The past three weeks have been filled with excitement and exceptional performances for the athletes of the Big White Ski Club. Competing in three major events—the Apex Teck Okanagan Zone Race (Jan 11-12), the Apex Teck Open (Jan 16-19), and the Speed Camp at SilverStar Mountain Resort (Jan 24-26)—our skiers demonstrated skill, determination, and sportsmanship on the slopes.

Our U16 team competed in all three events, while the U12 and U14 teams attended two of them. These events showcased the dedication of our athletes and the hard work of their coaches and families. There were many standout performances to start the season:

• Hunter Kay (U16): Podium finishes in all three weekends, including multiple first-place finishes.
• Marin Oberlander (U14): A perfect record, claiming the top spot in every event she has competed in.
• Isaac Ramsay (U12): Three first-place finishes at the first race and a third-place finish at Speed Camp.
• Alexandra Walker (U16) and Mikalah Taylor (U16): Multiple podiums each.
• Niko Yamamoto (U12): Achieved his first podium finish of the season, coming second at speed camp.

The club is incredibly proud of all our athletes results and looks forward to more success as the season continues. A big thank you to Apex Ski Club and Vernon Ski Club for hosting these extraordinary events.

Apex Teck Okanagan Zone Race Highlights

The Okanagan Zone Race brought together U12-U16 athletes for a weekend of intense slalom competition. Big White athletes rose to the occasion, achieving outstanding results.

U12 Teams (Paneled Slalom and Slalom Stubbies):

U12 Ladies:

• Grace Niania: 7th (Race 1), 4th (Races 2 & 4)
• Marlowe Dessaulles: 8th (Races 1 & 4)
• Amelia Thomas and Mya Zawalik: top-10 finishes

U12 Men:

• Isaac Ramsay: 1st place (Races 2, 3 & 4)
• Sebastian Weber: 4th (Race 1), top 6 in three other races
• Niko Yamamoto and Chace Liu: Top-10 finishes

U14 & U16 Slalom:

U14 Ladies:

• Marin Oberlander: 1st place on both days

U14 Men:

• Daniel Zhang: 5th (Day 1)
• Markus Lundgren: 10th

U16 Ladies:

• Alexandra Walker: 3rd (Day 1)
• Mikalah Taylor: 2nd (Day 2)

U16 Men:

• Hunter Kay: 2nd (Day 1), 1st (Day 2)
• Michael Ferenci: 5th and 6th place finishes
• Ken Ferenci: 6th place finish

Apex Teck Open (U16+)

The Apex Teck Open featured U16 and Open-category athletes in slalom and giant slalom events with over 150 competitors from across the province. Highlights from Big White Ski Club U16 team members and alumni now racing for the Okanagan Ski Team (OST) include:

• Mikalah Taylor: 5th (U16 ladies Slalom, Day 1), 6th (Giant Slalom, Day 4), 9th (Giant Slalom, Day 3)
• Hunter Kay: 8th (U16 mens Giant Slalom, Days 1 & 2), 1st (U16 Slalom, Day 3)
• Takota Ito (OST): 1st (mens Open category Slalom), 2nd (GS, Open)
• Sacha Jirasek: 4th (men Open category GS)

Speed Camp at SilverStar Mountain Resort (Jan 24-26)

The final week of January saw our U12, U14, and U16 athletes attend Speed Camp at SilverStar Mountain Resort, where they trained and competed in downhill events. The camp included two days of training and concluded with a two-run downhill race.

Big White Ski Club Highlights:

U16 Men:

• The U16 men were not afraid of speed with an average speed from our U16 boys team of 96.34 km/hr
• Hunter Kay: 1st (top speed: 101.3 km/h)
• Yarko Yagelniksi: 3rd

U16 Ladies:

• All 3 of Big White’s U16 women attending the event placed in the speed event, with an average speed of 95.5 km/h
• Alexandra Walker: 1st (top speed: 98.3 km/h)
• Mikalah Taylor: 2nd
• Ella Thomas: 4th 

U14 Men:

• Daniel Zhang: 4th (speed: 92.6 km/h)

U14 Ladies:

• Marin Oberlander: 1st (speed: 95.5 km/h)

U12 Men:

• Niko Yamamoto: 2nd (speed: 90.1 km/h)
• Isaac Ramsay: 3rd
• Cameron Liu: 5th
• John Ackerman: 6th
• Chace Liu: 8th
• Sebastian Weber: 10th

U12 Ladies:

• Marlowe Dessaulles: 2nd (speed: 89.2 km/h)
• Mya Zawalik: 7th

Congratulations to all our racers—you’ve made the entire Big White community proud! We can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store.