Last night was the first practice that we were able to make it down to since the season started. Whitney was SO excited to be back on the slopes again. Things didn't go super smoothly though. The main coach hurt his knee earlier in the season. I kind of had to laugh at that one, it's mid-December and the last few years she wasn't even on the slopes yet but now we're a couple of weeks into the season so there was an "earlier in the season" for the coach to get hurt. Hope you feel better soon, Scott! Anyway, Scott's hurt, there was supposed to be a sub coach there but there were communication problems. A coach finally showed up about 20 minutes late and practice got going. Tonight she's feeling a bit under the weather. She really wanted to go but realized that she wouldn't make it through practice.
Last night we got down there early enough for a few warm up runs before practice was supposed to start, just enough for a reminder to the muscles on how they were supposed to work on snow. Once practice started, the joy began. She told me after that she was so happy to be back snowboarding again. This is one daughter I expect to move away after high school, either for college or to work, and I'll be visiting her in either New England or the West (Colorado probably). She loves the cold, the snow, winter days, snowboarding, and won't be happy living somewhere where these things are out of reach.
Now the hard work begins with the goal of an invite to Nationals again in March. Looking forward to our Colorado vacation!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Snow Even Here Now
We've had a pretty good cold spell that has included ice and snow, even here at our house. All the local ski areas opened the weekend after Thanksgiving this year, then closed for the week, opened last weekend and are going strong now. We've had enough cold that they could make a lot of snow, then we had a couple of good storms come through bring more of the natural stuff.
Practice has already started, at least on the weekends. Weeknight practices start next week so we'll be making the long drive starting then. We're planning on spending a lot of time at the ski slopes over Christmas break. There's plenty of snow now and I'm sure there's more to come since it doesn't look like we'll be getting out of this really cold snap anytime soon.
Practice has already started, at least on the weekends. Weeknight practices start next week so we'll be making the long drive starting then. We're planning on spending a lot of time at the ski slopes over Christmas break. There's plenty of snow now and I'm sure there's more to come since it doesn't look like we'll be getting out of this really cold snap anytime soon.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Parents Meeting/Start of the Season
Last night was the parents meeting for the ski and snowboard teams. Most of it was all stuff we'd heard before - practice schedule, volunteer commitments, etc. There were a few new things. It looks like they're reworking the snowboard team a bit and it sounds like it will be for the better. At this point, we are staying with this team for the long haul so hopefully Whitney can get out of it what she needs. Probably the best news we heard was that since we're looking at a string of really cold days coming up, they hope to open the resort on Nov. 30 for skiing! We'll see if they can actually do that, but if so they will most likely be open weekends only until mid-December. That means no weeknight practices for a while yet, but we'll definitely be gearing up soon.
Since we're getting close to the start of the season, it's time to get a few things done. Last night we were able to take care of getting the girls their season passes so now as soon as the snow starts falling, they'll be able to hit the slopes whether Whitney has practice or not. Whitney was also able to pick up her new jacket before the meeting. Now I need to get her snowboard in for a waxing and sharpening. The last one she got last season was not very good; I'll be talking to the shop about that. She also needs new board pants and a new helmet.
It was rather exciting to see some snow on the top of the mountain last night when we went down. Hopefully more will start falling soon, whether it's from the snow guns lining the slopes or from the skies above.
Since we're getting close to the start of the season, it's time to get a few things done. Last night we were able to take care of getting the girls their season passes so now as soon as the snow starts falling, they'll be able to hit the slopes whether Whitney has practice or not. Whitney was also able to pick up her new jacket before the meeting. Now I need to get her snowboard in for a waxing and sharpening. The last one she got last season was not very good; I'll be talking to the shop about that. She also needs new board pants and a new helmet.
It was rather exciting to see some snow on the top of the mountain last night when we went down. Hopefully more will start falling soon, whether it's from the snow guns lining the slopes or from the skies above.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Snow is Starting to Fall, Just Not Around Here
Yes, it's true, snow is starting to fall in the western states and New England, but it's 75* here today. No snow! I saw on my Snow and Ski app that several resorts in Colorado have gotten snow, the pass near Loveland is closed due to snow, and Copper Mountain is doing a limited opening today. Several resorts in New England, mainly Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have started to open. I'm sure they've only got a few runs ready to roll as well. For all of them, it's going to be full on pretty soon.
As for us, it'll probably be at least a month and a half before there's any hope of hitting the slopes around here, maybe even a bit longer. At least we know it's getting closer. We got the letter last week about the snowboard team; the parents meeting is coming up in a couple of weeks, the grill schedule is out and Bob has signed up for his days, Whitney has been looking at new board pants (hers are getting rather thin in the knees).
