Hayes Layton can officially call himself one of the top young slalom skiers in the world.
Layton, a 13-year-old member of the Prince George Alpine Ski Club, competed at the Whistler Cup last weekend. At the international meet, he went up against 132 other skiers in a Saturday slalom race and finished an impressive 12th overall. The next day, in giant slalom, he placed 29th.
Three other Prince George skiers - Melinda Kobasiuk, Charlotte Gibson and Lucas Gairns - were also in Whistler for the competition.
Kobasiuk, 12, posted her best finish in slalom, a 31st in a field of 131. The 13-year-old Gibson, meanwhile, ended up 48th. As for the 15-year-old Gairns, he finished 48th out of 87 in Super G and 54th out of 87 in giant slalom. Gairns was skiing against athletes from 22 countries.
Prince George Ski Club members were also at Panorama and Lake Louise on the weekend.
At Panorama, Isabelle Gibson competed at the western championships and, in the Under-16 category, placed 23rd in giant slalom and 19th in slalom. At Lake Louise, U-10 athlete Adree Brulotte was in a field of 40 and had a pair of third-place finishes, a fourth and a 15th.
