Nate Chute boarder-cross returns March 14-15

The 10th annual Nate Chute Hawaiian Classic returns to Whitefish Mountain Resort on March 14-15, with more than 100 competitors expected to race.

The largest boarder-cross event in Montana consists of a banked slalom on Saturday and a boarder-cross on Sunday.

The event is named in memory of local snowboarder Nate Chute, a popular snowboarder in Whitefish who tragically took his own life. Friends and family organized the Nate Chute Foundation and the Nate Chute Hawaiian Classic to raise money and awareness for causes related to teen suicide.

Each year, many of Chute’s old friends, some of whom have become professional snowboarders, return to Whitefish to compete in what has become one of the largest events of its kind in the Northwest.

The banked slalom course includes giant, man-made banked turns and ends with a run through George’s Gorge, beneath Chair 7 on the north side of Big Mountain.

The third Fishtival in the Whitefish Mountain Resort Village will take place Saturday with bands, activities and art commemorating the history of the Nate Chute Hawaiian Classic.

The cost to enter is $30 per event if registration is received or postmarked by March 8 and $35 otherwise, limited to the first 110 athletes to register.

Those interested in participating should visit the Whitefish Mountain Resort Events Department in the Upper Village or call 862-2910 for more information.