n They’re off to the races! — The Northwest Alpine racing scene kicked into action last weekend, with local athletes traveling to Panorama, B.C. and Mount Bachelor, Oregon for competitions. NASTAR also opened last week on solid snow. Details below.

n World Cup update – The men were at Val Gardenia for speed this week, and Steve Nyman was the top finisher with a Bronze medal on the track where he’s won twice before. Travis Ganong finished 7th. Bryce Bennett, a friend of the Edge, moved from 54th to finish 8th, his best finish yet. The men’s tech team was at Alta Badia for Giant Slalom where Tommy Ford finished 13th. Ryan Cochran-Seigel finished 20th.

The ladies speed crew was at Val d’Isere for two downhills. Breezy Johnson posted her best finish yet with 13th on the first day, followed closely by Alice McKennis in 14th. Laurenne Ross missed the first event due to illness, but battled through the illness in the second downhill, finishing 18th.

n Alberta Cup — Panorama resort hosted tech races this week, featuring a deep and talented field of FIS athletes. Farli Boden finished 53rd in the first race but failed to complete the second. Slalom results were not available by press time, so will be reported next week.

n Russ Read Memorial — Several SARS athletes went to Bachelor Mountain to compete in Evergreen Cup GS Giant Slalom and Super G. The only local athlete was Addison McNamara, who posted 13th in one of the Giant Slaloms and 19th in the Super G.

n Junior Race Series sign-up — Get those forms in. Registration closes Jan. 1 for this popular event. Fliers/entry forms are at the local ski shops. The series features free coaching, lots of prizes, lots of kids and lots of fun. There’s been no change in the cost for 16 years. Racers meet four Friday evenings in January from 5:30 to 7 p.m. No excuses, come join the fun. Applications are already coming in, so you better register now. Forms can also be downloaded at www,independenceracing.com.

n Potpourri — Watch for Santa and Mrs. Claus on the slopes the 23rd and 24th. Any comments, recommendations or contributions to this column may be sent to Shep Snow by email at [email protected].