FREESTYLE:

Canadians primed for Chinese freestyle showcase

Dec. 16, 2010 — CFSA 

China’s Beida Lake ski resort plays host to four FIS freestyle events this weekend: aerials World Cups on Dec.17 and 18, an aerials team event on Dec. 20 and, for the first time in China, a moguls World Cup event on Dec. 21.

These competitions mark the third time the new superpower has hosted a FIS aerials World Cup event, and the first time it has hosted a World Cup moguls event. In fact, freestyle skiing is the only FIS World Cup discipline that China has ever hosted.

Canadian Freestyle Ski Association CEO Peter Judge said China has gone from being a consumer of FIS World Cup events to being a host. And, he added, a very good host at that.

“The hand-built sites are impressive and extremely well-prepared,” he said. “It’s encouraging to see a new country come on board and be organized for an event.”

Long known for its prowess in aerials — China took home five of the top six placings in the overall aerials World Cup standings last season —  moguls is a relatively new sport to China. But, Judge said the country has dedicated significant resources to developing its moguls program and added that he believes the Chinese will be a real contender in moguls at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Judge said the fact that China is hosting international freestyle events indicates that the world’s most populous country has embraced freestyle as its primary ski sport. This, he said, is significant, not only for freestyle skiing, but also good for the breadth and expansion of skiing as a whole.

The Chinese ski resort of Beida Lake sits in Yongji County in North East China. The resort itself was designed by Ecosign, a ski resort design company based in Whistler, B.C. Along with aerials and moguls courses, the resort has a terrain park and a halfpipe.

The Canadian aerials team will be represented in China by veterans Warren Shouldice and Veronika Bauer, who are already training in Beida Lake. The rest of the team has opted to remain in Canada and compete at this weekend’s upcoming Nor-Am event at Apex Mountain. Judge said, “It’s pretty normal for these athletes to skip the one-off, pre-Christmas (World Cup) events and opt, instead, to focus on their training in preparation for the rest of the World Cup season, which starts with our Canada Post Grand Prix at Ski Mont Gabriel on January 15 and 16.”

The moguls team arrives in China on Thursday. Mogul athletes competing in China are Jenn Heil, Kristi Richards, Audrey Robichaud, Chelsea Henitiuk, Alex Bilodeau, Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau, Mikaël Kingsbury, Cédric Rochon and Eddie Hicks. 

S-Magazine