A B.C. athlete topped the podium at Red Bull’s season-ending Super Skicross race on Saturday.
At Andermatt, Switzerland, Reece Howden won in a photo-finish, narrowly edging two European competitors.
Howden calls Cultus Lake home and skis out of Apex Mountain Resort near Penticton. He’s also the World Cup skicross champion.
In Saturday’s final, stunning video by Red Bull shows Howden, competing in a black outfit, stretching across the finish line to beat Jean-Frederic Chapuis of France and Marc Bischofberger of Switzerland, respectively.
Howden trailed Chapuis for most of the short race on the innovative, one-kilometre-long skicross track, but was always within striking distance.
As the finish line neared, the four skiers had to navigate an obstacle – two massive blocks of snow cut with 45-degree angles. Dubbed the ‘Cheese Wedge,’ competitors had the choice of skiing between the two behemoth blocks or skiing the 45-degree slopes.
Chapuis went through, but slightly stumbled after exiting on the immediate downhill portion, while Howden took one of the 45-degree slopes.
With extra speed, Howen then closed the gap and stretched at the finish line. Chapuis also stretched, but lost to Howden.
Jonas Lenherr of Switzerland was fourth.
In the women’s final, it was an all-European final four, with Sandra Naeslund of Sweden beating Fanny Smith of Switzerland, plus Marielle Berger Sabatell and Alizee Baron, both of France.
Of the 16 men who took part, Reece was the only Canadian and the only one from North America.
The women’s portion featured just seven women, all of them from Europe.
For a related Red Bull snowboarding event that took place in B.C., earlier this month, click here.
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