Two Taos Winter Sports Team racers named Southern Series champions
Ten athletes win top-10 finishes in slalom at TSV
The Southern Series championships returned to Taos Ski Valley with a challenging slalom race down lower Stauffenberg, where a field of more than 160 alpine men and women racers from New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado competed Saturday (March 23).
Slalom races are set on steep terrain with an estimated 50 gates arranged in combinations to physically and mentally challenge racers.
Taos Winter Sports Team (TWST) U18 athlete Isaac Olson won the overall race with two flawless runs, just ahead of his brother Ian Olson (U21+), who placed second.
Konik Pearl won the U16 age group with two strong runs, followed by Max Oliver, who placed fourth in this age group. Oliver Mosby led the U14 boys with consistent and fast runs, landing fourth in the group, while Malik Boukhalfa landed in eighth place. Phoebe Snow Desatoff led the U14 girls with an eighth place finish in a large, competitive field.
Younger ski team athletes also had an impressive showing.
U8 racers James Hayslip was just off the podium in fourth place, while Charles Chavez followed in sixth place. U10 Elinor Turner led the girls with two speedy top-10 runs, followed by Nisa Wiri landing in 11th place. U10 boys Declan Macdavitt and Streeter Kastrin each landed in the top 15, placing 12th and 13th-place, respectively.
Competing in the largest field of racers, U12 racers Ava Silverman secured a 10th-place finish and Emma Mosby earned 13th place. U12 boys racer Gus Wood earned a respectable 18th place, with Joseph Madrid following closely in 20th.
On Sunday (March 24), after extensive efforts to stage the Taos GS championship, the jury cancelled the race due to dangerous winter conditions, including uphill wind and limited downhill vision.
The jury’s decision followed the race directors’ lead, who always prioritize racer safety.
This weekend was the last race of
the Southern Series Championship, a three-part ski race that took place at Arizona Snowbowl, Purgatory Ski Resort and Taos Ski Valley. Each year one male and female racer is named for each age group as the Southern Series Champion based on the best three results for each racer.
On Sunday, the Southern series Championship organizers named Taos Winter Sports Team Alpine racers Isaac Olson (U18) and Max Oliver (U16) as 2023-24 Southern Series champions. Both skiers had the three best results in their age groups within the Southern Series races. The Taos Winter Sports Team also took third as the team with the overall best results for the season.
“Over the course of a season, I get to see these young athletes challenge themselves to try new techniques and make small improvements every training day, and have fun doing it,” alpine coach Julian LaCome said. “Today, I can see the big improvements our racers have made because of that hard work, and I am proud of their work.”
“Bringing the Southern Series back to Taos is critical to building out the next generation of ski racers and expert skiers in Northern New Mexico,” Taos Winter Sports Team Executive Director Kristi Vine said. “The total support and partnership of the Taos Ski Valley leadership was essential toward making this year’s race a success.”