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North Vancouver skiers score big at U19 nationals

Alexander, MacDonald claim gold at 1988 Olympic venue

Three North Vancouver skiers carved their way onto the podium at the Sport Chek 2017 U19 Canadian National Alpine Championship held March 1-5 at Nakiska Ski Resort in Alberta.

Racers Kyle Alexander and Frances MacDonald can now call themselves national champions after scoring gold at the event held at the 1988 Olympic venue.

Alexander, a BC Ski Team and Whistler Mountain Ski Club member, led the way in Alberta, winning the men’s U19 super-G in the difficult conditions of an Alberta snowstorm. The 18-year-old posted a time of 1:10.85 to finish 0.13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Alexander’s strong showing also included a second-place finish in the men’s U19 downhill race. 

Kyle Alexander
Kyle Alexander carves a tight line during the Sport Chek 2017 U19 Canadian National Alpine Championships held earlier this month at Nakiska Ski Resort in Alberta. Alexander led a trio of North Vancouver skiers onto the podium, winning gold in super-G and silver in downhill. photo Derek Trussler

MacDonald, a member of the Vancouver Ski Team and Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club, scored her gold medal in U19 women’s slalom. MacDonald was in third place following the first slalom run but put down the second fastest time in run No. 2 for a total combined time of 1:40.41, 0.02 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Calgary skier Abby Harrison posted the fastest time in the first run but missed a gate in the second, earning a disqualification.

Asher Jordan completed the strong run for North Vancouver racers, finishing third in U19 super-G to join Alexander, his BC Ski Team/Whistler Mountain Ski Club teammate, on the podium. Jordan’s time of 1:11.14 left him 0.16 seconds out of second place and 0.29 seconds behind Alexander.

The Nakiska event also included senior skiers battling for the open Canadian Championships amongst the juniors, and North Vancouver’s Brodie Seger scored well in those rankings. The 21-year-old won silver in the men’s downhill and bronze in men’s super-G. Seger is a member of the Canadian national ski team.

Full video of the Nakiska races can be found at albertaalpine.ca.