BSSEF racers overcome
deep snow, land multiple podiums
By Luke Kirchmayr EBS CONTRIBUTOR
BIG SKY – From Jan. 29- Feb. 5, the Big Sky ski
team—Big Sky Ski Education Foundation—hosted a six-day training camp focusing
primarily on super-G and other necessary skills required for various speed
events. The event was managed by both the Western Region and BSSEF and the camp
saw athletes from all over the West and even some from Alaska.
After the camp, three
super-G races were held Feb. 8-9 on Hangman’s at Big Sky Resort. Saturday Feb.
8 was a tough day for athletes and coaches as they contended with 18 inches of
new snow on the course.
The resort’s mountain operations crews came out with multiple snow cats and the BSSEF race crew performed multiple top-to-bottom slip runs to prep the race hill.
Caleb Unger flies by a gate on the super-G course. PHOTO BY DAVE PECUNIES
“There is a saying in the ski racing world that ‘if you need snow,
schedule a speed race,” said BSSEF Junior Development Coach Aaron Haffey. “This
past week was a perfect example of this phenomenon. While everyone else in Big
Sky was celebrating three straight powder days, the racers of Northern Division
were doing constant slip laps to try to save the Hangman’s arena from being
buried.”
Even with all the work,
high winds and excess snowfall created a soft racing surface but BSSEF athletes
pulled through and took a number of podiums. The weather cleared on Sunday
allowing for excellent race conditions and enough time to host two super-G
races. The BSSEF athletes took full advantage of the clear weather and scored
numerous podiums and first-place medals. The most notable athlete was U14 racer
Brooke Brown who earned second and a third place overall finishes, beating many
U16s, U19s and even U21s.
“Our BSSEF athletes had
a great week winning the overall team title every day and the end tally,”
Haffey said. “Our athletes did a fantastic job representing Big Sky on their
home hill and everyone in the team improved with each lap down the course.”