Alpine teams in the Wood River Valley usually consist of those offered by the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and Hailey Ski Team.
This winter, there is a new game in town with an emphasis on free skiing and travel.
Ken Corrock and Chris Peterson have started Ketchum Alpine Racing to provide an alternative option to ski racing for kids in high school or older.
They wanted to keep costs as low as possible while still participating in USSA Intermountain Division ski racing. Cost of $1,200 covers training and coaches' travel.
Much of the training will take place at Soldier Mountain north of Fairfield and Hailey's Rotarun Ski Area, but the Ketchum Alpine Racing kids will free ski on Baldy as well.
Corrock said, "Most of the kids are involved in other activities, but they want to remain involved in ski racing. They have all been in ski racing programs since grade school and wish to continue through high school.
"The program will focus on J1 (ages 17-19) and J2 (15-16) USSA alpine ski racing. We will participate in Intermountain Cup races and ultimately will attempt to qualify for Western Region Championships or Western Tech Championships."
Corrock added, "We'll emphasize learning good ski racing technique and skiing skills. We'll focus on fun, safety and learning."
As of early December, the team included seven skiers. Six are Wood River High School students and one is a Community School senior. They are:
McKenna Peterson, who is splitting her time between skiing and dance; Matt Preucil, also interested in mountain biking; John David Davidson; Derek Blash; Toby Eagan; Alisa Durkheimer; and Jack Reidy.
