This season, for the first time ever, the Jasper Freemountain Snowboard Team will host the Alberta Snowboarding Association’s Northern Alberta Slopestyle Series.
The event will take place over three weekends, from January to March 2015, and will see boarders of all ages compete in a series of races. Each event allows participants to collect points, which contribute to rankings in Northern Alberta, the whole province and all of Canada.
According to Cameron Vos, the head coach of the Freemountain team, the event is an “amazing” opportunity for the youth in the club.
“It’s just great that they have an opportunity to represent their local hill, and kind of have a home base for competition,” he said.
Vos said a competition like the Slopstyle Series is difficult to put together, and he credited Marmot Basin as being one of the driving forces behind bringing it to Jasper.
Freemoutain is entering its sixth year, and Vos said it is already shaping up to be the most successful one yet. Registration for the club is open now, and about 10 kids have already signed up.
That is the same number that enrolled last year, but Vos said he expects even more to join before the team starts practicing in early January, bringing the total number of members to about 15.
He said he believes the team—which includes members ranging from 7-17 years old—is becoming more popular thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of the parents who volunteer their time.
“We all help each other out, and we can really provide top-quality coaching because the parents are so focused on getting all the background stuff done. The coaches can really focus on snowboarding and helping the kids improve and stay motivated and get excited to snowboard—which is all that matters in the end.”
That enjoyment seems to be spilling over to the youth as well. Vos pointed to senior members like Kace Ellis, who turned 17 this year, and took on a big leadership role last year, helping mentor some of the younger kids.
“That’s really what we like to see, that’s the most important thing—that we’re building positive leaders and really strong young adults,” he said. “They get to learn skills—not only snowboarding but they get to learn life skills as well.”
Vos encouraged anyone interested in signing up for the team to send an email to [email protected], or to get in touch with the team’s Facebook page: Jasper Freemountain Snowboard Team.
It costs $500 to sign up, and the team will meet every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. beginning in January. If there’s enough interest, Vos said he will consider Saturday sessions as well.
Trevor Nichols
[email protected]
