Nastar

[Johnny Style]

I know that Nastar doesn't start for a few more weeks at Blue but I was checking out the database tonight and saw that our local pacesetter kicked ass this year. A good omen?

 

[mbike-ski]

thats good news!

[kragan]

Can you explain to me why this would be good news? Honestly I don't know anything about NASTAR and what role the pacesetter plays.

[Brian]

Nice! What are some names I should be looking at for Blue's pace-setters?

[Brian]

Can you explain to me why this would be good news? Honestly I don't know anything about NASTAR and what role the pacesetter plays.

 

Basically the way Nastar works is you get a professional skier to set the time of the course.

Then in that same exact course you have reps from local mountains run that course and they compare times. Based on that.. the local reps (pace-setters) have their handicap set.

 

EXAMPLE

 

So then each night when the local mountain sets up a course.. the pace-setter will run the course and their handicap will apply just how slow or fast the course is.

 

 

 

 

By the local pace-setter doing really well at the pacesetting trials.. that will make things easier for the average Joe at their local mountain because it'll be harder for the pace-setter to do equally well each time they set pace.

 

It's confusing... and I might have done more harm than good trying to explain it. Just run Nastar a few times to get a feel for how their handicap system works and it'll make a little more sense.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Brian

[mbike-ski]

last year was a little frustrating, mike meyers was the pacesetter most nights and must have been bodie'd up or something during the national pacesetting trials then would come out and kill it thusday nights - somewhat skewing the handicaps. add on top of that what i thought were some pretty difficult course sets most nights resulted in higher handicaps for hacks like me one of the fun things for me about racing and nastar is you typically see a real quantitative result/progression as your skiing improves. last season i felt i was skiing better but the result were going the other way. still a good time any way you cut it though

[mbike-ski]

the pacesetter concept is that in any given race your racing against the national pacesetter - us ski team member darron rhalves in the past, not sure this year - based on a mathematical formula determined by the local pacesetters performance on the course. If my times give me a 25 handicap it basically means i'm running it 25% slower than the national pacesetter's theoretical time if he were on the same course.

[Johnny Style]

A.J. Kitt is the national pacesetter. Over on epic there is a thread about how they are accusing A.J. and Bill Madsen of rigging the pacesetter trials because five local Michigan guys beat him flat out last year. This year was a different story.

 

But yeah, the rumor was that a poor showing at trials caused our pacesetter to have an inflated handicap. He is the fastest skier on any given night at Blue, but he has a 17 handicap? No way. That is barely Gold. He pulled a 12 during one of those races last week. On one of those races he was right there with Nattress who always seems to be one of the top dogs around here. Nattress is usually like a 7 or 8.

 

Lets hope a high tide raises all boats.

 

[Justo8484]

i don't quite follow this nastar business, but if the pacesetter runs a good time at national pacesetting, then average times on nightly pacesetting, doesn't this just artificially make you look like a better skier in comparison to the national average than you really are?

[mbike-ski]

i don't quite follow this nastar business, but if the pacesetter runs a good time at national pacesetting, then average times on nightly pacesetting, doesn't this just artificially make you look like a better skier in comparison to the national average than you really are?

it can work that way and does every once in awhile - i had a gold/14 or something silly hc day a few years back at greek. i had a good run - not quite that good tho it works pretty well most days

[Cadillac]

I'm already Platinum I got nothing to prove.

 

Smoked Kitt a year ago.

[Johnny Style]

I beat the pacesetter at Snowmass today for the first time in my life. I was .05 from a platinum. Then a ski instructor came along and laid down a 4 handicap on a pair of Atomic GS11's to put me in my place. The guy's start alone made my jaw drop. Just pure power. There was a five minute course hold to fix all the gates he knocked out.

 

I think 2 guys beat Kitt last week at the Western trials in Snowmass. The Ajax pacesetter was one of the guys. He has a 1 handicap.

 

[Cadillac]

A.J. Kitt is the national pacesetter. Over on epic there is a thread about how they are accusing A.J. and Bill Madsen of rigging the pacesetter trials because five local Michigan guys beat him flat out last year. This year was a different story.

 

But yeah, the rumor was that a poor showing at trials caused our pacesetter to have an inflated handicap. He is the fastest skier on any given night at Blue, but he has a 17 handicap? No way. That is barely Gold. He pulled a 12 during one of those races last week. On one of those races he was right there with Nattress who always seems to be one of the top dogs around here. Nattress is usually like a 7 or 8.

 

Lets hope a high tide raises all boats.

 

 

It all depends if AJ was out trying to get a little Trimm the night before. He was probably just hung over from chasing tail while his wifey is at home