Whitefish Skiers at Great Divide

A group of Whitefish Mountain skiers travelled to Helena last weekend to compete at Great Divide’s alpine races. They were treated to blue skies and pleasant temperatures as they raced through a two-run slalom race Saturday followed by two, single-run Kombi races on Sunday. The Kombi race is a combination of tall and short slalom gates and GS panels. That along with the snow conditions made for a wild and challenging course for the racers.

Whitefish was led on the podium by J5 racer Colter Upton, who had a 1st place finish in one of Sunday’s Kombi races along with a 2nd place in the slalom on Saturday. Nine year-old William Lewison also competed in the 9-10 year old boys division and moved into the top 10 group, with 9th and 10th place finishes in the Kombi races.

The team had good representation by both Kristin Van Everen and Pixie Moore in the J4 girls division. Kristin had 2 top ten finishes on Sunday (9th and 9th), while Pixie had a 10th in one of Sunday’s races as well.

Athletes from this YSL team are all part of the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation, a race team that strives to develop a lifelong enjoyment of the sport while supporting personal development. This year 53 athletes ages 5-18, have been supported by a great group of 8 coaches. The Foundation would like to thank their season-long sponsors The Base Lodge Clinic (North Valley Hospital) and The Sportsman & Ski Haus, along with the on-going support of Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Team Skis Well at Red Lodge JO Qualifier

Four Whitefish alpine ski racers attended the USSA Northern Division Junior Olympic Qualifier Series held in Red Lodge, February 24-26. 2 giant slaloms and a slalom race were held as the final events of a season long series that will qualify the Northern Division team roster to the Western Region Junior Olympics and the Western Regional Championships.
Age Class results from Red Lodge are as follows.
Scott Kahle, 16: 9th - GS #1, and 10th - GS #2
Jacob Welch, 15: 10th – GS #1 and 9th – GS #2

Britt Walton, 13: 4th – GS #1, 1st – GS #2, 3rd - Slalom
Austin Oberlitner, 14: 14th –GS # 1, 14th Slalom

The Western Region Junior Olympics will bring together the most qualified 13-14 year olds in the western us to compete at Bridger Bowl and Big Sky resorts, March 15-18.
Schweitzer Basin, Idaho will host the Western Regional Championships March 6-11. The WR Championships bring together the fastest 15-19 year old ski racers from the Western US.

Erin Tabih Scores Slalom Result in FIS U

Erin Tabish scored a great Slalom result on Wednesday, 2/22 at Bridger Bowl in a FIS University Competition. The race, rescheduled from Alaska, allowed Erin an opportunity to compete against a strong field of NCAA women.
Erin started bib 42 and finished 34th with an excellant 107.02 point result. Her ranking going into the race was 130.49.

Whitefish Skiers at Big Sky Haul Home Hardware

Britt Walton Skys the Jump at Big Sky

Six Whitefish Alpine Racers traveled to Big Sky Resort February 10-12, for a USSA Northern Division Junior Olympic Qualifier Series. Three Super G races were contested on the difficult Hangman’s Trail. A sizeable jump was constructed on the course, giving the racers even more challenge.
The Whitefish group proved to be up to the challenge of the speed and air time, returning to Whitefish with multiple medals; aka “Bringing Home the Hardware”.
Due to the difficulty of the track and the jump, Friday was scheduled as a training day to acquaint the racers with the challenge. Two races were held Saturday followed by one on Sunday.
Results for the three races are as Follows:
Jr. 2 Girls
Erin Tabish: 3rd, 4th and 5th.
Jr. 2 Boys
Nevada Kramer: 2nd, DNF and 4th.
Jacob Welch: 8th, DNF, 11th.
Jr. 3 Boys
Oliver Van Everen: 2nd, 4th and 1st
Britt Walton: 4th, 5th and 2nd
Cameron Welch: 16th, 12th and 11th.

Showdown at Bridger YSL Super-G

Six young Whitefish Mountain ski racers competed this past weekend in a GS/Super G Kombi race held at Bridger Bowl. It was a great introduction to a “speed” event in which components of a Super G race were added to the traditional Giant Slalom platform. Pleasant temperatures and blue skies were welcomed by the 150 racers that competed in 3 separate, one-run races. With just 6 racers competing from Whitefish, they had impressive results, fielding 6 podium finishes and 3 top ten finishes in the 3 races.

With passionate coaching provided by Roy Loman and Zak Anderson, the team continues to be inspired to perform with excellence both on and off the hill. Both coaches felt the team really stepped up and pushed themselves to move to the next level. Coach Loman said, “In the 30+ years that I have been coaching, never I have seen more improvement from a team of athletes. Our group was so able to focus on what they needed to do to move to the next level; and we saw that work in their improvement for every individual on the team. It is seldom that you get that kind of focus and execution from an entire group."

