Elk Valley boarder Katie Anderson is off to Valmalenco, Italy to compete in the Snowboard Cross Junior World Championships.
Anderson learned to ski at a very early age and picked up snowboarding when she was six years-old on a school trip to the ski hill. She got into Snowboard Cross as a teenager.
“I raced in high school races and did really well so I decided to try something new and tried out for the B.C. Development Team without ever really being on a boarder-cross track,” said Anderson. “I like boarder-cross because it's really fast and exciting, and anything can happen while you're going down the track.”
It hasn't been a perfect season for Anderson, but she has gained momentum from each competition to the next.
“My season started out slow with two fourteenth places in a row at the Tremblant NorAm, but it has gotten a lot better with top eight finishes at the Copper Mountain, Big White, and Sugarloaf NorAms,” she commented. “I've also raced in three FIS (International Ski Federation) races where I finished first two days in a row. I am hoping to do well at Beaver Valley this weekend and Mount Hood later in the week, as well as at Nationals when I get back from Italy.”
Born in Fernie, Anderson and her family moved to Jaffray when she was six years-old. She is grateful for the support she continues to receive from the community.
“It's petty awesome to have grown up somewhere like Fernie, there aren't many places in the world like it,” said Anderson. “I get lots of support from my friends and family as well as Evolution Health and Fitness, Fernie Physiotherapy, Fernie Lodging Company, and The Choice Shop in Cranbrook.”
Equal parts nervous and excited, Anderson will leave for Italy on March 28 to take on the Snowboard Cross Junior World Championships.