HIGHMOUNT - “Good things come to he or she who waits.” Well, plenty of us have heard that axiom but are still waiting for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s bound to arrive any day now. But for the skiers from Division I schools Sullivan West, Monticello, Fallsburg, Tri-Valley and Liberty as well as Kingston and Onteora, the wait to ski was finally over as the brightly clad alpine ski mavens rocketed down the Giant Slalom course at Belleayre Mountain on January 18, looking to use the edges of their skis to cut sharp turns and marshal fast times.

So, what took so long? After all, it’s been winter for more than a minute hasn’t it? Well, yes and no. First off there have been warm spells in between the frosty days, and those balmy days were not opportune for making snow. Speaking of the white stuff, there has been relatively little descending from the sky, and the slopes at local Holiday Mountain were just not ready for the ski races. As for Belleayre, the OCIAA race dates are sparse over the course of the season. This was the first one and constituted the first time the Division 1 skiers were on the slopes this season. Due to a mix up at the Mountain, a late start ensued.

The usual lodge where the skiers gather was damaged by an avalanche last winter, so they had to amass in the lower lodge while paid skiers were using the Tomahawk slope in the early morning due a confusion in schedule.

Finally though things got underway on a bright, cold but still late morning. The next problem though was the snow itself. When hard packed and a bit icy, the course is perfect for speedy runs. But on this day, even a bit outside of the center of the course, the snow was soft and a few skiers caught their edges and tumbled resulting in DNF’s (did not finish) runs.

In the morning and afternoon there were two runs each for the boys and girls skiers, so a fall on one run did not prevent a second, third or fourth chance to make amends. Four of our local skiers took top finishes before the day was out. Among the girls it was Monticello’s Alexis Heins in first and fellow Lady Panther Harly Taylor in second. On the boys ledger it was Monticello’s Jack Rein taking second and Tri-Valley’s Austin Hartman in third. All told, there were 26 boys competing and 16 girls. Times and places are not included this time as it was the first outing of the season. That said, look for detailed ski results and lots more action photos as the ski season heads into February which of course will bring Sectionals and the state championships on Gore Mountain beginning February 28.