Kimberley Alpine Team (KAT) will be joining up with prairie skiers for the Saskatchewan Provincials Finals on Feb. 22 and 23, following the cancellation of downhill ski racing at the B.C Winter Games in Quesnel.
The team was scheduled to compete at B.C Winter Games from Feb. 22 to 25, but a lack of snow at Troll Mountain in Quesnel led organizers to cancel the downhill skiing and snowboard events. KAT has now pivoted to Saskatchewan provincials in order to give its athletes the chance to show off their hard-earned skills.
KAT program director David Nighswander said the decision to cancel the Winter Games was difficult for both the skiers and the organizers.
“The kids are devastated. It’s basically a right of passage. The kids worked very hard to qualify. They were just over the moon when they did qualify. Planning was underway and the rug got pulled out from under them,” he said.
“Mother nature just threw everybody a massive curve. [Organizers] they spent a lot of money and a lot of effort getting ready. They had new buildings built and coordinated hundreds of volunteers at this event,” he added.
Still, he said the kids are looking forward to sharing their home hill with other athletes. Nighswander estimated that as many as 70 alpine skiers from Saskatchewan will be making the trip out to Kimberley Alpine Resort for the event.
KAT is a regional club that draws membership from Cranbrook, Fernie and Invermere, among many places. There were 16 regional alpine club athletes who were due to compete at the winter games, who will be racing alongside Saskatchewan instead, with members from the Fernie Alpine Ski Club and Dreadnaught Ski Racing joining in as well.
Nighswander said Kimberley Alpine Resort has fared well in comparison to other ski hills, considering the unseasonably warm weather.
“A lot of the resorts towards the coast have really been struggling. Back East, they’re hurting a lot. The fact that we’ve had good solid snow and racing all year, is a real tribute to what the resort was able to do.”
He looks forward to watching the athletes grow and improve.
“This is one step on the journey to higher levels of competition as they continue to train, and as they get older,” he said.