Looking forward to colder days!
As for us, it'll probably be at least a month and a half before there's any hope of hitting the slopes around here, maybe even a bit longer. At least we know it's getting closer. We got the letter last week about the snowboard team; the parents meeting is coming up in a couple of weeks, the grill schedule is out and Bob has signed up for his days, Whitney has been looking at new board pants (hers are getting rather thin in the knees).
Looking forward to colder days!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Mid-September
So we're now into mid-late-September and it's actually starting to look a bit like winter. Not around here, of course. Copper Mountain posted some pictures yesterday of the snow they had gotten. It definitely looked like more than a dusting. They also had some comment about the second day of fall being the first day of winter. There were several mountain ranges in the west that got snow over the last few days.
A week or so ago, I saw on facebook that one of the mountains in New Hampshire was firing up their snow guns. Nothing to get excited about yet, they were having a night with cold enough temperatures to fire up the guns for a test run. I haven't seen anything about natural snow falling up north yet.
It will be quite a while before we start seeing any of the white stuff on the East Coast, at least our part of the coast. Hopefully it'll be a cold winter with lots of snow!
A week or so ago, I saw on facebook that one of the mountains in New Hampshire was firing up their snow guns. Nothing to get excited about yet, they were having a night with cold enough temperatures to fire up the guns for a test run. I haven't seen anything about natural snow falling up north yet.
It will be quite a while before we start seeing any of the white stuff on the East Coast, at least our part of the coast. Hopefully it'll be a cold winter with lots of snow!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
It's Only September
We're still months away from any snowboarding, but it's getting closer. USASA is starting to post information about this winter. Hopefully the Appalachian Series will have schedules up soon. I'd really like to know how many boarder cross competitions there will be and where they're going to be held. It would be especially useful if there's only going to be one or two and we have to go out of series for her to get in a couple more.
Whitney also has a list of things she needs to look into before the season starts. She's going to find out the requirements for becoming a snowboard instructor. It would improve her skills plus give her a good job skill. Not that we live close enough to a mountain right now for that to be a possibility but when she goes off to college, it would be good. I would guess she probably has to be 18 though. The other thing she's going to look into is the USSSA (not sure if that's too many "S"s or not) since they are the feeder organization to the Olympics, as I understand it.
For sure on our schedule is the parent meeting at Massanutten in November, practices there all winter, and hopefully another trip to Nationals at Copper Mountain in April.
Whitney also has a list of things she needs to look into before the season starts. She's going to find out the requirements for becoming a snowboard instructor. It would improve her skills plus give her a good job skill. Not that we live close enough to a mountain right now for that to be a possibility but when she goes off to college, it would be good. I would guess she probably has to be 18 though. The other thing she's going to look into is the USSSA (not sure if that's too many "S"s or not) since they are the feeder organization to the Olympics, as I understand it.
For sure on our schedule is the parent meeting at Massanutten in November, practices there all winter, and hopefully another trip to Nationals at Copper Mountain in April.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Dreaming of Winter
We took a vacation to the Southwest and there was still snow on the mountain tops. We saw it in several places in the distance - Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. It made my snowboarder dream of winter and wish she was at the top of the mountains.
All the ski resorts in the area were closed, so she had no chance of snowboarding, but she enjoyed dreaming.
Then we saw this sign at Bryce:
which just made her laugh. No way would she even think of snowboarding there!
She'll just have to keep dreaming of winter for a few more months.
All the ski resorts in the area were closed, so she had no chance of snowboarding, but she enjoyed dreaming.
Then we saw this sign at Bryce:
which just made her laugh. No way would she even think of snowboarding there!
She'll just have to keep dreaming of winter for a few more months.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Some random thoughts
Just some end of season ramblings, things that struck me as funny, odd, or interesting.
First up is the old guys at Mt. Sunapee. I just found it really funny when Whitney and I went up there for our second trip in March. We got there just after opening on Monday morning and there weren't too many younger kids because school was in session. There were, however, lots of old guys (and women, too). These were men in their upper 60s, 70s, and probably 80+ years old. I kept seeing them coming in and out of the lodge, getting a cup of coffee, chatting with their friends, heading back out. Then about noon or a bit after, they all started clearing out. Guess they had gotten in their exercise for the day and were heading off to do other things.
