Hello there! I am Ryan Webster and I will be giving you an overview of the last month as an Alberta Ski Cross athlete. This is my third year on the Alberta Ski Cross Team, and I have made some major strides towards my goal of making the national team in the last few months.

Coming back well rested from the Christmas break we had some days at the Nakiska ski cross training center. This center gives opportunities to race head-to-head working on technical and tactical skills in a track. This center gives us a consistent training venue to prepare for the heavy race schedule ahead. I had a huge milestone in January starting my first world cup in ski cross. It is something I have always wanted, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to ski up to the next level. The course was challenging but I had a lot of fun rising to the calibre needed to ski a World Cup track. It was tough conditions but in ski racing, we must adapt to different types of snow and weather. I placed 51st and 53^rd but I learned a lot and I know I can improve on those results in the future.

Following the World Cup, we raced a North American Cup on the same track. It was a lot of fun to race with a larger field and I placed 11^th and 13^th. After the Nor ‘am in Nakiska, we had a week off to prepare before the team left for a 64-day trip starting in Calabogie, Ontario. It was a bitterly cold -30 our first training day but again we must adapt to the conditions we are given. After a tough first race, I reset and won the second race. We packed up and spent a day in Toronto and then headed to Munich which kicked off the next part of our trip. We will be spending almost two months travelling across Europe to ski the back half of the Europa Cup circuit chasing criteria to make the National Team. Our first race was in Grashgern Germany, there were 75 men in the field which is the largest field I have competed in ski cross thus far. I placed 52^nd in both qualifications. Unfortunately missing out on heats however I cheered my teammate Alexa on and was able to watch my European competitor’s race. It is always important in ski cross to know your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, especially in heats.

Looking forward we have three more Europa Cup races in Riteralm, Bardonecchia, and Les Contamines, with three more FIS races in Collere, Allgehe, and San Pellegrino. I am so excited to be back to racing after taking a year off competition due to COVID. My goal is to make finals, top 8, in the Europa cups and gain more experience in the FIS races. I want to make the most of this season, ski hard, and have fun. I am confident I can generate results and show the advances I have made in my skiing and in the gym. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given and with the support of my team and coaches, I know that I can be successful.

Hey everyone! My name is Haley Cunningham. This is my second year on the Alberta Ski Team. I started the year on the Alberta Women’s Ski Team (ASTW), transitioned to a hybrid of alpine and ski cross that started to slowly shift more toward ski cross. I thought I’d be writing this at an airport waiting to meet up with the ski cross team to travel to Europe but unfortunately that is no longer the case as I have injured my knee in a fall during a ski cross race. I’m currently waiting on the MRI report but more on that later.

This season has been filled with more downs than ups for me so far with a few bright spots in between. Luckily once January started, things seemed to be on the up and up. Every day I was having so much fun and coming home with a big smile. I was given the opportunity by Josh Benge, the AB Alpine Athletic Director, to compete in a downhill race series in Aspen Colorado. Downhill racing is something I have been wanting to do more of my whole FIS career. The Aspen race series offered lots of training on the track prior to the official training runs, allowing me to gain lots of experience and a little bit of confidence in a short amount of time. We were very fortunate to have Katrina Van Soest, of Banff Alpine Racers, accompany us which made for a fun and educational speed trip. We had a blast and the pair of us topped the podium on both DH days as well. The world of covid makes for a lot of funny anecdotes. On this particular trip we had to squeeze our PCR test in between training runs, due to schedule delays, so that we could fly home. We were a bit late for the second training run but Josh did his best, changing in to one shoe to get us there safely.

After this short but sweet trip, I got one night in my bed before I ventured into the world of ski cross with ASXT at the Nakiska NorAm that followed right after World Cup event. This being my first ski cross race and the track being a “toned down” version of the World Cup track, it was intimidating in inspection knowing it would be the biggest and longest NorAm track of the year. The start sections always scare me the most because there’s no direct comparison from alpine racing but once I got past that I was settling in for some fun. After the first training run, I wasn’t nervous, and I knew I was about to have one of the best weeks of my life! Shayne, Kya and all the athlete’s on the ASXT were all so helpful and encouraging making the transition into the environment seamless and exciting. I out-performed my own expectations in qualifiers placing 6^th, with the top five qualifiers being the Canadian national team women. So qualifying went well but I still knew race day would be a whole other beast. I needed to learn the strategy of blocking people from passing and passing when the opportunity arose. I took the first race day as a “learning-race” and placed 7^th (or 3^rd in the Small Final); a pleasant surprise. The second day I wanted to go for it a little more. I pulled off my first pass ever in the morning training and that is one of the most exhilarating moments of my skiing career. I passed again in the quarterfinals sending me to the semi finals where I would then end up in either the Big or Small Final. During my semi-final run I felt like I was gaining on the national team girls, so in trying to make up a little more distance I went into a turn more aggressively than my legs could manage, and I ended up crashing and hurting my knee. I’m awaiting the MRI results but it’s looking like an ACL tear and possibly some other damage as well.

