Nastar

[skifreak]

Who is doing nastar this winter and where at? I plan on going to bear creek on tuesday and wednesday nights to do it.

[AtomicSkier]

Who is doing nastar this winter and where at? I plan on going to bear creek on tuesday and wednesday nights to do it.

 

im hoping to do it then too

[skimom]

Bear Creek went way up in their prices. It's $38 each to do NASTAR each evening. It's not as if the place was worth skiing...

 

I will do some weekend days at CB with my cronies. We will probably also do an evening or two at Bear Creek. But, I'm looking for options -

[Ski]

I was just reading an old SKIING mag editorial about NASTAR and running gates at mountains. It asked why ski areas feel the need to charge extra for people to run coin-op or NASTAR. Parks and halfpipes are far more expensive than setting and running a race course. The amount of snowmaking needed for hits and the pipe, as well as terrain park features, and snowcat times, far outway the cost of basic timing gear, gates, and staff. Could you imagine having to pay $5 to take two runs down a halfpipe?

 

And this will never change since ski areas never consider giving something back once they've charged for it.

 

Most ski areas only hold NASTAR on weekends (CB, Shawnee, Montage) when ticket prices are already highest.

 

I can't count how many times kids have skied up to a NASTAR course and asked if it cost extra, then skied away when they were told it did. NASTAR is a great idea that ultimately hurts ski racing. USSA programs like the CAT Team would flourish with new kids if Raceway was free. Get kids a taste of racing and they get hooked.

 

Or maybe they should just charge for the terrain parks? Hmmm...

[skidude]

No, cause then the park rats would just come out onto the trails and build jumps and stuff. Now that would be a headache (and insurance issue) for the ski area.

[skigurl]

maybe when ever i have time. and i'd do it at CBack and a couple times at Gore and maybe whiteface b.c their Nastar courses are REALLY cool

[Ski]

'Dude, you still have rules, it's not a free-for-all. There are Aholes everywhere, even now. The motivation to charge shouldn't be to keep buttheads from building jumps. It just shouldn't cost extra to recreationally race, while it's free to use all the other runs.

 

I've run courses at Beaver Creek where there's no starter...you just come up to the start wand and push off. At the bottom, your time flashes for about 20 seconds, then is gone.

[skimom]

It just shouldn't cost extra to recreationally race, while it's free to use all the other runs. I've run courses at Beaver Creek where there's no starter...you just come up to the start wand and push off. At the bottom, your time flashes for about 20 seconds, then is gone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hey, someone's gotta pay for those JEEP KING OF THE MOUNTAIN medals. All that gold, silver and bronze must be worth at least a tenth of a cent. Also, their efficient and accurate system of timing, recording and databasing times and handicaps - they hire a bunch of dynamos to run that, right??? Oh yes, and the fees for making sure that there are dudes who pretend to maintain the courses.

 

[Ski]

A weekend day ticket at CB is $48. That includes all the terrain park and halpipe runs I want. Put up some gates and set up a timer and suddenly they feel a need to charge extra, despite it being much cheaper to maintain than the parks?

[skidude]

Ski, you ever realize how almost all mountains hate there race teams? For a long time there they were going to get rid of the CATs, except Sam N,'s daughter was on it.

 

Basicly they hate racers, so lets make everything harder for them.

[Ski]

Yeah, they hate CATs...believe me, I know. And Elk makes the team RENT their race slope for regular season and Finals races, so it's not just CB. But CB seems to be driven to convert itself into a colorful, plastic snowtubing wonderland.

Ever hear of Tremblant, 'Dude? Every CB Board of Directors member should drive up north and spend a week there, in a place that strives to be more like a European village resort than a freaking McDonalds. And Tremblant makes money and doesn't look like a giant pre-school playground.

 

My point, though, is that I think it sucks that ski areas charge for race slopes and not parks. I'd happily pay higher dues for ASRA; and, USSA programs should probably charge more, so more coaches could be hired and paid better.

 

But NASTAR is not a noble enterprise. It's a money making business---which is fine--- but kids get very little out of it for the money they pay. Money for NASTAR and money for the ski area. And not a minute of coaching, unless you pay $100, or so for a clinic at Nationals.

 

If NASTAR offered a free clinic weekend for kids at each resort, then maybe I'd understand.

[skimom]

I don't totally agree, since the option to NASTAR at most resorts, like CB, would be no racing. For 5 dollars a kid can get a big thrill, and confidence, from winning a NASTAR medal. But, the point is well taken that you won't get fast hanging around in a NASTAR line 30 minutes to do a run, then get no feedback as to why you were so slow.

 

And, to get faster, you need to take a lot of runs. An untimed race course set up that skiers could practice on would be invaluable.

[Ski]

But that's the option ski areas have chosen: NASTAR or nothing. That's where the mistake is made. I'm not suggesting getting rid of NASTAR and coin-op racing, I'm suggesting that charging extra for kids to ski through gates will deter a large portion from doing it.

 

Our private hill holds races and the fee is two bucks for two runs. When they need my help as a starter, I also collect the money. And I feel like a total creep taking two bucks from little kids that just want to see if they can make it down through the gates. Two bucks to see if it's something they think is cool to do. And our ski school director that runs the races thinks I'm either mathematically challenged---or perhaps a thief---because I refuse to turn away a kid that doesn't have money.

 

Imagine paying your kid's Little League entry fee. Then every time he wanted to pitch, it would cost $5 extra. How many great pitchers would we have?

 

Is it so crazy to suggest ski management treat entry-level racing as if it's part of the skiing experience when you come to their mountain? That basic race courses are provided just like terrain parks and pipes?

[Ski]

Who is doing nastar this winter and where at? I plan on going to bear creek on tuesday and wednesday nights to do it.

And, BTW, sorry Skifreak, I didn't mean to hijack the thread as a bitch session about NASTAR. I just get pissed at ski area management...

 

Did you race last season?

[skifreak]

And, BTW, sorry Skifreak, I didn't mean to hijack the thread as a bitch session about NASTAR. I just get pissed at ski area management...

 

Did you race last season?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ah, don't worry about it ski in a way I agree with you. I did not get a chance to race last season but plan on doing it this season at bear creek. I ordered a sasquatch card so that should help keep the cost down. I did race seasons before but somehow they claim "I was never registered?" so I have no results from previous years.

[Ski]

Sibhusky used to think I was nuts when I'd tell her that a great day of skiing was three warm up runs and two runs down a race course. Running gates is addictive for some people (uh hum: Skimom)...and me too, I suppose.

[sibhusky]

No "used to" about it. Snow is for skiing on, not standing around.

[Ski]

No "used to" about it.  Snow is for skiing on, not standing around.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And my handicaps would stink with you around, Sib, 'cause you'd MAKE me ski all morning before NASTAR at CB.

 

Yeah, I blame you for my slow times.