Ski

Man, I don't mean to turn away anyone that had planned to root for 'Dude, but it really does get crazy. Elk is a hard place to watch a ski race, too. There are trees that line the race slope and the only access is to take your skis/board off and hike up from the finish area. But we'll all be rootin' for the 'Dude, who is coming out of nowhere for some Top 20 finishes! Maybe a Top 10?

Elk is a pretty dangerous place to be during the three Finals days...150 or J1/2 racers taking warm-up runs before each race run. And the lodge is nuts, too. Going to Elk this weekend is sort of like having a picnic in the same field as a travelling carnival.

These poor freakin' people that started the topic are never gonna race NASTAR now

Hmmm...I know a place where the two of you could run a dual course, side-by-side...one run on each course, total time wins it. Saturday at Tanglwood's ASRA. It's a cheap ticket, too. A couple of real turns, but nothing too gnarly at all.

You bet.

Well, good luck, Atomic! Full speed ahead! You're fully aware what kind of unrelenting and mean *ssholes some of us can be

I once asked a high school wrestler what he was thinking before his match against a girl. He explained to me it was the worst feeling in the world. Like, everyone is expecting him to win easily. But his life would be over if something went wrong and he lost. Not just bad, but over. For the girl, it was a fun challenge, with no expectations. For him, it was life and death. Jeff, Jeff, Jeff...you ain't the chick in that story. Not to screw with your psych, but how did we do going head-to-head in our first and last runs that night? Man, this is going to be interesting.

BTW, Atomic, a new speed suit? Really?

'Dude, you love to poke people with sticks, don't you? Pretty cocky now that you're a 4 HCer .

Then DaveK would smoke you all.

Repacing is okay. That just starts a new race from that point on. It doesn't errase what kids earned. Recalculating---which is what they did to Montage races-- is what I think is stupid for recreational racing. Going back after a race and creating a new "standard" time. Either reset the pace, or leave it alone. Yes, people keep score. As a youth soccer coach, we aren't supposed to, but every 4 and 5-year-old on the field knows which team scored the most goals. What's important, I believe, is for the grownups to make sure the kids are lauded for trying their best. If kids give their best and lose 10-0, then they've still been successful. Last season, we took a lot of pride in the one game we managed a scoreless tie. Numbers are fine, as long as they are kept in perspective. I don't disagree with anything you wrote, Dthmtl... It's weird, though, being candid in my feelings about the NASTAR system when it also involves people with kids on this MB (me included). I would never in a million years put down a little kid's accomplishments, Jeff's included .

I'll preface this by saying this is a silly discussion. But look at the numbers for BC: The night we raced, you had a 17.39 and I had an 18.66. The difference is 1.27 seconds. Last night, you had a 17.03. Add 1.27 and you can extrapolate that I'd have skied an 18.30, which would be a 12.20 HC. That's what I meant about miniscule. And that's what I meant when I said that skiing a sprint course gives strange results sometimes. Look at the other pacesetter last night. Todd Loepper has a certified 18 HC...last night, he had an 18.30 for a 12.20 HC. NASTAR HQ once said that when a pacesetter runs a course 2% faster than his pace time, then there's a problem. You do the math on that one. Do you think the race should be recalculated to an 18.30 pace time? I don't. It's a recreational race that people do for fun. It's ludicrous to consider going back and changing it. I think that doing a recalculation is part of NASTAR's pretending that there's really an accurate standard from ski area to ski area. I also think that everyone that wants to go to Nationals should be welcome, since it's all in fun, and results cannot be compared accurately. Again, it's not about me or Ty...we qualified.

What's your point, 'Dude? You can't compare one race course to another, or even one night to another. You really think I'd be only a second or so behind you at the Blue PARA Cup GS? I'd guess about 7 seconds per run. And it's not 7 times longer. Go ahead and try to make the arguement that BC isn't a straight sprint course. You can't. Why did I f*ck up and ski it in 18.66 that night? Jeez, 'Dude, I don't know. I'm not as fast as you and that's not even my goal. I was there that night to have fun with Ty.

