Whistler’s Ashleigh McIvor Strikes Gold in Ski Cross

Canada’s Ashleigh McIvor won the inaugural gold in a nail-biting Ladies’ Ski Cross race on February 23, 2010, becoming one of the first athletes ever to receive a medal in this sport. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games was the first time that ski cross has been included as an Olympic medal event; snowboard cross was introduced in 2006, at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino. With an eye to the future, Whistler has featured a Snow Cross course since the 1990s on Blackcomb Mountain, nurturing the growth of both ski cross and snowboard cross athletes by providing a winter training ground.

Snow cross is similar to motocross, but mountain-style with skis or snowboards instead of engines. A series of thrills for both the spectators and the athletes, snow cross competitions typically involve a solo, timed qualification run followed by timed heats — races between four athletes in Olympic snow cross events — with the top two athletes from each heat progressing to the next round, culminating in a final race between the top competitors. The course terrain incorporates turns in a variety of types and sizes, flat sections and traverses, as well as rolls, banks and ridges, and is similar for both ski and snowboard cross.

Competitors in ski cross are amazing all around skiers – jumps, rollers and tight turns are easily navigated by these phenomenal athletes. But participating in ski cross isn’t reserved just for Olympic level athletes; ski cross is an exhilarating way to develop skills as a skier. The dedicated Snow Cross track at Whistler Blackcomb is right beside the Solar Coaster chairlift on Blackcomb Mountain, beside the Nintendo Terrain Park and ending by the side of the Super Pipe. From the Solar Coaster, look to your right for a view of the big banks, rollers and step-ups that provide the challenge and adventure to park skiers and riders. Recreational races are held frequently for competitors of all ability levels.

Several ski and snowboard cross athletes on the Canadian National teams call the Sea to Sky region their home, including Ashleigh McIvor and ski cross racer Julia Murray who both grew up in Whistler. Cross your fingers, but not your ski tips… you just might see an Olympic Gold Medalist practicing for Sochi in 2014 at the Snow Cross track on Blackcomb Mountain.