With more entrants than expected showing up for the Yukon Snowboard and Ski Championships this past weekend at Mt. Sima, organizers were forced to put their crafting skills to the test.

Snowboard Yukon quickly ran out of bibs and began recycling older jerseys with drawn on numbers to accommodate the nearly 50 athletes that took to the slopes for the annual event.

"We were really excited about the turnout,” said Mary Binstead, head coach of Snowboard Yukon.

Binstead attributed the attendance to the success of the Artic Winter Games (AWG) and the varied categories that were available in the competition.

"We had the courses in good shape and we had a wide range of categories, from under 12 right up to masters, so there was a place for everyone to go.”

The events kicked off on Saturday with the slope style and half-pipe competitions.

Dan Boyle placed first in the masters category, while Adam Waddington and Lara Bellon finished at the top in the open male and female events.

Nic McDougall and Ethan Davy won gold in the male U16 and U12 categories.

On Sunday, boarders and skiers were back on the mountain to compete in the boarder-cross.

Alidas Jamnicky posted the fastest time of the day, completing the course in 37.31 seconds.

Jamnicky will be taking his speed to Nakiska, Alta., this weekend for the Snowboard Speed Nationals. He will be joined by Alexander Chisholm, with the two racers forming Team Yukon.

"Alidas has been our strongest racer,” said Binstead. "He won this weekend and was on the podium at the Games even though he was bumped up an age category.”

Chisholm has been involved with Snowboard Yukon for years and is currently training and competing in Alberta.

Binstead said the season has been a success for the organization.

"It's been a really good season for Snowboard Yukon,” she said. "We had a bunch of people graduate in the last year so the group of riders we had this year is a new crop to step up to the top. Most have been involved in the program for about five years though and we're definitely seeing a higher level of performance because of it.”

Sue Deforest, coach of Sandor's Shredders and one of the judges from the weekend, said the improvements Mt. Sima has made will continue to boost the local program.

"Mt. Sima has come around full force, it's so nice being here with everything working well and running well and with good management in place,” she said.

Deforest has been involved with Snowboard Yukon for 10 years and witnessed the growth of the program from an inside perspective.

"We started at the grassroots level and now it's evolved so much,” she said.

"Getting coaches certified and trained, getting judges trained, just helping everyone come together and form this great community.

"We have a really good crew of senior staff with Mary Binstead as head coach and Norm Curzon as technical lead on everything. I love working with them, they're great.”

Deforest also said the program benefited from the AWG.

"It was a really fun experience,” she said of the Games. "We got to work with judges who came up from Calgary who are national level judges. They worked us pretty hard to get the scores in fast and quick and if our scores weren't on par with the others, we were debriefed and talked about it so we were able to learn a lot.”

Binstead was also pleased with the skills the Games offered.

"It was a fantastic experience for the program, everything went smoothly and Team Yukon had their best showing ever,” she said.

Team Yukon collected 16 medals in snowboarding, including six gold.

Next season, with no major games scheduled, Binstead said a greater focus will be placed on the team and individual athletes without interruption.

"I think that will be a really nice break,” she said. "We can focus on our athletes without being distracted by the other things going on.”

Binstead also said the improved conditions at Mt. Sima will advance the program.

"Everything's great up there now,” she said. "We're totally terrain dependent. It'd be hard to have a swimming team if there wasn't any water in the pool.

"We're excited for next season.”

Boarder-cross results:

U12 male:

1. Curties Perrier

2. Pelly Vincent-Braun

3. Ethan Davy

4. Saul Gale

5. Kaele Troke

U16 male:

1. Brhy Romat

2. Nic McDougall

Open-female:

1. Lara Bellon

2. Katrina Couch

3. Stephane Orr

Open- male:

1. Alidas Jamnicky

2. Adam Waddington

3. Fracis Bouffard

Masters- male:

1. Johnny Lindsay

2. Kevin Howay-Keyes

3. Dan Boyle

4. Jordan Jordan

5. Geof Harries

6. Matthew Johnson