Costain sweeps freeskiing events

Ten-year-old Parkin Costain, of Whitefish, completed a clean sweep of all four Canadian Junior Freeskiing events this season with a first place in the 11-and-under category at Lake Louise Ski Area, in Alberta, this past weekend.

Competition was stiff, with the top five boys in Costain's category skiing lines that would make most skiers cringe. Saturday's qualifier was held under sunny skies on Eagle Ridge 7, where Costain linked a series of airs from five to 15 feet, finishing with big Super-G style turns.

Sunday's finals went down on the steeps of Eagle Ridge 3, where the winds from an incoming storm front threatened to tear down the start tent. Feeling the pressure to win, Costain skied a crowd-pleasing run near the edge of control that included a 20-foot drop and a 40-foot step down off of a rocky spine, followed by two 360s near the finish.

His control scores, lower than usual, nearly knocked him out of first place, but his combined score for the weekend kept him on top of the podium.

Video footage from the event is posted at www.biglines.com and www.dubsbrothersfilms.com.

Costain, a member of the Whitefish Mountain Resort Freestyle Team, received support from The White Room Mountain Shop and Line Skis throughout the season.