Next is helmets. We have always told the girls they had to wear helmets to bike; no helmet, no biking. Same deal with skiing/snowboarding. Down here at Massanutten, not many seem to wear helmets. You would think with all the signs about it, with Sony Bono and Natasha Richardson both dying from head injuries sustained while skiing, that more people would wear helmets. Maybe they think it's a small mountain so they couldn't get injured that badly or since it's right near the campus of JMU, it's the invincibility of youth (in this case, college students). It's a requirement of the ski/snowboard team to wear helmets during practice. One of Whitney's coaches wears one all the time; he's had a couple of concussions in the past so wants to stay safe. The other coach wears one during team practice but I've seen him without one other times. I'm really surprised that Massanutten doesn't require their instructors to wear helmets. I think I would. I was just reading up about Natasha Richardson (to make sure I had the right person) and she was taking a beginner lesson when she fell and hit her head. It doesn't take racing down the mountain and falling or crashing into a tree (as Sony Bono did) to have a serious head injury.
Big difference when we were in both NH and Colorado. Helmets are much more prevalent both those places. The funniest thing was the suntans that people had in Colorado. Their helmet and goggles covered a good part of their face and many had some sort of mask that covered their nose/chin area but there was still a nice tan on their cheeks. You could really tell that some of these people spent a lot of time on the slopes.
And last is night skiing. Almost all of the ski areas around here have night skiing but very few in New England have it and Copper doesn't. I have no idea why it's different. Is it because we have a shorter season and they have to make the money where they can, i.e., night skiing? The slopes are usually open until 9:00 pm. It's definitely different skiing at night; the lights make shadows and they don't light up the whole width of the slope usually. That's about the only thing I can come up with as to why there's night skiing here and not in other places. I guess if they're going to put all that money into snowmaking they might as well get good use out of it.
That's it for this season. It was a great one, we really enjoyed the trip to Colorado and Nationals. See you all next winter!
First up is the old guys at Mt. Sunapee. I just found it really funny when Whitney and I went up there for our second trip in March. We got there just after opening on Monday morning and there weren't too many younger kids because school was in session. There were, however, lots of old guys (and women, too). These were men in their upper 60s, 70s, and probably 80+ years old. I kept seeing them coming in and out of the lodge, getting a cup of coffee, chatting with their friends, heading back out. Then about noon or a bit after, they all started clearing out. Guess they had gotten in their exercise for the day and were heading off to do other things.
Next is helmets. We have always told the girls they had to wear helmets to bike; no helmet, no biking. Same deal with skiing/snowboarding. Down here at Massanutten, not many seem to wear helmets. You would think with all the signs about it, with Sony Bono and Natasha Richardson both dying from head injuries sustained while skiing, that more people would wear helmets. Maybe they think it's a small mountain so they couldn't get injured that badly or since it's right near the campus of JMU, it's the invincibility of youth (in this case, college students). It's a requirement of the ski/snowboard team to wear helmets during practice. One of Whitney's coaches wears one all the time; he's had a couple of concussions in the past so wants to stay safe. The other coach wears one during team practice but I've seen him without one other times. I'm really surprised that Massanutten doesn't require their instructors to wear helmets. I think I would. I was just reading up about Natasha Richardson (to make sure I had the right person) and she was taking a beginner lesson when she fell and hit her head. It doesn't take racing down the mountain and falling or crashing into a tree (as Sony Bono did) to have a serious head injury.
Big difference when we were in both NH and Colorado. Helmets are much more prevalent both those places. The funniest thing was the suntans that people had in Colorado. Their helmet and goggles covered a good part of their face and many had some sort of mask that covered their nose/chin area but there was still a nice tan on their cheeks. You could really tell that some of these people spent a lot of time on the slopes.
And last is night skiing. Almost all of the ski areas around here have night skiing but very few in New England have it and Copper doesn't. I have no idea why it's different. Is it because we have a shorter season and they have to make the money where they can, i.e., night skiing? The slopes are usually open until 9:00 pm. It's definitely different skiing at night; the lights make shadows and they don't light up the whole width of the slope usually. That's about the only thing I can come up with as to why there's night skiing here and not in other places. I guess if they're going to put all that money into snowmaking they might as well get good use out of it.
That's it for this season. It was a great one, we really enjoyed the trip to Colorado and Nationals. See you all next winter!
Friday, April 26, 2013
End of the season
We made it home from Copper just fine. They ended up getting 6+" of snow; Whitney really wanted to head back out there for more boarding in the powder. Alas, school and the rest of life was calling. At least now, a few weeks later, there's not as much snow falling and Copper is closed for the winter.
Whitney had an awesome season this year. For whatever reason, there were many nights at practice where it was just her and one or two others; one night it was just her. It made for some great one on one coaching and since the one boy that was usually there didn't really care what they did, she got to work on boarder cross skills quite a bit. I think the coaches, seeing how well she did this year and how serious she is, will help her more next year. She enjoyed the local competitions. I think the one at Wisp was the best and probably the best preparation for Nationals. They had a tough course and it was long, although not quite as long as the one at Nationals. She was really stoked to be ranked 6th at one point, she ended the season at 12th in her age group. Both her coaches were really excited for her and how well she did at Nationals.
