Pro-level skiers from across the country are hitting the slopes in Kimberley for the 2023 Canadian Senior National Alpine Championships.
“The National Championships is one of the two of the largest events in Alpine Ski Racing in Canada and is the pinnacle event of the season, where club athletes have the chance to rub shoulders and race against Canada’s top athletes on the Canadian National Team,” said Kimberley Alpine Resort officials.
The championships opened on Monday, with nearly 200 athletes competing in the races.
Erin Huskin with the BC Alpine team said one of the big challenges is balancing skiing with school studies.
“Skiing is a very time-consuming sport, but it’s part of the seal since I would say it’s kind of a development sport,” said Huskin.
Local competitors are also taking part in the races.
Zoe Gray from the Columbia Valley is in Kimberley to represent the Panorama ski team.
“We do five days of training and we usually get to do races over the weekend. It’s like a full-time job, but the best job ever, so I’m not too upset about it,” said Gray.
She has participated in a number of races this season, with a few more left to go.
“This year, we had about 50 to 60 starts, so we have lots of races,” said Gray. “We still have five more races to go and then we’ll be done. We’re finishing off in Sun Peaks.”
Zoe is competing at the Senior National Alpine Championships alongside her sister, Cassidy Gray.
The championships come to a close on Friday with the second round of slalom races.