New course for Snowshoe Challenge
Spring officially arrives Saturday, March 20, which is the date for the Bald Mountain Snowshoe and Ski Challenge.
There is a new course this year that will finish at The Roundhouse on Baldy.
The Elephant's Perch of Ketchum (726-3497) and Sun Valley Company are co-sponsoring the annual race on Saturday starting from River Run Lodge. Register at the Perch until Friday, March 19 or at River Run Lodge on Race Day from 7-7:45 a.m.
Racers start promptly at 8 a.m. and can come back down on the gondola. Put your dry clothing in a duffle or backpack and they'll be transported up.
Snowshoers and skiers will traipse up the hill from the lodge, climb along Baldy's Lower River Run ski run and then take a left onto Lower Canyon. They'll ascend to the Old Lady cat track, take a left onto Roundhouse Slope and finish their trek in a sprint near the Roundhouse deck.
There will be prizes for the fastest man and woman in the snowshoe and ski classes, plus drawings for everyone. Refreshments will be available at the finish. Fee is $15. Absolutely no dogs are allowed.
Farrington takes Europe X superpipe title
Kaitlyn Farrington won the women's superpipe in the European Winter X-Games at Tignes, France, Thursday, and she knocked off some pretty heady company in the process. The Bellevue native threw and landed a huge backside 900 to score 97 points to best current Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright by two points. Farrington, 20, is a member of the U.S. Snowboarding's Rookie Halfpipe team and came up through the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation snowboarding program.
Spring bicycle preview
The Elephant's Perch of Ketchum has its annual Spring Bicycle Preview on Thursday, March 18, all day at the store. There will be special pricing on equipment and experts on hand to offer assistance.
Rusch show raises over $5,000 for Wood River Bicycle Coalition
In a email newsletter dated March 11, three-time World 24-Hour solo mountain bike champ Rebecca Rusch of Ketchum talked about the Feb. 25 Sun Valley Opera House premiere of the documentary "Race Across the Sky." The movie centered on the Leadville Trail 100-mile mountain bike race won by Rusch in 2009. Its Sun Valley debut raised over $5,000 in the official launch and membership drive of the Wood River Bicycle Coalition, she said. "It will go towards keeping trails open where I live. It was a blast to share the Leadville Trail 100 experience with my friends through this film," she wrote.
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Watanabe wins SBX Small Final in Italy
Hailey's Graham Watanabe, who turns 28 on Friday, won the Small Final of the LG Snowboard World Cup Men's Snowboard Cross race March 12 at Valmalenco, Italy and, with those 450 points, stayed in second place in the season SBX standings for the World Cup. After six events, Watanabe (2,570 points) trails only runaway leader Pierre Vaultier of France (4,950). With one race remaining this week in La Molina, Spain, two-time Olympian Watanabe leads Austria's third-place Alex Pullin (2,380), fourth-place Nate Holland (2,100) and fifth-place Nick Baumgartner (2,090). In the March 12 Italian race, Pullin picked up the winning 1,000 points while Small Final winner Watanabe bested Baumgartner and U.S. teammate Alex Deibold in the consolation heat.
Carey basketball players in post-season All-Star games
Carey High School senior basketball players enjoyed last week's season-ending district All-Star games in Declo and Twin Falls.
Last Tuesday in the 2A/1A small school showcase at Declo, Jessica Parke of Carey (15 points) was the top scorer for the winning North team in its 64-48 victory over the South. In a boys' game featuring 22 3-pointers, Carey's Brett Adamson (11 points), Trevor Peck (9) and Dillon Simpson (7) helped the North rally past the South 82-81.
Thursday, players from small and big schools converged on Twin Falls High School for the 4th District All-Star game. Parke (15 points) was one of six players in double figures for the East in its 105-96 win over West. And Simpson (2 points) played for the East in its 107-96 loss to West.
Rudigoz in Swiss ski cross
Ketchum's Biche Rudigoz placed 47th, the second American, in Sunday's 2010 Freestyle World Cup ski cross race at Meiringen-Hasliberg, Switz. In the women's ski cross, Caitlin Ciccone of Littleton, N.H. had a career-best 15th.
Sawtooth United spring registration through Friday
Player registration for Sawtooth United's 2010 Spring Developmental and Recreational youth soccer program continues through Friday, March 19th. The program is for boys and girls of all soccer ability levels, ages 5-10 (must be 5 years old by Dec. 31, 2009). Practices will begin the week of April 5, and the season runs through May 23. To register online, visit the club's website at sawtoothunited.com, or call 726-1160. Financial aid is available.