A tenacious ten year-old Colter Upton topped the podium with a 1st place in his age group on Sunday with an aggressive run, following his two 2nd place finishes on Saturday. Eight year-old Marina Kramer demonstrated solid consistency, earning three 3rd place finishes throughout the weekend, in the 7-8 year old girls bracket.

A determined nine year-old Douglas Mercer had 3 top ten finishes--10th, 10th and 7th in his group. First year nine year-old racer William Lewison made fantastic improvements throughout the weekend, finishing more than 6 seconds faster in his final race.

Team leaders Story Crossett and Kristin Van Everen competed in the competitive 11-12 year old divisions and were both good examples of persistence and diligence for their teammates.

The next scheduled Youth Ski League races will be at Great Divide and Discovery followed by the season finale championships held at our very own Whitefish Mountain Resort March 23rd-25th. Wish the Whitefish racers good luck.

Large Whitefish Team with Strong Showing at Big Sky GS Races

A strong contingent of Whitefish ski racers, ages 8-13, competed in two GS races recently held at Big Sky Resort, along with 180 other racers from throughout Montana. With team members battling illness, cold wind chills and a strong field of competitors, they performed well and had a lot of fun along the way.

Podium finishes for the Whitefish team included: Gardner Dominick with two 1st place finishes in the 7-8 year old boys group, Marina Kramer with a 3rd place in 7-8 year old girls, Colter Upton with two 3rd place finishes in 9-10 year old boys and Cameron Welch with a 2nd place in 13-14 year old boys.

Newcomer Liam Nelson finished with a strong 4th place finish on Sunday in the 9-10 year old boys division. Pixie Moore continues to move up in the highly competitive 11-12 year old girls bracket, breaking into the top 10 with a 9th place finish on Sunday. Other racers competing for Whitefish included James Thompson, Stella Eddy, Walt Hollensteiner, Kristin Van Everen, Caroline LeCompte and Story Crossett.

Upcoming YSL Race information: Great Divide/Discovery

Here is a bit of info regarding 2 upcoming YSL Races; 1 at Great Divide and the other at Discover, near Anaconda.

Great Divide YSL
DATE; February 18 and 19, 2012
EVENT: Slalom - Saturday, and 2 Technical Combi Races - Sunday
RACERS ELIGIBLE: JIII, JIV, JV, JVI
LOCATION: Great Divide Ski Area, Marysville, Montana - 25 miles northwest of Helena, Montana.


Discovery GS Series

Events: GS, Saturday, March 3, 2012 – Morning and afternoon run
GS, Sunday, March 4, 2012 – Morning and afternoon run
Class: Men & Women - Youth Ski League - Classes J3 and younger
Registration: 8:00-9:00 a.m. Discovery Lodge 2nd Floor, Discovery Ski Area
Lift Tickets: Racers 12 and under $10 per day. Racers 13 and over $19 per day. Purchased directly by the coach. Payable by check. Parents and spectators must show their season pass in order to receive discounted lift tickets.



If you plan to go to either of these, let me know and I will place you on the list.

Both are great races...

This is who I have to
Great Divide: Kristin; Story and Colter
Discovery: Kristin; Story, Colter, James and Liam.

Both the La Quinta in Helena and the Fairmont Hot Springs have asked us to make our reservations quickly...(within the next week)


Helena Lodging (La Quinta)
Name: Whitefish Ski Team
Contact: Roy Loman

Arrival Date: February 17, 2011
Departure Date: February 19, 2011

6 - 2 queen bed rooms
Rate: $83.00 plus tax
Cancel by 6:00PM on date of arrival
Hotel Phone number to call for room block reservations: 406-449-4000 Individuals make own reservations and responsible for own room charges. Please make your reservations ASAP.



Discovery Lodging
Fairmont Hot Springs
1-800-332-3272 1500 Fairmont Road
(406) 797-3241 Fairmont, MT 59711
(406) 797-3260 FAX bbrown@fairmontmontana.com
Rate: $114

SPORTSMAN & SKI HAUS JO QUALIFIER

FVSEF,the Sportsman & Ski Haus and the Whitefish Mountain Resort hosted the season’s first Junior Olympic Qualifier. The Qualifier consisted of 2 Giant Slalom races and 1 Slalom. Results from this and additional qualifiers held at Missoula Snow Bowl, Big Sky Resort and Red Lodge will be used to determine attendance at the Western Region’s Junior Olympics to be held at Big Sky and Bridger resorts and the FIS Western Region Championships at Schweitzer Basin, Idaho.
The opening series started with a Giant Slalom on the steep Ed’s Run at the Whitefish Resort. Excellent snow conditions provided an extremely good track for the 3 contested races. A second GS was held Sunday and the races concluded with a Slalom on Monday.
Local results from the Saturday GS include:
Women
Erin Tabish 7th; 15-16 year old category
Madeline Williams 3rd; 17-19
Men
Brittain Walton 6th; 13-14 year old category
Cameron Welch 12th; 13-14
Oliver Van Everen 13th; 13-14
Nevada Kramer 3rd; 15-16
Jacob Welch 9th; 15-16
Aaron Oberlitner 3rd; 17-19

