Eastern HS Alpine Ski Racing Championships at Cannon

Franconia Ski Club and
Cannon Mountain Ski Area to Host
the 36th Annual Eastern High School
Alpine Ski Racing Championships

March 6, 2018 – Franconia, NH – Some 250 of the fastest high school alpine ski racers from east of the Mississippi will compete in the 36th annual Eastern High School Championships at Cannon Mountain March 9-11. The Franconia Ski Club will host the event in collaboration with Cannon.

FSC and Cannon have hosted this event several times in the past, most recently in 2015. This year the Championships will be held for the first time on the highly acclaimed Mittersill slopes.

"The club has a long tradition of hosting the EHSC event, and we’re looking forward to holding the races on Mittersill this year," said Eric Price, program director for FSC. "We’re excited to share this incredible racing and training venue with high school athletes from so many different states. The event is 100 percent volunteer-organized, and the energy and excitement around the races is evidence of the passion our community has for ski racing."

The Eastern High School Championships was created in 1983 to introduce high school athletes to USSA-sanctioned racing while preserving the team competition that is the hallmark of high school racing. It has grown to become the premier high school alpine ski racing event in the eastern U.S., with skiers from northeastern and Midwestern states and as far south as Virginia and Washington, D.C., competing.

"New Hampshire is proud to sponsor the EHSC each year, and we have a long tradition of providing great venues for these young athletes to compete with their peers," said Dan Marshall, president of the NH Alpine Racing Association and an FSC coach. "It’s an exciting event to be a part of every year."

This will be the first year the race will take place at the Mittersill training area at Cannon, which opened to racing last winter and was the site of the 2017 NCAA Championship slalom and giant slalom races in March. The venue comprises two legendary Mittersill trails: Baron’s Run, which will hold the Giant Slalom race and Taft, where the Slalom race will be held.

"Both Cannon and the Franconia Ski Club worked long and hard to revive the trails at Mittersill, and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome some of the best high school racers in the country to this remarkable venue," said Cannon Mountain General Manager John DeVivo. "We look forward to hosting these athletes and their families at Cannon Mountain."

Kelly Brush will be the guest speaker at Saturday night’s banquet for the athletes and their families. The Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) is dedicated to improving ski racing safety and making active lifestyles a reality for those who have experienced a spinal cord injury. The KBF was founded by Kelly and her family after she was injured in 2006 at an NCAA alpine ski race. Kelly will speak to the athletes about her story and the importance of ski racing safety.

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