OSU-Cascades ski team represents at hometown Nationals

Skiers and riders from around the country are descending on Mt. Bachelor this week for the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association’s National Championships. But one team didn’t have far to go to compete.

This is the first time the event has been at the Northwest ski resort. Relatively high snowpack along the West Coast helped organizers make the decision to bring the event into Central Oregon.

“It’s great for OSU-Cascades to be able to represent their university in Bend on the local hill,” Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation Executive Director John Schiemer said Wednesday.

Ten OSU-Cascades members are competing in alpine, Nordic skiing and snowboarding in the championships.

“There’s a great camaraderie between the teams,” Schiemer said.

Nolan King is a two-year member of the squad and says the team – though competing in individual events – often feels like a family.

“(Someone) will finish and you can see that they’re discouraged,” King said. “I was discouraged today, and (my team) came up to me and gave me a hug and a pep talk, and it was really good.”

The team travels together and rides chairlifts together. In only its third year as a program, the OSU-Cascades snow sports club team has made three appearances at the USCSA National Championships.

This year, the Beavers have been able to stay on the slopes longer than many other schools due to higher snowpack.

“It’s really beneficial to be able to train five or six days a week on snow,” freshman Imran Wolfenden said.

You can watch the events live from Mount Bachelor on the USCSA’s website: broadcast.uscsa.com