With the Big Green Teams

AFTER rain instead of hoped-for snow cancelled the opening carnival at St. Lawrence, Indian skiers got set to display their talents to their own Winter Carnival fans in Hanover. Beginning two days of close competition on Friday, Dartmouth swept the first three places in the slalom event, with junior Rick Lounsbury taking top honors, followed by teammates Dave Reid and Bill Owen. Later in the day, however, the Panthers of Middlebury made a strong bid for Carnival honors, winning the 2x15 km. cross-country race, with skiers placing first, fourth, and fifth. Big Green skiers, rated as tops in the East, could manage only a third, seventh, and tenth. Lounsbury came back to finish first in the downhill races on Saturday. Middlebury placed several men near the top, capturing high point honors, and placing them in striking range of a Carnival upset.

The outcome hung on the 40-meter jumping, fortunately one of the Indians' specialties. They erased any doubts about their overall strength by capturing the first four positions, on excellent efforts by Per Coucheron, Bill Cantlin, Larry Gillis, and Bill Kendall. Coucheron with 216.6 points proved to be the best jumper in Hanover.

Weather difficulties plagued New England skiers, and the Williams Carnival could not be carried to completion when the jump had to be cancelled. Dartmouth and Middlebury were in a virtual deadlock at that point, with senior Dave Reid being named alpine combined winner.

The Big Green skiers have only Middlebury's Winter Carnival, combined with the Eastern championships, before they head for Steamboat Springs, Colo., and the NCAA competition. The large number of highly talented men on the squad makes it likely that the Green will turn in strong perfomances there.