While one Squamish para-athlete waved goodbye, another made his mark at the Canadian Nationals in Mont-Saint-Anne, QC.
Long-time para-alpine national team member and Squamish resident Matt Hallat finished up his over decade long run on the slopes on March 29, but it was relative newcomer Alex Cairns who left Quebec with the hardware.
It’s been an excellent 2014-15 season for Cairns, who has been on the road since late January training and competing against some of the best para-skiers in North America.
Cairns won silver in giant slalom (sitting) and bronze at the U.S. national championships earlier this year, but his crowning achievement was a gold at the Canadian national championships slalom race on March 29. He also picked up a gold in slalom at the same event on March 28.
The 23-year-old said it’s been a good season.
“I am pretty happy with the way that my racing has gone this year. We have done more racing and training with the B.C. team than any other year, which has opened up a lot of doors for everyone on the team,” Cairns stated in a news release. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next season.”
Cairns, who has competed on the B.C. para-alpine ski team for several years, has been training with the Canadian national para-alpine ski team prospect group this season and has competed at several races in the U.S. He also qualified for a spot at the 2015 world championships earlier this year in Panorama, B.C.
He hopes to earn a spot on the Canadian para-alpine ski team development team next year, which is the next step to making Team Canada.
Born with spina bifida, Cairns first hit the slopes eight years ago, and the potential is there to compete at the 2018 Paralympic Games in South Korea.
The 2018 Games will not be an option for Squamish’s Matt Hallat, who retired from the sport at the same event Cairns broke through on March 29.
Hallat, who has been a full-time athlete and a part of the national team since 2002, was the 2011 Canadian champion in the standing category of both slalom and GS.
He earned his first two World Cup podiums in 2013 and was a four-time Canadian champion during his stellar career.
Hallat, who had his leg amputated at the age of five due to Ewing’s sarcoma, also competed in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Paralympic Games. His top result was sixth at the 2014 Games in the standing slalom.
He also represented Canada at three World Championships events.
“Walking away from skiing creates many fears, much like heading into a big race. I’m as prepared as I can be; I can only hope that I will once again find something that makes me feel as alive as I do on the ski hill,” he stated on his blog.
At his final event, Hallat placed third in the men’s slalom standing and fifth in the GS standing. Joanne Cairns, who attended the event, said Hallat had a little fun in the final race of his competitive career.
“Matt had a good lead in the first slalom of a two-race combination, so he decided to go down the hill in full hockey gear for his final career run and still pulled off a third,” she said.
For complete details from the event, visit www.paralympic.org/alpine-skiing/calendar-and-results.
