Former national team members are hoping to carve a new path down the mountains for local skiers.
A core group of enthusiasts are trying to bring freestyle skiing prestige back to Prince George.
Scott Bellavance, who lodged a sixth-place finish at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, paid a visit to the XploreSportZ camp at Northern Sport Centre to promote the sport to young athletes.
Bellavance is part of a cache of skiers who are trying to rebuild a freestyle club and are looking for adventurous children who want to catch big air and tackle navigating moguls at high speed.
The high-flying sport most recently made headlines when Alex Bilodeau picked up Canada's first gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games. It encompasses four disciplines,
"We used to have one of the biggest clubs in the country," said Bellavance. "It would be nice to see it running again."
In order to get that momentum and potentially have local representation at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, the group of coaches has put together an introductory Jumps and Bumps program at Tabor Mountain. The eight-week course - for intermediate to advanced parallel skiers between the ages of eight and 16 - begins Jan. 21 and runs Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. until noon. Skiers will focus on carving turns, basic jumps, moguls and the terrain park.
Those who might be interested are invited to attend the upcoming Try Freestyle day at the mountain Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. The free clinic (participants must purchase a lift pass) will allow skiers a chance to have some fun with the coaches on the mountain and learn a bit more about what the sport is about.
"We want to slowly build our base," said Melanie Noullett who was on the national development freestyle skiing team in the early 1990s. Until an official club is formed, the course will be run by the Tabor Mountain ski school.
Noullett said the local club disbanded around 2006, likely due to a series of circumstances (such as poor conditions and change of location) that caused a drop in interest from younger skiers.
"I got a lot from the freestyle skiing club in Prince George," she said, adding there is a lot of interest to be drawn for younger skiers just by having the sport showcased on the mountain. "I would like to be able to take my kids out and even just watch freestyle skiing competitions."
Bellavance, a Prince George Secondary School graduate who skied competitively for 14 years, said he was hooked into trying the sport after watching others.
"If you're out there every weekend like I was and you see kids going down moguls and jumping it looks like fun," he said. That fun is what carried him through his career and what holds his interest as a coach now.
"It's one of the biggest reasons I'm involved right now. A lot of kids that don't go on to the next level, but love the sport of skiing," said Bellavance.
