It was in blowing snow and challenging conditions that the Nancy Green Ski League Summit Lake Racers finished the season at Whitewater Ski Resort in Nelson last Sunday, March 11. Teams from Grand Forks, Salmo, Rossland, Nelson and Nakusp met to compete in the West Kootenay E1/E2/E3 Zone Finals.
The race format they faced was two single run races back to back on one course, with inspection, and the second run was in reverse order.
From the beginning, the day was fraught with challenges. First, it was a very early morning start with the spring time change. This made for a lot of discussion and yawning.
Second, the course was rough and extremely rutted up after the single course was run the second time. And the new snow just kept falling. Kiley Waterfield said she nearly missed a gate because of a huge rut. Frances Swan was impressed by the kids and thought they did very well considering the tricky conditions.
Third, as described by Beth McLeod, “despite the Wh2O snow report predicting light rain, when we arrived at 8 a.m. we had blowing snow and it kept snowing (not blowing) almost the whole day, with the wind returning late in the day to make the awards ceremony a chilly one!”
The silver lining was the great free skiing afterwards at Whitewater. The skiers enjoyed five centimeters of new powder and some fun trail runs through the trees.
Jordan Katchen was smiling when he said that he really had a great day, even if it did hail a little bit at the end.
The Summit Lake Racers placed third in the team event. Solomon Tupper finished with two bronze medals.
In her final race as an E3 Nancy Green Racer, Ivy Tourand secured a gold medal in her first race and, despite a fall during her second race, she still took home the bronze medal. Congratulations everyone for a great end to a great season.
Everyone involved in the race was grateful to Whitewater for hosting the event and providing lunch. The volunteer coaches and all the people who find a little time to help with this terrific program are also always appreciated. It is all about the skiing and the kids love it.
Although it’s the end of the season for the Racers, there is still more fun to be had. This Saturday, March 17, Summit Lake is holding its St. Patrick’s Day winter carnival.
Starting from 10 a.m., there will be events, hot drinks, and entertainment for the whole family. Come watch the downhill dummy race and take part in the jello eating contest.
It will be a great day and a great way to wrap up the ski and snowboard season. See you there!