A clear blue sky hung over Blacktail Mountain Ski Area on a crisp Thursday afternoon in February as two Montana Alpine Race School coaches turned down the trail, stopping periodically to drill slalom gates into the snow.   

Even though practice didn’t begin until later in the day and on a trail open to the public, the run still looked freshly groomed. This is a common sight on the pleasantly quiet mountain that has been home to the ski racing school for 10 years.  

Coach Dawson Rinehart observed the three racers take turns zig and zagging down the slalom course he had just set. Each time they tucked their shoulders through the finish, he called out their times and offered different advice to each of them.    

“What are you going to do this run?” Rinehart asked 12-year-old racer Adalyn Lockwood after regrouping at the top of the course.  

“I’m going to attack it more, and push my hands forward and really drive with my hands,” she responded.  

“Drive those hands forward,” he agreed.  

Rinehart directed the same question to the other 12-year-old racer, Merrick Zachary, who said she would keep working on linking her carves between each gate.   

The racers waited briefly for the trail to clear of other skiers before charging down the course one by one. Snow from the extra inch that fell the night before sprayed from beneath their skis as they weaved between the red and blue gates.   

The two trained alongside Chris Pannell, a 58-year-old ski racer who joined the Montana Alpine Race School this year after moving to Bigfork from Bozeman. Pannell tore his ACL the year prior and was getting used to being back on skis. 

Pannell is one of two racers on the masters team, a program designed for adults who want to compete or simply sharpen their skills. He has been racing competitively for six years and has enjoyed the intimate coaching offered at Blacktail Mountain compared to larger ski schools. 

“It’s more one-on-one coaching. There’s more time in the gates,” Pannell said as the Thunderhead Double Chair chugged up the hill.   

“I really just enjoy the laid-back feel of Blacktail. And everybody here’s so nice,” he added. “It’s like what it was in Montana in 1980. We’ve gone back in time at Blacktail.”  

Taylor and Lockwood have been with the ski school for years and appreciate the individualized feedback they receive.  

Rinehart has been coaching the program for four years and raced on the school’s first team when John Steitz founded it in 2016. Because Blacktail Mountain allows courses to be set on any trail, Rinehart says the racers can train on nearly full-length courses — something busier resorts can’t accommodate. The small group also lets Rinehart give every racer individual advice.  

“Oftentimes, coaches will just ignore all the athletes except the really good ones,” he said. “I’ve seen it all the time. Versus here, I like to give each kid one-on-one attention. And with our coaching ratio, it makes that possible.” 

Morgan Bakken, 22, joined the coaching staff this year after moving to Bigfork. She said with a laugh that she balances Rinehart’s more serious coaching style with a gentler tone.   

“I loved racing when I was growing up, so just seeing them have fun with it like I did is just fun to see,” she said.  

Lockwood and Zachary both have dreams of competing in world competitions. The two best friends said their role model is Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated American alpine skier in World Championship history.  

Zachary, who has dreamed of becoming a world champion since she was 5, said she is inspired by Shiffrin’s perseverance and record-breaking achievements — qualities she hopes to emulate.   

“I want to be better than her,” she added.  

Zachary is preparing for upcoming qualifying races in giant slalom and slalom. If she places in the top 10, she’ll compete in California and Utah.  

“I think I’m going to win,” she said.  

Lockwood loves the thrill of competition, but she is also drawn by the joy of being outside on a mountain.   

“That would be really fun to make it to the Olympics or the World Cup, but I’m here to just have fun and see where I make it,” she said.  

The seventh graders leave school early every Thursday to train in the afternoons as well as every Saturday and Sunday to learn slalom, giant slalom and super giant slalom. Zachary has been in the ski school since second grade and has gotten used to balancing school with her sport.  

“I’ve been at it for a while, so it’s pretty easy. I keep up with my grades and stuff,” she said. 

Pannell’s love for ski racing comes from the never-ending strive for perfect technique.  

“To me, it’s not getting on the podium,” he said. “I usually get on the podiums, that’s not a problem but I just want to be a better skier and a better racer and I’m just trying to make that clean run from A to B, top to bottom.”   

Whether a skier wants to travel the country competing or simply refine their skills, the Montana Alpine Race School is designed to be welcoming to anyone, according to Taylor Zachary, Merrick’s father and the school's fundraising coordinator.    

“I think the goal of the coaches is just to keep them having fun,” he said. “They don’t need to do races. If they have fun training, perfect.”   

Zachary and his wife, Michele, started the Rockets program seven years ago for skiers aged 7 to 9 interested in ski racing. They found that the school was missing an opportunity to introduce young skiers to the world of racing.  

Zachary wants to make the notoriously expensive sport more accessible to beginners by collecting secondhand equipment and bringing down costs through fundraising and grants.  

“If there is a kid that’s really interested, really wants to do it, we’ll make it work,” he said.  

There are four kids enrolled in the Rockets program. Zachary said the group is smaller than in past years, but no matter the size, he plans to keep the program running.   

“We just work really hard to keep it going, and even if there’s three kids, we’re going to keep going,” he said.  

By the end of the day, the course had turned cool and shady as the sun slipped behind the mountain. Lockwood zipped through the finish line on her final run, and Rinehart shouted that she had shaved less than a second off her best friend’s time.  

“Yes!” Lockwood cheered, waving her poles in the air.   

The two high-fived before carving wide turns down to the chairlift. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].  

    Merrick Zachary (left) and Adalyn Lockwood (right) chat at the end of a practice with the Montana Alpine Race School at Blacktail Mountain on Thursday, Feb. 19. (Jack Underhill/Daily Inter Lake).
  

    Adalyn Lockwood rounds a slalom gate while training with the Montana Alpine Race School at Blacktail Mountain on Thursday, Feb. 19. (Jack Underhill/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Chris Pannel rounds a gate while training with the Montana Alpine Race School on Thursday, Feb. 19. (Jack Underhill/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Montana Alpine Race School coaches Dawson Rinehart (right) and Morgan Bakken (left) set slalom course at Blacktail Mountain on Thursday, Feb. 19. (Jack Underhill/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Montana Alpine Race School coaches Dawson Rinehart (left) and Morgan Bakken (right) set slalom course at Blacktail Mountain on Thursday, Feb, 19. (Jack Underhill/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Montana Alpine Race School coach Dawson Rinehart sets a slalom course at Blacktail Mountain on Thursday, Feb. 19. (Jack Underhill/Daily Inter Lake)