logo
  • News
    • Community
    • Local Government
    • Sports
    • Alberta Politics
    • Opinion
    • Deke
  • Events
  • Peaks & Valleys
    • Wildlife
    • Hiking and Climbing
    • Biking
    • Fishing
    • Snow Sports
  • Culture
    • Jasper Arts & Culture
    • Local Dining
    • Local Literature
  • Jasper History
  • Support
    • News
      • Community
      • Local Government
      • Sports
      • Alberta Politics
      • Opinion
      • Deke
    • Events
    • Peaks & Valleys
      • Wildlife
      • Hiking and Climbing
      • Biking
      • Fishing
      • Snow Sports
    • Culture
      • Jasper Arts & Culture
      • Local Dining
      • Local Literature
    • Jasper History
    • Support
Next stop, Sweden: Local freestyle skier soars past fundraising goal
Peaks & Valleys, Snow Sports
By Bob Covey
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Next stop, Sweden: Local freestyle skier soars past fundraising goal

Rising freestyle skiing star, Gage LeBlanc, is used to giving 100 per cent, but even he can’t believe his fundraising goal is at 105 per cent. 

Thanks to a big push at an October 21 silent auction and lobster dinner hosted by Earls in the Rockies, Gage is now headed to Sweden to train.

“We did it! I can’t believe it,” LeBlanc posted on his MakeAChamp crowdfunding blog yesterday (October 25). “My fundraising goal has been exceeded!”

This past June, the 16-year-old Jasperite was invited to compete with the Alberta High Performance Mogul Team. It represented the first big step to his ultimate dream—competing at the Olympics. However, to accept the invitation, Gage had to come up with $35,000. Training, fees, lift tickets, travel expenses, equipment and insurance doesn’t come cheap. It was a huge challenge, but Gage was confident he could meet it.

“I’ve had contributions from across the country, and support from my amazing community,” he said.


That support manifested in a quick $10,000 to kickstart his summer and cover his provincial team fees, after which he blasted off to Whistler for 22 days to train. After skiing the glacier, Gage was back in Alberta, then in the Okanagon, hitting various water ramps and trampolines as he trained alongside some of the best teams in North America, including the Canadian national mogul team.

Gage at Blackcomb Glacier, Whistler, B.C. // Supplied
Summer water ramp training. // Supplied

“It’s pretty cool to be on the slopes with the top mogul skier in the world, Mikael Kingsbury,” Gage said in July.

When he came back home for stints in the summer, there were no days off, as between his jobs lifeguarding and running food at Earls in the Rockies, Gage was shlepping bottles to the recycle depot or pounding the pavement looking for donations to the late October silent auction. 

At that event, Gage updated the audience as to his progress: with the help of the Canadian Sports Institute (CSI), he was given a personalized training regiment and saw big gains in his acrobatics. 

“I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made,” he said.

Unfortunately, he had a bit of a setback, too. Knee pain he was experiencing on the water ramps turned into a meniscus tear diagnosis. But he’s been rehabbing hard, working with a doctor, a physiotherapist and a personal trainer to ensure he has a return-to-snow plan for his trip abroad.

Photo by Eddie Wong // explorejasper.com

“Things are healing and I feel stronger daily,” he wrote.

Gage will be in Sweden for three weeks, after which he’ll return to Calgary to train at Canada Olympic Park, CSI and at Fortress Mountain Resort, in Kananaskis Country, alongside the NextGen Canadian mogul team. Not only will he be reppin’ team Alberta and the Jasper Freestyle Ski Club, Gage is now a proud team member of Calgary based-Paradise Skis.

But as he said at the lobster dinner, his first team will always be his family.

“I’ve always had a hugely supportive team behind me,” he said.


Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

Articles You May LIke ›
Local skier’s bumpy road leads to new views
Community
Local skier’s bumpy road leads to new views
Bob Covey 
Thursday, November 21, 2024
As a freestyle moguls skier, Gage LeBlanc is used to ups and downs. After all, his is a sport in which athletes navigate 160 knee-high bumps of solid ...
this is a test
Jasper freestyle skier seeking support gets endorsement from Olympic champion
News
Jasper freestyle skier seeking support gets endorsement from Olympic champion
Bob Covey 
Friday, June 10, 2022
When 16-year-old freestyle skier Gage LeBlanc gets into the starting gates of a mogul course, he has to stare down 160 knee-high bumps of solid snow a...
this is a test
Most Read ›
Firefighters battling out of control wildfire in Yellowhead Country
News
Firefighters battling out of control wildfire in Yellowhead Country
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
A wildfire 6 km west of Mercoal, Alberta, remains out of control. Alberta Wildfire firefighters, helicopters and heavy equipment continue to respond t...
this is a test
What to expect when visiting Jasper this summer
News
What to expect when visiting Jasper this summer
Peter Shokeir, Local Journalsim Initiative, Jasper Fitzhugh 
Monday, May 26, 2025
"It's a really incredible time to visit Jasper, to bear witness to a large natural disaster and to see what it means for the ecology of the park and t...
this is a test
Yellowhead Lake fire extinguished
News
Yellowhead Lake fire extinguished
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
A small (0.5 hectare) wildfire near Yellowhead Lake, just outside of Jasper National Park's west border with B.C., has been extinguished. At 7 p.m. on...
this is a test
Jam for Jasper at the Banff Springs
Arts & Culture
Jam for Jasper at the Banff Springs
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 23, 2025
Jasperites encouraged to attend wildfire resilience event A live music event, a rally cry, a celebration of resilience, a reckoning. An artist’s state...
this is a test
Latest ›
First business opens in Jasper pop-up village with more on the way
Biking
First business opens in Jasper pop-up village with more on the way
Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative, Jasper Fitzhugh 
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Vicious Cycle's pop-up location opened on May 1; eight more businesses are expected to move in over the next two months until an official launch on th...
this is a test
Trail Running film festival celebrating culture and community
Arts & Culture
Trail Running film festival celebrating culture and community
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Film buffs and trail fanatics alike will be running to the Jasper Legion this Saturday. The Trail Running Film Festival —a collection of films documen...
this is a test
Jasper council opts not to reduce 2025 budget
Community
Jasper council opts not to reduce 2025 budget
Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative, Jasper Fitzhugh 
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Mayor Richard Ireland emphasized that if the province had not promised to provide financial stabilization funding, council would have been forced to r...
this is a test
Parks Canada responding to permit process bottlenecks
Business
Parks Canada responding to permit process bottlenecks
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 12, 2025
Agency encouraging rebuild applicants to book a pre-application meeting Jasper’s rebuild has hit a significant milestone, the Insurance Bureau of Cana...
this is a test

NEXT ARTICLE

Artificial Intelligence helping local seniors access rehab treatment

Community, News

Most Read ›
Firefighters battling out of control wildfire in Yellowhead Country
News
Firefighters battling out of control wildfire in Yellowhead Country
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
A wildfire 6 km west of Mercoal, Alberta, remains out of control. Alberta Wildfire firefighters, helicopters and heavy equipment continue to respond t...
this is a test
What to expect when visiting Jasper this summer
News
What to expect when visiting Jasper this summer
Peter Shokeir, Local Journalsim Initiative, Jasper Fitzhugh 
Monday, May 26, 2025
"It's a really incredible time to visit Jasper, to bear witness to a large natural disaster and to see what it means for the ecology of the park and t...
this is a test
Yellowhead Lake fire extinguished
News
Yellowhead Lake fire extinguished
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
A small (0.5 hectare) wildfire near Yellowhead Lake, just outside of Jasper National Park's west border with B.C., has been extinguished. At 7 p.m. on...
this is a test
Jam for Jasper at the Banff Springs
Arts & Culture
Jam for Jasper at the Banff Springs
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 23, 2025
Jasperites encouraged to attend wildfire resilience event A live music event, a rally cry, a celebration of resilience, a reckoning. An artist’s state...
this is a test
Latest ›
A steel foundation: A century of railroading in Jasper
Community
A steel foundation: A century of railroading in Jasper
John Wilmshurst 
Thursday, May 29, 2025
As much as Jasper’s recent history has been shaped by its status as a national park, Jasper is very much a railroad town. For more than 100 years, the...
this is a test
Evergreens celebrates 65 years of seniors housing
Community
Evergreens celebrates 65 years of seniors housing
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
When they turn 65, individuals in Canada become eligible for a pension. But when the Evergreens Foundation turns 65, pensioners throw a party! On Satu...
this is a test
Firefighters battling out of control wildfire in Yellowhead Country
News
Firefighters battling out of control wildfire in Yellowhead Country
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
A wildfire 6 km west of Mercoal, Alberta, remains out of control. Alberta Wildfire firefighters, helicopters and heavy equipment continue to respond t...
this is a test
Yellowhead Lake fire extinguished
News
Yellowhead Lake fire extinguished
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
A small (0.5 hectare) wildfire near Yellowhead Lake, just outside of Jasper National Park's west border with B.C., has been extinguished. At 7 p.m. on...
this is a test
This site complies with Jasper requirements
Contact us
Privacy Policy
Advertise With Us
About The Jasper Local
Accessibility Policy
Support

Follow Us

Advertise with us

Measurable, targeted, local. Email example@thejasperlocal.com

ePaper
coogle_play
app_store

© Copyright The Jasper Local