This is a new challenge for me. To my recollection, I’ve never had to miss two consecutive days of training due to one injury. Sickness and mental health yes, injury no. I struggle a lot with uncertainty and not knowing everything. It’s my way of having control so the waiting between appointments and results has already tested me. All the same though, I feel like I’m already learning. It’s forcing me to walk the walk I’ve dipped my toe into a couple times over the last couple of years. The walk of focusing on what I can control now and how I act/react. I don’t think any of this will hit me until I get the official MRI report and that will be a tough day. For now I get to live in a small bit of denial. Before racing the SX NorAm I said I didn’t know what was happening with my skiing after the conclusion of the ski cross series Wednesday. Would I be meeting up with the ASTW in the states then headed east for some NorAms races or would I be staying with the ski cross team for a few days of training here and then travelling to Calabogie and then off to Europe? Fate has chosen door number 3 for the rest of my season so it’s time to keep my chin up and shift into prehab/rehab mode with our trainer Nate Morris and CSI physio Izzy Aldrich-Witt while I await the plan for my recovery. My plan is to keep skiing but if it turns out that is not possible, thankfully, I was fortunate to receive a second year of deferral for the Engineering program I accepted at the University of Waterloo so I have some comfort in knowing I have options if need be.

The success I had in January wouldn’t have been possible without Josh, the coaches who enabled the opportunities and the teammates I got to compete alongside at those events. This has helped me clarify plan for my future. Of course our season wouldn’t be possible without the help of our sponsors Raymond James, Karbon, Sporting Life, GMC and BioSteel (ASTW sponsor)!

Hope everyone is having fun and best of luck to the kids of all age groups that are returning to racing after the long wait!

Haley Cunningham

Hi Guys! Zac Reynolds here checking in for my mid-season athlete journal!

So far, this season has been such a blast! Not only have we had the chance to travel to Europe for preseason training and race a few NorAm Cups before Christmas, but I have also had the amazing opportunity to compete in my first two World Cup races. What can I say other than what an amazing experience! I was able to see how true World Cup athletes conduct their daily routines and race their runs. Although the conditions were less than ideal and I was unable to qualify for the heats, I was able to learn so much from spending time on a high caliber World Cup track, whether it was from taking to the track run to run or by watching the other athletes compete. After the World Cup ended, Nakiska was gracious enough to hold two NorAm races on the same track where the level of racing was higher than usual! The National team stayed around to race and we got the chance to go head to head against them to see where we stacked up.

I learned a lot from these experiences and can’t wait to take them into my next races. As I embark upon the second half of my season, I will be on the road for the next two months. We begin with a NorAm double header at Calabogie Peaks in Ontario where the racing is sure to be quite exciting and then my team and I head over to Europe for a 54-day block of racing and training amongst Europe’s best. So far, the plan is to race two Europa Cups in Grasgehren and then head over to the Reiteralm training center in Austria for two Europa Cups as well as a FIS race. The plan is to stay after those races and to get in some quality training. Then we will travel across Europe for various FIS races until our next Europa Cup stop in Bardoneccia followed by Europa Cup finals in Les Contamines France. We will then be coming home for Canadian National Champs at Nakiska and some spring training.

Overall, this season is lining up to be the best one yet and I absolutely cannot wait to see where it takes me! Follow along on the Alberta Alpine (@albertaalpine) and Alberta Ski Team (@albertaskiteam) Instagram’s for updates.

Thanks for tuning in!
Zac Reynolds
Member of the Alberta Ski Cross Team

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Hello Everyone!

Happy new year! I hope 2022 has treated you well so far!

