just east of Edmonton, this cross-country ski adventure can test your limits or just provide an opportunity to have a whole lot of fun. This year, organizers are trying to break a Guinness World Record by creating the worlds longest ski line. Go to canadianbirkie.com for all the details.
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