Hellgate’s Long Brothers Battle on The Powder

Montana Snowbowl was the back drop on Sunday for a pair of brothers to compete in a chance to advance in the regional mogul competition with the younger getting the better of the older for the first time at a competitive level.

Hellgate freshman Oliver Long faced off against his older Harrison Long, a sophomore at Hellgate, for the third time in their skiing careers and the younger final got the best of his older brother. The Hellgate skiers moved to Missoula with their parents from the East Coast at a young age and have spent the last ten years calling Missoula home while training for competitive mogul skiing.

The brothers were paired against each other in the third place race and when the two came across the finish line it appeared Harrison had won slightly, but soon after it was announced that Oliver had the faster time riding the moguls making him the highest placed skier from the area. Both mogul riders are working on returning to the junior nationals this season after making last year with the goal of improving on their finish. When all was said and done on Saturday Oliver won his age group and finished overall, while Harrison was eighth overall and finished fifth in his age group.