Big White celebrates 13 years of para-snowboard World Cups on the mountain

Para snowboard showdown

Photo: Andrew Jay

Celebrating 13 years of Para Snowboard World Cup Big White.

Big White recently celebrated 13 years of para-snowboarding at the resort.

The FIS Para Snowboard World Cup returned to the resort Jan. 31 to Feb. 1s.

Athletes from around the world took on the challenging course over two days of competition.

Switzerland’s Aron Fahrni won both days in the men's Upper Limb races, with strong, consistent runs.

Italy’s Jacopo Luchini took home second place twice, and Great Britain’s James Barnes-Miller won third on Saturday.

The Netherlands’ Dean van Kooij rounded out Sunday’s podium. In the men’s Lower Limb 1, Canada’s Tyler Turner took home gold on Saturday, Noah Elliott from the U.S. was second, and Mike Schultz, also from the U.S., placed third.

The podium order shifted on Sunday, with Elliott taking the top spot while Turner earned silver, and Schultz was once again third.

In Lower Limb 2 competitions, Saturday saw Switzerland’s Fabrice Von Gruenigen take gold ahead of Australia’s Ben Tudhope and USA’s Zach Miller, while Sunday saw Italy’s Emanuel Perathoner win gold, Lithuania’s Rapolas Micevicius earned silver, and Von Gruenigen won bronze.

On the women's side, in the Lower Limb class, young American Kate Delson swept the weekend with wins on both Saturday and Sunday, Brenna Huckaby Clegg, also from the U.S. was runner-up on Saturday and fourth on Sunday, and Canada’s Sandrine Hamel earned bronze medals both days.

The mixed team event, which was held Sunday immediately after final racing due to weather conditions, saw the U.S. team of Delson and Pleban take gold, with Clegg and Elliott winning silver and Russell and Miller taking home bronze. Canada’s team of Hamel and Chase Nicklin finished fourth.

The Canadian Para Snowboard Team also had a strong showing, with Tyler Turner winning gold and silver in LL1 and Sandrine Hamel’s double bronze in LL2 being the standout results.

The full Canadian Para Snowboard team has now been nominated to represent Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, and this event was a valuable test ahead of the games.