BY HEATHER FOSTER

Alta Questad and Chase Martens claimed podiums in at the Butch Hoffman Memorial IMD Championships turning a cold shoulder to the windiest of windy conditions.

The two were among several Sun Valley Ski Education Foundations who traveled to the championships held March 15-17 at Snowbasin, Utah. There, the top 50 U12 athletes per gender from the North met the top 50 athletes per gender from the South to compete in Slalom (SL), Giant Slalom (GS), and Dual Panel Slalom (PSL).

The North is represented by Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Grand Targhee Ski & Snowboard Foundation, Jackson Hole Ski Club, Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation and McCall Winter Sports Club. The South is represented by all Utah-area ski teams.

The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation U12 alpine team fought through some blustery conditions to post some top 10 and top 20 performances at the InterMountain Division Championships.

The first two days of competition dealt the athletes snow, sleet, and the windiest of windy conditions. Sunday showed up true to its name with blue skies and a fun final day of head-to-head competition in the Dual Panel Slalom.

“This was an amazing and exciting weekend of competition for our U12 athletes,” said Claudia Stern, SVSEF U12 North Series Head Coach. “They showed an impressive amount of grit and determination through some tough and stormy conditions, culminating with some fabulous skiing from all in the final Dual Panel Slalom event on Sunday.”

The championship event is held in memory of Butch Hoffman who, according to the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation, etched his legacy at the Snowbasin and Nordic Valley ski areas. The passion Butch Hoffman, born in 1938, had for skiing was impactful on a grand scale.

He launched his coaching career in 1969 with Ogden’s Utah Racing School, directed FIS and Nor-Am races, and served on the U.S. Ski Association and Intermountain Division boards, where he coached the division’s Junior Nationals Ski Teams. In 1983, he organized the Ogden Valley Winter Sports Foundation and was the first coach of the Ogden Valley Ski Team and the Nordic Valley Ski Team.

“Our athletes really were the epitome of great teamwork this weekend!” said Adele Savaria, SVSEF U12 North Series Coach. “The support they showed for one another as they collectively weathered the first two stormy days, skiing around and grabbing coats for each other, enthusiastically cheering each other on—it was so great to see the sportsmanship and camaraderie come through in each and every one of them.”

Awards were presented to the top five per gender per discipline, and overall trophies for boys and girls at the conclusion of the series on Sunday.

SVSEF Athletes Top 20 Results

Slalom Boys:

8 - Alex Grant 

Slalom Girls:

8 - Marie McNeil

13 - Amelia Beck

16 - Hope Lloyd

19 - Dylan Spangler

Giant Slalom Boys:

10 - Alex Grant 

15 - Breclan McCarthy

Giant Slalom Girls:

9 - Hope Lloyd 

14 - Sophie Robins 

21 - Presley Jensen 

22 - Marie McNeil

Dual Panel Slalom Boys:

4 - Chase Martens

7 - Alex Grant

13 - Halsten Bruun

Dual Panel Slalom Girls:

2 - Alta Questad

12 - Hope Lloyd

14 - Sophie Robins

Overall Boys:

8 - Alex Grant

14 - Chase Martens

Overall Girls:

10 - Alta Questad

11 - Hope Lloyd

14 - Marie McNeal

17 - Sophie Robins

19 - Amelia Beck

For complete event results, visit https://imdalpine.org/race-results/ and click on North Series to expand the results.

The IMD Championships were the final event of the season for first-year U12 North Series Team athletes. Many of the second-year U12 North Series teammates will go on to compete at the annual Spring Fling in Grand Targhee, Id., which will be held April 4-6.