I know what you are thinking… “ANOTHER long athlete journal from C Timmy”. Although I may also be C Timmy, I can assure you I am the younger, funnier, and definitely faster one of the two. My name is Cydnie Timmermann and this is my first year representing the Alberta Ski Team. I started ski racing at the age of 4 with Banff Alpine Racers.

After 5 different race series in 5 weeks, it is safe to say the women’s team left Panorama on the 22nd of December with major improvements, great results, and some sore legs. With the anticipation of Christmas, family, and some much-needed R and R we were all excited to spend some time at home. Although it was only a quick visit, I was lucky to have both of my sisters home for the holidays.

As 2022 began, the team was united again at Nakiska to start our largest training block before the upcoming months of racing. These weeks are very valuable because it gives us an opportunity to challenge ourselves without the added pressures of a race. This is a rare block mid race season, so we braved the cold to take advantage of the empty lift lines and much needed repetitions. To finish off, we shredded some turns back on home soil at Norquay.

January 11th, 2022 was a special, exciting and inspirational day for the Alberta Women’s Ski Team. We huddled on the floor of the mid-mountain lodge to watch our very own, Kiki Alexander, start her first-ever World Cup.

We have now all packed our bags to start racing again. While half of the girls are traveling to Montana to win some college races, Kaite and I are currently on route to meet Kiki and Gavin in Meiringen, Switzerland. Here we all will race our first-ever Europa cup and then continue on our tour to Pozza di Fossa, Italy where we will compete in the Italian National Slalom Championships. To follow, we will race another Europa Cup event in Zell am See, Austria. I can’t wait to measure up against some of Europe’s finest in pursuit of the World Cup stage. I’ll be honest… I mostly can’t wait to sample more flavours of gelato and other fine foods.

Thank you to our sponsors Sporting Life, Karbon Sports, BioSteel, GMC, and Raymond James.

Cheers!

Cyd the Kyd

For those who don’t know me my name is Kiersten Vincett, I am from East Central Alberta and this is my second year on ASXT. Follow my season from summer dryland to Europe preseason and finally the National Training Center in Nakiska. I have had an awesome preseason, finishing 1st and 3rd in the December Nor’ams in Nakiska. My sights are currently set on the World Cups and Nor’ams in Nakiska then a trip out east for some more racing.

Happy New Year!

I hope this update finds everyone safe and healthy.

January 1^st is the start of many new goals and resolutions for most; in ski racing, however, January 1^st is more of a half way marker. So let’s recap what the team has been up to.

Mid November saw half the group head down to Colorado to kick things off with the opening NorAms of the season. It has been life on the road with race after race ever since. The four weeks leading up to Christmas was mostly spent in Panorama with the exception of a few days in Lake Louise for the Speed NorAms. To start we had a four day Canada Cup series in Panorama which was a solid start for the group. From there we headed into Lake Louise. The Lake Louise Speed races are a tough but enjoyable time of year. With not many days on speed skis it is a steep learning curve getting back into the technique and tactics of speed. On the flip side, Lake Louise is a great venue to make the return to DH happen. Following the Men’s and Women’s World Cup in Lake Louise the track is always in great condition for the NorAm races. The team had some success at these early races which kept the group hungry for more.

Back to Panorama, our second home… and host to the 2022 World Junior Ski Championships! This was the final but biggest stop before Christmas with 11 starts in 11 days. These included the NorAms and the MacLachlan FIS Series races. This block of racing saw some strong performances with Top 20, Top 15 and Top 10 results in the NorAms and podium performances during the FIS series.

The team just wrapped up a much deserved Christmas break spent with family as well as doing some training with their home clubs. Leading into 2022 the group will be split two ways for the month of January with half the group racing in Europe and the other half getting some training and racing in at home. The next set of NorAm races start on February 7^th in Mont Edouard, QC. Coming into these races the team will be back together as a group again which should carry through for the remainder of the season.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has volunteered at races and events so far this year. Also, a big thank you to all the ROCs, admin and coaches who have jumped through the necessary COVID hoops to make ski racing in Canada possible again this season. A big thanks to our team sponsors as well, GMC for getting us around safely and in style, Sporting Life for helping us with gear and equipment, Karbon for keeping us warm and looking fresh, and Mission Wealth Advisors Raymond James for coming back on board and continuing to support ski racing in Alberta and Canada for many-many years. I hope everyone had a great Christmas Holiday and a fantastic New Year. Stay safe and stay healthy! See you on the slopes soon.

