Rosslander Dane Tudor Defends his Freeskiing Title
By Andrew Zwicker
High above the Kootenay Sea and under the shining sun, Rossland’s premiere winter sporting event, the Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships, went off successfully again this year on the slopes of Link’s Line and the face of Mt. Roberts.
The first two days of competition hosted the qualifiers and semi-finals on Link’s Line under the Motherlode chair, cutting the competition down to the cream of the crop for the move to what is commonly known on the freeskiing circuit as the most feared and most difficult course down the face of Mt. Roberts.
Rossland’s own Dane Tudor, the defending champion from last year’s event, qualified in seventh place with a score of 34.4, making it through the cut down to 37 for the semi-finals. He followed that up by posting the top score of 36.6 in the semi final round as the field was cut down to the top 24.
Scoring for the event is based on fluidity, technique, aggression and control and is judged by a series of judges headed up by freeskiing legend Jeff Holden.
With big crowds hanging out on the south side road below Ledges, soaking in the tunes and great weather, local boy Tudor narrowly edged out Revelstoke skier Sean Cochrane for his second straight Open championship with a score of 33.2.
On the women’s side, Janina Kuzma rocked her way down Roberts to victory. Rossland’s Leah Evans finished in an impressive 5th spot.
According to event director Captain Jack, “The red hot Canadian Open in conjunction with exceptional weather, format and competitors presented a masterful event. Dane Tudor and Janina Kuzima, winners of the championship, led the 90 athlete field through challenge and excitement. Already recognized as one of the top freeskiing events in the world, the 2009 edition was a huge success and a preview of what’s in store for the rest of the 2009 season. Hooray to all who helped and spectated this marvelous happening!”
Click on these links to view videos:
Video of Senior Day 1
Video of Senior Day 2
Video of Senior Day 3
See attachment for full event results.