As far as I know, no decisions have been made about next season yet. She really wants to compete again next season and we're trying to decide if we stay in Virginia or head north, probably to New Hampshire. I think the coaching would just as good in NH, but the mountains are bigger and more challenging/fun. Plus it would be nice not to have to drive so much for practice. Up there, we could probably find someplace within 20-30 minutes of a ski resort, if not closer. On the other hand, she does have a lot of things going on here at home that she can't do in NH, her horse, work, some of her church activities. School is portable, her Girl Scout troop doesn't meet in the winter, so those things don't matter. We'll see what she decides, I really don't know what it's going to be although I think she's leaning towards staying here.
Whitney had an awesome season this year. For whatever reason, there were many nights at practice where it was just her and one or two others; one night it was just her. It made for some great one on one coaching and since the one boy that was usually there didn't really care what they did, she got to work on boarder cross skills quite a bit. I think the coaches, seeing how well she did this year and how serious she is, will help her more next year. She enjoyed the local competitions. I think the one at Wisp was the best and probably the best preparation for Nationals. They had a tough course and it was long, although not quite as long as the one at Nationals. She was really stoked to be ranked 6th at one point, she ended the season at 12th in her age group. Both her coaches were really excited for her and how well she did at Nationals.
As far as I know, no decisions have been made about next season yet. She really wants to compete again next season and we're trying to decide if we stay in Virginia or head north, probably to New Hampshire. I think the coaching would just as good in NH, but the mountains are bigger and more challenging/fun. Plus it would be nice not to have to drive so much for practice. Up there, we could probably find someplace within 20-30 minutes of a ski resort, if not closer. On the other hand, she does have a lot of things going on here at home that she can't do in NH, her horse, work, some of her church activities. School is portable, her Girl Scout troop doesn't meet in the winter, so those things don't matter. We'll see what she decides, I really don't know what it's going to be although I think she's leaning towards staying here.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Copper Mountain, Days 4 & 5
The last two days were mostly just days to relax and have fun. Whitney went snowboarding for a few hours yesterday morning, then came down to say good-bye to Bob who had to head back East. She and I got lunch, then she went out for more fun on the snow. The day was pretty nice and she had a good time. We caught the awards ceremony where a friend got a second in boardercross, then we had an early dinner. After a bit of last minute shopping (I had to get a shirt from Copper), we went back to the condo.
This morning we got up, packed, then went to enjoy some sun while watching the Open category half pipe. Some of them were really good! It was a beautiful, warm morning, then about when we were leaving the clouds started rolling in.
Once we got on the shuttle, it was some crazy weather! It started snowing as we were leaving Copper, then it turned into hail for a bit (longer than I've seen it hail before), then more snow, and finally fog and rain. It's really rather dreary here in Denver.
This morning we got up, packed, then went to enjoy some sun while watching the Open category half pipe. Some of them were really good! It was a beautiful, warm morning, then about when we were leaving the clouds started rolling in.
Once we got on the shuttle, it was some crazy weather! It started snowing as we were leaving Copper, then it turned into hail for a bit (longer than I've seen it hail before), then more snow, and finally fog and rain. It's really rather dreary here in Denver.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Copper Mountain, Day 3
Yesterday was a busy day, filled with fun and lots of hurry up and wait. Whitney was up early to head out to the boarder cross course. They had an early inspection of the course, then since they had made changes to the bottom, they had two practice runs. Bob and I came up a bit later; took the chair lift up then walked down to the course. We walked past the slope style course and saw them getting ready to get started.
The competition was run a bit differently than we were used to. They started with time trials, each girl went down by herself, racing the clock. After that, the girls were ranked by time, then put into brackets. The long wait occurred here. There was a problem with the times for the Youth Women group, so they had to fix that, then redo their brackets. It took quite a while so the race start was pretty delayed since that group was the first to race.
While we waited, we spent lots of time sitting on the mountain, enjoying the beautiful day. It was warm, sunny with clear blue skies. Really nice. I've got some pictures I'll share when we get home.
Once the races started, we had to wait for Whitney's turn. She was in a group of three; she was ranked 16 in the time trials, the other two girls were 6 and 11. She had a poor start but got it together and did really well. She ended up in third, which meant she didn't move on, but she said she had her best run down the course. She felt really good about how the race went.
When she was done, Bob and I walked the rest of the way down the mountain, the three of us grabbed some lunch at the outdoor grill, and walked back to the condo. Whitney was pretty pooped, so we relaxed for a while.
Later we went out and walked around a bit, got a sweatshirt for her and something for her sister. We watched the crowd at Burning Stones plaza and part of the awards ceremonies, went to find dinner.
