As we all know the world went crazy in mid-March. The snowboard season came to a crashing halt, races were cancelled, trips were cancelled, everything just ended. While Whitney and I were in Leadville for the USSA Hole Shot race we made our reservations for our next trip to Colorado for USASA Nationals and dealt with some other details for that. Sadly that trip was cancelled. The rest of the season was cancelled. For a while we were hoping that Nationals would be held but it was not to be.
Before things ended Whitney was thinking one more season of high level racing then she might be ready to leave it behind and move on to the next season of her snowboard life. I hope she does at least one more season, if there is a season next year. Right now who knows what the winter will bring?? For now she's lifeguarding, hiking, enjoying life in the mountains. I'm back to work at home, wishing I was in the mountains.
Here's to a happy, healthy rest of the summer and some good times this winter!
Sunday, July 5, 2020
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Musings from 10,000'
Visiting at 10,000' sure is interesting. The mountain scenery is so amazing here, the sky is a different kind of blue, and of course there's snow. Leadville is an interesting old mining town, fun to walk around in.
Friday after Whitney was done at the mountain we wandered around town, got some coffee, poked in a few shops. We were walking down the main street when all sorts of police cars went flying by us. We walked a bit further, stopped in a bike shop and a family came in and said that they were told to leave their house because of a propane leak. Well! Whitney found out today that there had been a murder (apparently ski racers are big gossips) and the police were saying it was a propane leak so people didn't freak out.
Saturday my nephew, a student at Colorado School of Mines came out to meet us. He saw a bit of the racing then we came back to town, got a beer and dinner with him. It was good to see him and catch up. Hanging out at 10,000" isn't for the faint of heart...or lungs if you're from the East Coast where the elevation is about 1,000'. A friend of ours had to go down to Denver tonight and will be flying home tomorrow because he's got pulmonary edema. Hopefully once he gets back home he'll be feeling better.
We got about a foot of snow Saturday night into Sunday. It was light fluffy stuff and at least this time our rental car came with a brush/scraper. The snow was so pretty! It did affect the schedule for Sunday's races, at times you couldn't see the race course at all from the lodge. When the day was finished we went back to town then walked down for coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks. That was an adventure! The roads were snow covered but plowed, which packed down the fresh snow onto the ice below. I managed to find the sweet spot and slipped but was fine.
The drive down to Denver was...interesting. In Leadville it was lightly snowing, pretty flurries. But then we hit the heavier snow, squalls, whiteout conditions. We had to go over one pass that was pretty high then made it down to I-70. When we passed Copper you couldn't see the slopes from the road. It was a crazy drive down but when we got to Denver it was just windy, no snow although we did see some light flurries. We got our car dropped off and got to the airport in plenty of time (at one point we were wondering if we'd miss our flight, but we left in plenty of time). Safely back home now and off to the next race this weekend at Massanutten. No racing for Whitney, she'll be setting course and coaching.
Friday after Whitney was done at the mountain we wandered around town, got some coffee, poked in a few shops. We were walking down the main street when all sorts of police cars went flying by us. We walked a bit further, stopped in a bike shop and a family came in and said that they were told to leave their house because of a propane leak. Well! Whitney found out today that there had been a murder (apparently ski racers are big gossips) and the police were saying it was a propane leak so people didn't freak out.
Saturday my nephew, a student at Colorado School of Mines came out to meet us. He saw a bit of the racing then we came back to town, got a beer and dinner with him. It was good to see him and catch up. Hanging out at 10,000" isn't for the faint of heart...or lungs if you're from the East Coast where the elevation is about 1,000'. A friend of ours had to go down to Denver tonight and will be flying home tomorrow because he's got pulmonary edema. Hopefully once he gets back home he'll be feeling better.
We got about a foot of snow Saturday night into Sunday. It was light fluffy stuff and at least this time our rental car came with a brush/scraper. The snow was so pretty! It did affect the schedule for Sunday's races, at times you couldn't see the race course at all from the lodge. When the day was finished we went back to town then walked down for coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks. That was an adventure! The roads were snow covered but plowed, which packed down the fresh snow onto the ice below. I managed to find the sweet spot and slipped but was fine.
The drive down to Denver was...interesting. In Leadville it was lightly snowing, pretty flurries. But then we hit the heavier snow, squalls, whiteout conditions. We had to go over one pass that was pretty high then made it down to I-70. When we passed Copper you couldn't see the slopes from the road. It was a crazy drive down but when we got to Denver it was just windy, no snow although we did see some light flurries. We got our car dropped off and got to the airport in plenty of time (at one point we were wondering if we'd miss our flight, but we left in plenty of time). Safely back home now and off to the next race this weekend at Massanutten. No racing for Whitney, she'll be setting course and coaching.
