Sport: At Mt. Hood

On the snowy hillocks of New England, profitably instructing the ski-minded East, ride many of the finest skimeister the Alps have produced. But their hearts are as heavy as their purses; they pine for the lofty Alps.

For most Alpiners, the Rocky Mountains would be more homelike, but the big money still lies on the low slopes of the East. Skiing, however, is perking up in the West. Last weekend, at Government-built Timberline Lodge on Oregon's 11,253-ft. Mt. Hood. 5,000 spectators watched more than 100 top-flight skiers from the U. S., Canada and Europe compete in the season's most important ski competition, the National Championships. From the winners would be picked the U. S. slalom and downhill teams of five men and five women to be sent to the world championships* in Norway next year.

They saw two U. S. youngsters beat the whizzing foreign skiers at their own game. Dartmouth's great Dick Durrance sped down the two-and-a-half-mile Mt. Hood downhill course, ''Hara-kiri Hill," in 3:55.3; raced twice around the wicked slalom turns in the Ski Bowl on neighboring Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain in 2:44.6 for the best combined score of all, open or amateur. By far the best of the women in the combined score was graceful, 26-year-old Betty Woolsey of Connecticut, captain of the women's team.