INKOM — Pebble Creek Ski Area will be celebrating this year’s Winter Olympics with a variety of special events on Feb. 17.
The first event will be the Stacy Smith Race, where kids ages 16 and under will have a chance to compete for a gold medal in a slalom race on Pebble Creek’s Aspen beginner’s area. The event is open to both skiers and snowboarders.
Once the scores are tallied, the top three in each age category will be presented gold, silver and bronze medals. Though Stacy Smith Races are held multiple times every ski season, the Olympic event will feature a specially built three-tiered Olympic-style podium.
As the young skiers and boarders stand on the podium, they will be presented with their medals by a Paralympian Jacob Rife, a Pocatello High School graduate who started his career at Pebble Creek. Rife won medals at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Paralympics in Nagano and Salt Lake City.
The Stacy Smith Race on Feb. 17 will begin at 1:15 p.m., with the awards presentation to follow. Competitors can register for the event until 1 p.m. There is no entry fee, but the competitors need a $20 lift ticket to compete.
Later on in the evening, a Snow Ball will be held in the lodge. As Best By Yesterday, an alternative band from Pocatello, provides the live music, the Lava Flow Fire Dancers will perform in front of the lodge.
Then, just after 7 p.m., a torchlight parade will held near the Sunshine lift. The best way to view the parade is from the lodge’s deck. However, the lights from the skiers’ torches as they make their way down the mountain can be seen from miles away.
According to Pebble Creek, the torchlight parade is a medical fundraiser for Kim Peck, an outdoor enthuasist whose medical condition has made it difficult to work at his job as a contractor.
Participants in the torchlight parade must be at least 18 years old and be an expert skier or snowboarder. Though the suggested donation is $50, participants can donate more if they like.
There is no charge to go to the Snow Ball or watch the torchlight parade. Discount night ski tickets will be available at Barrie’s Ski and Sports in Pocatello.
The opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will be held on Friday. The games will continue until Feb. 25.