Jeff's post was more directed to BC's setup, I'm sure. Sprint courses (an 18 second course, as opposed to a turny 30 second course) have a way of giving really strange results. If a pacesetter messes up on one gate, then HC's will be incredibly low. Or if he hits it perfectly, then improving your own handicap is impossible. Not only is BC a sprint course, but it's a straight sprint. So even my 4-year-old was able to knock 30 or so points off of her handicap, despite the pacesetter skiing fast that night. BC's straight, short course bunches everyone's times together. It's not bad and it's not good; it's just the way the course is. Props for BC for having gates to run midweek. There are actually some NASTAR's that are 13 seconds...not a great measure of ski racing. On a 13 second course, most decent skiers will run a HC in the teens and 20's. That's just the nature of NASTAR's varied courses. Also, any race course has a "terminal velocity" time. That's the time it takes to tuck the slope from start to finish without gates. Pacesetters are supposed to make this time a certain percentage compared to the gate-set course. At BC, every intermediate+ skier is very close to the "terminal velocity" time; even my 4-year-old. That's why times are bunched together. It doesn't matter how many pacesetters there are or how many runs they take, if terminal velocity is 16 seconds on a straight set course, then HC's are going to be miniscule. Now, do bets go here in Racing or over in the Lounge?

Any good Sugarbush stories, Line?

Skidude and Skimom are at CB's NASTAR course all the time, so they can be more detailed, but it's simple. Use the lift for Raceway trail and come down to the start shack. I believe CB's NASTAR begins at 12:30pm. You'll need to fill out a brief entry/waiver form. Under 18 kids need a parent/guardian signature. It'll help if you have your NASTAR number (assigned on the website, it has the first three letters of your name, followed by numbers). Some ski areas want you to also include your name, age, and address, but it's really not necessary, since they uplink to the NASTAR database. You'll pay $5 for two runs. You just get in line and the starter will tell you when to go through the start wand. About 15 gates later, you'll go through the finish and the announcer will tell you what or if you earned a medal, which you'll pick up at the finish house after your last run. BTW, just about every NASTAR race will have other people that are first-timers. It's a very simple race course, meant to be skied by low-level intermediates and up. If you have any questions, the CB course is staffed by really friendly people that are very helpfull. The most common NASTAR question is "Where do I sign up?" Some ski areas allow you to sign up in the lodge, usually at the ski school desk. CB used to, but I don't know now. Don't bother. All NASTAR race courses have sign-ups at the start area of the course. The idea is for people that are just skiing by decide to try it out. One other tip: have exact change. They'll love you for it.

First off, you need vise grips to hold your skis tightly in place. You can start out simple, with a travel vice that just clamps the front and rear of the ski. For tuning, you'll need a base edge guide for 1 degree bevel and an 8" mill file. Then, you'll need a side edger for the 3 degree bevel. You can use the same file. I highly recommend the "Beast" for base edges and "Side of Beast (standard model)" for side edges. You can buy them at http://www.the-raceplace.com Spend $20 for the tuning video. It gives a great step-by-step visual guide. You may need a sidewall planer if your topsheet sidewall needs to be cut away from the metal edge. Some skis need them, some don't. It's good to have a gummi stone for deburring and a "medium" diamond file to polish the edges. Toko, Swix, FK, and a bunch of other companies make edge tuning gear. I just found that the Beast is more sturdy than holding a file in a spring clamp, while not as bulky as a variable sharpener. They all work fine, though. If you're careful, you won't permanently damage your skis by not being a great tuner. It takes some practice. Always whipe your bases clean before dragging the file guide down it, so you don't embed shavings. I recommend using a black magic marker on your edge before sharpening. Then you just shave that away. That way, you know when you've taken off enough material and that you've gotten your entire base. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never use a shop again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...7138269286&rd=1 You can grab a pair of heavily used skis for $100 or so, or find new/used set like this at a pretty good price.

The pic was of the family collection, but I also have a bunch of beater skis I use for rock quarry skiing (uh, pre-grass skiing days) and other stupid things. The good skis are Atomic 9.12, 9.16, SL:11, GS:11, GS:11, 10.22, K2 SL M6, Rossi GS 9X, Rossi 9X. The beaters are mostly old K2, Rossi, and Harts; seven of them. That's 16 that are mine. But I don't consider myself a gear geek. Skis are just a tool for me. I sold my K2 Winter Heats and a nice pair of Salomons recently, just to make room. And Atomic: guess how many slalom gates it takes skiing on SL:11's to separate your shoulder? Answer: 4. I HATE skiing in New freaking Jersey.

