CENTENNIAL SKI MEETING

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26199, 24 August 1950, Page 3

CENTENNIAL SKI MEETING

DOWNHILL EVENTS DECIDED

The South Island downhill championships, the first competition events to be held at Mount Cheeseman since the Canterbury Centennial ski championship meeting started last Saturday, were decided yesterday. High plumes of snow hurled off the ridges of the Craigiebum Range, and a bitterly cold north-west wind brought almost blizzard conditions to the grounds. S. Lundberg (Wakatipu Ski Club) won the men’s downhill championship with two faultless runs, and Miss J. King (Christchurch Ski Club) won the women’s championship. In her first run she made up more than two minutes to beat the competitor before her to the finishing line. The course started on the summit of Mount Cockayne at a height of 6145 feet, and dropped through a vertical descent of 1000 feet. In the lower half of the run the ski-iers passed through four controls. Each competitor did two runs, and the times-given are the aggregate of the ■ two. Hard crusty snow made the course generally vei*y fast, although a few patches of soft snow slowed some of the competitors almost to a standstill in placed. J. Mahar and Miss A. Johnston were the most successful of the Canterbury Winter Sports Club competitors, on wnose ground the championships were held. Mahar took second place in the men’s championship, and Miss Johnston was third in the women’s events. Christchurch Ski Club members were also successful. taking first and fourth places in the women’s championship and third

place in the men’s division. The following abbreviations are used in results: C.W.S.C., Canterbury Winter Sports Club; C.S.C., Christchurch Ski Club; Bogdng, Bogong Ski Club, Victoria; W.S.C., Wakatipu Ski Club; 0.5. C.. Otago Ski Club;. R.S.C., Ruapehu Ski Club; C.U.C.S.C., Canterbury University College Ski Club. Men’s Championship Dropping like a stone from the summit, Lundberg made two almost faultless runs. His aggregate time was Imin 42 4-ssec, about 50sec faster than Mahar (C.W.S.C.). who took second place. Mahar was unlucky to fall in his second run after a very fast straight descent from the summit, but after recovering carried on to finish very fast. His time was 2min 34sec. and he lost 46.82 points. Mahar is only in his fourth season of skiing, and hasu hkd alffiost’ no training this season. J. Bushel (C.S.C.) also used the straight descent of the top basin. His aggregate time was 3min 6 l-ssec, and he lost 76J4 points to take third place. R. W. Wiltshire (Bogong) was close behind Bushel with an aggregate of 3min 7 4-ssec. He lost 77.72 points in two runs. A. Hayward (R.S.C.) took fifth place with an aggregate of 3min 33 2-ssec, and lost 101.1 points. Women's Downhill Championships Mrs C. Gilkison (0.5. C. was unlucky in her first run, when one ski-binding came off; and she also missed one of the controls. She lost only 2.02 points in her two runs, and her aggregate time was 3min Miss King, who won the championship with two graceful runs, did so in the aggregate time of 3min 9 4-ssec. Miss A? Johnston (C.W.S.C.) took third place with an aggregate time of 3min 33sec. She lost 11.73 points in her two runs. Mrs P. Bradshaw (C.S.C.), with an aggregate time of 3min 41 2-ssec, took fourth place. In her two runs sne lost 15.87 points. Miss A. Thomas (C.U.C.S.C.), who lost 53.86 points, covered the distance in the aggregate time of 4min 56 4-ssec to take fifth place. The South Island slalom championship is to be held to-day. The course was laid on Tuesday afternoon when the weather cleared in the first good snow conditions since Saturday. It was three and a half days after the start of the championships before the visiting ski-iers were able to get their first real experience of the ground. When the cloud lifted from the top of Mount Cockayne about 2 o’clock on Tuesday, the ski tow was quickly started, and more than three hours of ski-ing was possible. A firm crust was covered with a light powdering of fresh snow then, but when the championships were started yesterday there was less powdery snow and the course was even faster than the day beI fore.