Benoni skier becomes the first African to complete Talons Challenge
Snowfall is an extremely rare occurrence in Benoni and the only form of skiing in this part of the world takes place on lakes, rather than on the cold white stuff.
This was a major dilemma for lifelong Rynfield resident Demetrios ‘Traki’ Mavrikis (25), who always wanted to snow ski, but who never had the opportunity to do so.
The recent University of Pretoria civil engineering graduate decided that he would move to Colorado in November last year and learn how to ski.
After just two months of learning the sport, the thrill-seeking Benonian became the first African skier to compete in and complete the Beaver Creek’s Talon Challenge in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
“Growing up in South Africa, I was exposed to a lot of waterskiing, but that is a whole different ball game,” he said.
“I decided that, in order to learn how to snow ski, I would need to move to Canada, America or Europe.
“I moved to Colorado in November 2015 and I learnt how to ski in December 2015.”
The Talon Challenge took place on Saturday, February 20.
“Being a quick learner and an adrenaline junkie, I took to the sport really quickly and it became second nature.”
This year marked the 13th hosting of the annual Talons Challenge, which has seen over 10 000 participants over the years – and not a single one of those participants had been an African until now.
The Challenge requires participants to complete all 14 double black diamond and single black diamond runs (ski trail difficulty ratings) within the time period.
“These are the highest difficulty runs that the Rockies have to offer and should be attempted only by expert skiers,” Mavrikis said.
“Beaver Creek is home to some of America’s steepest and most diverse terrain,” he added.
“Two of the runs included the men’s and women’s World Cup downhill ski courses.
“The Challenge required the participants to ascend 26 226 feet (8km) of vertical altitude and the total distance skied averaged out to 65km.”
Speaking about completing the event, Mavrikis said: “The Talon Challenge tested my limits, but the goal of becoming the first African to participate in the event pushed me forward.
“The organisers said they have never known anyone to tackle the challenge after only skiing for two months.”
Fellow South African Will Battershill, from Pietermaritzburg, became the first African to complete the Challenge on a snowboard.
