Ski Posted April 1, 2006 Report Posted April 1, 2006 (edited) Just got back from a deadline assignment shooting the Elk Corn Snow Classic, in which a number of US Ski Team members took on some of PA's best junior racers. I could only stay for the first run, which began with decent conditions for the women, followed by the men. The morning started off partly cloudy and warm, but about 10 racers before 'Dude went off, the clouds rolled in, the temps plummeted, and the RAIN came down hard. Really hard! I had to shoot film for AP and FedEx it on my way home, but I had a second camera body for a few action shots... USST member Lauren Ross USST member Resi Stiegler USST member Kara Crow 'Dude 'Dude USST member Ted Ligety Edited April 2, 2006 by ski999 Quote
bigdaddyk Posted April 1, 2006 Report Posted April 1, 2006 Just got back from a deadline assignment shooting the Elk Snow Corn Classic, in which a number of US Ski Team members took on some of PA's best junior racers. I could only stay for the first run, which began with decent conditions for the women, followed by the men. The morning started off partly cloudy and warm, but about 10 racers before 'Dude went off, the clouds rolled in, the temps plummeted, and the RAIN came down hard. Really hard! I had to shoot film for AP and FedEx it on my way home, but I had a second camera body for a few action shots... How crowded was it at Elk and how did the snow hold up, on the trails open to the public? I might go Sunday, but not if it's a zoo. Quote
Ski Posted April 1, 2006 Author Report Posted April 1, 2006 180 racers, along with mostly non-skiing families. Otherwise, totally dead. But the rain had a lot to do with it. I imagine the timing of the weather will really cut into tomorrow's ticket sales. I'd definitely head back to Elk tomorrow, if I weren't going to Belleayre. As a matter of fact, I'd have headed back after shipping film, if it weren't for the rain...instead, I'm off to hike our hill now that the sun's back out. And, yeah, 'Dude looked awesome. He screwed up a flush at the top, which made him push the lower part and he was on the pace of the top guys. Very cool. Maybe he'll put two together tomorrow. The course held up really well until just before 'Dude's run. If it were a World Cup, they'd have put a 'hold' on. There's no way 'Dude could have seen anything. The top female, Resi Stiegler, who is ranked 15th in the world, hooked a tip right after the gate in the picture and had to hike. Quote
Ski Posted April 2, 2006 Author Report Posted April 2, 2006 It's now official that we call Skidude "Mr. Skidude". He gave his first autograph today, to a J4/5 kid... Skimom failed to get a picture of Mr. Skidude giving the autograph...bad job, 'Mom. Quote
skidude Posted April 2, 2006 Report Posted April 2, 2006 (edited) Well it didn't go all that great for me. Saturday I got late or something, and ended up missing the top gate of a hairpin, causing me to go threw it backwards (after stopping to make it threw) and then it was just pretty slow from there on. It was pretty nasty when I got in the start (and for about 3 races infront and 3 races behind me) it was raining and foggy. Second run satruday was a little better, but didn't go well enough for a points race. Today there was a course that was just super fast 1st run. I was looking at it, and there was a 3 gate flush at the bottom (about 3 gates from the end), and the gates in the flush were pretty tight. In inspection I thought "wow, those gates are really tight, and you are going to be flying, be ready for it". In my run I hit a rut or something, and got launched past the first gate, then hiked back up to finish it. Second run I started 70th, and had a decent run, considering the course was beatttttt by that time. Probably no points for me. The USST guys thought it was a World Cup race or something, because aside from one gate where they scrubbed speed, they were really going at it. They also set 2 courses (guys/girls) each day. Satruday night they desided not to groom the trail, hoping that the snow would stay harder if they didn't. Which means by the end of the day on Sunday they had 8 different runs down the same trail.. Also as '999 said, a little girl came up to me and asked me for my autograph...She must have been really confused Edited April 4, 2006 by skidude Quote
