Widmer Leads AWCA Sweep in Whistler Freestyle Sprint

New-fallen snow at Whistler Olympic Park created additional excitement on Saturday during the Haywood NorAm freestyle sprints in Whister, BC. The deciding factor became who could best adjust to the slow powder while navigating the usual sprint-day tangles.

Phil Widmer (Alberta World Cup Academy) led the men’s A-final from the start, and crossed the line in first to headline an AWCA podium sweep with his first victory of the season. Teammates Graham Nishikawa (AWCA) and Jesse Cockney (AWCA) came in second and third, respectively. Brent McMurtry (Foothills/CNST) finished fourth, Michael Somppi (NDC Thunder Bay) fifth and Drew Goldsack (Rocky Mountain Racers/CNST) sixth.

“I tried to ski at the front of my heats for the most part,” said Widmer. He was able to execute his plan, which enabled him to ski clear of collisions behind him.

Skiing from the front was especially important, as six inches of new snow that accumulated Friday night and through Saturday morning made for an especially slow course. Despite fresh grooming, the best line on the course became more packed than the others throughout the day. The softer, slower outer lanes made passing a challenge.

“It kind of shrunk the course,” Widmer explained. “If you had to pass, you had to conserve energy and make a big effort to be able to move up. It kind of wrecked havoc all day.”

Runner-up Nishikawa agreed. He started off the day by posting the fastest qualifying time, which is his best-ever qualifier.

“Fresh snow made it a little tricky—there wasn’t much space to move around,” he said. “The final was pretty entertaining: a lot of tangles, a few big falls, but I managed to stay away from them.”