Fernie resident Heidi Farmer won the snowboarding competition at the 2017 Junior Freeride World Championships in Andorra last month.
Andorra is a tiny, independent principality situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains.
She was among sixty of the best young skiers and snowboarders from around the world who were invited to compete on the slopes of the Andorran ski resort for the most prestigious event in junior freeride. She competed against seven other female snowboarders aged 15 to 18.
In an interview published on All-andorra.com, Farmer said her key motivation for competing was, “To be a part of a free ride community where you can continue to push yourself and continue to become a stronger rider, also meeting people from all over the world that share the same passion is great.”
She said she was looking for a line that would offer a nice smooth strong fast approach. She meant to hit some different features but with the lighting of the day in the snow condition it didn’t go exactly as planned.
“I really feel the best way to prepare for a contest is just to really get out there and ride any day that you can and try and push yourself to your limits, it also helps when you can be out there with people that are pushing you beyond your limits as well,” she told All-andorra.com.
Farmer said she hopes to continue traveling the globe to inspire young girls to snowboard.
“I feel very blessed to have had this opportunity, definitely an experience I will never forget,” she added.