Whitney said she had a great time, it was lots of fun, and she was really glad she came. One more day here to get in some good snowboarding, then we'll be heading home. We're glad she had her race yesterday, the weather is taking a turn for the worse (possibly some rain/snow today, and warmer temperatures coming).
The competition was run a bit differently than we were used to. They started with time trials, each girl went down by herself, racing the clock. After that, the girls were ranked by time, then put into brackets. The long wait occurred here. There was a problem with the times for the Youth Women group, so they had to fix that, then redo their brackets. It took quite a while so the race start was pretty delayed since that group was the first to race.
While we waited, we spent lots of time sitting on the mountain, enjoying the beautiful day. It was warm, sunny with clear blue skies. Really nice. I've got some pictures I'll share when we get home.
Once the races started, we had to wait for Whitney's turn. She was in a group of three; she was ranked 16 in the time trials, the other two girls were 6 and 11. She had a poor start but got it together and did really well. She ended up in third, which meant she didn't move on, but she said she had her best run down the course. She felt really good about how the race went.
When she was done, Bob and I walked the rest of the way down the mountain, the three of us grabbed some lunch at the outdoor grill, and walked back to the condo. Whitney was pretty pooped, so we relaxed for a while.
Later we went out and walked around a bit, got a sweatshirt for her and something for her sister. We watched the crowd at Burning Stones plaza and part of the awards ceremonies, went to find dinner.
Whitney said she had a great time, it was lots of fun, and she was really glad she came. One more day here to get in some good snowboarding, then we'll be heading home. We're glad she had her race yesterday, the weather is taking a turn for the worse (possibly some rain/snow today, and warmer temperatures coming).
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Copper Mountain, Day 2
Yesterday was day 2 and it was a busy one. Whitney got her competition bib first thing then she and Bob were off. They went up and did some snowboarding/skiing, getting used to the altitude and the slopes here. I went out and wandered around the village some and checked out a few of the shops. We met for an early lunch, then they went back out. Whitney's group had their practice from 12:30-1:45.
It was god that they had the practice time. Although she only got in three runs, it was really helpful. They use a different start gate here than what she's used to using. It was tough the first time out, especially since it's a pretty steep drop down right out of the gate. She also encountered features on the course that she hadn't seen before; don't ask me what they were, I don't know! It was a hard first run down, the course is longer and harder than what she's done before, but she learned with each run.
After practice she was pretty much done. We met up and she and Bob got changed so we could wander around the village for a bit. We found a cool Christmas ornament for our tree and looked at the various tshirts and sweatshirts. After some relaxing time, we went back out for the opening ceremonies. There was a parade of all the series teams, lots of colorful sweatshirts, and banners. Everyone gathered at Burning Stones Plaza for the National Anthem and, speeches, and awards. We met up with a friend she had met at Wisp and Whitney got some encouragement from her. Then it was time for dinner, some tv, and early to bed.
The altitude here is a lot higher than I thought it was going to be. I was thinking it was around 7,000 - 8,000' but it's 12,313'. No wonder I had a bad headache on Friday! At least it's gone now. Just need to keep drinking water, put on the sunscreen, and wait until we get back home to our measly 75' elevation.
It was god that they had the practice time. Although she only got in three runs, it was really helpful. They use a different start gate here than what she's used to using. It was tough the first time out, especially since it's a pretty steep drop down right out of the gate. She also encountered features on the course that she hadn't seen before; don't ask me what they were, I don't know! It was a hard first run down, the course is longer and harder than what she's done before, but she learned with each run.
After practice she was pretty much done. We met up and she and Bob got changed so we could wander around the village for a bit. We found a cool Christmas ornament for our tree and looked at the various tshirts and sweatshirts. After some relaxing time, we went back out for the opening ceremonies. There was a parade of all the series teams, lots of colorful sweatshirts, and banners. Everyone gathered at Burning Stones Plaza for the National Anthem and, speeches, and awards. We met up with a friend she had met at Wisp and Whitney got some encouragement from her. Then it was time for dinner, some tv, and early to bed.
The altitude here is a lot higher than I thought it was going to be. I was thinking it was around 7,000 - 8,000' but it's 12,313'. No wonder I had a bad headache on Friday! At least it's gone now. Just need to keep drinking water, put on the sunscreen, and wait until we get back home to our measly 75' elevation.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Copper Mountain, Day 1
Yesterday we were up super early so we could head out and get our flight to Denver. Got there in plenty of time, got on the plane (saw a couple of other families heading to Nationals), had a smooth flight and landed in Denver on time. Our bags were off the plane pretty quick, we just had to wait for the snowboard and skis, then we grabbed some breakfast to go and found our shuttle.
