B.C. experts helping build sport in Manitoba

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Technology and snow sports like skiing and snowboarding continue to merge, which one day might mean Manitoba athletes will reach unprecedented levels in both sports.

Hills like Holiday Mountain originated with wood skis, make-shift poles, and the only snow on the hill fell from the sky.

Holiday Mountain was the first ski resort in Canada to utilize snowmaking equipment, but these days it’s far more than that just snow that is getting assistance.

Friends pull towards the chairlift line at Holiday Mountain, much like how provincial sport organizations and local hills are pulling each other into the next generation of the sport. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)

How terrain parks are designed, built, and maintained is getting a major boost from provincial sport organizations and a B.C-based company that specializes in their creation.

For freestyle riders and snowboarders, specifically the terrain parks, which combine rails, boxes, and other jumps in conjunction with the steep descents for riders to find creative ways to launch themselves and complete a trick.

The goal is to have safe parks where enthusiasts can train and practise without having to cross multiple provinces to reach the mountains.

Manitoba Snowboard and Freestyle Manitoba have partnered with the support of Sport Manitoba to bring the experts here.

A $10,000 grant from Sport Manitoba has led to the provincial sport organizations to bring world-class terrain park builders from British Columbia to the prairies of western Manitoba to aid in developing the parks, and instruction on how to maintain them.

Ben Suurallik, a terrain park builder with Arena Snowparks spent three days at Asessippi and three days at Holiday Mountain last week, lending his lifetime of experience to local operators.

“I love these smaller community hills. There’s great energy and every just seems to love being here,” said Suurallik.

“I know one aspect with kids is that we’re always competing with other activities to maintain participation and interest. Video games, all these other activities that are competing for kids interests, which is really what is going to sustain our industry of sport.”

His work with Arena Snowparks has taken him all over Canada and the United States, as the company has built both permanent terrain parks and temporary jumps for high-profile events like Olympic & Paralympic games, World Championships and World Cup events.

The company, which is based out of Whistler and Pemberton, B.C., specializes in designing the parks and the features within.

The shop in Pemberton is where they build the features and weld rails before shipping them to hills where the installers work with local crews.

Grooming machines build approaches and landings in and out of features like rails, which are built in B.C. before being placed on hills like Holiday Mountain for freestyle riders to complete tricks on. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)

Grooming machines build approaches and landings in and out of features like rails, which are built in B.C. before being placed on hills like Holiday Mountain for freestyle riders to complete tricks on. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)

They work together to not only place the features, but also move snow and provide instruction on how to maintain the parks so that local operators are equipped to upkeep over the course of a season.

“There’s some physics involved, so it really helps to be able to ride parks,” said Suurallik.

“That’s how I got into it, snowboarding lots, riding terrain parks, and so once you get the eye for it then you can build features and determine how much speed is needed from above the jump, how big the jump needs to be, and what’s the flow like out of that jump and into the next feature.

“That’s huge in terms of keep these terrain parks safe. We go through the grooming and building so when I leave local operators can take over and maintain a great park for the local community.”

As more snow falls and the parks are used the jumps are diminished, so it’s important that local park employees are able to upkeep.

Again, not only for aesthetics, but safety as top priority.

“We want to provide safe and progressive terrain parks. It’s tough if you haven’t been working on these for any length of time. I’ve been working with local guys to get them trained up but a huge part of maintaining a terrain park is having that eye for it,” Suurallik said.

Suurallik grew up in the mountains, working at Sunshine Village and Banff for a total of 14 seasons and noted he often worked with fellow park crew attendants from Manitoba who told him they would often travel to the mountains to ride the terrain parks of Alberta and B.C.

He added having the parks here in Manitoba will benefit the local hills, but even more so, those that ride them.

“We’re building parks that are similar quality and safe and progressive but can be ridden a lot more conveniently. It should lead to the ability level of these kids to get better and better with more riding and not having to spend as much time travelling to the mountains as often.”

“Terrain parks and other freestyle terrain like ski cross courses provide that stimulation and thrill that kids are often chasing, so I think it’s great to see the growth of these kind of parks out here in Manitoba.”

Nine-year-old William Boulton of Manitou launches himself off a beginner jump as part of the Freestyle FUNdamentalz program at Holiday Mountain. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)

Nine-year-old William Boulton of Manitou launches himself off a beginner jump as part of the Freestyle FUNdamentalz program at Holiday Mountain. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)

The work they’re doing at Asessippi and Holiday Mountain, which benefits the local riders, especially those pursuing high-level competition is the first of its kind in Manitoba.

“It benefits the local riders because the expertise is passed on here in a demonstrated way and I see them (Arena Snowparks) coming back year after year,” said Randy Demchuk, president of Snowboard Manitoba.

“You’re getting world-class development, plus safety, and everybody wins. The hill wins, the coaches and the clubs win, and most importantly the riders win.”

“Even if it’s just for kids here in our area that want to try moving up the high-performance model, if we can have them go ‘Wow I can be that person.’ I remember my kids watching snowboard in the Olympics and saying ‘I want to be that’,” said Catherine Jordan, Snow School Director at Holiday Mountain.

Whether local athletes climb the ranks to higher competition remains to be seen, but the first steps are being made with the investment in local parks.

And while Suurallik’s trip east has been educational for local operators, the friendly Manitoba moniker has lived up to the reputation.

“Everyone is super friendly, the hospitality has been amazing and I really hope I can come back to continue working out here.”

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