TWST Sweeps Podium At Giant Slalom In Purgatory

Aksel Boukhalfa in 2nd place, Isaac Olson in 1st place, Sasho McDowell (8th grader Los Alamos Middle School) in 3rd place celebrate as TWST athletes sweep the podium in U16 male category. Courtesy photo

Cullen McLean gets in his tuck early winning him a spot on the podium. Photo by Michelle Mosby

By PAULA KNEPPER
Coach
Los Alamos Youth Mountain Bike Team

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Southern Series of the Rocky Mountain division first Giant Slalom (GS) race was held Jan. 21-22, 2022 at Purgatory Mountain Resort. Nearly 200 youth athletes from across Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona were welcomed by feet of fresh snow for two days of alpine ski racing.

Twenty-six TWST athletes arrived amped for competition supported by 3 TWST coaches including Julian LaCome and Hailey McDowell (senior Los Alamos High School). This was the debut race for several TWST athletes including Lucy Vaskas, Elinor Turner, Emma Mosby (4th grade Los Alamos), Whitney Shelling, Corrine Pogue (7th grade Los Alamos Middle School), Asher Paul, Owen Knaus, Jasmine Brady, Ella Knaus, and August Wood.

TWST athletes contesting in the men’s U16 field included Ian Olson earning 1st place, followed by Aksel Boukhalfa in 2nd place, and Sasho McDowell in 3rd place. The TWST U16 man swept the podium with less than six hundredths of a second separating first and second place.

Max Oliver took the 3 rd place for the U14 men followed by Konik Pearl in 4th place and Joseph Gallegos in 8th place.

In the U12 men’s field, Cullen McLean took the 3rd place finish followed by Axel Vaskas in 6th place, Malik Boukhalfa in 8th place, and Oliver Mosby in 10th place.

Rowan Heflin earned a 2nd place in the U16 women’s field and Solana Pearl earned 1st place for the U18 women. Phoebe Snow Desatoff earned a 1st place for the women U12 field. Emma Mosby earned a 7th place finish in the U10 women’s field on her debut to ski racing.

TWST is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that was established in 1976 dedicated to providing opportunities for athletes to become great skiers and pursue personal goals. TWST promotes the development of good sportsmanship, healthy competitiveness, sound technical skills, and a reverence for the ethos of the mountains.

For more information about TWST see http://www.taoswintersportsteam.com.

Head coach of the TWST racing team, Julian LaCome, right, inspects the GS race course with TWST athletes. from right, Cullen McLean and Oliver Mosby. Photo by Michelle Mosby

Oliver Mosby taking a tight line on the GS course Saturday. Photo by Michelle Mosby 

Emma Mosby (4th grade Los Alamos) skis aggressively against a contentious field of competitors during her racing debut. Photo by Michelle Mosby

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