The World Cup according to Grande: Summer is Hood Season

By Published On: July 6th, 2010Comments Off on The World Cup according to Grande: Summer is Hood Season

I was in Mammoth, California in May and it was excellent. Winter conditions with some fresh, cold snow. A hard layer underneath made it very winter-like for our training. The Mammoth training continued to be excellent through June. I heard Mt. Bachelor had good snow in May as well. But with Bachelor shutting down at the end of May and Mammoth scheduled to close on the 4th of July (the latest they have been open since 1998), the USA summer season officially shifts north to the Palmer Snowfield on Mt. Hood.

I was there at the end of June and we were greeted by cold weather and clear skies. Limited salting was necessary for the first 6 days I was there with the PV Alpine Summer Camp program (www.pvalpine.com) and the training was excellent. During that time the scene around Govy was gathering of American skiing luminaries. USST members Sarah Schleper and Ted Ligety were there. As was Slovenian slalom star, Bernard Vajdic.  Former U.S. Ski Team World Cuppers:  Libby Ludlow, Scott Macartney, Keely Kelleher, Bryna McCarty, Wade Bishop and Caroline Lalive. There were many others and a lot of excitement on and off the hill with all the big-time skiers around. The air was electric and not with thunderstorms. Reliable Racing, SRD, Speedy’s and, of course, the ever-present Fuxi were all there making deals and selling the equipment that all racers need. There were U.S. Ski Team Development Camps, commercial camps, club camps, academy camps and fantasy camps. As I said, the training was great and the enthusiasm was very high.

Sarah was in Lane 1 with the Sailer camps getting her 10 runs a day, minimum. Showing everyone why she has had such a long and productive career.  A good athlete with that kind of energy and enthusiasm for the sport will always fight their way to the top. Berni Vajdic was also working Lane 1 with Sailer and engineering his comeback after the disappointing injury that ended his Olympic season last year before it even started. Macartney was there with Crystal Mountain, Bryna was helping out with Burke, I was working the PVA camp along with ski teamer Colby Granstrom, Keely has now hooked on with PVA also,   after doing a week with Mt. Hood Academy and Mt. Bachelor in June.

It’s the 4th of July today and I am enjoying the view from my in-law’s ranch in Montana. Relaxing and enjoying family before heading back to Govy on the 9th for another PVA session. And I should be staying a little longer to do a www.alpineraceconsulting.com free-ski clinic, July 19-22. The best thing about the opportunity at Hood right now is that the snow is fantastic. We were skiing out at the Zig-Zag glacier and everywhere between Palmer and Zig-Zag.  Summer has gotten off to a roaring start at Hood this year with tons of snow and a great outlook for the rest of the summer.  July should be great and August could be even better as the cool Oregon nights start sneaking in as the days get just a little shorter.

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Greg “Grande” Needell grew up ski racing at Stratton Mountain, Vermont. After graduating from SMS he skied for NCAA Division 1 St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY where he was co-captain in 1986. Greg returned to SMS to coach there for five years serving as the Head Women’s Coach as well as the Head J2 Men’s Coach. He then moved to Mission Ridge in Wenatchee, Washington in 1992 to become the Program Director and Head Coach of the Mission Ridge Ski Club. In 1997, Greg became the Head Coach at Mammoth Mountain, California.

In 2002 Needell was asked to join the U.S. Ski Team staff as a World Cup SL and GS coach. From 2002 to 2008 Needell helped lead the U.S. Ski Team Men to 43 wins, 105 podiums and 264 top ten finishes. Now at the helm of Alpine Race Consulting, Needell offers his knowledge and experience to clubs nationwide.

Click here for “The World Cup According to Grande” archive.

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About the Author: Eric Williams