Alpine skiers race under perfect conditions

Clear, cold weather created ideal race conditions on Mt. Bachelor's Cliffhanger run on Saturday, February 10, for the OSAA giant slalom race. Warmer temperatures earlier in the week added moisture to the snow, and colder temperatures on Saturday froze the moisture, which created a nice hard crust for the race course.

Coach Gabe Chladek said, "The perfect conditions led to a fast surface and little rutting."

This was the first giant slalom the Outlaws raced in two weeks, and the team did a good job of adjusting to the faster racing style.

Holland Hartman and Skylar Wilkins, the two Outlaws girls, skied well, and are showing improvement with every race. Hartman finished 34th in the combined, and Wilkins was right behind her at 35th.

The boys are getting faster with every race as well. George Chladek skied his best giant slalom race to date, scored 35 points for the team, and earned 13th place in the combined score. Ethan Morgan finished 19th in the boys combined, which Coach Chladek noted was a very impressive athletic performance for a first-year racer. Ethan scored 16 points for the Outlaws.

Evan Palmer also had two very good runs. Evan slid out on his hip early in his first run and still pulled off 21st place in the combined, and scored 16 points for the team.

The Sisters boys combined finish order is as follows: George Chladek 13th, Ethan Morgan 19th, Evan Palmer 21st, John Banks 48th, Christopher Lundgren 52nd, Conner Petke 53rd, Spencer Kemp 67th, Corbin Johnson 69th, and Ian Cash 71st.

The Outlaws have the next two weekends off from races, and will focus on training for the league finals, which will be held Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3 at Mt. Bachelor.