It was a nice drive up into the mountains west of Denver. The shuttle driver was very chatty so we learned a few things about the area. We drove through some snow showers, lots of sun. After we checked into our condo, we got Whitney registered and checked in for the competition.
Copper Resort is a tpical ski resort town. We don't really see many like this in the East so I guess it's a tpical western ski town. There's a small village of shops with condos on top, a conference center, and lots of restaurants and walking space. We wandered around a bit yesterday, took a nap (it was a long day with the early morning and time change), and went out to dinner. Our condo has a balcony so we spent some time out there watching the ski lift and the minimul action in the plaza outside .
More fun coming up!
It was a nice drive up into the mountains west of Denver. The shuttle driver was very chatty so we learned a few things about the area. We drove through some snow showers, lots of sun. After we checked into our condo, we got Whitney registered and checked in for the competition.
Copper Resort is a tpical ski resort town. We don't really see many like this in the East so I guess it's a tpical western ski town. There's a small village of shops with condos on top, a conference center, and lots of restaurants and walking space. We wandered around a bit yesterday, took a nap (it was a long day with the early morning and time change), and went out to dinner. Our condo has a balcony so we spent some time out there watching the ski lift and the minimul action in the plaza outside .
More fun coming up!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Another New Hampshire trip
I just got back from another New Hampshire trip last night. The season is winding down, with exciting things still to come. Whitney has done really well in the competitions this season at Wintergreen and Wisp and will be going to Colorado next week for Nationals. We spent the end of February going to the regular practices, went to NH for our annual visit and she did some snowboarding while we were there, then the last couple of practices at Massanutten. We went to NH for a few more days of practice since the resorts closer to home are now closed for the season. She had a really good day on Sunday and again on Monday. She was looking forward to Tuesday but we got 10" of snow overnight and into the day on Tuesday. With the roads we had to travel to get to Mt. Sunapee, we decided to stay home and be safe. Definitely the right decision! Besides the snow, the upper part of the mountain was closed due to windy conditions so she wouldn't have been able to get to the part of the mountain with the BX course. She spent the day playing with her cousin and did get out in the snow, just not snowboarding.
Now we're looking ahead to Copper Mountain and Nationals next week. We leave on Friday, she competes on Sunday, we'll have a couple days to hang around, then home, and the season is done.
Now we're looking ahead to Copper Mountain and Nationals next week. We leave on Friday, she competes on Sunday, we'll have a couple days to hang around, then home, and the season is done.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Wisp
Wisp was interesting. It's in a really pretty part of Maryland and I'd love to go back, either in the winter or summer. The day we were there it was REALLY cold, 5* when we got to the resort and windy. Not sure it made it much above 20* that day. Check in was easy this time, we waited around in the lodge a bit, then drove around to the top of the mountain, which was much closer to where the race was being held.
Again, there weren't too many racers so if things went smoothly, we should have been done in good time even though there were two races. Things did not go smoothly however. Whitney said that the course was hard (a good hard - challenging but not too hard), it was also longer than ones she's been on in the past. It had a couple of jumps, a hip turn, a banana turn, and some other things. On one of the practice runs, a boy fell going over the first jump. While he was swinging his arm all around, complaining that it hurt, the ski patrol was on it's way. Found out later that he broke his arm. That was a long delay while they took care of him. Finally the races started about 10:30. Later there was a delay in the afternoon race when a girl in the 14-15 group fell on the same jump (bruised tailbone and looked like she did something to her elbow).
Whitney was the only one in her age group. Usually when that happens, the racer can either go down by themselves or be grouped with a higher or lower age group that has fewer than four racers. This time was a bit different and they had to get the ok from the race judges. There was a guy in the same age group as her plus an older female racer and an older male racer that were also the only ones in their age groups and they decided to race together. This worked out really well; it was good to have the competition even though they weren't racing against each other. It was kind of funny, they were the mixed age/sex group, the odd-balls.
So being the only one in her age group meant that Whitney came in first and got a couple more snowflakes to add to her collection, this time with blue ribbons. She also picked up the medal from Wintergreen that we missed getting last week. All this raises an interesting question - is she going to get an invitation to Nationals? We think so, but we're not really sure. She will be the Series champ for her age group but does that get her an invite or does she need to be the regional champ? Is she the regional champ? With 2 first place finishes and a second, I don't know. I just know she's got a lot of points. Nationals is the last week of March at Copper Mountain in Colorado. I sure wouldn't mind a trip to Colorado! I guess we'll have to keep checking the website and see what happens but for now, the race season is over.
