Faced with stiff competition and handicapped by late examinations and little snow, the ski team enters its first intercollegiate meet this weekend at Woodstock.

The meet is the traditional Williams carnival, but since western Massachusetts is bare of snow, the whole affair was transferred at the last minute to Vermont, where conditions are reported to be slightly better.

Stars from Dartmouth and Middlebury are expected to provide the toughest individual competition for the Crimson runners, who have had relatively little practice since the Christmas vacation because of the dearth of snow in Cambridge.

Harvard is out of the running as far as the team scores go, because only one man is entered in the cross-country race, which occurs this morning. The others are unable to get up to Wood stack in time for that event, because of having examinations today. Thus chances of a Crimson victory are blasted at the start, but it is likely that some of the men who have done well in the past in downhill and slalom will repeat their performances again this year. Both the latter events are being held on Suicide Six, which is a mean hill under any circumstances, and may be doubly treacherous under poor snow conditions.

Captain Finn Ferner leads the list of men entered in the downhill, with Bungle King, Tom Winship, and Del Ames making up the foursome. King, Ferner, Ames, and a Freshman, Duncan Reed, will run in the slalom race. Henry Bigelow is the only Harvard representative in the langlauf. The jump, which will be held on the Dartmouth hill at Hanover, will see Ames, Winship, and Bigelow competing for the Crimson. The latter event will probably be held on Sunday morning.

Harvard did not attend the Williams carnival at Williamstown last year, but the year before the Crimson came through with a first place.

The annual Fisk Trophy slalom will be held on Suicide Six on Sunday afternoon, and several of the Crimson runners are entered, including Ames, Forner, Winship, and King. Undoubtedly the best skiers from the other competing colleges will enter the race also, and the repeat performance will probably settle any doubts about the merits of the respective contestants, if such doubts are raised because of snow conditions of the day before.

North Conway, Now Hampshire, will be the scene of the Eastern Slopes giant slalom race, in which a number of Freshmen and other undergraduates now staying at the Ski Club's cabin in Jackson will participate. More snow is needed on Cranmore Hill for the race, however. George Brett, Will Cochrane, Phil Thayer, Parker Reidy, and Bradley Cameron are scheduled to race, but the list will probably be swelled by the large Harvard contingent which has drifted up to the Eastern Slopes region after examinations.

The ski cabin, which has an ever-expanding capacity of 30 or thereabouts, is reported nearly full for the coming weekend. Will Cochrane has been in charge of the cabin for the past week, and he will be relieved for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by William Appel.