Quick TR for 12/28

[Ski]

Headed over for today's Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, which is an ultra-amateur one run fun race where they give away pretty much all you can drink Mountain Dew, skis and boards, t-shirts, etc...plus, medals for the first three racers in each age/gender.

 

We pulled into a surprisingly empty lot at 9am. Sunny skies for a change and the temps were in the 30's, with light wind. We took a few warm up runs on Whistler, then pretty much hung out at the start house in the warm sun. It was awesome to finally ski in the sun---it seems like it's been foggy and damp for weeks.

 

The people that run the Mountain Dew circuit do a great job. They also raise money for Make A Wish, so it's a good cause, too. The race is free, but you can buy raffle tickets, plus they have a ton of sponsors.

 

To the race: Ty was in the 7-9 yr female skier category and ended up the youngest and smallest. But she made some nice turns and finished 2 seconds behind the winner for third place out of five or six kids. My wife hates to race, but handed me her skis last night to tune and beat eight other women to also finish third. Kind of funny that Ty is now within 10 seconds of my wife's time on the NASTAR course. Ty should be taking her down by February...and maybe me soon after.

 

After the race, we headed to the lodge and checked our skis at the FREE SKI CHECK. Good job to Sno for not charging $3 to check skis anymore.

 

Amy entered a soda chugging contest and won a soft cooler and three long-sleeve t-shirts. She totally smoked a couple of 12 yr old's, which is fair because she's built like an 11 yr old. Then, Ty won a raffle for a cooler, basketball, Shrek puzzle, and two long-sleeve t-shirts. Every racer also received a t-shirt, so we scored eight shirts in all. They are four different designs and styles, so we don't need to shop for Mountain Dew t-shirts for at least another year.

 

My good friend (and racewax.com teammate) won my division and his son won his. I was .07 seconds behind second, but that guy was wearing a speedsuit, which is good for shaving about a second or so off your time on that course. I'm not big on pulling out my speedsuit for NASTAR type races.

 

When we were leaving, I noticed the entire right half of the lot was full. Good news for the new owners. The slopes weren't crowded, but it seemed like business was solid for the day. Def their best day of the season.

[Melissa]

Wow, sounds like you guys had an awesome time! I wish I could have stopped by to watch everyone, but I was stuck at work, of course! Ski, do you know whether there is a list of all the fun happenings at Sno this season? Maybe I should call for a schedule? I'd like to calendar them. I don't think I'll ever win anything ON my skis, but I could be a contender for the chugging contest.

[Matt80]

The mountain dew thing today was sweet, i only liked it because of the free amp. Towards the end of the night it got reall crowded up top, and it was amazing to ride in the sun today.

[Ski]

Wow, sounds like you guys had an awesome time! I wish I could have stopped by to watch everyone, but I was stuck at work, of course! Ski, do you know whether there is a list of all the fun happenings at Sno this season? Maybe I should call for a schedule? I'd like to calendar them. I don't think I'll ever win anything ON my skis, but I could be a contender for the chugging contest.

Hey, Melissa, you'd asked when NASTAR starts...they run it every Sat/Sun from 10-12 and 1-3. It's $5 for two runs and $10 for unlimited runs each session. I'm pretty sure you'd be in the bronze medal range right away. Just sign up at the start shack at the top of Switch. Otherwise, I don't think there are that many special events. A ski shop demo day, a couple of USSA races, whatever snowboard or terrain park events, and then the pond skimming/passholder party stuff at the end.