Sugar Bowl hosts racing into April

Sugar Bowl hosts racing into April{mosimage}Ski racing is alive and well in the Far West, and the competition season stretched well into April at Sugar Bowl, California. The resort saw more than 2,600 racers leave the gate over the course of eight days of racing March 26 to April 3. Sugar Bowl first hosted the Tahoe League Championships, then the Silver Belt Reunion race and finally the J4/5 Far West Championships.

Over 350 Lake Tahoe-area juniors gathered for the Tahoe League Championships and top honors in the 7-8 year old division went to Sugar Bowl's own Anna Harleen, while Heavenly Valley's Chad Kaassamani took top honors for the boys. In the competitive 9-10 division, Devin Davis of Sugar Bowl and Mackenzie Spaich took home the gold, while in the 11-12 year olds, Billy Reeves of Alpine Meadows and Sugar Bowl's Hilary Hickingbotham took the win.

The racing action continued the next day, although most of the competitors at the annual Silver Belt Reunion race were decidedly older. Former USST members and team captains Bill Hudson, Hansi and Toni Standteiner, Olympic gold medalist Finn Christian Jagge, coaching legend Fritz Vallant and free skiing stalwarts Eric Deslaurier and Jamie Burg were teamed up with athletes from the Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy for this fundraiser. In a bracketed single elimination format team captain Hansi Standteiner led his team to victory over Team Deslaurier.

Resort ambassador Daron Rahlves was on hand to award trophies to the top performers at the J4/5 Far West Championships, and Thursday's super G action started on Daron's namesake, Rahlves Run. Squaw's Bryce Bennett took the gold, Kirkwood's Ty Sambrailo silver and Heavenly's Danny Souza completed the podium. For the girls, Squaw's Nicole Swanson took this win, Sugar Bowl's Lizzie Kistler was second and Mammoth's Brooke Blackburn finished third.

Meanwhile, the J5s were fighting it out in the Christmas Tree Race Arena in slalom. J6 phenom Gabriela Knutson won the gold, Diamond Peak's Lena Andrews grabbed silver and Heaveny's Courtney Norton slid onto the podium with the bronze. For the boys, Heavenly's sensational J5 Ty Sprock did not disappoint with the gold but was pushed harder than anytime all season. Mammoth's Hayes Graham won the silver medal, with Squaw's Max Hall earning the bronze.

Swanson, Kistler and Blackburn again completed the J4 girls' podium the following day, as the action moved to a giant slalom on the McTavish trail. For the J4 boys, Kirkwood's Sambrailo took the gold, Squaw's Bryce Bennett was second and Rob Bradford of Sage Ridge took the Bronze.

Sprock held off Sugar Bowl's Dylan Murtha in the J5 race, with Heavenly's Hughston Norton in third. For the J5 girls, Norton moves up to take gold in the giant slalom, ahead of Diamond Peak's Lila Lapanja and Knutson.

In Day 3, Murtha laid down a great run on a long McTavish course, and earned gold. Sprock 'settled' for silver, his third podium, and earned the overall. Norton took his second bronze. In the J4 girl slalom, Swanson finally stepped aside, and Kistler stepped up for the win. Blackburn also moved up for the silver, and Slocumb grabbed a well-deserved bronze. For the J4 boys slalom, Sambrailo stormed to gold again, with Bennett sliding into second, which ensured him the overall. Souza earns his second podium, in third.

Rahlves co-hosted the awards and dinner dance with Sugar Bowl's Jim Hudson. A seven-piece percussion band entertained the crowd of more than 500 as Rahlves and Hudson took the large outdoor stage and wrapped up an impressive weekend.

-thanks to Greg Murtha for contributing