Pictured left to right: Ty, Lane and Aubrie Annand. (submitted photo/Wade Annand)

By Ben Tompkins

Alpine Skiing

Nipawin family dominating the slopes

Feb 28, 2023 | 5:32 PM

The Annand family is comprised of 15-year-old Ty, 13-year-old Lane, 11-year-old Aubrie, and their father Wade.

All out of Nipawin, they have been making waves at the provincial level, and will soon compete at the national level, all in alpine skiing.

“It’s sure fun as a parent watching all my kids compete at this level,” Wade told northeastNOW.

All three kids were members of Team Lakeland at this year’s Saskatchewan Winter Games (which ran Feb. 19 to 25), bringing home a combined six medals.

Aubrie won gold in the U13 female alpine skiing ski cross, while also earning two bronze medals in the U13 alpine skiing slalom.

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Meanwhile, Lane won two silver medals in the U15 male alpine skiing slalom, and Ty brought home a bronze medal in the U17 male alpine skiing slalom.

“When we started, it was just an activity to do as a family, that we could do to get a little bit of physical exercise,” Wade said. “The fact that it’s become this is pretty amazing.”

Believe it or not, the family is far from done, as Ty is set to head to Prince Edward Island to compete in this year’s Canada Winter Games, with his father alongside him running technical support.

Aubrie will then go to Banff, to compete at a U12 event in Alberta on Mount Norquay, before Lane heads down to Nakiska for a Super G speed event put on by Alberta Alpine.

“This higher-level stuff makes for a pretty chaotic schedule, but it’s a good thing. I don’t have to go to work very often,” Wade laughed.

“Whenever we go now at this higher level, it’s more individual, but at least from the time the kids were five until they were 12, if we went anywhere, we all got to go. We all would go to the hill and train and we go to all the competitions that happen in Saskatchewan and apply to all the age groups, and we all get to compete.”

And according to Wade, this all began in the northeast, as the family fell in love with the sport at places like Wapiti, or Timber Ridge out at Big River, just northwest of Prince Albert.

While the future is still undecided as to how far this passion will take them, Wade added he’s thankful for the support his family has received.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8