Discordial, just to give you an example of how simple buying kids gear on Ebay is, I went to look at what was currently available in junior boots. I found a pair of Rossi front entry boots in 18.5, with a 227 sole length. Used for two seasons by a family that doesn't ski much. No rips in the liner, etc. The "Buy It Now" price was $45.00 and I got free shipping for doing a "Buy It Now". The boot is the next size up from her current boots, so I can get her 90cm skis mounted for next year. PS Nobody tell my wife that my 4-year-old has four pairs of ski boots. She just doesn't understand.

The easiest route for outfitting little kids is a seasonal rental program. A hundred bucks or so and you can swap anything that breaks or is outgrown during the season. Then you just give it all back at the end of the season. The drawback is that a lot of the area shops have crappy rental gear in the 80 to 100cm range. Usually, older rear entry boots and straight skis. And you're looking for a quick fix, right? To finish out the season? At four, rear entry boots are just fine. The ease of entry outways the lack of support. My 4-year-old has rear entry boots, but I already bought two sizes of front entry, two buckle boots in subsequent sizes. You'll have abig problem getting a part for that boot. It's likely easier to just buy a new/used boot. And if one piece of the boot broke, is another part ready to break? I highly recommend Ebay as a source for gear. And I've found that sizing kids boots (I've bought for four or five other parents) isn't all that hard. If you buy the wrong size, just turn them back around and resell them. If you save the box they arrived in, it's pretty seemless. I don't have my chart here, but he's either an 18.5 or 19.5 Mondo size. Don't buy rental gear on Ebay. Boots will have permanent marker number sizes on the back of the boot as the #1 tip off. As are too many scuffs. But people are pretty straightforward. If you buy new kids boots from a shop, they'll run $50-$100, plus tax. Used boots on Ebay will run $15 to $45, plus shipping; new boots are generally $35-$65. If you buy new boots from a shop, TELL them you want them to make sure the bindings are still set properly. Don't let them even think about charging you the $25 remounting fee for simply turning a screw once or twice. Some shops do it. And don't allow them to make you leave them overnight. It's a one minute adjustment. If the boot sole length on the new boot is the same, then there's no adjustment at all. If it's a little different, just do this: click the old boot into one binding. Then click the new boot into the other. Look at the top of the heel, where the back binding meets the boot. Now find the screw (not the tension adjustment screw, if there is one on the rear binding) that pulls back or pushes forward the rear binding. Turn that screw to match them. Some bindings have a lever on the track that you lift to unlock it, instead of turning a screw. Same principle, though. Bottom line, though, is that I'd go grab two pairs of used boots off of Ebay. Buy the size you think is right, and a size bigger. Save the boxes. Check the bindings. No worries.

Hi, girls! Uh, the 157's are stupid short, as are my 171 GS skis. But those are the courses I ski. But when you think about it, 'Dude, the World Cup men were down to 155's before the rule change. Done right, it's the fastest way down a slalom course. Think roller blades on snow; two legs moving in a wide stance, while the upper body is frozen. And, yeah, you're vulnerable as crap to popping a wheelie, which is why you stay out of the back seat.

Here's pretty useful Tripod page, with decsriptions of the trails. It was how I found Jester, which is a cool trail I never would have otherwise skied. http://neturnpikes.tripod.com/winter/sugarbush.htm

Okay, Atomic, I just gave it a full test drive and here's my zwei cents: The Atomic SL:11 is the best ski I've ever ridden. It seems meant for a wide stance and can handle turns at any speed. Transitioning from fast slalom turns into GS turns, then back, is no big deal. You always have the ski under you. I couldn't max it out on White Lightning, but with tonight's snow, I couldn't really test it at high speed in a tuck. I guess that'll be the deciding factor in whether it becomes the 'every day' ski. I rode it down the right side of Boomer, through medium and small bumps and it loved them. Then I jumped back out onto the headwall and arced big turns. The bigger shovel is really nice...I've always felt the turn inititation with the GS:11's was a little lacking because of it's sidecut. The SL:11 makes the 9.12 and 9.16 seem like cars before power steering; it's that drastic of a difference. But even if you have GS:9.21's or GS:11's, you have to own this ski. Mine are 157's, btw...

Ha, no, it wasn't really an off night for me. That's pretty much where I am right now on that kind of sprint course. I screwed up the third gate in my first two runs, but fixed it in the last run. My last run wasn't my fastest, but it let me leave without the feeling that I was screwing up.