High-performing athletes hit the slopes at Horseshoe Resort for local tournament

Several high-performing athletes will hit the slopes at Horseshoe Resort this weekend for a local, high-profile tournament.

Each competitor will hope to come out on top, potentially earning a spot at the Olympics.

Mother Nature caused some doubts, but with some extra snowmaking and grooming time, the resort is ready to host the Canada Cup series freestyle skiing finale.

"This has been a challenging year for weather. Horseshoe resort and their ops crew are here blowing snow. They're super committed to amateur sports and snow sports," Eli Budd, Freestyle Ontario executive director, said.

Horseshoe Resort's $1.5 million investment in its snowmaking infrastructure this year made it possible for the event to take place.

"That's really contributed to us being able to host this event and have the majority of our runs open, where just south of us is green grass, and we've got lots of snow at Horseshoe," Jonathan Reid, Horseshoe Resort general manager, said.

The high-flying slopestyle and big air athletes hope events like this will vault them to the next level.

"We get to create a platform for the future Canadian Olympians," Reid said.

Oro-Medonte Mayor Randy Greenlaw said the resort is a focal part of driving tourism while putting the town on the national stage.

"Events like this are great for our community. It brings people in from outside of the municipality and helps support our local businesses and the economy," he said.

With a summer training facility being developed at Horseshoe Resort, the hope is to turn it into a major high-performance hub for snow sports.

Officials with the resort say they're looking forward to hosting more big events, like the NorAm snowboarding later this year, to eventually host a World Cup.