Sunday, February 23, 2020
NorAm/Hole Shot, Day 2 and 3
Race Day 1
It was a good day at the races. Whitney didn't make the heat brackets but she had her highest finish at a NorAm race. She was just outside the cut and finished 17 or 18 (we're not sure and the final results haven't posted yet). It wasn't quite a bluebird Colorado day but it was pretty. The wind was a bit higher than yesterday but the course was fast and ran well.
The format for today was one timed run for everyone, the top eight fastest were moved into the heat brackets. Everyone else did a second timed run and they took their fastest time to rank places 9 onward then cut the women to 16.
Whitney had a bit of a weird fall in her first time trial run at the end of the race and slid over the finish line on her back. Her second run she had a really weird fall at the top of the course but the girl running ahead of her crashed badly at the finish so Whitney was pulled off the course and had to rerun. So it was down to the bottom, take the slow chair lift to the top, catch her breath and refocus, then go again.
She was a bit bummed to be so close to racing in the heats but pleased overall with how the day went.
Race Day 2
Race day 2 dawned snowy. Lots of snow and more coming down. The 20 minute drive out to Ski Cooper wasn't too bad, we took it slow. We were among the first to get there and shortly after we arrived they announced a one hour delay so they could groom the course.
For today's race they decided last night to forego time trials. They said everyone would race in the bracket heats and they were basing the brackets on the rider's FIS points. This was kind of a bummer for Whitney and especially her friend who is out here but I think overall it worked out ok for her. She was in a bracket with two other riders and came in second and moved on to the round of 16. Unfortunately at the start of her next race she fell at the beginning then slipped again later but still almost caught the rider in front of her. No official results posted yet for either race but she likely finished 16th today since she was the lowest ranked rider to make it to the top 16 and didn't move on.
The snow made for an interesting day watching. At times I couldn't see any of the course from the lodge and later in the day you could see the course clearly. The snow kept coming down all day, very heavy this morning, lighter later, then on the drive back it stopped but now it's snowing again.
Racing is done for this trip. We're going to trudge through the snow to the coffee shop to get some hot chocolate, coffee, and maybe a snack, then it'll be time to start packing up for our trip back East.
It was a good day at the races. Whitney didn't make the heat brackets but she had her highest finish at a NorAm race. She was just outside the cut and finished 17 or 18 (we're not sure and the final results haven't posted yet). It wasn't quite a bluebird Colorado day but it was pretty. The wind was a bit higher than yesterday but the course was fast and ran well.
The format for today was one timed run for everyone, the top eight fastest were moved into the heat brackets. Everyone else did a second timed run and they took their fastest time to rank places 9 onward then cut the women to 16.
Whitney had a bit of a weird fall in her first time trial run at the end of the race and slid over the finish line on her back. Her second run she had a really weird fall at the top of the course but the girl running ahead of her crashed badly at the finish so Whitney was pulled off the course and had to rerun. So it was down to the bottom, take the slow chair lift to the top, catch her breath and refocus, then go again.
She was a bit bummed to be so close to racing in the heats but pleased overall with how the day went.
Race Day 2
Race day 2 dawned snowy. Lots of snow and more coming down. The 20 minute drive out to Ski Cooper wasn't too bad, we took it slow. We were among the first to get there and shortly after we arrived they announced a one hour delay so they could groom the course.
For today's race they decided last night to forego time trials. They said everyone would race in the bracket heats and they were basing the brackets on the rider's FIS points. This was kind of a bummer for Whitney and especially her friend who is out here but I think overall it worked out ok for her. She was in a bracket with two other riders and came in second and moved on to the round of 16. Unfortunately at the start of her next race she fell at the beginning then slipped again later but still almost caught the rider in front of her. No official results posted yet for either race but she likely finished 16th today since she was the lowest ranked rider to make it to the top 16 and didn't move on.
The snow made for an interesting day watching. At times I couldn't see any of the course from the lodge and later in the day you could see the course clearly. The snow kept coming down all day, very heavy this morning, lighter later, then on the drive back it stopped but now it's snowing again.
Racing is done for this trip. We're going to trudge through the snow to the coffee shop to get some hot chocolate, coffee, and maybe a snack, then it'll be time to start packing up for our trip back East.
Friday, February 21, 2020
NorAm/Hole Shot, CO
And now our travels take us to Colorado. I'll spare you the travel details (let's just say I probably won't be renting from Budget again) but we made it to Leadville, CO last night and found the house we're staying at for the weekend. It's super cute, an older house (like most here) that's been updated, great for the two of us. We went to Ski Cooper this morning for her practice day, love that mountain. It reminds us very much of a small East Coast resort. She met up with a friend from the Massanutten team and her coach and off they went. It was a beautiful sunny day today, we were reminded how warm Colorado cold is.
She said the course was good. It's fast and some of the elements were a bit small for how fast the course is. We'll see how things go tomorrow. She's looking to have fun and race well. It could be interesting though... Alex Diebold is here and it looked like some other US Snowboard team members are here as well but he's the only one I recognize.
