With three consecutive bluebird days, Smithers had its best foot forward last week as athletes from all corners of the province came to town for the B.C. High School Ski and Snowboard Provincial Championships.
More than 180 competitors from 18 schools took part in the event. Both skiers and snowboarders took part in a Giant Slalom and Snowcross event.
"The sun was shining and everyone had a great time," said event organizer Patti Dube.
"The Smithers Ski Club put on an amazing few days of racing and Hudson Bay Mountain were perfect hosts."
Unfortunately, Smithers athletes did not fare well on the slopes, coach Mike Daniels said, mostly due to low participation levels.
"This is the first provincial championship where we did not podium in seven years," Daniels said.
"We hope to rally for the 2014 season and return to strength in Whistler, next year's host hill."
Smithers placed fourth in Woman's Snowboarding, seventh in Men's Snowboarding and Women's Skiing and fifth in Men's Skiing.
Although Smithers failed to find the podium, other northern B.C. teams had notable results.
Burns Lake took the top spot in Women's Snowboarding and finished second in Men's Skiing.
Fort St. James also placed third in Woman's Skiing.
"On the upside, the north continues to be very strong and competitive, surprising many of the southern teams by keeping a lot of the hardware here in the north," Daniels said.
Also of note was the performance of sit-ski racer Landon McGauley of Quesnel who competed on the snowboard Giant Slalom and Snowcross courses to wild applause from all competitors.
The championships was hosted by the Smithers Ski and Snowboard Club and Hudson Bay Mountain Adventures.
HBMA general manager Nancy Treiber said she is very grateful to her staff for all the extra time they put into making the event a success and could not have asked for better weather.
"Thank you Mother Nature," Treiber said.
"For the mountain, we view events like this and even movies that come to film on the mountain as the perfect venue to expose Smithers in its best light.
"Each of these events provide additional revenues for all sorts of businesses in our community from hotel accommodation to sporting goods shops and restaurants.
"It's a great win for all."
Smithers District Chamber of Commerce President George Whitehead said the town certainly felt the economic impact of having hundreds of extra people in the community for the better part of a week.
"The impact of the B.C. Ski and Snowboard Championships was definitely positive, especially at this time of the year before the big summer tourist season," he said.
"Having 200 kids, all the chaperones, parents, teachers and coaches for the event in town is a big influx for the hotels, restaurants and Main St.
"Anytime our community can organize an event like this, it's a big benefit."
Smithers last hosted the B.C. High School Ski and Snowboard Championships in 2008.