Sunday, March 14, 1999 -- Canaan Valley
5th Annual Snowboard Shop Jam

[Coverage/Recap w/Pics] [More Pictures]

D. J. Richards carving smooth lines during the GS event

With the first day of spring less than a week away, some folks may be ready to throw the snowboards and skis into the closet for the summer, but for those who were looking to get some late season action, Timberline was the place to be on Sunday.

The first of two events for the day, the giant slalom, kicked off during some of the heaviest snowfall this year. Close to a foot of fresh powder was on the ground, and the end of the snowfall was nowhere in sight, but at 10:00 am the first racer pushed off from the top of White Lightning, and the race was on!

Christine McAleer breaks through a rooster tail of fresh WV powder

In the Men's 21 and under, Stephan Shepard was untouchable, and his time(26.70)would go on to be the fastest time of the day. In the Men's over 21 division, Chad Walters took the top honors(27.59), with D.J. Richards(29.61), and Frederick Carter(32.19) finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. The womens division had no one that could handle the speed of Christine McAleer(34.19), as she cruised to a first place finish.

Chad Walters practicing what he teaches

The freestyle competition, which started about 1:30pm, gave all the racers a chance to show off their acrobatic skills with the cushion of a foot of fresh snow to pad any unwanted landings, but few of those were to be found.A pair of judges scored two runs by each competitor, and in the Mens 21 and under, Stephan Shepard stole the show, scoring 37 points out of a possible 40. Chad Walters flew to a first place finish in the Mens over 21, and Christine McAleer proved she has some hot moves by taking first place in the womens.

The Timberline staff is always sure to put on quality competitions with great prizes, so make sure that you don't miss the 9th Annual Snowy Luau & Freestyle Snowboard Competition this weekend; remember summer will be here soon, so hit the slopes now!