Local Sports

If it’s February in Canmore, it means ice climbing season is already half over.

Lined up for a sprint final in Whistler, Olympic cross-country skier Drew Goldsack needed a win, Jan. 14. A huge summer training effort had him in the best shape of his life and he felt victory was possible after strong qualifiying times.

On the biggest ski cross stage in the world, Canmore’s Tristan Tafel soared to new heights at the X Games in Aspen, Colo. “It was a new personal best at the international level. That was huge for me. I was pleased with my skiing that day.

Some have dubbed Canada’s men’s cross-country ski team to be a collection of ‘Nordic Knights’ defined by bravery, ferocity and victory on the frozen tracks of the World Cup. Another athlete made his bid for a place at the round table on Sunday (Jan.

A detectable shift in the ground occurred Sunday (Jan. 22), as the weight of the world shifted off Devon Kershaw’s shoulders.

The X Games ski cross course is unlike anything else in the world. Racers six abreast race down the course, tackling turns and kickers twice the size of World Cup circuits. The finishing jump is 80 feet high, accentuated by a two-storey tall lip.

Welcome to Alysson Marshall’s breakout season. After earning her first cross-country ski World Cup starts in fall, Marshall returned to Canada from Europe and steamrolled the competition at several NorAms in British Columbia.

The Canmore Eagles gave up grit and offence in order to get younger and faster at the AJHL trade deadline. Gone are 20-year-old Riley Reinbolt and 19-year-old Zack Rassell – two of the team’s leading goal scorers.

The words ‘grudge match’ and ‘cross-country skiing’ don’t appear together very often. However, when it comes to Brent McMurtry and Kevin Sandau, the description is apt.

Cooling down after her sprint win at the Callaghan Valley Trials, Heidi Widmer waited in anticipation for her big brother Phil’s race, phone in hand.