WENATCHEE — Some of the top young ski racers in the world will converge this week at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort when it hosts the Western Region Junior Championships, a qualifying event for the national championships.

About 280 skiers will compete Tuesday through Sunday in separate divisions for athletes ages 16 and 17 and ages 18, 19 and 20.

Represented by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, skiers will arrive from most ski regions of the country, said Kari Johnson, Mission Ridge Ski Team development director. Racers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Eritrea will also compete.

The six-day event is expected to pump about $375,000 into the local economy, said Mission Ridge Ski Team officials. The Coast Wenatchee Center Hotel is serving as event headquarters.

The 50-member Pacific Northwest Ski Association team will feature 13 Mission Ridge Ski Team athletes. They include (women) Lindsay Ahmann, Taylor Bauernfeind, Hannah Bodily, Tessa Alger, Brittney Knox and Mattie Wise; and (men) Cai Yamamoto, Austin Dean, Danny O’Neal, Andrew Black, Max Tobler, Paul Meyer and Ben Holmberg.

The week’s schedule includes women’s and men’s super-G races on Tuesday and Wednesday, women’s giant slalom races and men’s slalom races on Thursday and Friday and women’s slalom and men’s giant slalom races on Saturday and Sunday.

The public is welcome to watch the action.

Race results and updates during the event will be available at mrst.us/ or facebook.com/MissionRidgeSkiTeam.