Masters Moments: Intermountain thrown to the Wolf

Intermountain masters were treated this weekend (Jan. 6-7) with a trip to a new race venue — Wolf Mountain, just east of Eden, Utah. Wait, it is actually WEST of Eden.

INTERMOUNTAIN MASTERS were treated this weekend (Jan. 6-7) with a trip to a new race venue — Wolf Mountain, just east of Eden, Utah. Wait, it is actually WEST of Eden.
    A hardworking group of race organizers provided excellent racing for an excited bunch of slalom and GS racers.
    Saturday, the slalom was held on Barney’s Run, a multi-pitched, hard-surfaced slope right under the chairlift. With snow falling and low-light conditions, the pitches and transitions challenged the racers to stay on course. It is always fun to have the lift service right on the racing slope. You can see every racer while you take laps.
    A total of 64 competitors pushed hard out of the start. Notable female performances included Dana Alexandrescu battling through for victory despite taking a gate to the mouth; Dasha Kadulova showing she is not just a speed-event threat; Glenn McKonkey finding much hard work and good coaching coming together; and Nancy Auseklis successfully finding early form to fend off close followers Amy Lanzel and Anna Droege.
    For the men, Nick Babilis made it into the super-seed in his first masters race. Other notables included class winners Don Sears, Harold Wescott, Steve Slivinski, Bob Sarchett (leader of the Sun Valley traveling team) and Will Jamison. Top three men were Michael (“Skeletor”) Falk, Bobby (“Crazy Legs”) Skinner and racer-turned-Web blogger Steve Linck.
    The Saturday night awards presentation yielded a top-rate party at the new Wolf Mountain banquet facility, including prizes from event sponsor Dominator Wax, a band and very nice appetizers.
    Sunday’s giant slalom was held under welcoming blue skies as the racers competed on a run named Moose. Young Riley Bergseng bested all comers over two solid runs for the men. Alexandrescu again rose to the top of the women’s field. Fischer equipment propelled the top-ranked Ryan Leach to another solid result in second, just behind Bergseng. Thunder Jalili was faster than lightning in third. Other notables included Pam Skinner for overall style, Adam Mangone for heart and excellent prerace mock bookmaking, Sarah Lemire for setting and overachieving her personal goals and Steve Osguthorpe, same.
    Special thanks to Meri Stratton, Keith Rounkles, Mike Wade, Tom Reinerth, Don Sears, the Skinner Brothers, and all the hardworking, friendly employees of Wolf Mountain, a truly great place to ski.

Far West Masters
    Far West Masters held the annual Viva Italia race at Heavenly Valley Ski Resort, South Lake Tahoe, California, on Sunday, Jan. 7 under blue skies and a fast, firm track. Two slaloms were run back to back. The racers, though exhausted, loved the four-run format. The Viva Italia party, one of Far West’s big social events, followed, hosted by retired racer John Gianotti. The perpetual trophies winners, based on speed and age, were Linda Crowell and Brian Bowlds. Last year’s winners were Bill Skinner and Deb Lewis.
    Far West races every other weekend. The next race series, the Bernard Cup super G, GS and slalom, is at Squaw Valley, Jan. 19-21. This event is sponsored by Bob Bernard, another legend in ski racing, who in his 80s and is a big national winner.
    Far West Masters races aim for a good balance between speed and technical events. There are three super G’s on the calendar along with a balance of slalom and GS’s.
    For more information, check out the Web site, www.farwestmasters.org.

Rocky Mountain Masters
    Rocky Mountain Masters Schaller Cup GS and slalom races were held at Winter Park in blistering cold conditions, giving racers with waxing expertise a bit of an advantage. Saturday’s GS was a lung-burning marathon, with average times of 1 minute, 20 seconds. Sunday’s slalom — 52 gates set on a rhythmic course — was a real test of technique. The Schaller Cup, awarded to the best sportage times, went to Victoria Valar in Class 5 and Pepi Neubauer, a visiting masters racer, in Class 8.

Pacific Northwest
    Weather scrapped the weekend for PNSA masters racers. Saturday’s race was canceled because of a power outage at the area — major trunk lines took a hit. Sunday’s race was canceled (tough to say in lieu of Eastern’s season) because of too much snow and limited visibility.
    The races are being rescheduled for Jan. 13-14.

