The Utah Olympic Park will host Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) giant slalom qualifiers Saturday and the Univeristy of Utah Invitational Sunday and Monday.
University of Utah Head Alpine Coach JJ Johnson said the events will feature a variety of athletes.
“They'll be collegiate athletes and then there's open intents from high-level athletes throughout the U.S,” he said. “So people even from Park City Ski Team and throughout the whole U.S. and Canada and other nations, up to about 20 more spots after the colleges.”
Johnson said there are around 12 U.S. Ski Team athletes competing who also attend one of the nine participating colleges. Johnson said that’s because the caliber of collegiate-level skiing is on the rise.
The University of Utah’s team was top in the nation four years in a row until it ranked second last year. Johnson said other schools like the University of Denver, the University of Colorado and Montana State University have stepped up their game.
“You can just see the level rising and rising, and more people wanting to ski in collegiate sports,” he said.
Competitions kick off Saturday around 9 a.m. for the giant slalom qualifier. Johnson said the race results don’t count toward the invitational but are included as part of National Collegiate Athletics Association scoring.
The invitational starts Sunday with giant slalom. Monday will feature slalom competitions.
Johnson said it’s easy for locals and others to watch the competitions.
“They can drive up the main, big parking lot underneath the museum there will be open, and then it's a short two-minute walk down, and there'll be food trucks and some other little amenities, as well as announcer scoreboard,” he said.
Almost the whole hill can be seen from the finish line, Johnson said, due to the steep pitch.
