Local skiers find a home at Hatcher Pass

HATCHER PASS -- Though there is an obvious lack of snow in the Valley these days, the prep cross-country ski season still goes on. The local high school skiers just have to go a little farther up the mountain to find that white stuff.

Hatcher Pass has been the home to many of the local ski enthusiasts this winter. The local high school squads have been training regularly at the top of the pass and the first official event of the year was held at Hatcher Pass over the weekend.

Four of the local schools and several squads from the Kenai Peninsula participated in the two-day event and according to Colony head coach Ed Strabel the conditions were ideal.

"The conditions were great and we

didn't have the flat light problem," Strabel said.

According to Strabel, flat light is when the sun doesn't create any shadows on the snow. The problem can cause a lack of depth perception and often baffles skiers.

"It is like being inside a milk bottle," Strabel said.

Skiers enjoyed 23-degree weather on the first day of the event and a brisk 21-degree temperature the following afternoon. Even the sun made an appearance each day.

The sun was not the only thing to shine during the event. Susinta Valley's Tazlina Mannix placed first in the girls' class each day. Mannix turned in a time of 12:27 on the first day and 11:47 on the second day, finishing well ahead of Soldotna's Rachel Goldstein in each race.

Soldotna's Dan Harro placed first with a time of 11:32 in the boys' class on the first day and Chugiak's Justin Singleton edged Haro to win the second day race with a time of 9:53.

Singleton was the lone skier to break the 10-minute mark in the event.

Hatcher Pass will be the site of next weekend's skiing action also. Colony will host the Mat-Su Pursuits on Dec. 13-14. All of the Region III schools will participate.

While the remainder of the Valley and much of the Peninsula remains barren, Hatcher Pass could be the site of many of the prep skiing events.

"We have got a schedule, but with the lack of snow we are just going week to week," Strabel said. "Until something else happens we will be at Hatcher Pass."

The Valley programs have been doing much of their training on Hatcher Pass also.

"We have been able to go up several days a week," Strabel said. "There are a few more hours factored into travel time and we encourage kids to go up on the weekend."

According to Strabel, the Kenai and Anchorage area athletes are restricted to mainly dry land training.

"They do there dry land training and hope there kids remember how to ski on the snow," Strabel said.