Again, there weren't too many racers so if things went smoothly, we should have been done in good time even though there were two races. Things did not go smoothly however. Whitney said that the course was hard (a good hard - challenging but not too hard), it was also longer than ones she's been on in the past. It had a couple of jumps, a hip turn, a banana turn, and some other things. On one of the practice runs, a boy fell going over the first jump. While he was swinging his arm all around, complaining that it hurt, the ski patrol was on it's way. Found out later that he broke his arm. That was a long delay while they took care of him. Finally the races started about 10:30. Later there was a delay in the afternoon race when a girl in the 14-15 group fell on the same jump (bruised tailbone and looked like she did something to her elbow).
Whitney was the only one in her age group. Usually when that happens, the racer can either go down by themselves or be grouped with a higher or lower age group that has fewer than four racers. This time was a bit different and they had to get the ok from the race judges. There was a guy in the same age group as her plus an older female racer and an older male racer that were also the only ones in their age groups and they decided to race together. This worked out really well; it was good to have the competition even though they weren't racing against each other. It was kind of funny, they were the mixed age/sex group, the odd-balls.
So being the only one in her age group meant that Whitney came in first and got a couple more snowflakes to add to her collection, this time with blue ribbons. She also picked up the medal from Wintergreen that we missed getting last week. All this raises an interesting question - is she going to get an invitation to Nationals? We think so, but we're not really sure. She will be the Series champ for her age group but does that get her an invite or does she need to be the regional champ? Is she the regional champ? With 2 first place finishes and a second, I don't know. I just know she's got a lot of points. Nationals is the last week of March at Copper Mountain in Colorado. I sure wouldn't mind a trip to Colorado! I guess we'll have to keep checking the website and see what happens but for now, the race season is over.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Heading to Wisp
It's been a crazy week weather wise; first it was cold early, in the 70*s Wednesday and now it's back below freezing and windy. There was no practice on Wednesday night, the ski area closed at 4:30; we were getting lots of rain on top of the really warm temperatures. Practice last night was cold! It was windy and they were blowing snow like crazy. There were also some passing snow flurries/showers happening as well.
Tonight we're heading out to Wisp resort in Maryland. This is the makeup BX from last month. It looks like they've got plenty of snow out there and more snow coming this weekend. It's going to be COLD though, high of 21* tomorrow. There's two races tomorrow then this will probably be it for racing this season unless we head north.
Tonight we're heading out to Wisp resort in Maryland. This is the makeup BX from last month. It looks like they've got plenty of snow out there and more snow coming this weekend. It's going to be COLD though, high of 21* tomorrow. There's two races tomorrow then this will probably be it for racing this season unless we head north.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
One down, two to go!
Although it's 70* as I write this, winter has returned! We had a long cold snap of five or so days where it never got above freezing so the ski areas were making lots of snow. Whitney has been to several practices and it appears to be a small team this year. The good thing about a small group is the nights where it's just her and one other so they can focus on boarder cross skills, which they were able to do last week.
Sunday she went to her first competition of the season down at Wintergreen. It's a rather spread out resort and you start at the top of the mountain and ski down. The resort itself was pretty nice and the course was pretty good. There were only 30 or so people registered and most of them were in the younger age groups. There was only one other girl in Whitney's age group, five or six boys in the next younger age group, three in the 21-24 age group, and the rest were probably 10 and under (maybe 12, but pretty young).
They start with the warm up runs and unfortunately Whitney was only able to get in two runs. I think she would have done better with a couple more. The race is run youngest to oldest age groups, snowboarders first, so she had to wait through all the young kids. She did pretty well for her first time out this season and felt she did better than she did last year.
There's two races this weekend at Wisp. We'll be heading out Friday night since they start early on Saturday morning. Winter is coming back tomorrow and it'll be in the low 40s Friday and Saturday so that should make for some good snowboarding. Good luck, Whitney!
Sunday she went to her first competition of the season down at Wintergreen. It's a rather spread out resort and you start at the top of the mountain and ski down. The resort itself was pretty nice and the course was pretty good. There were only 30 or so people registered and most of them were in the younger age groups. There was only one other girl in Whitney's age group, five or six boys in the next younger age group, three in the 21-24 age group, and the rest were probably 10 and under (maybe 12, but pretty young).
They start with the warm up runs and unfortunately Whitney was only able to get in two runs. I think she would have done better with a couple more. The race is run youngest to oldest age groups, snowboarders first, so she had to wait through all the young kids. She did pretty well for her first time out this season and felt she did better than she did last year.
There's two races this weekend at Wisp. We'll be heading out Friday night since they start early on Saturday morning. Winter is coming back tomorrow and it'll be in the low 40s Friday and Saturday so that should make for some good snowboarding. Good luck, Whitney!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Wacky Weather!
