Our very own USC Ski and Snowboard Team hosted the first league races in Mammoth Lakes from December 30th to the 31st. It was one of the snowiest Decembers Mammoth has ever had so the courses were prepped with great snow and anticipation.
The skiers kicked off the Giant Slalom competition on the sunny Tuesday morning followed by the anxious snowboarders in the afternoon. The number of people who came out to compete was incredible. There were close to one hundred male snowboarders who patiently waited as their numbers were shouted out. We are especially proud of our teammates who placed in the top 10: Alex Clarey (3rd), Christine Donaldson (7th), Abe Kislevitz (8th), and Alexis DeForest (10th).
USC radiated the next day at the Slalom races. The men racked up places second through fourth (Alex Clarey, Abe Kislevitz, Robert Thorpe) and fourth in women’s Slalom (Christine Donaldson).
The competition roughened up on the Boarder-X course. People flew from the start and right off the jump, causing complications and entanglements for some. Despite the thigh busting terrain, USC’s Tom Gibbings came in 2nd for men’s Boarder-X and Alex Clarey and Abe Kislevitz placed 3rd and 5th in Skier-X.
These stats have sparked excitement for the league for the remaining five race weekends. Hope to see you up there for the races over this long weekend!
