NASTAR, a part of Outside Inc., will host its NASTAR National Championships at Aspen Snowmass from Monday, April 3 through Saturday, April 8, 2023. Racers and spectators will gather in the Spider Sabich Race Arena at Snowmass for the third consecutive year to compete for national titles and prize money within each division. The event will also serve as the national pacesetting trials for the 2023-24 winter season.

Online registration will open on February 1, 2023 and run through March 31. Registration includes entry into the race, national championship swag & gift bag, race bib, live entertainment, awards and prize money for top three adult and junior finishers in the finals. An Outside+ subscription will be required to register for the National Championships. Only one subscription is needed per household.

Racing will kick off with the NASTAR Slalom Championships Monday, April 3 where all participating skiers will compete in a two-run, stubby-gate, slalom race. This warmup race will be scored using the competitors best of two race runs. Participants will be placed in a division based on the best handicap they earn within their age and gender group for awards.

The national championship giant slalom races will begin April 4with the bronze division nationals. Racers will compete within the age, gender, division and discipline in which they qualify, and the top racers will earn a place in the dual, head-to-head finals. Racing will continue throughout the week with the bronze division finals on April 5 and the silver division national championships races. The silver division finals will take place April 6 as well as the national championship races for gold division. On April 7 the gold division finals will take place and the platinum division races will start. The platinum division finals will take place April 8 for the largest cash purse. Prospective student-athletes may accept prize money based on their place/finish at a competition, provided the money does not exceed their expenses in those events during a calendar year or sport season.

Each participant will take a minimum of two runs to record their lowest handicap during the championship races, but competitors should be prepared to take additional races runs as time and conditions allow. Lunch will be served at the Spider Sabich Picnic Palace and awards will be presented in the finish area to the top three racers in each age, gender, discipline, and division. Within each divisional race, the competitors that score the most NASTAR Points within their age and gender will qualify for the finals. NASTAR Points are used to level the qualifying opportunity for males and females young and old. The top 32 adults and the top 32 junior racers in each divisional race will be invited to compete in the Finals. Qualifying racers will carry their winning handicap into the race to level the playing field, providing males and females, young and veteran racers an equal opportunity to win. The Race of Champions Finals are head-to-head single elimination, handicapped races, with prize money awarded to the top three finishers in the junior races and the adult races within each division.

In addition, the National Championships will also serve as the National Pacesetting Trials for the 2023-24 season.  In the past, resorts that host NASTAR would have their pacesetters earn their pacesetting handicaps at the beginning of the season when most pacesetters had skied very little, and many had not raced gates. Moving the Pacesetting Trials to the end of the season will provide resort pacesetters with the opportunity to race against the National Pacesetter when they are skiing their best.

NASTAR is a part of the Outside network, the world’s leading creator of active lifestyle content and experiences. Eligible racers must log in to Outside+ to register for the National Championships. Only one subscription per household is necessary. Members may link child(ren) and spouse to their account.  By joining Outside+, racers will become eligible to compete at the nationals, and receive premium access to results & rankings on nastar.com. In addition to the NASTAR benefits, an Outside+ membership includes premium content from the Outside network including SKI magazine, streaming access to World Cup coverage, the Warren Miller film archive, and hundreds of adventure films, series, online courses and more. Subscribe to Outside+ for $44.99 annually; learn more about Outside+.