Doug and Rollie Smith races ready at Big Mountain

By CARL HENNELL

59th annual ski event starts Thursday with women's Super G

The Daily Inter Lake

Are you ready for some Winter Olympic-style competition in Whitefish?

The 59th annual Doug and Rollie Smith Memorial Downhill races begin Thursday at Big Mountain and continue for a week with men's and women's super giant slalom and downhill events.

How crazy, dangerous is it?

Skiers will reach speeds of up to 75 mph and jump as far as 100 feet on portions of the course. Large, billowy air pads were added in places where there's danger. Still, in last year's race, U.S. Ski Team member Dane Spencer wrecked bad. He suffered a broken neck and pelvis. His injuries were so bad, his neck had to be fused. (On a side note, Spencer is well on his way to recovery but is still not 100 percent. He will not be attending.)

Big Mountain Events Coordinator Josh Knight said there are 180 racers expected to compete. The number of competitors has risen by about 20 every year the last few years.

"It's getting bigger and bigger every year," Knight said. "Essentially, it will be American and Candian national team members, who are not on the World Cup circuit, competing for positioning on the World Cup and points in the NOR-AM."

This race - the longest, continually held downhill race in the country - is known as one of the most challenging downhill courses in North America. The Ursa Major Downhill Course, formally named the Toni Matt Course, is one of only five certified downhill courses in the United States for this level of competition.

The level of competition is the NOR-AM Super Series, which is an international racing circuit below the World Cup level. There are essentially five levels of ski competition, according to Knight. At the top of the totem pole is the World Cup. The next highest are the continental cups, such as the NOR-AM or Europa cups. The third-highest are the national competitions.

The NOR-AM Cup is seven races into its season, which started on Nov. 27 in Keystone, Colo. Since then, competitions have been held in Winter Park, Colo.; Lake Louise, Alberta; Panorama, British Columbia; Sunday River, Maine; Mt. St. Anne, Quebec; and Apex, British Columbia. Competitors in the Doug and Rollie Smith will be from the United States and Canadian national teams, as well as elite individuals.

"There won't be any names people will recognize," Knight said. "The sport just isn't a household name."

The Ursa Major (Great Bear) Downhill Course snakes down the front side of Big Mountain through Ptarmigan Bowl, then cuts across the face on Bench Run before diving down through the runs Launch Pad and Corkscrew before cutting across Russ's Street. The finish is near the bottom of Chair Four.

From the starting gate, the face of Ptarmigan Bowl quickly drops. Only the first few hundred yards of the course are visible, leaving the backdrop of Whitefish Lake and the Flathead Valley. Heading down the northern ridge of Ptarmigan Bowl, racers make a hard left turn and drop down the gully of the bowl. From there they encounter a flat section where maintaining speed is crucial before dropping down into Corkscrew and Launch Pad, two notoriously difficult sections. Great viewing spots can be accessed at various points along the course.

For the first two days this year, women will rule the mountain in the super-G competition. Saturday and Sunday will be used as training days for both men and women on the downhill course. Monday and Tuesday will be the men's and women's downhill races. The men will close out this year's event with two days of super-G racing on Wednesday and Thursday.

Daily start times will vary. A jury of trained individuals will inspect the course prior to allowing the race to start, taking into consideration weather and snow conditions. Knight said start times will try to begin around 11 a.m. - give or take an hour (or two or three).

Race organizers have allotted an extra day in case weather postpones action.

The inaugural Doug Smith Memorial Downhill Race was in 1948 in honor of one of Big Mountain's earliest racers, Doug Smith. During World War II, Smith worked as a technical sergeant and a radio gunner on a Liberator bomber with the Army Air Corp. In September 1944, Smith and his comrades died when shot down by enemy aircraft over Hersfield, Germany. Last year, race organizers added Smith's brother, Rollie, to the official event name.