For the week of January 22 - 28, 2003

Lynsey Dyer wins freeskiing contest

$3,000 payday in British Columbia

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There’s a first time for everything.

That’s what Ketchum’s Lynsey Dyer discovered Saturday at the conclusion of the 2003 Molson Canadian Freeskiing Challenge at Red Mountain near Rossland, B.C., Canada.

In her first-ever extreme skiing competition, former Sun Valley Ski Team racer Dyer, 21, won the women’s division and collected a $3,000 payday for three days of excellent skiing.

Dyer said about the post-race awards ceremony, "It was the first time I’ve ever been soaking wet in champagne.

"Free skiing is so new to me. I was just having fun. It was a huge surprise."

The first day of qualifying is the most gut-wrenching day of the three-day, $15,000 competition that was staged under bluebird skies atop a couple feet of fresh snow.

You have to nail your run or else you don’t move on.

Lynsey nailed it.

Out of 60 women, Dyer won Thursday’s qualifier. She said, "They set you up on a gnarly ridge. You’re judged on your line, fluidity, aggressiveness and time."

The freeskiers hiked for an hour to a different venue Friday. Dyer finished third—putting her in the top six going into Saturday’s final run.

Saturday, Dyer said she won the final event because she was out there having fun.

"I was a little more confident and pushed myself harder," she said. "Really I did it just for me, not for the judges. The comments of the judges were that I looked like I was having fun."

Wood River High School graduate Dyer is a senior majoring in graphic design at Montana State University.

She’ll compete Friday in skiercross at the U.S. Freeskiing Nationals in Snowbird, Utah, and then continue through Sunday’s final day.

 

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