The world’s best snowboarders will be carving up Big White next winter.
On Friday, the popular resort announced that it will be hosting a World Cup snowboardcross event, January 20-27, 2020. According to Big White, this will be the first World Cup snowboardcross race in Canada since 2013.
The event will feature individual and team races, and will be part of a nationwide World Cup snowboard tour.
National snowboardcross team member Tess Critchlow of Kelowna called the news exciting.
“It will mean a lot to compete in our home country again, and even more at my home mountain,” said Critchlow. “I think it will be a super exciting atmosphere up at Big White during the races.
“Big White, and B.C. in general, is such a beautiful place and has so much to offer. It’s easy to fall in love with the breathtaking views, vibrant food scene and friendly culture. I think competitors and viewers alike will really enjoy being here for the event.”
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Snowboardcross features four riders racing simultaneously down a course featuring jumps, banked turns and tabletops at speeds in excess of 70km/h. The fastest two riders advance to the next round, until the final heat determines the winner.
Big White has played host to Para World snowboard World Cup events for the past seven years.
“Big White is the perfect location to host the snowboardcross World Cup, as it has the ideal terrain for a world-class course and has been a tremendous partner with a wealth of experience in hosting major Snowboardcross events,” said Canada Snowboard executive director Dustin Heise.
“Canada Snowboard will have a World Cup event in 2020 for every snowboard discipline. Creating a pinnacle event for all of our competition disciplines is a major leap for the sport in Canada, and we’re thrilled to have this event as part of the tour.”