Doug Smith Memorial moved to California

After months of negotiations, a decision has been made to move the long-running Doug and Rollie Smith Memorial ski races from Whitefish Mountain Resort to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in California.

Negotiations got under way in August with Whitefish Mountain Resort seeking an increased site fee for the race, but the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association recently decided to move the sanctioned Nor-Am ski race to Mammoth Mountain.

The Doug Smith race, first held in 1948 on Big Mountain, was one of the longest continually held downhill races in the country. It is named after Doug Smith, one of Big Mountain's early racers who was killed in World War II. In 2006, Smith's brother, Rollie, was added to the name of the event.

Doug Smith worked as a technical sergeant and radio gunner on a Liberator bomber. In September 1944, Smith and his crew died when their plane was shot down over Germany.

"Obviously, this is a big disappointment for the resort and the community considering the history of this race," Whitefish Mountain Resort President Dan Graves said. "The resort and the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation worked for months to try and make the Doug and Rollie Smith happen."

The resort requested an increased site fee to cover rising costs associated with hosting the event.

"The costs of major downhill events have been rising dramatically over the years, and we have to cover the vast majority of our costs with athlete entry fees and the site fee that the USSA provides to event venues," Graves said.

A plan was worked out in which the ski education foundation would guarantee the entry fees and the USSA would create an additional per-competitor surcharge to fund an increased site fee.

Before the deal was finalized, however, Mammoth Mountain accepted a lower site fee to host the race.

"Our history is important to us. I'm optimistic that the USSA will evaluate their funding so we can bring back this historic race in the future," Graves said. "It is a point of pride for us, because we are one of the few resorts in the country with the terrain necessary to host a downhill ski race of this caliber."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com