We've been having some pretty non-winter like weather around here. It's been pretty warm and rainy. Much of the snow down at Massanutten has melted. I'm surprised that they can stay open right now. They're just skiing during the day and have cut their night hours. Of course that means that there's no team practice. Hopefully by this weekend things will be better. We're supposed to get about 5 inches of snow tonight and by the weekend it's going to start getting a lot colder. Next week it's going to be in the 30s all week and much colder at night. Sounds like they'll be able to make snow around the clock soon. It's a good thing since I was seeing lots of grass and thin spots on the web cams this morning.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
SLOW Start to the Season
It's been a really slow start to the season, more so than last year. Whitney finally made it to a couple of practices this week. Between being out of town and not feeling well, she didn't make it until Wednesday. The slopes were rather sloppy due to the warm weather and not everything is open yet. She went back down for Thursday's practice; they both went well, just not too pretty.
She had been looking forward to the boarder cross competition this weekend at Wisp, MD. She was signed up and we had the hotel reservation set, then when we got to Massanutten for practice on Thursday, I had a facebook message from the Appalachian Series that they had to cancel the BX due to lack of snow. They didn't have enough snow to carve the course for the BX; the slopestyle competition today is still going on. Guess they had enough snow in the park, just not on the hills. So we cancelled our hotel reservation, changed our plans for the weekend, and will wait to see if they're able to reschedule.
She decided to skip today's practice. Saturday ones are good to go to since they're three hours, but between the warm weather the last few days, rain yesterday, fog this morning, the slopes were going to be REALLY messy. Not really worth the drive down. It's supposed to cool down in a few days and the overnight temps are going to be cold so hopefully they'll be able to make some snow and what there is will firm up so practice on Wednesday and Thursday coming up will be a lot better.
Think COLD and SNOW!!
She had been looking forward to the boarder cross competition this weekend at Wisp, MD. She was signed up and we had the hotel reservation set, then when we got to Massanutten for practice on Thursday, I had a facebook message from the Appalachian Series that they had to cancel the BX due to lack of snow. They didn't have enough snow to carve the course for the BX; the slopestyle competition today is still going on. Guess they had enough snow in the park, just not on the hills. So we cancelled our hotel reservation, changed our plans for the weekend, and will wait to see if they're able to reschedule.
She decided to skip today's practice. Saturday ones are good to go to since they're three hours, but between the warm weather the last few days, rain yesterday, fog this morning, the slopes were going to be REALLY messy. Not really worth the drive down. It's supposed to cool down in a few days and the overnight temps are going to be cold so hopefully they'll be able to make some snow and what there is will firm up so practice on Wednesday and Thursday coming up will be a lot better.
Think COLD and SNOW!!
Monday, January 7, 2013
New Hampshire
We just got back from a week in New Hampshire. Love it there!! Besides going to enjoy the beauty of NH, we also went so the family could ski/snowboard. We got 5" of snow one night and flurries a couple of other days. They managed to hit three different ski areas and had a good time at each.
First up was King Pine. Bob and Whitney went there for night skiing. Bad choice of nights since it was the night it was snowing. The roads were rather harrowing apparently. It was a rather tame ski area for NH but a good place to warm up since it was their first time out for the season. Fortunately, they made it home safely after a fun evening.
On New Year's Eve, Bob and Whitney headed to Cranmore and Sarah joined them later. A couple days later the three of them went to Attitash, then it was back to Cranmore for Bob and Whitney. The last two days were really cold; the wind chill was bitter at Attitash and Cranmore was just plain cold.
The biggest problem we ran into was one of Whitney's new boots broke. We have now returned it to the store and are waiting to hear from Burton about it. She's got a rental to get her through until she can get new boots.
Overall we had a great time in New Hampshire. Now it's time to get ready for the snowboard season here in Virginia, the mountain is open and she's ready to go.
First up was King Pine. Bob and Whitney went there for night skiing. Bad choice of nights since it was the night it was snowing. The roads were rather harrowing apparently. It was a rather tame ski area for NH but a good place to warm up since it was their first time out for the season. Fortunately, they made it home safely after a fun evening.
On New Year's Eve, Bob and Whitney headed to Cranmore and Sarah joined them later. A couple days later the three of them went to Attitash, then it was back to Cranmore for Bob and Whitney. The last two days were really cold; the wind chill was bitter at Attitash and Cranmore was just plain cold.
The biggest problem we ran into was one of Whitney's new boots broke. We have now returned it to the store and are waiting to hear from Burton about it. She's got a rental to get her through until she can get new boots.
Overall we had a great time in New Hampshire. Now it's time to get ready for the snowboard season here in Virginia, the mountain is open and she's ready to go.
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