“Conditions were tough because of warm temperatures and a dense fog overnight. The snow had a soft wet layer and still the hard layer a foot underneath. I was lucky enough to run first on the first run, so I could ski the line I wanted even though it was soft,” said Mclaughlin. “It was bumpy, just had to fight your way down.”
For ski racers used to an individual sport, the carnival circuit is a unique opportunity to compete in a team format.
“The carnival circuit is more of a team event than anything else in our sport,” Mclaughlin said. The girls help us by slipping and carrying clothes and vice versa. It's cool to be racing directly for more than yourself.”
In the overall team competition for the SLU Carnival, Dartmouth finished first with a combined score of 961 points, followed by the University of Vermont..
—Staff writer Rena Simkowitz can be reached at rsimkowitz@college.harvard.edu.