The 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships got underway at Big White near Kelowna with opening ceremonies on Wednesday.
On Thursday, athletes hit the slopes for two days of training before two days of competition starting on Saturday.
“It’s a world snowboard championship event which is the largest gathering of para snowboarders in the globe,” director of terrain parks and outdoor events Flynn Seddon said.
The week-long event has brought out 65 para athletes from 18 different countries.
“I love Big White, it’s one of the best stops on our tour I think,” snowboarder Bibian Mentel from the Netherlands said.
Mentel, 44, has been a professional snowboarder since 1993 but in 2001, a cancer diagnosis led to the amputation of her right leg from the knee down. She was back on her snowboard just four months later.
In 2013, Mentel qualified for the 2014 Winter Paralympics. She won the Paralympic gold medal in the snowboard cross event.
Curt Minard, 37, is the only Okanagan athlete. He lost part of his left arm in an electrical accident almost a decade ago.
“One would think, it’s obviously, probably harder riding with a prosthetic leg but you know there are a lot of guys here that don’t have arms,” Minard said. “An arm is five to seven pounds. You throw that into high speed snowboarding and that coordination and agility and balance, it all plays a part in it.”
Minard says meeting and competeing with all the other athletes is very inspiring.
“There are guys that had their arms taken by sharks, other electrical linemen like myself, car accidents etc.” Minard said. “It’s pretty inspiring stories, just makes you thankful for what you have.”
For some of the athletes, the event serves as a qualifier for the 2018 winter paralympic games in South Korea. Closing ceremonies take place on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
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