High school racers throughout Oregon are getting revved up for the the 2019 state championships set for March 6-8 at Mt. Hood Meadows.

About 250 racers from The Dalles to Wilsonville to Ashland will compete in Skier Cross on Wednesday, March 6, Giant Slalom on Thursday, March 7, and Slalom on Friday, March 8.

The slalom will be down Stadium, the GS down Middle Fork. The Skier Cross race will probably be off Easy Rider, and should be highly entertaining. High School racers do not compete or train in Skier Cross but they do get the opportunity to give it a try at the season finale. there is nothing like four racers on the same course at the same time for wild finished and high-speed crashes.

High school teams and individual racers qualify for states based on their performance in regular season league races. The Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association organizes participating schools into six geographic leagues: Three Rivers, Metro, Mt. Hood, Southern, Blue Mountain, and Emerald in the Willamette Valley. A historic dispute with coaching staff in Bend has created a rift that keeps top racers from Mt. Bachelor from competing in the state championships. A push is on to bring Central Oregon racers back into the competition, as this video from Robin Cressy and OISRA demonstrates.

This year’s festivities will also include a pizza party with dancing and a talent show Wednesday night at Timberline and an awards ceremony at the Sandy High School Auditorium Friday night after the races.

All the details about the 2019 Oregon State Championships are at alpinestaterace.org.

Last modified: February 25, 2019