Skiers try out Brandon’s handrails
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/01/2025 (488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Professional skiers, including U.S. Olympic gold-medal skier Alex Hall, visited Brandon on Wednesday and spent the afternoon grinding a 30-foot handrail in Rideau Park.
The American ski group named MAGMA drove up from Salt Lake City, Utah, and parked their tour van in east Brandon this week. They travelled to ski the long staircase behind the Rideau Park Personal Care Home, which will be part of their annual movie coming out in November.
Hall rides a combination of jumps and rails, along with fellow skier and X Games bronze-medal winner Hunter Hess, who makes a living doing flips on half pipes.
When asked why they were in Brandon, Hess told the Sun it was to be in the right place at the right time.
“We just kind of travel year-round to find snow,” said Hess from the bottom of the staircase. “This was one of the only places where there were spots we wanted to hit and snow (at the same time).”
He added that his team uses Google Earth and topographical maps to find areas with hills and interesting features. They then wait for snow to hit the region.
“We’ll go around and look for gaps, wall rides, anything that’s interesting,” said the group’s cameraman, Owen Dahlberg. “We’ve been travelling around to a bunch of different cities.”
The team spent the last week in North Dakota, and plan to now stay a few days in Brandon at an Airbnb before travelling to Winnipeg, or making their way down to Omaha, Neb., should it receive enough snowfall.
“Christmas is a big open time for us in between competitions,” said Hess. “This is a really good time for us because we have two or three weeks off competitions.”
The handrail in Brandon is set to make an appearance on their YouTube channel through small video promos. The final movie will be used to promote themselves for sponsors.
“It helps us with our careers professionally,” Hess explained. He added that the skiers in their mid-20s cannot do extreme skiing forever, and that building a brand for themselves will help them when their professional career is over.
“It’s not an extremely profitable thing,” he said. “It’s more for the love and joy.”
At the end of January, the team is heading out to the X Games 2025 in Aspen, Colo. Hess is hoping to better his last year’s bronze finish, and Hall said he hopes to beat out last year’s silver medallists.
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com