PINEDALE – Ample sunshine and perfectly groomed slopes greeted the six high school alpine ski teams gathered for the 2023 Pinedale Invitational at White Pine Ski Resort on Feb. 17-18.

The Lady Wranglers and Wranglers shredded the gnar with impressive performances in the giant slalom races on Friday and slalom runs on Saturday. The Pinedale boys’ varsity team placed third overall after two days of competition with 50 points. The girls’ varsity squad snagged fifth place, tallying 28 points.

Skiers competed on the Wind River Run at White Pine on Friday and squared off on a steep, challenging course optimized for speed on Sunny’s Run on Saturday.

Sophomore James Tolson and freshman Tristan Robertson both broke into the top 10 in Friday’s giant slalom race. Tolson bagged ninth place with a combined time of 1 minute, 35.39 seconds after completing two runs. Robertson came in 10th place with a total time of 1:36.18.

Senior Sydney Wise led the Pinedale girls’ varsity pack on Friday’s giant slalom course, placing 12th with a combined time of 1:42.90.

Sophomore Nora Broadhead came in 11th place in girls’ varsity slalom on Saturday, posting a combined time of 1:07.91. James Tolson earned 11th place in boys’ varsity slalom with a time of 1:00.80.

“The race was a big success,” said Head Coach Scott Auld. “The hill was in fantastic shape. A big thank you to White Pine Ski Resort and the Sublette County Ski and Snowboard Association for helping put on a great event.”

Assistant Coach Dylan Bear expressed gratitude to the dozens of volunteers who made the event possible.

“It takes a village,” he said. “The Pinedale High School alpine ski team and our local community demonstrated how to do this well this weekend when over 40 volunteers, 100-plus racers, the Sublette County Ski and Snowboard Association, White Pine Ski Resort and many families came together to put on two days of racing. Thanks to everyone and the racers who made it possible. We look forward to many more days of good snow, fast racing and solid memories on the hill.”

The mountain was “maintained to almost perfection,” said assistant coach Dan Williams.

“We ran our slalom on the original run at White Pine (Sunny’s Run),” Williams added. “All the athletes in the state love to race at White Pine and this was the first year in two that we were able to be at White Pine and it didn’t disappoint.”

Additional giant slalom results

Broadhead secured 14th place in girls varsity on Friday with a time of 1:44.08. Ellie Tolson took 18th place at 1:45.41, with Aubrey Bryan-Summer in 21st at 1:51.36 and Ana Mika in 30th at 2:08.74.

In boys’ varsity giant slalom, Destin Williams snapped up 14th place, timing both runs in at 1:38.66. Joe Boylan finished in 15th place at 1:39.70 with Dune Mecartney in 17th at 1:41.50.

Lyla Maxwell achieved eighth place in girls’ junior varsity, clocking in at 1:57.41. Kemmer Clause placed ninth at 1:59.47, Ceili Fallon 12th at 2:04.97 and Aarika Smith 13th at 2:06.02.

Connor Crockett placed ninth in boys’ junior varsity at 1:45.72. Garrett Short placed 12th at 1:51.40, Garrett Saunders 13th at 1:53.68 and Kaden Chatterton 15th at 1:57.74.

Additional slalom results

Mika captured 15th place on Saturday, timing both slalom runs in at 1:12.87. Wise place 16th at 1:14.76 with Bryan-Summer in 20th place at 1:26.93.

Williams came in 12th place in boys’ varsity at 1:02.03. Boylan placed 14th at 1:03.25, Mecartney 19th at 1:07.92 and Robertson 21st at 1:16.21.

In girls’ junior varsity, Maxwell finished in seventh place at 1:20.97. Clause placed eighth at 1:22.67, Smith ninth at 1:24.80 and Fallon 13th at 1:33.40.

Saunders led the Wranglers in boys’ junior varsity with a ninth-place finish at 1:04.90. Short came in 12th place at 1:09.86, Crockett 11th at 1:10.21 and Wyatt Griffin 13th at 1:17.53.