Cheers,

Jonas

Hello Everyone!

It’s Tora Hoshizaki here with another Athlete Journal! November and December have been packed with pre-season training and dryland as we waited for the first couple races of the season. We all have been working really hard over the past couple weeks to prepare for a very busy December race schedule. With Canada Cup, Norquay, Lake Louise NorAms, Panorama NorAms, and the Panorama FIS series, it’s definitely a grind before Christmas!

On November 22nd Cydnie and I packed up my car with 14 pairs of skis, clothes for a month and a massive amount of food to start our 30 day long Panorama stretch. Once we arrived we trained for 5 days before starting the Canada Cup. Unfortunately I had a poor finish rate and DNF’d all three of my races. Although I was disappointed, I believe that my skiing did not reflect the results from that weekend. I just have to be patient for future opportunities. On the other hand, the Alberta Women’s Team had exceptional results! All the girls skied to their potential and got some early season scores.

Then we were off to Norquay for two quick slalom races. Once again, the Alberta Women had some great success! I was able to gain some confidence and walk away with a 3rd and 5th finish. Despite the cold, I was excited to be back at the Mighty Quay on Rob’s Run!

When we returned from Norquay we had a couple days of training before theNorAm series. Unfortunately on the first day of the GS race I had abad crash and bruised my tibial plateau. After evaluation of my knee I decided to come home early and not continue racing. I am extremely disappointed that I sustained an injury so early on in the race series. Currently I’m trying to stay positive and cheer the rest of my teammates on as they persevere through many days of challenging racing. Hopefully I will be back skiing with them in a couple weeks.

Now that I’m back at home I can finally get in the holiday spirit. Last year due to Covid-19 I was not able to go home to Edmonton for Christmas. So this year it will be amazing to be reunited with my family for the holidays.

To close I want to share my thanks to the Denney, Miller and Lipper households for hosting the Women’s Team over the past month. I also want to thank all of the volunteers from these races, and my sponsors Sporting Life, Karbon Sports, BioSteel and Raymond James.

From the entire Alberta Ski Team, we wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tora Hoshizaki

Hello everyone!

My name is Garrett Musgrave, this is my first year on the Alberta Ski Cross Team. I could not be more excited to kick off our season with the first race happening this weekend at Nakiska!

I have been experiencing many emotions leading up to this event. Mainly, I have been extremely excited to be returning to this sport. After the 2018 season, I decided to pursue football and academics at the University of Alberta. It was extremely hard to leave a sport that I enjoyed so much but, after some time away, I knew I was not done yet. I have been extremely grateful to be reunited with my old teammates and my amazing new coaches.

Leading up to our first race of the season, we were very fortunate to have preseason training over in Europe. It was a trip with many firsts and great laughs along the way. We started our trip in Stelvio, Italy, then we made our way to Hintertux, Austria and finally Saas Fee, Switzerland. When returned home, we had great training opportunities and facilities at Nakiska Ski Resort. Everyone has been getting very excited for the upcoming race as Covid-19 had put a hold on last year’s races for my teammates. The energy during training has been very competitive and it will be amazing to put all of our hard work to the test this weekend.

This season has been a lot of fun so far and I expect it to only get better. It all starts with our coaches Shayne Spence and Kya Fairley who are joined by our Strength and Conditioning coach, Nate Morris. They make sure we are sticking to our goals while working as hard as we can along with keeping everybody motivated while having some laughs. This season wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t have the support from my family along with my peers at home that helped me to get to where I needed to be. Thank you to everyone that helped my journey back into the skiing community including our team sponsors Sporting Life World Cup Supply, Karbon, GMC, and Raymond James Mission Wealth Advisors. I’m also grateful for the personal support provided by Alpine Saskatchewan.

Thank you for Reading!

Hello everyone!

My name is Ben Wallace, I am currently in my third year of FIS, and a first year on the Alberta Alpine Ski Team. Welcome to my first athlete journal.

Firstly, I want to mention the group dynamic of this year’s 2021-22 Men’s Team. Being the team’s newest member-“rookie”-, I have seen firsthand how inclusive the whole crew of guys are. Right from day one, the positive vibe and driven temperament was given. The ability of this group to keep each other motivated and stoked if one of us had a meagre day has fostered continual development and an environment of growth. For while we are an individual sport technically, in spirit we are a team sport. We push each other on the hill, high focus and effort put into every run.

