Ski season kicks off at Service Saturday

The 2011-12 high school Nordic ski season gets underway on Saturday, Dec. 3 with the annual Service Snowball races, the traditional annual kick-off to the season.

According to the Anchorage Nordic Ski Association, trails around the Anchroage bowl are in great shape thanks to persistent early-season snowfall.

This year’s Snowball races will be freestyle sprints. Racing action begins at 11 a.m., with each skier making a 1.8-kilometer qualifying run to determine who moves on to the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinal rounds are scheduled to begin at around 1:30 p.m., with finals and awards to follow.