There鈥檚 gold on that there hill, and it鈥檚 being mined by local area athletes.

Competing at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax at Wentworth Mountain on Wednesday, Cassie Sharpe of Comox and Max Heard of Duncan won gold medals in the big air ski competition.

It was a gutsy showing by Sharpe 鈥� a Team BC spokesperson noted she jumped without a pole in her left hand, which has been in a cast since she broke her thumb in halfpipe qualifying Monday.

鈥淚t feels awesome to stand on top of the podium. I was not 100 per cent because of my injury but I pushed through to get an amazing result,鈥� said Sharpe, who honed her skills on Mount Washington and now skis out of Whistler.

Heard, a member of the Mount Washington Freestyle Club, picked up a silver medal in the halfpipe earlier in the week. On Thursday afternoon, Team BC was second in the overall standings, behind Quebec, with 30 medals (10 gold, 8 silver, 12 bronze).

Team BC has brought a team of 242 athletes, 74 coaches, three national artists and 22 mission staff to the Games in Halifax. Approximately 2,700 athletes, coaches, managers and officials have come to the Games from every province and territory in Canada. Week Two of the Feb. 11 to 27 competition begins Sunday.

sports@comoxvalleyrecord.com