Four Whitewater Freeride athletes competed among some of the world’s best skiers at the IFSA Junior Freeride Championships held in Breckenridge, Colo., on April 11-13.
The invite-only event consisted of the top 10 per cent of ranked athletes from North and South America. The event topped off a challenging but amazing season for Whitewater’s competitive athletes.
“Less than normal amounts of snow along with big temperature fluctuations throughout the winter created extra challenging competitive venues for our athletes this past season,” said head coach Pete Velisek. “Our athletes still managed to produce some amazing results despite these challenges and I am pretty proud of how many were invited to this year’s championship event.”
Velisek credited the athletes’ triumphs to the team’s supportive atmosphere, the amazing terrain for freeriders at Whitewater, and the talented coaching staff and dedication of the athletes.
North Slater, Benson Hulbert, Zoe Bombier and Wyatt Atkins from the Whitewater Competitive Freeride Team took part in the event.
North is the son of the late Dano Slater who started the team with Velisek approximately 15 years ago.
Following the Championships, Hulbert ranked No. 3, Bombier was ranked No. 15, Atkins ranked No. 20, and Slater ranked No. 46 for the season in the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association 2023-2024 Junior Rankings.
Atkins was also third-best among Canadian males ages 15-18 and will be invited to compete at the World Freeride Championships in Kappl, Austria, next January.
The Whitewater Competitive Freeride Team would like to thank the Nelson and District Credit Union, the Sacred Ride, the Village Ski Hut, and Whitewater Ski Resort for their generous support.