Alpine Canada Alpin: Teamwork, Pride, Passion Perseverance

Sprongo is best known among American users and most of the use cases are in alpine ski racing – from slalom to flat out downhill. But not only US teams choose Sprongo to evaluate and improve their performance.  One of the biggest users outside the US is Alpine Canada Alpin. It’s also one of the dominant forces in international alpine skiing over several decades.

Alpine Canada Alpin is the national governing body for alpine ski racing in Canada. It coordinates racing activities between the various ski clubs around the country and supports training programs. Its role is to develop Olympic, Paralympic, world championship and World Cup medallists to promote, inspire and  grow new talents in the ski community. Over many decades, it has fostered development in the three most exciting snow sports: alpine, ski cross and para-alpine ski racing. Each sport has a different set of rules but Alpine Canada Alpin inculcates a real and simple sense of purpose in each athlete: get to the bottom of the mountain faster than anyone else. In ski cross, it has been a key player in moving this sport into the competitive mainstream over the last decade.

The AIM 2 WIN program

This program is directly targeted at Canada’s young ski racers. It was developed as a long-term skier development plan for all participants in the skier development process. The AIM 2 Win provides training strategies and progressions for future elite athletes. The program is to be used by all clubs across the country for young skiers to produce greater numbers of Canadian winners. The AIM 2 Win provides a platform for clubs and coaches to encourage and support all participants in skiing.

Star power

Imagine! Over the last half century, Alpine Canada’s athletes have done almost impossible. They won 29 world championship medals, 12 Olympic medals, 91 Paralympic medals, 12 X Games medals and dozens of World Cup podiums.

Canada turned into a top ski cross nation after Canadian ski cross team took over the men’s podium at the 2010 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. A few months later, ski cross debuted at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Ashleigh McIvor made history by winning the first women’s ski cross Olympic gold medal.  In 2012, Marielle Thompson, became the first Canadian to win an individual World Cup Crystal Globe in ski cross. In 2011-2012, Canada successully defended its Nations’ Cup title, awarded to the team with the most World Cup points overall.

Para-alpine program

It is impressive how much effort Alpine Canada Alpin puts into para-athletes training. It develops camp program Carving the Future. It’s desined for potential or developing para-alpine athletes and coaches. It was created to support para-alpine ski racing programs in Canada. The main aim is to help to bring skiers who want to learn more about ski racing together on snow. Coaches learn how to teach athletes what is required to be a ski racer. They teach what it takes to become the next Paralympic champion.

The results speak for themselves with 91 Paralympic medals to date.