Skip to content

Daredevils go big at Simapalooza

With a 50-foot jump to launch off, the big air competition at Simapalooza could have been called huge air.
bigair01

With a 50-foot jump to launch off, the big air competition at Simapalooza could have been called huge air.

Eight skiers and seven snowboarders took part in the competition during Mount Sima’s season-ending Simapalooza festival on Saturday.

“They had a rule, 720 was the biggest you could do, so I just did a back seven,” said Whitehorse’s Brandon Cormier.

“That was my first time in a Sima event, I never go in them. It’s pretty funny.”

Cormier’s first Sima comp went well. The 19-year-old completed a backside 720 to place first in the snowboard competition.

Coming off of winning the open male slopestyle division of the Yukon Snowboard Championships a couple hours earlier, Mount Lorne’s Tim Schirmer placed second with a shifty 720.

Graydon Keenan nabbed third with a frontside 540.

The ski division also contained some top-notch athletes.

Yukon Freestyle Ski Team’s Etienne Geoffroy-Gagnon placed first with a flat 720 critical. Geoffroy-Gagnon took sixth in big air at the Canadian Junior Nationals a little over a week ago and won three gold medals at nationals last year.

Ryan McLaren claimed second on Saturday with a switch rodeo 540.

Kyran Allen, who won silver in big air at junior nationals, placed third with a flat 540 with a Japan grab.

Contact Tom Patrick at

tomp@yukon-news.com