From Monday, Mar. 13 through Mar. 17, Alpine Canada is at Kimberley Alpine Resort for the 2023 Alpine National Championships.
“With almost 200 athletes set to hit the slopes, over five action packed days of racing; the local community, volunteers and resort partners, have set the perfect stage, both inside and outside the fences,” said Ashlie Avoledo, senior manager, Sports Services at Alpine Canada.
“With an athlete banquet and bib draw, as well as excellent track preparations, including a brand-new GS slope for 2023.”
READ MORE: ‘Prestigious’ season ahead for Dreadnaught Ski Racing
Donna Briggs of Dreadnaught Ski Racing said she doesn’t think Kimberley has hosted the Canadian National Alpine Championship since sometime in the late 70s or early 80s.
“This is one of the highest level races Kimberley can host especially in terms of speed races like the Super G,” Briggs said.
In recent years, Briggs said that the Noram Finals for able-bodied skiers in 2018 and a World Cup Finals for Para-Alpine skiers would rank the closest to these Canadian Championships that KAR has hosted.
In addition to the 200 athletes, around 50 coaches and support staff are also expected and around 60 to 70 experienced volunteers are required to manage activities inside and outside the fences.
Kimberley will be hosting several members of the Canadian National Team, provincial teams from Alberta, B.C., Ontario and Quebec, plus several other Canadian FIS teams, Canadian universities and colleges and a huge contingent from the U.S.
There will also be several international racers representing Japan, Spain, Great Britain, Switzerland and Australia.
“Kimberley is the best place to hold Nationals,” said Johnny Chrichton, vice president of BC Alpine. “Small town hospitality big mountain ski racing. The resort and the community really embrace the challenges of hosting an event of this magnitude. BCA is really looking forward to showing canada this amazing town and venue.”
To prepare for an event of this caliber, Briggs said planning takes over a year and regular meetings of the Race Organizing Committee (ROC), which is comprised of several locals and representatives from other parts of B.C. and Alberta.
The ROC work to align all of the countless details required to host a high-level event such as this, and to ensure everything is done to showcase the mountain and the community.
“As this race involves very high level alpine racers it is imperative that the track preparation has a solid consistent base so it holds up from the first racer to the 200th racer,” Briggs explained. “This provides an equal field of play. This involves very tedious track preparation and a lot of volunteer resources the week before the event begins.”
For the first time ever, KAR’s Rosa run, from top to bottom, has been homologated as a Giant Slalom race run. This means that additional B-Net safety fencing needs to be installed ahead of the inaugural race.
“Some think this might be one of the most challenging GS race runs in Canada,” Briggs said. “We will see how the athletes respond to it on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.”
A race of this size also represents a big bump to the local economy. Briggs said because basically all attendees other than volunteers are coming from outside of the community, the economic impact could be as high as $500,000, translated from a minimum of 1800 delegate days at around $250 a day.
Immediately after the Canadian Nationals wraps up, the 2023 FIS Para Alpine Skiing Canadian and USA National Championships begin.
READ MORE: Dreadnaught reflects on 10 days of FIS racing at Kimberley Alpine Resort
“Barely time to catch a breath but we have a very dedicated and experience team that know how to Get’er Done,” Briggs said. “The Canadian and USA Para Alpine National Championships will be a smaller field so a little easier to manage and we have been hosting a lot of the same athletes and coaches for many year in Kimberley, so the fact that everyone is familiar with how things work here makes it a little more casual.”
She added that hosting the Para Teams annually again is like “inviting your extended family back for a visit,” and they expect around 40 to 50 athletes and 10 coaches and support staff this year.
If you are at the hill you are welcome to come out and watch from a safe distance behind the safety fencing or down by the finish line.
There will also be an outdoor event at KAR’s plaza on Tuesday, Mar. 14 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., featuring a bib draw with the premier athletes, kids from the Kimberley Alpine Team, and live music from the Hollers, plus a barbecue and beverage station.
Briggs extended a big thank you to the City of Kimberley for providing a community grant to help host this event and help “showcase our Best Small Town Spirit.” She also extended her gratitude to the sponsors who enabled an event of this caliber to be held, Kimberley Alpine Resort, Trickle Creek Lodge, Mountain Spirit Resort, Viasport, Alpine Canada, BC Alpine, Jenson Family Foundation, as well as the incredible team of core volunteers.
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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