World Pro Mogul Tour Stops At Crystal Mountain

The men of moguls, the boys of bumps, will gather tomorrow in the first major ski championship at Crystal Mountain since a World Cup race two decades ago.

About 70 skiers will compete in the World Pro Mogul Tour stop, and Kirkland native Scot Kauf will try to regain his lead in the overall standings.

After six stops, Kauf, a Lake Washington graduate now of Squaw Valley, Calif., has 15 fewer points than leader Cameron Boyle, also of Squaw. Kauf, four-time defending master of moguls, fell behind in the standings because he has been filming a Warren Miller flick in the Soviet Union. He returned Wednesday.

Kauf, 29, who learned to mash moguls at Alpental and Ski Acres, goes for an unprecedented fifth national title next month in Snowbird, Utah.

Federal Way's Rawles brothers, Mike, Scott and Kirk, in previous years have participated in the mogul tour, but this year are devoting their energies to ``taking the tour to the big time,'' said Mike, noting that the sport becomes a medal event at the 1992 Albertville Olympics.

Tomorrow, two skiers will race side-by-side down Lower Bull Run, with judges noting quality and quantity of turns, aerial maneuvers, speed and overall performance. The winner of each run advances.

Hot local skiers can sign up today at the lodge until 7 p.m. and tomorrow from 7-8:30 a.m. Cost is $100. Total purse is $10,000. Competition begins at 11 a.m.

-- IRON WEEKEND: Dave Scott, six-time winner of the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, visits Seattle next weekend for a training camp with local triathletes and competitors.

Scott, 36, will be in a seminar March 24 at 6:30 p.m. Events include a 30-mile ride and 4-mile run. An in-pool swim session is filled. Space is limited; cost is $40. Details: 441-8144 or 443-1111.

-- NO HANDICAP: Fresh off winning two bronzes and a silver at the World Disabled Ski Championships in Colorado, Shannon Bloedel, 30, grabbed three golds and the overall gold medal in the monoski division at the U.S. Disabled Ski Championships this week at Stratton Mountain, Vt.

John Calderhead of Seattle won the three-track division in the slalom. Competing in the senior division, Richard Van Eman, a Portland resident raised in Seattle, won the giant slalom. Roni Sasaki of Vancouver, Wash., finished second to Diana Golden, perhaps the United States' most famous disabled skier, in the slalom and two giant slaloms.

-- BYPRODUCTS OF SPRING: It's time to gear up and strip down for spring skiing, with prospects good this weekend for a case of raccoon eyes for the unprotected.

New products on the market include WedGees, a soft, slide-on eye-glass holder that prevents slipping without straps or cords. Produced by a San Diego firm, they sell for about $3 and come in many colors.

Several outdoor sporting-good stores are selling the PowerLounger, an easy-to-assemble, water-resistant chair that will fit the needs of high-altitude sun seekers. The chairs come in many colors, can be used by campers as a sleeping pad, weigh 28 ounces and can be clipped to a fanny pack. Prices start at $38.

-- NOTES: News from around the world of recreational, participant and outdoor sports:

-- Going up: Sunday's day-of-climb registration for the Big Climb for Leukemia at the Columbia Seafirst Center, Seattle's tallest building, is from 10:30-11:30 a.m. $15. Prizes awarded to people who turn in at least $35 in pledges. Starting at 9 a.m., about 1,000 people will begin in separate stairwells, one group ascending the 788 vertical feet at its own rate, the other racing at 15 second intervals to the 73rd floor.

-- Spring classes: The UW's Experimental College spring catalog has been released and lists about 70 classes in dance, exercise, games, nutrition, Northwest explorations and recreation. Most courses start in early or mid-April. For a catalog call 543-4375.

-- World orienteering: The world's top orienteers will find their way to Cle Elum Aug. 18 for a World Cup competition. Washington and Alberta are the sole North American stops on the eight-nation tour. The sport combines cross-country running with map-reading skills.

-- Ski season: Stevens Pass, which normally closes April 15, will continue with weekend-only skiing the last two weekends of April.

-- Going freestyle: Representing the Seattle area at the U.S. Freestyle Championships later this month in Winter Park, based on their season-long scores in the Pacific Northwest region: Tim Moreland (moguls) and Burke Whitney (ballet). Moreland edged Garth Hagar of Bothell by .14 of a point at last weekend's regional championships at Ski Acres. Issaquah's Carla Tanner, of the U.S. team, also will be in Winter Park.

-- Telemarking: Tomorrow and Sunday are two of the winter's major telemark races, at Mission Ridge and Stevens Pass respectively, starting at 11 a.m. Day-of-race registration, 8:30-9:30 a.m. Cost: $7 for novice, $10 for advanced.

-- Winter climbing: The season concludes tomorrow and Sunday with the Spring Jam at the Vertical Club. About 75 climbers will compete in four age categories ; late entries may be accepted. General admission $5.

-- Diet news: Two nine-week classes called ``Achieving and Maintaining Ideal Body Weight through Diet and Exercise'' begin in early April at the Bellevue Athletic Club and Sports Medicine Clinic. Cost is $100. Details: 445-1616 or 782-3383.

-- Sailing classes: The Tacoma Women's Sailing Association will hold six-week beginning and advanced sailing classes Tuesday evenings, beginning April 17. Fee: $55. Details: 851-7736.

-- Mushroom hunters: The Okanogan National Forest has issued its free annual morel mushroom locator guide. A map to the forest is $2. Rangers report some mushroom areas already snow free. (509) 422-2704.

-- Race results: Last weekend's Kongsberger Race, off the Cabin Creek exit at Snoqualmie Pass, drew 114 cross-country skiers, with about 35 partaking in the less-competitive 5-kilometer public ski. Race spokesman Dave Newton said that first-try event will be back, supplementing the established 20K division. The main race was a family event, with the Spokane husband-and-wife team of Mike and Debbie Bauer winning the men's and women's divisions.