Junior Slalom Skiers Ready For Mount Spokane Open

Junior slalom ski racers will flock to Mount Spokane this weekend to compete in a nationally sanctioned race that is pivotal for the Northwest Cup finals.

The Mount Spokane Open is one of the largest races in the Evergreen Series, a regional circuit of races designed to promote developmental level Alpine ski racing. More than 120 racers from 15 teams in the Pacific Northwest Ski Association are expected to compete.

“We will have good representation from throughout the Northwest, with teams from Washington, Idaho, Montana and as far away as Mount Hood, Oregon,” said race director Kathy Smith.

There will be divisions for men and women, 13 years of age to the college level, and while most racers will attend as part of a team, the races will compete on the individual level.

Scoring is designed to work much like the handicap system in golf. When a racer begins competing, he or she is given 990 points. For each race attended and finished, points are subtracted. The lower the total, the better the individual ranking.

There are many variables, including the difficulty of the course and rankings of opposing racers.

For each race, the top finishing times are averaged. From there, a penalty is established for the rest of the field. It is from this score that each racer’s points are calculated and generally, the lower the pace score, the more points a racer can drop.

Once a racer’s points drop to about 100, a national ranking is established, and the racer starts to compete in bigger, national races.

“This will be a good race because we have five to seven guys right now who are very competitive,” said Mount Spokane coach Jeff Pickering.

Included on that team are Michael Dix, Jammin Patten and Cody Smith, last year’s Mount Spokane winner and a three-time Northwest Cup and Junior Olympics qualifier.

“This will be a good race to prepare for the Northwest Cup finals and the Junior Olympics,” said Smith, racing this week in Wyoming against U.S. ski team members A.J. Kitt and Tommy Moe. “It’s always fun to race close to home.”

The Mount Spokane Open starts at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday on the Hour Glass run by Lodge 1.