Friday, January 17, 2014

Masters stage Loritz Cup races on Payday

Formula Sports Skoch Cup this weekend


Craig Norton (left) and Dana Alexandrescu (right) are all smiles after winning the 2014 Pendleton Slalom trophy Saturday. Making the presentation is Shauna Pendleton (center). Courtesy photo by Amy Lanzel, USSA Intermountain Masters chairman

     This past weekend the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Intermountain Masters staged its largest race event of the season at Park City (Utah) Mountain Resort.

     The seventh annual Loritz/Pendleton Jans Cup Race series Jan. 10-12 played out against fierce weather creating a challenge but racer perseverance won in the end.

     Two super giant slalom races were scheduled for Friday but only one was completed due to afternoon winds gusting up to 60 mph. Fast veteran racers from all over the country stacked the SG field but at the end of the day it was Class 6 Intermountain Masters racer Rick Slabinski who took top overall honors.

     Slabinski (103.60 seconds) sealed the deal by tight margin. Close behind were second-place Jon Jessup from Park City (103.82) and third-place Franz “Fuxi” Fuchsberger (103.84).

     Top overall women honors went to Romanian rocket Dana Alexandrescu (105.51). Her time bettered most of the men’s times. Second place went to Jenny Badger (108.15) followed by USSA Intermountain Masters chairman Amy Lanzel (111.66).

     Storms moving through Park City broke Saturday and provided a window to complete a race and get two slalom runs in.

     Good thing, because the Pendleton Saturday Slalom has become one of the most popular slalom races held by Intermountain Masters and contenders come in all shapes and forms.

     The trophy was presented by the widow of Brett Pendleton, Shawna Pendleton to slalom specialists Craig Norton and Dana Alexandrescu. Both racers skied excellent lines in a turny course set on Payday run which left many racers scratching their heads with Did Not Finish race results.

     Other notable results included exceptional showings by Judy Gooch, Karen Keating and Beth Sarazine. All are veteran ski racers who have had little training time this winter. Tom Kronthaler and Nick Hudson had a tight men’s battle.

     Sunday’s weather blew in with high velocity, causing the days GS races to be cancelled.

     Under such conditions it is still the custom to award the Loritz Cup based on age-handicapped results from the races that were held.

     Loritz Cup women’s winner Ellen Hendickson joyfully took home her first-ever major win along with coach Bobby Skinner, a four-time Loritz Cup trophy winner. Adolph’s Restaurant hosted the final awards party.

     Lanzel said the Intermountain Masters thanked these sponsors—Jans Mountain Outfitters, Dr. Phil Davidson, Park City Ski Boot, Cofer Chiropractic, and Dominator Wax.

     Other scheduled events this season include the Baxter Challenge at Snow King, Wyo. Jan. 25-26, giant slaloms at Bogus Basin Feb. 1-2, the FIS Western Regionals Feb. 6-9 at Park City, plus Jans Cup races at Wolf Mountain, Utah Feb. 21-23 and at Snowbasin, Utah March 7-9.

     The Soldier Mountain Masters Downhill scheduled for Feb. 10-12 near Fairfield is questionable because of low snow conditions in southern Idaho.

     For more information on Masters racing, please contact Bill Skinner at bskinner@ussa.org.

 

Skoch Cup starts Friday on Baldy

     Sponsored by Bob Gordon’s Formula Sports, the 17th annual Skoch Cup Intermountain/Northern Division Masters alpine races are back on Baldy for three days Friday through Sunday, Jan. 17-19.

     The Skoch Cup features super giant slalom, giant slalom and slalom racing for those 18-and-under.

     Advance registration is available at skiracereg.com, or from 7:30-9 a.m. on race day at Warm Springs Lodge. More than 60 racers have already registered, organizers said.

     Sun Valley’s stop on the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Intermountain Masters 2013-14 circuit kicks off with two SG runs Friday on Warm Springs.

     They are set for 10:15 a.m. and noon. Cost is $40 before Jan. 16 at 6 p.m., or $50 after. The SG awards and social hour will occur at 3 p.m. at Apple’s Bar & Grill, followed by a potluck dinner.

     Friday’s super giant slalom, now called the Timmons Memorial, has been named in memory of Gene Timmons.

     The well-known Intermountain Masters ski racer died March 15, 2012 at 67. A member of the Weber State University ski team, Timmons became a Vietnam War aviator for the U.S. military and had a long career as a commercial pilot.

     Skoch Cup technical races on Warm Springs begin Saturday with a two-run giant slalom Saturday starting at 10 a.m. Saturday’s 6 p.m. awards party will take place at Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge.

     The slalom is Sunday at 10 a.m. to wrap up the weekend. Awards occur after the second run at Warm Springs.

     As always, the Sun Valley Ski Club is helping organize the weekend race series.




About Comments

Comments with content that seeks to incite or inflame may be removed.

Comments that are in ALL CAPS may be removed.

Comments that are off-topic or that include profanity or personal attacks, libelous or other inappropriate material may be removed from the site. Entries that are unsigned or contain signatures by someone other than the actual author may be removed. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or any other policies governing this site. Use of this system denotes full acceptance of these conditions. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing, Inc.

You may flag individual comments. You may also report an inappropriate or offensive comment by clicking here.

Flagging Comments: Flagging a comment tells a site administrator that a comment is inappropriate. You can find the flag option by pointing the mouse over the comment and clicking the 'Flag' link.

Flagging a comment is only counted once per person, and you won't need to do it multiple times.

Proper Flagging Guidelines: Every site has a different commenting policy - be sure to review the policy for this site before flagging comments. In general these types of comments should be flagged:

  • Spam
  • Ones violating this site's commenting policy
  • Clearly unrelated
  • Personal attacks on others
Comments should not be flagged for:
  • Disagreeing with the content
  • Being in a dispute with the commenter

Popular Comment Threads



 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.