Ski

Yeah, now that I look at a Blue map, I guess it was Burma. But I didn't mean exactly like it, just a place that's only fun if you ski it as fast as possible and get in trouble for doing it.

I saw DaveK...he was sitting in one of those old beanbag chairs behind the food counter surrounded by at least 15 empty hamburger boxes. I think he was asleep, but he had his goggles on, so I couldn't tell. It was pretty gross. He'd do pretty good in the eating part of Fear Factor, for sure. We were going to meet at Montage, but I had a game in NJ, so I came down to CB. CB "skis" bigger because of all the runouts. But Asp and Hump and really short and very narrow---as is Rocket---so you sure aren't making big GS turns. I've been skiing Marjie's forever and it's got great pitch, but it gets skied-out every day before lunchtime. It becomes crusty, with rutted bumps from all the bunny sideslippers. I mean, ski hills are open to everyone. IMHO, if you buy a ticket in the Poconos, you should spend your time on any slope you want. Don't stop and chat in the middle of a headwall, but feel free to try to ski down it. Nile Mile is too flat at the top and once you get flying through the corners, you are apt to be spotted by a yellow jacket and reminded that you are on a green circle and should slow down or lose your pass. Isn't Nile Mile CB's version of Sidewinder? Big Pocono used to be my favorite...when it's groomed. Kind of steep and wide and you can arc pretty good turns. But then it's over. Montage is about wide, steep headwalls that drop you at the slow lift. My wife hates it; I love it.

Older sister?

Yeah, daughter...that's why I was at CB...it really would be such a great little ski area if it weren't for the hordes of people. We'd wait at the top of the Hump for a few people to clear the headwall and just as it opened up, a group of other people would ski over our ski tails right past us and then stop halfway down the headwall to talk. It happened every time on every slope. There's just no way to ski a run without being next to someone and worrying about what they about to do. And I'd have to nominate Honeymoon Lane as the most crowded ski slope in America.

Was today a holiday Saturday? Holy crap! I had to park in one of those backwoods lots and hike to the overpriced ticket window..."Discovery Day"???? That means you you buy one adult afternoon ticket and one junior ticket and it "only" costs $60? Oh, well...The Hump was pretty cool, with a crusty headwall. Cliffhanger was screwy, with bumps at the top, then an icy headwall that shot you down in bumps. Why is Nile Mile the best slope at CB? CB was be a great place if nobody knew about it...like Montage!

Hmmm...no...it was the absolute cheapest helmet in the Reliableracing catalog.

I always thought she'd love speed events. Any coaches have speed guns?

Flames on your helmet make you fast.

The Atomic rep hands all DH and SG racers a pair of giant slalom length GS:11's in the finish area and on the podiums. It's marketing. They don't sell many DH/SG skis, but want to market their GS:11's. Smart, huh?

All I know is that it was cancelled last night. The weather report was for DOOM, but then it just turned to light snow and was no big deal. We got 12 inches instead of the 18-30 they predicted. There might have been light turnout for ASRA's Rountop race on Saturday, so they cancelled Sunday going by that also. ASRA hates to cancel, but unless they get 25 racers, it's not official anyway.

Okay, 'Dude, here's what's for sure. Two ways to get in. First, through the statewide PA Cup results. The top 30 will definitely go. That's the top 30 having scored by the World Cup point system. That is: 100 points for first place in a race. 80 for second, 60 for 3rd, down to 1 point for 30th. That gives you the "automatics". Then come the regional qualifiers. For you, that's any races held in the East or NE region, including Cup races. This year, it's just the two GS races at Blue and the slalom at Jack Frost. For this qualification, they go by each run. That'll be 6 total runs. ONE LESS THAN HALF of 6 is 2. Got it? Half of 6 is 3. One less than 3 is 2. Now, look at your results for those two runs versus other kids only in your Northeast region. If you finish 34 overall at Blue in run one, take out all the Western, Central, and East kids. Say there are 20 NE boys. And you finished, say, 6th among them. You'd get 40 World Cup points. If you do that well twice, you'd stand at 80 points. So you take all the boys in just the Northeast Region and the 17 with the two best runs in NE qualifiers will go to Finals. That's also the 17 best AFTER the automatics are taken out. So the best racers on CAT, for instance, will be invited because they are among the top 30 automatics. It's then the next best 17 that qualify through Regional races. A lot go, 'Dude. So if you can hang around the top 40, then your chances are GREAT. It's a lot of math and is rarely decided until the final run of the last race.

'Dude, if there are 175 total J1/2 racers (both male and female), then there will be about 100 racers invited to Finals. Because of the higher percentage of males, 59 will be guys and 32 girls---and 9 discressionary spots. Two ways to get to Finals: First, be in the top 30 to 35 guys through the four Cup races; secondly, it's the best finishes in one less than half of all races held in the East and Northeast---that will include the Cup races at Blue. So it'll turn out that the top 65 or so guys out of the 100 J1/2's will make Finals. 34th is a very good finish.

No, that would eliminate all the best racers that crash out of a single run. I forget off hand, but that's definitely not the case. I'll look it up...Sib would remember, if she were around...

Some parents are nightmares when it comes to gatekeeping. They get 20 seconds of instruction, then are sent out to watch for something to happen at their assigned gates. And some gatekeepers feel a need to "see an error". So if your shinning a gate, they'll automatically DQ you. Shinning, btw, is what Bode does perfectly, which is cut the gate off at the boot tops by taking the perfect, legal line. Hey, 'Dude, I don't know the quota, but two more 34's and aren't you a lock for Finals? Great job!

Naw, just different. My oldest skied for fun until she was 11 or 12. She raced just because she's competitive and she's just as, if not more, intense about her running. I'm still trying to carve a turn as perfectly as my oldest...but it's just not happening.

Yeah, what's up with wussy chicks that cry easy?...you hold off until it really hurts...

So it was 3 degrees, with a -25 degree windchill...and the first day of a very long and hopefully illustrious racing career began today...

When you ski in gates and both skis don't go around the pole. In giant slalom it often pulls your ski off because there are two gates connected by a panel at the top. Missy had an encounter with a single spring loaded slalom pole called a Break-Away, which usually causes less damage and you often don't even fall. But it can twist your knee if you "hook your tip" close to your boot because it spins that leg outward.

Well, Snowtime Inc. will take it over at a reasonable price (it's worth $4 million or so). They own Liberty, Whitetail, Windham, and Roundtop. For a ski area, Montage is run with an amazingly low overhead. The local economy has been terrible, with businesses like Corning closing, yet they've only lost money once in the last six years because of last year's crappy XMas weather. It sucks that they jacked up season pass prices, instead of lowering them to draw in more people. That's the only decision I really disagree with. Areas like Mammoth and lots of Colorado resorts have proven that it's better to drop season pass prices and draw more people in for concessions, etc.

Were you at Roundtop today?

Yes, terrible. But good for keeping lift lines short.

Powder gets in the way of perfectly good ice...

If he can score 30th place finishes (or even Top 40), he'll definitely make PA Cup Finals. That's the goal. I'm guessing that there are about 80 guys. A Top 30 finish is very good; a Top 20 finish is great.

Let us know when you hear about Missy... And what the heck? 'Dude didn't stick around for run 2 results? Was it snowing like crazy? 30th is solid and scores him a point, if he held onto it after run 2...

Yeah, Magic was for sale, but it needed upgrading of the lifts and a major expansion in the snowmaking system. The new owners just havent gotten to it, yet. People hate Mad River, too, but it's a different kind of ski experience...and not one to have if it hasn't snowed much.