It was a decisive win for the Big Green, with second-place finisher the University of Vermont distantly trailing with 845 points. The win, however, was not assured throughout the weekend.
As Friday's events drew to a close, the Big Green held only a slim six-point lead over UVM, but maintained its composure to come out on top after the second day of racing, increasing the final gap to 56 points.
"After the first day, I think we all knew that it was really close, and just based on how we've been skiing lately, every person was prepared to step up and do their part," alpine skier Courtney Hammond '11 said.
The Dartmouth's men's cross-country team kick-started its weekend with impressive finishes in the 10-kilometer classic " all six Big Green skiers finished in the top 15, with Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess '09 placing second with a time of 26:36.4, leading Dartmouth to the team victory in the event and accumulating 128 points for the Big Green.
The team continued to improve from there, as it finished first in the second day's 20-kilometer free race, taking the top three spots and earning another 141 points for Dartmouth. Patrick O'Brien '10 placed first with a time of 51:59.6, followed by Nils Koons '11 and Glenn Randall '09.
The women's Nordic team delivered solid results as well, despite being short two of its strongest skiers, who are currently participating in other competitions.
This impediment only boosted the team's drive to perform well, coach Cari Thompson said.
"Our team has a lot of depth, and a lot of younger skiers," Thompson said. "They were able to step up and fill the gap, and with it gained new confidence."
The first day's five-kilometer classic showcased this self-assurance, as Ida Sargent '11 finished first with a time of 15:45.8, followed by both a fourth and sixth place finish by Hannah Dreissigacker '09 and Stephanie Crocker '12, respectively.
Dreissigacker bettered her standing in the following 15-kilometer free with a third-place finish at 46:04.8.
The women's alpine team produced yet another string of solid results, starting with the giant slalom, in which Hammond finished first with a time of 2:37.51.
"It felt great coming in first, considering all the changes this year due to new competition," she said. "Our team is skiing so much better, and everyone is really pushing one another to do well."
Hammond's second day slalom race proved to be more dramatic.
After finishing in ninth place for her first run, she managed to make up enough lost time to finish the event in second place, trailing only teammate and co-captain Christine Roberts '10.
Roberts excelled and finished the race almost two seconds ahead of Hammond -- a notable margin, according to men's alpine coach Peter Dodge.
Roberts and Hammond's efforts helped the women win the slalom race, gaining 125 points for Dartmouth.
The men's alpine team was not as successful as the women's team or the cross-country teams. Ace Tarberry '11 placed highest for the Big Green with a sixth-place finish in the slalom and 10th in the giant slalom.
"The men's alpine field is very deep, but the [Dartmouth] guys did ski a bit better on the second day," Dodge said. "We did well but we certainly need to ski faster."
The Bates Carnival signals the beginning of weekend carnivals that will serve as a warm-up for the EISA Championships in February and the NCAA Championships this March.
With the start to the season, Dartmouth skiers will now be concentrating on preparing for carnivals each weekend, including Dartmouth's own carnival, which begins on Feb. 13.
"This past week was the last time to catch our breath," Dodge said. "People really enjoy getting into rhythm, and are ready to get into preparation for the carnivals."
Next up for the Big Green skiers is this weekend's University of New Hampshire Carnival. Although Dartmouth is lined up to rematch all teams from this past weekend's event, Dartmouth's athletes are only concentrating on one thing.
"We just focus on what we can do better," Thompson said. 'We now know what the other teams have, but we must set out to see what we can do to improve."