Sunday GS
Women
Piper Howeth 5th; 13-14
Kelly Shea 6th; 13-14
Erin Tabish 3rd; 15-16
Madeline Williams 3rd 17-19
Men
Oliver Van Everen 7th; 13-14 Yrs.
Brittain Walton 10th; 13-14
Cameron Welch 12th; 13-14
Nevada Kramer 1st; 15-16
Jacob Welch 8th; 15-16
Aaron Oberlitner 2nd; 17-19

Monday Slalom
Women
Piper Howeth 7th; 13-14 Yrs.
Erin Tabish 4th; 15-16
Madeline Williams 2nd; 17-19
Men
Oliver Van Everen 6th; 13-14 Yrs
Brittain Walton 7th; 13-14
Cameron Welch 13th; 13-14
Jacob Welch 4th; 15-16

The Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation would like to thank it’s major sponsors, the Sportsman & Ski Haus and the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic for their continued support.

Tommy Moe Series Begins with a GS on Sunday Jan 22, 2012

Just a quick reminder to all that the Tommy Moe Series kicks off this week-end (Sunday) with a GS…

THIS IS A GREAT RACE SERIES TO PARTICIPATE IN!
See the link below for the schedule and more information...
See more here:http://skiwhitefish.com/programs.php (click on the Tommy Moe Tab)

Whitefish Ski Racers Compete at Bridger Bowl

Five young Whitefish ski racers, ages 9-12, competed with 135 racers from Montana in the opening event of the season January 7-8th. The two day slalom race took place on the wind-chilled icy slopes of Bridger Bowl. Despite limited early season training in gates due to low snow, coaches’ Roy Loman and Zak Anderson had the athletes well prepared. The team’s dedication was evident throughout the weekend, as they gained valuable confidence and experience.

Strong performances by 9-year old Colter Upton, earned him a 1st place finish on Saturday and 2nd on Sunday, in his first year in the J5 division. Douglas Mercer, also 9, finished the weekend with two top ten finishes, 9th and 7th places. Rounding out the J5 boys group for Whitefish was newcomer William Lewison who gained valuable experience.

For the girls, J5 racer Stella Eddy had a strong finish Saturday in 6th place. Team leader Pixie Moore, 12, competed in the highly competitive J4 division, and had progressively stronger races as the weekend unfolded.

Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation would like to thank our major sponsors: Whitefish Mountain Resort, The Sportsman & Ski Haus, and North Valley Hospital. Anyone interested in the alpine race team please contact head coach Roy Loman at 802-236-1057.

Nevada Kramer races in FIS at Schweitzer

Nevada Kramer, Whitefish, competed at the Schweitzer ski resort in Sand Point, Idaho in a FIS sanctioned alpine ski event January 5-8.
Kramer joined racers in an international field to compete in 2 Super Giant Slalom and 2 Giant Slalom races. In Thursday’s opening race, a Super Giant Slalom, Kramer ranked #83 in the field finished # 55 to move up strongly. He continued that pattern each day; starting # 87 on Friday and finishing 57. Saturday his start was 61 with a great finish in 38th position. Kramer finished Sunday’s race after starting 54 and finishing in the 48th spot.
Kramer’s coaches said: “Nevada has started strongly this season. He has prepared himself well through the summer and fall and is reaping the benefits by improving his ranking in nearly every race.”
Kramer’s next race is a GS and Slalom Series scheduled at Whitefish Mountain Resort January 14-16.

Nevada Finishes FIS Series in Panorama

Nevada Kramer finished his first FIS series (2 GS and 2 SL) held at Panorama, CA. Nevada had a good series; moving up from his start position on average 20 places! Check out his results on the FIS page here:
Click Here! (Click on the "R" inside the square)

Nevada Competes in Panorama FIS

Race Team teammate, Nevada Kramer, is competing at the Panorama, BC ski resort in a FIS alpine ski event Dec 18-21.
Kramer joins racers from over 9 countries to compete in 2 Giant Slalom and 2 Slalom races. In Sunday’s opening race, a Giant Slalom, Kramer started #92 in a field of over 110 racers. He finished 72 moving up 20 positions for the day. Day 2 will see another Giant Slalom, to be followed by Slalom’s on Day 3 and 4.

Bode at Val Gardena

Click here to Read More …!

Be sure to also watch Fuez' run, it is a great run!

Meyer: It's Golden Age for US Ski Team!

Click here to Read More About the Golden Age…!