Opening race of US Nationals falls to weather

The first race of the Nature Valley US Alpine Championships at Squaw Valley, Calif., has been postponed due to a winter storm that arrived on the first day of Spring.

While it rained overnight at the base, it was a heavy wet snow on the higher reaches of the course and it turned to all snow by the time the sun peeked in.

The men’s GS had been first on tap and although World Cup GS champ and world champion Ted Ligety is being listed a participant in the National Championships he was not on the start list for the race. The top seeded skiers set to make the start were Tim Jitloff, Will Gregorak, Robby Kelley and Keiffer Christianson.

Snow accumulations weren’t huge, but the inclement weather refused to move on. Some members of the US Ski Team took advantage of the fresh stuff to get in some runs on the fat boards, but it was not conducive to racing as visibility was limited. Officials were looking at the schedule and the forecast in effort to get the race rescheduled before the championships end March 24.

The plan is:

Michael Ankeny photo – Among those pictured Nick Daniels (with ski), Bryce Bennett and Travis Ganong.