Skiing

Girdwood skier takes gold medal

Growing up within walking distance of Mount Alyeska and carving its wickedly steep slopes nearly every day after school prepared Chanc' Deschamps-Prescott for some of the craziest ski races of his life Wednesday.

COLLEGE SKIING

UAA's Parker is MVP

Freshman Alex Parker, a two-time All-America alpine skier who won six races this season and helped UAA finish fourth among teams nationally, was named the Seawolves ski team's Most Valuable Player at its recent awards banquet.

Top three repeat

The podium for the giant slalom at the 2009 U.S. Alpine Championships looked a lot like it did last year. Tim Jitloff blazed down the course at Alyeska Resort with the two fastest times of the day and won his second straight giant slalom championship.

U.S. ALPINE SKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Mancuso takes giant slalom

Julia Mancuso capped a weekend of national championship skiing that featured blowing snow and blowing volcanic ash with a victory Monday in the giant slalom at the U.S. Alpine Championships.

Anchorage nordic skier sets US pace

James Southam of Anchorage picked up his second gold medal in four races at the U.S. cross-country ski championships Sunday at Birch Hill in Fairbanks.

Dartmouth skier strikes gold at Alyeska

David Chodounsky sped past veteran Jimmy Cochran in the second run of the slalom Sunday to win gold at the U.S. Alpine Ski Championships at Alyeska Ski Resort.

Finally into the gates

There's something about Mount Alyeska that agrees with Alpine ski racers Kaylin Richardson and Marco Sullivan.

Gold, silver decided in blink of eye

Medals in nordic skiing's team sprint relay are often determined by furious poling in the last meters, and the men's and women's finals at the U.S. distances national in Fairbanks were fraught with fantastic finishes Wednesday night.

Blizzard wipes out downhill

The U.S. Ski Team is back in Southcentral Alaska for the second time this year to crown its national championships -- and for the second time this year, Alaska is throwing too much winter at the skiers.

Redoubt gives Southam assist at nationals

With ash from Mount Redoubt stranding one of his biggest competitors in Seattle, Anchorage's James Southam won the first race at the U.S. cross-country skiing championships Tuesday evening in Fairbanks.

Korthauer and Brooks snare 50-K titles at Oosik Classic

Marius Korthauer and Holly Brooks captured the 50-kilometer race titles in Saturday's Oosik Classic cross-country ski race in Talkeetna.

Three Alaskans ski to gold at Junior Olympics

Medals were scarce Wednesday for Alaskans at the Junior Olympics cross-country ski championships in Truckee, Calif., but gold was the dominant hue of the few the team collected.

Teela claims historic biathlon medal

Jeremy Teela Wednesday became the first American biathlete since 1992 to climb the victory podium at a World Cup race.

Young Alaska nordic skiers battle altitude

Sprinting at 7,300 feet, sea-level-adjusted Alaska skiers were anguished Monday when the 2009 Cross Country Junior Olympics got started in Truckee, Calif.

Southam, Brooks win Tour of Anchorage

Before Sunday's Tour of Anchorage, James Southam's previous ski race came in front of about 35,000 frenzied fans at the World Nordic Championships in the Czech Republic, where he at times skied stride for stride with Olympic and world champions.

Photos: 2009 Tour of Anchorage

Reader-submitted: Tour photos

Post a photo from the Tour

NORDIC SKIING

Loan dominates women and men on beach

Bicyclist extraordinaire Sheryl Loan showed Sunday she's also something to behold on skis. The Eagle River woman posted the fast time -- among both men and women -- to win the Ski-the-Beach race hosted by the Eagle River Nordic Ski Club on the Beach Lake Trails.

SKI JUMPING

Junior Olympics kicks off tonight at Kincaid

Some 40 young athletes ages 15 and under will gather at Kincaid Park at 6 p.m. today for the opening ceremonies of the Junior Olympics in ski jumping and nordic combined.

SKIJORING

Beerle, Schamber prevail in mass-start events

Brion Beerle and Pam Schamber emerged from a hectic mass start to narrowly hold on to win the men's and women's 5-kilometer AMH Kincaid Classic skijor races Sunday at Kincaid Park.

Skiers, boarders discover new way to soar

For years snowboarder Jason Smith carved turns on the flanks of Mount Alyeska. But this winter the 27-year-old UAA student began tiring of long lift lines, familiar runs and how much lighter his wallet felt after a day on the slopes. So he turned to snow kites.

Video: Snowkiting at Portage Lake

Photos: Snow kiting on Portage Lake

Photos: Reader-submitted snow sports

US emerges as a new nordic power

Anchorage skier James Southam helped cap America's most successful Nordic World Championships ever, finishing 39th in the men's 50-kilometer mass start Sunday.

SKIING

Hickel skis to title

Tori Hickel completed the World Cup Sports Race slalom in 52.34 second to claim first place and the girls overall title Saturday at Hillberg Ski Area.