Jennings: Young ski racers test their mettle at Mount Spokane

Hourglass, one of the best fall lines on Mount Spokane, is also one of the most challenging ski racing courses in the Northwest. Saturday it’s the venue for the Pacific Northwest Ski Association (PNSA) U16 Championships Qualifier No. 1, the first event hosted on the mountain this year.

“This weekend is part of a three-race series that qualifies 20 boys and 19 girls to compete at the Western Region under-16 championships in March,” said Chuck Holcomb, Program Director and Head Coach of the Spokane Ski Racing Association (SSRA). “We have kids going every year. They work hard to do it and it’s a great adventure for them.”

Boys and girls from SSRA will be joining a field of approximately 120 athletes from Washington, Oregon and North Idaho to compete for a trip to Mammoth Mountain in California for a shot at a title. Travel is one of the perks for kids involved in ski racing. In previous years, the PNSA Western Region championships have been held at iconic resorts such as Jackson Hole and Snowbird.

The kids with SSRA have been training since last fall, but Holcomb leaves the door open all season with prorated tuition for families interested in introducing their children to the world of ski racing. A visit to Mount Spokane during the long Martin Luther King weekend (Jan. 16-18) is a good chance for them to see what it’s all about.

“We don’t emphasize a specific competitive focus,” Holcomb said. “It’s just a great way for kids who get involved in our programs to become expert all mountain skiers. It’s also great for parents in families that ski together who want their kids to be competent enough to ski anywhere when they go off with their friends.”

Spectators bitten by the racing bug this weekend may want to inquire with the SSRA about their Spring Multiweek Program. New this year, the program is a six-week introduction to ski racing for kids ages 5-11, running Feb. 27 through April 3. It’s scheduled as an exciting step-up for kids participating in the six-week lesson programs by the Mount Spokane Snow Sports Center that began last weekend.

This weekend, a giant slalom will be raced on Saturday and slaloms will take place on Sunday and Monday. If you plan on watching the action on Hourglass, the run features steep rollovers about midway and above the finish that demand the most skill and promise the most excitement.

“It helps to bring some intelligence to bear,” Holcomb said. “It’s like stepping out of a second story window coming out of that upper pitch.”

From there, the course flattens out, passing the B-29 crossing before dropping off the second knoll, which is almost as steep. Here, where the course transitions from flat to steep again, skiers could be running out of gas. If they lose their concentration, they might not get to the finish line. But according to Holcomb, SSRA prepares them to be safe as they test their limits.

“Ski racing produces those kind of skiers,” he said. “When kids get involved they develop a love for the competitiveness of ski racing, the excitement of skiing race courses … and going fast.”