For the first time this Winter, Yale has lost a varsity athletic contest to a Crimson team. At the Williams ski carnival last Saturday, coach Halsey's hickory riders placed fourth in an eight man field, crowding out the men from New Haven by a slim four points.

First honors went to R. P. I., with Amherst, Williams, Harvard, and Yale close behind in that order.

The team plays host to 11 colleges this Saturday in its annual giant invitation slalom at Mt. Bromley. Dartmouth, New Hampshire, Princeton, Colby, Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin, M. I. T., Middlebury, and Yale have all accepted, and the affair promises to include some of the best skiing seen in New England since the Dartmouth Winter Carnival last month.

Just Miss Surprise Win

In the Williams meet Saturday, the team almost sneaked off with a surprise win. On the misty slopes of Greylock the five man squad pulled out in front with first places in both the downhill and the downhill-slalom.

Strengthening their position with second honors in the slalom and cross-country, the skiers went into the jumping event with more than a fair chance of complete victory.

It was here that bad luck caught up with the squad. The absence of number one jumper Laurie Griffin, who was at Laconia competing in the Eastern Intercollegiate championships, combined with a series of bad breaks, cost the skiers a possible fifteen points, the margin of difference between first and fourth places.

Captain Graham Taylor got off a perfect jump in the preliminaries, but fell on one of his official leaps, thereby marring chances for the victory.

Bromley Meet Looks Close

Conditions look favorable for this week's slalom at Mt. Bromley, and based on the encouraging results of the Williams tussle, the team can look forward to a close contest.

Middlebury, the winners of the Dartmouth Carnival competitions, promise to be the strongest team on the slopes. Dartmouth always looks as a threat, but the team has its goals set high, and wants more than just another wing over Yale.

Only one other meet is scheduled for this season. Providing that the snow lasts, Princeton, Yale, and Harvard will get together for a three-way contest sometime during Spring vacation.