Extreme weather conditions that closed the mountain and significantly curtailed training earlier in the week didn’t hamper Canada’s performance at the FIS ski half-pipe and ski slope-style events here today as the world’s top freestyle nation skied away with four medals.
In ski slope-style the day belonged to Montreal’s Kaya Turski, who has walked away with a gold medal at every event she’s entered this season.
The former pro-roller-bladder scored 93.2 on the seven-feature course to best second-place Devin Logan of the US by almost five points. Logan scored 87.6. Emma Wint, also of the US was third at 83.4.
Rookie Yuki Tsubota from Pemberton, B.C. was the next Canadian in fifth at 70.4. Dara Howell from Huntsville, Ont. rounded out the Canadian women finalists in eighth at 44.0.
In men’s slope-style 18-year-old Alex Bellemare had his biggest finish ever in a major event, earning the silver at 89.2. He was sandwiched by Americans Tom Wallisch and Joss Christiansen who scored 96.4 and 87.2, respectively.
Victoriaville, Que.’s Charles Gagnier was the only other Canadian in the final. He stomped a solid run to land in sixth at 84.2.
Meanwhile, in the Halfpipe, Canada’s X Games champ Rosalind Groenewoud along with her teammate and fellow Calgarian, Noah Bowman, rounded out Canada’s four-medal day with a pair of silvers
Groenewoud at 87.0 was flanked by Americans Brita Sigourney who scored 90.8 and Maddie Bowman at 84.6.
“We didn’t have a lot of training because of the blizzard this week, so I wasn’t that confident coming into the competition today. In my first run I had a few mistakes that I wanted to clean up on the second run. Unfortunately that didn’t work out because I hit the deck and blew a binding off my ski (on my second run). But I’m okay and I’m happy,” said Groenewoud who added that today’s 15 degree weather was not her friend.
Groenewoud also won the high air prize today, adding an extra $2,500 to her coffers. It was a kind of vindication for the girl who loves to fly, often boosting more than 14-feet out of the pipe, “My first hit straight air is my favourite part of my run, I don’t want to change it for anything, so it’s cool that it was appreciated in a way that it isn’t usually.”
Calgary’s Megan Gunning also made finals, but finished 12th at 19.0.
On the men’s side Bowman, proved his X Games silver medal last month was no fluke when he scored 92.0 to take second spot to the US’s David Wise who scored 94.4.
Valentin Benoit from France rounded out the men’s podium at 90.0.
Penticton’s Matt Margetts earned the highest air prize for the men. Unfortunately despite some amazing skiing he was unable to put an entire run together and finished the day 11th at 33.8.
Mike Riddle, from Sherwood Park, Alta, also qualified for finals, but was under the weather. He finished 12th at 18.2.
The Canadian Halfpipe and Slope-style squads next head to the Euro X Games in France, March 13-16. Ski half-pipe and slope-style make their Olympic debut in Sochi in 2014.
Thanks to Kelly Korbin media relations for the info.
