By Hayden Seder
Now in its seventh year, the annual Baldy Banked Slalom will take place Saturday, Jan. 19, at the top of Warm Springs run.
The event will go on all day, with runs on the slalom course divided into brackets depending on age and gender, as well as an open class for people seeking to qualify for a spot in the future Mt. Baker Banked Slalom in Washington.
The cost to participate is the Baldy event is $45, which includes an event T-shirt.
Participants’ scores will be tallied from the best of two runs. The slalom course will run the length of the Warm Springs run and end just before I-80.
This fun, family-friendly event draws a large crowd with more than 100 participants each year and even more spectators.
“It’s the only snowboard-specific event in Sun Valley and the only one that I know of that has gone on seven years consecutively,” said founder and event organizer Cody Smith. “It’s a great event because it’s friendly for everyone and it’s a good time.”
Competitors who are pointing their skis to the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom in February, in Glacier, Wash., should put on a great show of skill.
“It’s like the Super Bowl of banked slaloms,” Smith said. “It’s really hard to get a spot, so people come to our event in hopes of winning the spot. It’s a tough competition.”
Only one man and one woman from the Baldy Banked Slalom event will go on to compete at this year’s 32nd Mt. Baker Banked Slalom in February.
Registration for the slalom is available at the event’s website as well as at The Cellar Pub in Ketchum from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Jan.18. Practice runs in the slalom course will also be available that Friday from 2-4 p.m.
On Saturday, Jan. 19, the day of the event, registration will take place from 8-9 a.m. at Warm Springs Base Lodge where contestants will pick up their waivers and bib/chips.
Practice will take place on the course from 9-10 a.m. with the race itself starting at 10 a.m. An awards ceremony will take place at Apple’s Bar & Grill from 4-5 p.m. and will include free beer and sausage as well as prizes from event sponsors Fat Tire, Traeger Grills, Idarado Media, Sun Valley Resort, Smith Optics, Board Bin, MTN Approach and Olympia Provisions, as well as prizes from Patagonia, Yeti Coolers and others.
After the awards ceremony, there will be an after party (21 and older) at the Hot Water Inn with live music, food and drinks.
For participants and spectators interested in real-time run times, download the app Its Your Race to your phone. The app is also used for timekeepers to upload times so those at home can see who is winning in real time.
Discounted $50 event lift tickets will be available to registered racers. Those coming from out of town can utilize Sun Valley Resort’s “Stay and Ski Free” pricing of $162 per night.
Registration and more information is available at
baldybankedslalom.com.
