Big White skiers aim for the podium in France

There are two very different types of skiing.

For most, skiing involves strapping on the old boots and bundling up from the cold to put a few turns in on a nice powder day and maybe even try their luck on a black diamond run.

For Canada’s Ski Cross team, it’s very different.

Racing four other athletes right beside one another, ski cross racers fly down a specialized course reaching break neck speeds up to 150 kms while occasionally catching 150 ft airs inbetween turns.

Being properly prepared for the intensity of a ski cross race takes life-long dedication to the sport and a passion for high flying action.

For Lake Country raised Ian Deans, this dedication and passion for skiing began at Big White.

“I grew up with the Big White racers and raced through the whole program,” remembers the 25-year-old.

“Training for three years under Derek Trussler, who was a great coach, taught me what it takes to be a competitive athlete and the skiing community at Big White has always been very supportive.”

Deans is currently in Val Thorens, France prepping for the first race of the Ski Cross World Cup and while France is certainly a long ways from Big White he is still surrounded by familiar faces.

“I’m out here with Kelsey Serwa from Kelowna and Ned Ireland from Lake Country who are both former Big White racers,” said Deans.

“It’s a very competitive and tight knit team, we all try and push each other to reach our greatest potential.”

Readers may remember Serwa’s amazing results at the 2014 Sochi Olympics where she took home a silver medal in the Ski Cross event.

In fact, the Okanagan valley has more members on the Canadian Ski Cross team per capita than any other place in the country.

The team is also heading into the season as the ones to beat after winning the Nations Cup last year.

“To win the nations cup you have to be the top performing team, that means beating out countries like France, Sweden and America that all have great skiers,” said Deans.

While the competition will be fierce, that’s just the way the Canadian Ski Cross team likes it.

“I finished ranked 35th in the world last year and I felt like I was a couple inches, a few simple mistakes away from finishing with a much higher ranking,” noted Deans.

“This year the goal is to qualify for the 2018 Olympics, if I was to say anything else I would be selling myself short.”

The competitive season for the Canada’s Ski Cross team is 19 races and four months long, taking them all over the world from Europe to North and South America.

If you would like to stay up to date with Ian Deans and the rest of the Big White Racers on Team Canada you can find them on social media here.

Check out KelownaNow Sports as well for race results throughout the season.