Kimberley's Bermel wins; young guns show mettle at first Keurig Cup race

PANORAMA, B.C. (Dec 18, 2013) – The veterans held the fort during the first day of FIS Keurig Cup super-G races for the 2013-14 season in Panorama, BC, with a few FIS rookies showing there is a strong crop of up-and-comers in Western Canada. 

Rebecca Bermel, of Kimberley, B.C., topped the women’s field while teammate Gina Norton, also of Kimberley, was runner-up. Both Bermel and Norton are racing for the Windermere Valley Ski Club this season. Whistler Mountain Ski Club racer Rae Swette, took the bronze medal on the women’s side, while first-year FIS racers Antonia Wearmouth (Vancouver Ski Team, Grouse/Tyee) and local racer Courtney Hoffos (Windermere Valley Ski Club) finished fourth and fifth respectively.  

The story was similar on the men’s side, with U21 racers Austin Dean and Cai Yamamoto – both from the Pacific Northwest Ski Association – topping the men’s field with Curtis McKillop (Banff, Alb.) finishing third. BC Ski Team racer Blake Ramsden, of North Vancouver, was the best BC racer in fifth, just ahead of Steven Fry, of the Red Mountain Racers. 

First-year FIS skier Riley Seger (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) blazed his way to an eighth-place finish, starting in position No. 69.  Seger’s teammates Max Peiffer and Jack Crawford also attacked from the back, finishing 10th and 16th respectively.

(photos above: women's overall podium and men's U18 podium)

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