Some of the fastest junior racers in the Pacific Northwest will be competing at the 79th Annual Golden Rose Race this weekend on Mount Hood.

The Golden Rose at Timberline is the oldest continuously running annual race in the United States and the latest in the season sanctioned by the USSA. Bill Johnson and the Mahre brothers are former Golden Rose champions, and this year’s competitors will represent ski clubs from Stevens Pass to White Pass to Mount Bachelor.

The Mount Hood Academy is hosting the race and putting on an auction with prizes including a summer season pass to Timberline, a rafting trip down the Deschutes River, and a pair of skis signed by powder skiing sensation and Mount Hood Academy alumnus Eric Pollard.

The racing is scheduled to begin at 8:30 am Saturday and Sunday, with slalom courses set on Palmer Snowfield. Last year’s course got rutted up with huge mounds of wet snow, but that didn’t stop nearly 200 young racers from shredding the gates with style.

Last modified: May 23, 2014