The past two weeks of racing at Panorama and Norquay have marked the biggest block of consistent racing I have got since Covid-19 began. So getting back into the dynamic and headspace of racing has been a big focus for me. One key point I have reinforced over the last block of poor weather conditions at Panorama has been the importance of the right mindset. Specifically how it is all perceptive, and sometimes you will be soaked to your skin and miserable and you just have to smile through and love the process. That regardless of nerves or poor conditions, and the trepidation that brings, to stay confident in the work put in—and perform.

Up next I will be heading back to Panorama for four days of SG training in preparation of the Lake Louise NorAm on December 10th, my first NorAm ever! My focus is cementing all my work from pre-season speed training at Nakiska, so I nail my technical cues and am able to really push it. My determination and confidence (and, of course, stoke) is very high heading into this race. Be sure to follow Logan, Caeden, and I on Live Timing!

I would like to say a huge thank you to coaches Jonas and Peter as they continue to push and mentor the team and I. I would also like to thank everyone on the board of Alberta Alpine for their persistent hard work to support and administer our team! An additional thank you goes out to our trainer Nate at CSI for all the work he has put in with us over the summer and pre-season.

Also a big shoutout to our team sponsors Raymond James Mission Wealth Advisors, GMC, Sporting Life, World cup Supply, and Karbon. We’re grateful for your support!

We couldn’t do it without any of you.

Hey racing fans! My name is Phil Tremblay, I’m an athlete on the Alberta Ski Cross team this year!

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What a season it’s been so far! We started out with a huge training camp in Stelvio, Hintertux and Saas Fee where we got to spend time on a world cup level track, chasing world cup level skiers. We managed to get into some amazing heats with both Canadian and international athletes, and held our own! The Europe camp was an amazing way to see how the hard work over the summer and last winter through COVID is poised to pay off.

Once we got back to Canada, we were in the gym for a little bit before getting back on snow at Nakiska! The crew out there set up an amazing 15-second start section for us to train on, and it was a blast working with the national team before they went to China for the first world cups. The GS training is also A-1, with an amazing surface to work on.

The focus and drive on the ASXT this year has never been higher. Everyone on the team is firing it up at training and working hard to bridge the gap to the national team. Needless to say, since it’s been almost a year and a half since our last race in Colorado, we all can’t wait to be racing. With the 2026 Olympic Cycle starting soon and a home world cup in Nakiska, there is still all to play for.

On top of all the training, I’ve also been working as an intern/ski racing journalist for SnowBrains. This has allowed me to further my knowledge of the alpine side, and have a lot of fun writing about what I love! With this I was able to get a media pass for the Lake Louise World Cups, where I got to talk to some of the best in the world like Alexis Pinterault, Marco Odermatt and Alex Kilde.

Enjoy this little video of some awesome training runs from the past two months!

Thank you to everyone at Alberta Alpine and our sponsors for helping us push the limits every day. See you at the first NorAm, Dec. 14^th and Nakiska!

Hi everyone,

I’m checking in from Silverthorne Colorado, the beautiful mountain town that Logan, Kiki, Kaite and I have been lucky enough to call home for our most recent training block, and more notably the opening NorAm races at Copper. Training has been great at Loveland. Weather has been on our side and consistent snow conditions have been immensely valuable for final equipment testing coming into the first races of the year.

Last season was difficult mentally, the load of training was consistently high and races were sparse. Though improving and building every day is incredible, without a target, a race or goal to build towards, it can be defeating. One word rings in my mind above all else in reflection: “Hunger”. The hunger that grew as my skiing got faster without an opportunity to utilize it continues to build as we approach this race season. I am more driven and excited than ever to deliver the skiing that I’ve worked so hard to curate over countless hours of training this summer in the gym, and through an exceptionally demanding on-snow pre season.

After these tech NorAms in Copper, we will meet up with the rest of the team, to prepare for the Panorama Canada Cup races, Lake Louise NorAms and Panorama NorAms.

I’d like to thank our team sponsors Raymond James Mission Wealth Advisors, Sporting Life, World Cup Supply and Karbon for their support this season as well as Head and Poc for providing me with the best equipment in the game. To my teammates and coaches who have pushed me so hard coming into this season, racing is finally back. Trust and know that we have put in the work, let’s have a great winter!

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