Recently retired Canadian mogul legend Jennifer Heil hosted her sixth annual Girls Mogul Camp at Marmot Basin recently.

Fifty aspiring young bump skiers took part in the event, which is aimed at giving girls a fun and positive experience in moguls.

Heil, a native of Spruce Grove, Alta., began her camp in 2006, after she won Olympic gold in Torino. 

“Realizing what a difference it made for me to know people who had accomplished their goals, goals that I had been dreaming of since I was a child, made me want to offer that experience to young girls,” she said in a recent release.

This year, girls aged six to 17 from across Alberta and even Saskatchewan, attended the two-day, free camp at Marmot Basin. Heil brought a team of coaches for the camp, who all donated their time. Heil also brought her national teammates, Chloe Dufour-Lapointe and Kristi Richards, her own coach Dominick Gauthier, her former coach Murray Cluff and Jasper Freeride club coach Marc Shymko.

Before the camp began, Dufour-Lapointe said she was looking forward to a chance to meet some young up-and-coming female mogul skiers and to try out her coaching skills. 

“I’m really excited to meet the girls, it’s the first time I’m really going to coach so I’m a bit nervous. I think it’s going to be fun and I’m so happy that Jenn gave me this opportunity,” she said.

This year’s camp included two days of on-snow training and educational seminars with a nutritionist. The weekend ended with a fun competition and prizes for the girls.

“Really, the idea is to create an atmosphere where the girls can feel really well supported, can have fun and meet other girls who share their passion for skiing,” said Heil, who thanked the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association (CFSA) for supporting the camp.

CFSA CEO Peter Judge said that Heil’s camp provided an opportunity to help promote the sport to girls, who have been traditionally under-represented in freestyle. 

“It’s an amazing opportunity for young girls to have access to that kind of talent, and it’s a demonstration of the commitment and willingness of our high-level athletes to give back to the sport that has given them so much. The more opportunities we can give girls to meet and train with their heroes, the better.”