It was all systems go for Cheapskates Snow Wars Episode XXV Chapter One at Laurentian Ski Hill Sunday.
The Annual Park Jam is open to both skiers and snowboarders.
“It is one of the longest running in the province, if not the country, of year to year competition. So we’re pretty proud of that, and we’re always pretty excited when it comes around,” said Cheapskates owner Barry Klus.
“It started with my brother-in-law Steve who started the business. It began at Antoine Mountain and it went back and forth with Laurentian Ski Hill in North Bay, but our mainstay is Laurentian which has always been terrific.”
The ages of the participants vary from year to year. Last year saw a father enter with his children.
“We just had a young guy eight years old sign up. He’s a snowboarder. This year we sold snowboard packages to kids two and three years old. Little, tiny 80 centimetre boards.”
Snow Wars attracts more than just North Bay competitors.
“We get responses from out of town, Sudbury people and the surrounding area to ski or snowboard. We try and make it so it is a really friendly competition, yet we offer about four grand in prizes. So anybody who really wants to compete, can do that, and anybody who wants to do it just for some fun still gets a t-shirt and a prize. So, it turns out to be a great day for anybody who gets involved.”
The competition offers three different divisions, including an amateur division open to skiers and snowboarders of all ages and skills.
“It’s really good for the general public to see all the different skill levels. It is just a really fun day to see some pretty good tricks get thrown down as well,” said Klus.
“We’ve got some pretty skilled individuals. Just in the past, we’ve had names such as Ryan Hickey who is on the Canadian Snowboard team do Snow Wars, as well as Max Eberhardt and Tyler Nicholson. So those guys have all been involved in Snow Wars before, so the history is rich.”
The next chapter is Sunday, February 17 featuring Ski/Snowboard Snowcross events.
