Ski

Atomic sponsorship for racers in the United States are considered for sub-35 USSA points, but more likely closer to 30. If 'Dude wins the PA Cup title next season, then goes to J2 Finals and beats all the New England kids, including all from the ski academies, then does really well in some Eastern FIS races...top 3, with times very close to the winner, then Atomic would start to consider 'Dude more than just a customer. Race sponsorship is all about USSA/FIS points. Same for college scholarships, or even having a college race coach bother to recruit you. Kids are defined by their points. It's like an SAT score and it didn't matter that you were also in the chess club. Just the points.

I swear, if you were a wh*re, you'd be a 50 cent one.

Last March? As in last March? C'mon, don't be giving Jeff ammo like that. A good challenge between adults is much healthier than the bizaro world that went on last time. THE ONE WHERE RIDGE BEAT JEFF. I checked the rule book and Jeff was technically correct about you trashing him and his boards. Limber up that knee. NASTAR isn't a black diamond bump run.

Oh, and uh, "Hi" Zonked...

What a great first race story! It's never too gross to hear a good barf and race story. And, coincidentally, my kid barfed as she was getting dressed to race at our Hideout race series this morning. And her mom tried to keep her from racing! Hahahaha! Good to hear you had fun.

Congrats, 'Dude! That's pretty amazing, but fully expected out of you.

No word on the 'Dude, yet. And no, I never Dj'd at a nudie bar. Nudie bars are scary and, well, I'm not a DJ.

Yeah, we just got home. Ty decided she wanted to ski, so we stayed. I think you were right around 28 flat each run. I beat my evil arch enemy both runs, including my weird second run flouro fiasco, so I had a fun day. A great way to end the race season.

Atomic joined the ranks of ASRA racing for the first time today. It was a pretty awesome dual course GS at Tanglwood and he held off a Stratton Mt. local to win his age class. Hey, Jeff, you want to make me an offer on your medal I stayed and picked up for you?

Ha, no...

No. And someone would suffer greatly if caught.

Montage closed 3/14; Elk closed 3/27. I think CB closed in between.

Word has it that our little 'Dude finished run one of the State Championship GS at Elk in 19th, then held his own in run two to be somewhere around 20th place. For perspective, he's among the youngest of 80 or so boys ranging from 15 to 19 yrs. Top 40 would be good; top 30 excellent. But 20th? There's another GS-- and also a slalom-- this weekend. The 'Dude had a very good day. Maybe Iceman will treat him to that Dangerous Curves place down the road from Elk?

Ha, that's pretty typical. But Montage's website is so lame that they let snowstorms go by without an update then it never gets added into the season total on the main page. I think it's part of their effort to keep lifts line short.

BC's Wednesday night $10 lift ticket for ski club members (and people with Photoshop) makes it worth checking out, but unless that bubbler does something really good, I didn't see any other reason besides NASTAR to ever go.

Don't hate the messenger, but they pulled the plug Feb. 29 last year.

What's a bubbler? I like the sound of it, whatever it is. Well, I never even considered eating lunch in the very convenient locker room at CB. It just seems like you'd be eating in a locker room. And food service was just upstairs? I ski with a kid that likes her nachos. As far as I'm considered, Montage or any other ski area, could knock down their lodges in exchange for one more good trail. I prefer a long course. Like the Mountain Creek GS this time was much more fun---TO ME--- with the gates down to the finish house. I like the 30 second headwall, but that extra 10 seconds, or so, of setting up then tucking the bottom is awesome. The long Blue Mt. course last year was the best GS course I've ever been on. Just a matter of preference.

Was the old lodge so terrible that the new one seems so great? I hadn't been there in years, but I hate all the steps when I'm traveling with my kid. She has these short little legs and I have to haul her up each level like a bag of dog food. I had a terrific time because of the people I was skiing with, but BC strikes me as about as interesting a place to ski as Shawnee. They did a good job listing a late closing date, since they'll now get pressure to stick with it no matter the weather.

It's industry wide. Go buy a Rossi 9X GS ski. Or a Fischer RC4. I don't think the ski manufacturer's plan is to con anyone out of 3 meters of turn radius. In fact, I needed a specific sidecut for a Rossi ski for Super G. There's no official Rossi website to research it; just message boards.

Ha, it's great when your message board administrators are a little crazy.

Zonked? Dissing me after all we've been through?

Bummer. I though this thread was you taunting Jeff.

The races have always been on Slalom.

The people that poke fun at each other--- sometimes getting really mean--- are mostly friends that go way back, through a few generations of message boards. Most of them, including me, ended up here because we were thrown off of other boards (DaveK is a big fat doughnut hound). Good luck with NASTAR. You may want to call ahead to make sure they are setting a course. I hate to use the 'getting late in the season' phrase, but some ski areas start scaling back NASTAR at the end of February.