Big Sky Ski Team

Volunteers Needs for OHG Cup at Bridger Bowl

Our friends at Bridger Ski Foundation need gate judges for the Over the Hill Gang Cup races this Friday and Saturday.  Please e-mail the BSF if you can help.

Banquet a Blast!

Last night's BSSEF Awards Banquet and Auction was very well attended, a lot of fun, and appears to have helped raise a very significant amount of money for the Ski Foundation.  Thank you Peter Bedell, Kelli Rohrig, Rachel Vaughn, and the other volunteers who made the event happen.

Raffle a Big Success!

Congratulations to Lance Trebesch and the other organizers of this season's raffle.  Thanks to the super-salesmanship of Reece and Laura Bell and others, the Foundation raised approximately $5,000 over the past month from raffle ticket sales.  Lance is already excited about raising our sights to hit at least $6,000 next year.

Perfect Weekend for Downhill Racing

Thanks to perfect weather, our indomitable course crew, and a lot of help from our friends from across the Northern Division, this weekend's DH series went off with nary a hitch.  Thank you to Big Sky Resort (for letting us use the Big Horn run), the racers (most of whom had not run a downhill before), and all the volunteers who make an event such as this possible.

A month ago, your correspondent made a post titled, How Fast is Super G?  The answer was that the fastest junior skiers averaged close to 50 mph down Hangman's and probably peaked around 60 mph on the headwall.  This weekend, the fastest skiers made it down the Big Horn DH course at an average speed of between 55 and 60 mph and hit top speeds (as measured by a radar gun) of more than 70 mph!

To say the least, it takes substantial courage to push out from the start gate of a downhill - even an "easy" downhill like the jump-free Big Horn course.  It was great fun to watch these kids tackle the challenge.

Final List of Silent Auction Items

Download the final list of silent auction itemsto be offered this Saturday evening at the BSSEF awards banquet.

Please Volunteer to Help with Big Sky DH this Weekend

We're still looking for hand timers, gate judges, and others for this weekend's DH series at Big Sky.  If you can help, please e-mail Dave Bayless.  Click here to download the Volunteer Schedule as of Wednesday morning.

Results from BSSEF Dual GS

Download BSSEF Dual GS overall results here.  Congratulations to all who participated in yesterday's fun race on Hangman's.  Thank you very much to the volunteers who made it happen!

BSSEF Awards Banquet & Auction

Here are the details regarding the BSSEF Annual Awards Banquet & Auction:

• Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 27th.  The presentation of awards will start at 5:00PM followed by dinner and a silent auction.  The live auction of selected items will start around 7:30PM.
• The dinner and auction will be held in the ballroom in the Shoshone Hotel in the base area of Big Sky Resort.
• Dinner includes lasagna, salad, and bread.  The price is $20 for adults and $15 for kids.

In addition to these silent auction items, the following will be featured in the live auction:

• Ski Date with Keely Kelleher for four (4) people, including lunch.  Bidding starts at $150.
• Golf at Spanish Peaks for four (4), including lunch and two carts.  Retail value of this package is $1,000; bidding to start at $200.
• "Sweet Spice" Vacation Bungalow in St. Johns, U.S. Virgin Islands for six (6) nights.  This charming, two-level cottage with a mountain view is moments away from the beach.  Swim with sea turtles, snorkel in paradise, go or a quiet swim in Francis Bay, or take a dip in the East End.  The cottage has one bedroom, a full bath, kitchen, living room, deck, sleeping loft, and a convertible day bed.  Retail value is $1,800; bidding starts at $800.
• The "Honey Take the Night Off" Package, including dinner for four (4) provided by the Big Sky Private Chef and a wine basket from The Hungry Moose.  The retail value of the package is $500; bidding starts at $100.

Freeride "Try It" Day on 3/28/10

Are you interested in learning what the Freeride program is all about?  BSSEF will be hosting a fee "try it" day on Sunday, March 28th, from 10AM to 2PM at Big Sky Resort.  Only 10 spaces are available, so e-mail Kelli Rohrig to register.

Skiers must be at least nine (9) and must be able to ski the tram comfortably.  If you have it, each skier should bring avalanche gear for the day.  Skiers will be divided into two age and ability groups for the day.

Freeskier Nationals

Congratulations to Micah Robin and Isabella Sarmiento for their fantastic skiing at the Freeskier Nationals in Snowbird.  Isabella was one point shy of qualifying for the finals, and Micah qualified in the top half of the field!  The weather turned ugly for Micah's final run, and he missed his line and finished 24th overall.