Canada's best young alpine skiers to take to the slopes in Thunder Bay

Some of the best 14 and 15 year-old downhill skiers in Canada are in Thunder Bay, Ont. this week to compete for the national championships.

The 2017 U-16 Canadian Alpine Ski Championships are being held at Loch Lomond Ski Area just south of the city, and event chair Dave Bradley said the week-long competition is about more than just racing.

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"It's about being a young Canadian and understanding who Canadians are, what their values are and the inclusiveness that being Canadian is all about," he said, adding that the event has received a lot of support from local ski clubs, the city and Fort William First Nation.

The Indigenous community will feature prominently in the opening and closing ceremonies, Bradley continued.

"All of our messaging all week long about what it's like to live in Thunder Bay and to live together here in this community and we're really excited about that aspect," he said.

Dealing with Mother Nature

On the hill itself, Bradley said skiers will be competing in Super-G, slalom and giant slalom races. Training started Monday in some very warm weather for February, and Bradley said that meant getting athletes out on the hill early before temperatures warmed up further.

Despite the unseasonably warm weather, he said the crews at Loch Lomond are dealing with the conditions.

"There is chemical we can use ... that we can put down on the snow to harden it up to hold the snow conditions for us on a short-term basis," he said.

"Really, we're counting on the temperatures dropping and firming up the track."

If that does happen, Bradley said the hills will run fast.

"Once the temperatures drop with the moisture we have in the snow right now, we're going to have a beautiful, hard, firm surface," he said.