Northern Masters
    The Northern Masters Hellgate Cup SL/SL competition to name the fastest slalom skier in the district returned to beautiful Sunrise Bowl at Montana Snowbowl Jan. 6-7. Too much snow hampered racers both days, with frequent loss of skiers and staff to powder runs, as fresh snow and high winds continuously redistributed Northern’s wealth across the mountain, freshly filling just-finished runs that begged for repeats, like delicious deja vu. The course was eventually buffed down enough for some great runs on one of the premier slalom venues in the region.
    Homeboys Jim Ragan and Jim Cole set consistently rhythmic, challenging and fast courses on a boilerplate base of manmade layered with light, dry fresh. All racers survived the perilous pitch of the first five gates, although Northern’s oldest active competitor, 85-year-old Francis Balice of Big Sky, was granted a special “low start” to avoid the boot pack to the main launch, which felt like the lip of a monster swell on Waiemea Bay. Canadian champion Bobby Swan made his annual trek across the border to demonstrate his flawless technique and inspiring enthusiasm, dominating not just his 60 and up age group, but many in the main field — if racers can get “chicked” in an event, this weekend they got “Seniored.”
    The rest of Northern’s deep Class 6, led by Tom Robideaux of Sandpoint and Percy Amble and Fran Noel of Big Sky, fought sportingly among themselves for the silver and bronze scraps left by Swan.
    The men’s 40-plus bracket saw the return to racing from parenting duty of two fast fathers, Ron Matelich of Whitefish and Mark Williams from Missoula, obviously tuning up for Northern’s hosting of nationals. Both found some glory in finishing silver and bronze to Dennis “Champ” Wilhelmsen of Trout Creek. Although new to fatherhood and still learning to sleep through nighttime feedings, Class 3 leader Toby Chapman of Missoula summoned the energy to retain the coveted Hellgate Cup for fastest four-race combined time for another year, hurtling himself down the slope like a titanium slinky, the powerful grace of his reciprocating turns recognizable from any spot on the mountain.

New York Masters
    New York State is home to Whiteface, twice an Olympic venue, with some of the best skiing in the East. It even gets cold enough there to have real snow. Unfortunately, it’s far from even a small city, and none of the region’s masters racers live or ski there. Most live in central and western New York, where the highest vertical is about 1,200 feet (Bristol Mountain.) That’s where Pepi Neubauer skis, when he’s not skiing out West, which is apparently where he s
kies most of the time because New York doesn’t have any snow.
    One N.Y. ski resort is Labrador Mountain. (Can you call it a resort if it has 700 feet vertical? Well, it’s open more hours than resorts such as Sun Valley or Aspen, because it has night skiing. Racers can ski every night after work from 5-10 p.m. and get in at least 15 runs on the old, slow chairs.
    In December, Labrador was open for about 11 days (not at night!), but on some days the manmade granular ice chunks quickly melted in the 60-degree temperatures and driving rain that have been persistent since before Christmas.
    Three weekends of races have been canceled, but instead, racers get to bike and watch complete coverage of World Cup skiing on the Web. And think of the money racers are saving on ski wax, gas to the ski area and beer at the non-existent Tuesday night league races. With all that money saved, racers can drive to Vermont to hurl themselves down Stratton’s North American GS to see how well biking can train you for GS turns.
    But wait, forecasters are predicting big lake-effect snow Tuesday night. Lake Ontario is so warm that any winds coming across will pick up lots of moisture and dump snow on areas south and east of the lake. Unfortunately, all but one of the ski areas are too far south to benefit from lake-effect snow. But temperatures may get cold enough to MAKE SNOW!! Racers may be skiing by Friday.
    So, please, Ski Racing, keep New York masters informed of all the fun their Western friends are having at their races, especially the parties, because that's what they miss most.

Midwest Masters
    Despite the lack of snow in the midwest, Midwest Masters is pulling out all the stops. After some rain and three different schedule changes, Midwest is still able to keep the racing going. If the ski areas can make it, the races are on. Midwest Masters racers at the Giants Ridge race were ecstatic to find excellent racing conditions. Four demanding giant slalom courses brought about some fierce rivalries, with some races won by just hundredths of a second.
    Two giant slaloms were held on Jan. 6, with Nick Sargent fastest both days, Steve Lindemer second-fastest and Mike Auge posting third-fastest times. Other class winners were Chris Gydesen, Ken McAdam, Dan Armstrong, Heidi Lindemer, Patty Hoben, Bruce Bonde, Jim Hoben, Nina Sargent.
    Two more GS races were held the next day. Nick Sargent, Auge, McAdam, Heidi Lindemer, Patty Hoben and Bonde were winners in the first one. Second-race winners were Bonde, McAdam, Patty Hoben, Heidi Lindemer, Ryan Fuller and Auge.

SR wants your masters news
    Masters Moments will appear weekly on skiracing.com as a supplement to our masters coverage in Ski Racing magazine. Send masters roundups, news, tidbits, Waxroom items, results and photos to Ski Racing at dcameron@skiracing.com or hmckee@skiracing.com.