skimom Posted April 2, 2006 Report Posted April 2, 2006 Skimom failed to get a picture of Mr. Skidude giving the autograph...bad job, 'Mom. If you were racing Ligety, and I was your 'Mum, would you want me hovering while you gave all the cute chicks your autograph? Quote
Ski Posted April 2, 2006 Author Report Posted April 2, 2006 If you were racing Ligety, and I was your 'Mum, would you want me hovering while you gave all the cute chicks your autograph? Ha, it would have been a CLASSIC photo, though. Quote
sibhusky Posted April 2, 2006 Report Posted April 2, 2006 You're telling me in a points race they were allowing people to miss gates???????? Excuse me, but WTF? The last race that Siblet was in that had a problem like that, all ten girls who'd run the course to the point that they decided there was an issue had to re-run the course after they fixed the problem. What bugged us was even the girls who DNF'd before they got to that point got to re-run the course. Quote
skidude Posted April 3, 2006 Report Posted April 3, 2006 (edited) *** Edited April 4, 2006 by skidude Quote
sibhusky Posted April 3, 2006 Report Posted April 3, 2006 That is totally unfair to you and anyone else who made the gates. Quote
Ski Posted April 3, 2006 Author Report Posted April 3, 2006 Sib, I remember a PA Cup GS at Elk where the final gate was just below the headwall near the finish and 10 girls missed it. Maybe because most that missed it were ranked in the top 20, they just let it slide, saying the gate was "too deceiving". That was pretty lame for anything older than J5's. Quote
skidude Posted April 3, 2006 Report Posted April 3, 2006 (edited) Yeah, really sucks. I keep telling myself in SL never to stop, even if I know I missed a gate, just keep going....But I always hike...but whatever...I'll live. Edited April 4, 2006 by skidude Quote
skimom Posted April 3, 2006 Report Posted April 3, 2006 Sibby, I agree. In addition to knowing inside info, their ability to update racers puts other kids at a disadvantage. Some teams had fantastic communication with racers receiving updates on course conditions through the entire process. But 'dude is right about hiking. He's fast enough that if he has to hike, it's impossible to hike and make it up. I'm continually impressed by how many straddles and other close calls are missed by gatekeepers - maybe 50%. For most races, if it isn't obvious, a fast racer is better off continuing. How many of us would have picked up on Bode's straddle in the Olympic games? BTW, '999, your pics were MUCH better than those of ELK's "professional" photographer. Quote
Papasteeze Posted April 3, 2006 Report Posted April 3, 2006 BTW, '999, your pics were MUCH better than those of ELK's "professional" photographer. Liggedty's is especially good in that it captures the guys in the background grinning. Quote
Ski Posted April 3, 2006 Author Report Posted April 3, 2006 I read a cool article about Resi Stiegler in Jackson Hole magazine. Her father Pepi(looks like her grandfather) was a legend and is used to be in charge of the ski school at J-hole. There is even a ski shop named after Pepi.. "Forty-four years ago Pepi Stiegler skied into Olympic history, winning a silver medal in giant slalom at Squaw Valley in 1960. Four years later he claimed gold and bronze medals in slalom and giant slalom at Innsbruck." I remember watching one of Resi's earliest World Cup races on TV and one announcer said, "She certainly has good genes." Then the other announcer replied, "Yes, and when she's a year or two older I'd like to get in her jeans." Quote
sibhusky Posted April 4, 2006 Report Posted April 4, 2006 But 'dude is right about hiking. He's fast enough that if he has to hike, it's impossible to hike and make it up. I'm continually impressed by how many straddles and other close calls are missed by gatekeepers - maybe 50%. For most races, if it isn't obvious, a fast racer is better off continuing. How many of us would have picked up on Bode's straddle in the Olympic games? I won't gatekeep SL as I have too hard a time telling if they made it or not. Quote
skidude Posted April 4, 2006 Report Posted April 4, 2006 (edited) I won't gatekeep SL as I have too hard a time telling if they made it or not. *** Edited April 4, 2006 by skidude Quote
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