Huckaby, Gabel on the para snowboard cross world cup podium in Canada

Keith Gabel smiles on the podium in Big White, Canada. Photo: Andrew Jay, courtesy of U.U. Ski & Snowboard

BIG WHITE, British Columbia — Paralympians Brenna Huckaby from the Snowbird Sports Education Foundation, and Keith Gabel of Ogden, Utah, both athletes members of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team, landed back on the podium in the first of two events at the snowboard cross World Cup Finals in Big White, British Columbia, Canada on Saturday.

It was a cloudy, cool day with temperatures hovering just below freezing in Big White. This created perfect compact snow conditions for a snowboard cross event. Snow started to fall halfway through the day, covering the icy racing surface with a layer of powder, complicating things for racers.

The team had a strong showing in the qualification round, sending ten athletes to the finals. Huckaby led the women in the semi finals, winning her heat to advance to the big final. Dennae Russell and Courtney Godfrey of Team Utah advanced to the women’s small final.

Ultimately, the women’s LL-1/LL-2 big final was a battle, with Huckaby finishing second overall. This is Huckaby’s fifth podium of the season. Russell finished fifth, followed by Godfrey in seventh. Godfrey is returning from a gnarly fall in Pyhä in February, which forced her to withdraw from the races due to concussion protocol.

In the stacked men’s LL-2 event, Zach Miller, Gabel, Evan Strong and Joe Pleban advanced to the finals for the United States. Gabel put on a solid performance to make his way onto the podium for the fourth time this season, finishing third overall. Just off the podium was Miller in fourth, Strong in sixth and Pleban in eighth.