MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Fall 2018

70 ML BLUE FALL 2018 If you’ve ridden the park at Beaver Valley Ski Club, you’ve probably noticed this team of pint-sized sisters hitting the boxes and shredding the slopes. Kara and Gabby Bosse were born into snowboarding. Their father, Caleb Bosse, is the Head of Terrain Parks & Outdoor Events at Beaver and also runs his own consulting and park-building company called Bosse Snow Parks. Their mom, Julia, is a snowboarder who regularly sessions the park and won last season’s Beaver Valley Banked Slalom in her age category. It’s little wonder that the girls are totally at home on snow. Kara and Gabby bypassed two planks and started out on snowboards right away. When they hit Beaver’s lesson and freestyle programs, aged three and five, things really started to take off. They are comfortable on most runs at Beaver and regularly ride the terrain park. “They’re so low to the ground already,” laughs Julia. Their dad in the meantime has learned to look at park building in a whole new way, with a focus on fun for both parents and kids. “It’s definitely changed my outlook on building smaller stuff and all the struggles kids have getting off chairlifts and onto certain features,” says Caleb. “Rails that are four to six feet off the ground are pointless to almost everyone but resorts are still putting them in. Even if it’s two feet off the ground it does the same thing but is more usable to a wider range of abilities. My focus is on adding more fun—things like a boardercross course and more turny terrain. I’m just trying to make sure snowboarding is fun for kids—there are so many activities competing for their attention these days.” When I can get the girls to sit still long enough to answer a few questions, their thoughts on snowboarding are straightforward and fun. “Turns are my favourite and I like doing 360s. I like making new friends, learning tricks and jumping,” says Kara. “I just like going fast,” says Gabby “The cross course is my favourite.” Snowboarding is an activity that lets the whole family get out together. “We’re having fun snowboarding with our kids instead of sitting on the sidelines watching them play,” explains Caleb. And Julia (who still hits rails and jumps with tons of style) continues: “Now that we are a park family we get to ride the park all the time. We still want to hit the rails and jumps too and they’re into it now so it’s great for everyone.” Kara and Gabby Bosse AGES: SIX AND FIVE SPORTS OF CHOICE: SNOWBOARDING, GYMNASTICS, TRAMPOLINE, SWIMMING LEFT Kara Bosse nose-pressing on a rainbow box in the Beaver Valley Snow Park. STEVE JARRETT. ABOVE From snowboarding to skateboarding, mother Julia Bosse sets the tone for her girls, Kara and Gabby. ALLISON KENNEDY DAVIES