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Beth Wins Canis Lupus 2013

Beth on Course Photo: Vivian

In the competitive world of snowboarding, there are but a few events that incorporate bumps, twists, and tight turns down gullies set up with slalom gates. The Legendary Mt. Baker Banked Slalom is the most famous of these crazy races. Dick’s Ditch held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is another well known snowboarding race. Although not nearly as famous as the other mentioned slalom races, Utah has its own banked slalom race hosted by Canyons Resort known as the Canis Lupus.

This year’s annual Canis Lupus race was held on February 2, 2013.   ASTs’ very own Beth Weissman was the top ladies finisher. She was followed by her teammates Kaitlin Elliott in 3rd, Kara Doane in 4th, and Camilla Brown with a strong 5th place finish. We are ecstatic here in Little Cottonwood to have four of the top five finishers as members of the Alta Snowboarding Team.

The course is a 1/4 mile natural gully in which gates are set up for athletes to go around before continuing down the mountain course. These gates are not in easy locations to maneuver around. Beth described the course as rocky, icy, twisty, turny, and gnarly. Next, add five difficult gates and a bunch of snowboarders and you got yourself a competition.

Beth at starting gate
Photo:Vivian

Beth won the Canis Lupus last year by beating AST member Laura Dewey by 1/20 of a second, which was the same margin she won by this year. Beth was able to shave some time off her run this year and described the highlight of the event as coming back from second to take first place. Furthermore she was delighted to keep the title in Little Cottonwood Canyon

Vivian Bengtson placed third last year and competed this year, but took a nasty fall. She is not discouraged and we will continue to watch her future progression.  She will be back shredding the first part of March.

Beth and Vivian smile for photographer
Corey Kopischke

 

Canyons Resort Facebook page has some nice photos from the event. Check them out. If you think you can ride a gnarly ditch race, enter next years’ Canis Lupus.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151402945792192.502801.9921027191&type=1

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