Kimberley Alpine Resort will once again be host to the Jeep Junior Free Ski Event on January 21 and 22.
Registration is open now and is available on the International Free Skiers Association’s (IFSA) website, www.freeskiers.org and navigating to the Kimberley event. This is an IFSA Junior 2 Regional event, put on by KAR.
The IFSA was founded in 1996 by one of the sport’s most legendary figures, the late Shane McConkey who was originally from Vancouver, B.C.
Freeskiing really took off in the 1990s, and is encompassed by essentially all the different disciplines of the sport that are outside of alpine racing, including big mountain, slopestyle, half-pipe, big air and ski cross.
The IFSA is focused on junior and adult big mountain Freeride competitions and today also includes snowboarding.
All competitors must complete an RCR Event Release Agreement prior to registration. Competitors 15 years old and younger must complete both the RCR Event Agreement and the RCR Parental Agreement.
Registration is $85 per athlete, and an IFSA Junior membership is required to compete. There are three age divisions, U12, 12-14 and 15-18.
Once you have an IFSA membership you are able to compete in sanctioned events in North and South America and as a member, you are able to sign up for events with a username and password. Athletes collect points as they compete against other riders within their division.
Points and rankings collected from a previous season will determine whether the athlete is extended a pre-qualified invitation to compete in one of the 13 Junior National Series events.
In mid-march of every season the highest ranked juniors will be invited to the North American Championships. The IFSA also provides a championship especially for U-12 athletes.
The IFSA recommends registering for events on the same day, or even same hour registration opens due to the explosive growth of the sport.
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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