The next event to come flying out of the gates in Jasper is a big one: the Jasper Junior Olympics, the biggest alpine skiing youth event in the country.

Known as being the best organized race of the year and put on by a collaboration of members from different ski clubs throughout the north zone of Alberta, the event will host close to 400 skiers this weekend at Marmot Basin.

Being such a highly regarded race, competition will be good, as many skiers and their families make sure to attend the event that has two races for the younger and older skiers.

More than 150 skiers between the ages of four and seven will be racing down Dromedary, which Dave Clarke, the event’s public relations representative, said is entertaining in itself.

The younger Nancy Greene skiers are timed for two individual races on Saturday followed by a team race on Sunday.

For the older kids, a more aggressive course will be set for them near Kiefer’s Chute with a similar format.

But while the event is completely competitive and always has a high turnout, what makes it different is the team race on the second day.

“Having the team component makes the Sunday kind of a fun day, and it really builds on some of that team spirit with the club so I think most of the kids enjoy it. And it ends earlier too, so they can get a little bit of free skiing in,” said Clarke, adding that it is the only race that has the team format.

Clarke said of all the races throughout the year, the Jasper Junior Olympics is the one that people will be saving their pennies for and marking on their calendars to be sure to be able to attend.

“The whole community for all of the north zone really does pitch in to make this event successful. We have involvement with people in Edmonton, people in Jasper, as far as the different clubs, they pull all their resources together to make it a successful event,” he said.

Because of the high expectations every year and the popularity of the race, turnout is good and competition is tight, making it the race to check out the province’s best young up and coming skiers.

“It is a straight up competition,” Clarke said. “They do gold, silver, bronze for each age group, male and female as well for the individual ones. And then for the team event, even there the club gets a gold and silver and bronze, based on the number of wins by a club.”

Since the race has a history of going off without a hitch there is always pressure for the next organizing committee to live up to the expectation, Clarke said.

Everybody wants to make sure that it has that same kind of professionally run image to it.

To watch Alberta’s youngest skiers and to cheer on Jasper’s alpine team, Jasperites can catch the Jasper Junior Olympics on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27 and 28 at Marmot Basin.