Kristi Richards
Sport: Freestyle Mogul Skiing
Olympics: Torino 2006, Vancouver 2010
Hometown: Summerland, BC
Favourite Olympic Moment: Both Olympics presented epic moments, and each moment was very profound in my life. At the 2006 Olympics I was the first woman out of the gate on contest day, on the first day of the Games. It felt like I was opening the Games. Everything came to a calm as I stood on top of the run… I could see my family in the crowd at the bottom, and I knew that i had nothing to lose. It was the moment that I had trained so hard for, I was already standing in the gate as an Olympian, and all of the hard work was behind me. The only thing left to do was ski. 2010 was very different… we had so many more factors to deal with, like the mass media frenzy, the pressure of the hometown crowd and the Cypress weather. I stood in the gate with the confidence from my preparation and a knowingness that I had a winning run up my sleeve. I have never felt so ready. I landed my first back flip on the top air and started gaining speed in the middle section. The rain saturated moguls started to just mush out underneath me and I caught an edge… in a split second I was down, and my dreams of Olympic Gold crushed. I decided that I still wanted to finish my run, as I had a jump to perform that no other woman had ever landed in the Olympics. As I collected my gear, it was the cheer and support from the crowd that lifted me to my feet and gave me the strength to perform the best trick of my life.
Why you love Whistler: : The mountain is so versatile, giving lots of options in any condition. It was the big mountains that drew me to the coast from the Okanagan, and it is the big mountains that will make me stay.
Booking Availability*: Fri, Sat, Sundays all winter. Holidays okay. Exceptions are: Dec 29th, Dec 30th, Jan 3rd, Jan 4th, Feb 6th-10th
*Please note availability is subject to change. Please inquire for the most up to date availability