1000 x 90

SMARL – Sugar Mountain Adult Race League – Wraps Up Another Year of Camaraderie and Racing

Top women skiers: 1. Kim Jochl (center) 2. Caila Hall (left) 3. Elizabeth Beatle (right)

By Jesse Wood

Another year of SMARL – Sugar Mountain Adult Race League – has come to a close.

Just finishing its 14th season, SMARL consists of six Monday races in January and February at Sugar Mountain Resort. Known for its camaraderie and bringing together the local skiers and snowboarders, the after-work, beer league sells out each year with zero advertising or promotions.

It’s so popular, in fact, that the league has to be capped at about 100 participants, so everyone – staff, volunteers and skiers and snowboarders – can make it home at a decent hour.

“It was another great year,” Matt Leonard of Ski Country Sports said.

The Sugar Mountain Resort teams took top honors again. Team Sugar placed first in the ski category, above Banner Elk Café and Ski Country. Sugar Ski School won the snowboard team category, edging out Edge of the World and Team Southeast.

See Week 6 individual results, overall team standings and individual medal winners below. Also see photos from the annual awards ceremony below, too. 

WEEK 6 Individual Results

Photos of Awards Ceremony

Ski Country Sports owner Bill Leonard was the emcee of the SMARL awards ceremony.
Top snowboard women: 1. Kristen Gray (middle) 2. Eva Parsons (left) 3. Meg Neyens (not pictured)
Top snowboard men: 1. Austin Burr (center) 2. Adam Englert (left) and Jeff Johnson (right)
Top women skiers: 1. Kim Jochl (center) 2. Caila Hall (left) 3. Elizabeth Beatle (right)
Top skier males: 1. Andrew Jochl (center) 2. Erich Schmidinger (left) 3. Ian Oliver (right)
All snowboard teams
Teams from Sugar Mountain
Top three skiing teams: Team Sugar, Banner Elk Cafe and Ski Country