And now we're off to wander down to Main Street Leadville and poke around, maybe get some coffee and hot chocolate. Tomorrow's race day #1!
She said the course was good. It's fast and some of the elements were a bit small for how fast the course is. We'll see how things go tomorrow. She's looking to have fun and race well. It could be interesting though... Alex Diebold is here and it looked like some other US Snowboard team members are here as well but he's the only one I recognize.
And now we're off to wander down to Main Street Leadville and poke around, maybe get some coffee and hot chocolate. Tomorrow's race day #1!
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
NorAm/Hole Shot, NY, Day 2
And the questions continue. The ski cross was cancelled this morning, it was felt one of the turns was unsafe. Bummer for the skiers. Snowboard cross is still up in the air. They were resetting the course and were going to make a decision after inspection. I just saw some riders come down so maybe?? Whitney was not feeling that there would be racing today but we'll see. It's so hard to get in a racing mindset when you don't know if it's going to happen or not. She's excited about racing, happy to be out there, but also like everyone else here a bit frustrated.
So in the end there was a race...sort of. They ended up doing two timed runs each, they took the best time, and ranked the riders based off that. It was a long day of back and forth, they had to keep one of the lifts open for the riders because it was past closing time by the time they finished, and it was honestly the strangest race I've been to, there was so much indecision. There's still no official word if FIS has accepted the results. Whitney finished 24th and was pleased with that.
We woke up the next morning to several inches of snow, which was so pretty, but we were headed south, into rain and fog.
We're off later this week to Colorado, where there's plenty of snow and another NorAm race at Ski Cooper.
So in the end there was a race...sort of. They ended up doing two timed runs each, they took the best time, and ranked the riders based off that. It was a long day of back and forth, they had to keep one of the lifts open for the riders because it was past closing time by the time they finished, and it was honestly the strangest race I've been to, there was so much indecision. There's still no official word if FIS has accepted the results. Whitney finished 24th and was pleased with that.
We woke up the next morning to several inches of snow, which was so pretty, but we were headed south, into rain and fog.
We're off later this week to Colorado, where there's plenty of snow and another NorAm race at Ski Cooper.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
NorAm/Hole Shot, NY
Well this has been an interesting trip so far. Another year and Mother Nature hasn't been kind to the ski slopes...or maybe it was the resort, don't know for sure. We are at Gore Mountain, NY for a NorAm race but didn't see much snow on the drive up from Virginia and while the mountain has snow there hasn't been enough for course building.
We got here yesterday for the training day. Whitney got to catch up briefly with her friend who does ski cross and went to the Youth Olympics and has been rocking it. He's doing great! They both were on the team at Massanutten way back when. She met up with her coach and the group went out for a modified practice. When we got here they hadn't finished building the course and were told they'd be able to run the start and down through turn three. By the time she went out they were only letting them do the start. Not an ideal way to practice for your first race of the season. She was very excited though because when she first saw the start she was a bit intimidated but she nailed it the first time she went through.
Yesterday they did some free riding, ran through what they could of the course a few times, and called it a day. Whitney texted KC (her coach) to confirm things for this morning and at the time he was still in the coaches meeting. These meetings are usually pretty short, they confirm the riders and go over a few details for race day. This time because of the course build issues they had a very long meeting to try to figure things out and how they could fit in two races. We heard they tossed around some options, one they decided on they couldn't do because it violated ski cross regulations, so they talked more. The original plan for today was to have practice, seed everyone based on their FIS points (would likely would have put Whitney last) and build the brackets from there.
When we got here today the course looked built and I was happy because it comes down to the bottom of the mountain. Whitney said that it was really long, which it looks. When we checked in though KC said that there would be no racing today and we got the official word shortly after that. They looked over the course and decided that it was too soft and unsafe for riders today. It's supposed to be cold tonight so tomorrow is looking good, hopefully. They are getting in some practice time; I don't know how much is on course and how much is just riding the mountain or looking at the course from the outside.
We got here yesterday for the training day. Whitney got to catch up briefly with her friend who does ski cross and went to the Youth Olympics and has been rocking it. He's doing great! They both were on the team at Massanutten way back when. She met up with her coach and the group went out for a modified practice. When we got here they hadn't finished building the course and were told they'd be able to run the start and down through turn three. By the time she went out they were only letting them do the start. Not an ideal way to practice for your first race of the season. She was very excited though because when she first saw the start she was a bit intimidated but she nailed it the first time she went through.
Yesterday they did some free riding, ran through what they could of the course a few times, and called it a day. Whitney texted KC (her coach) to confirm things for this morning and at the time he was still in the coaches meeting. These meetings are usually pretty short, they confirm the riders and go over a few details for race day. This time because of the course build issues they had a very long meeting to try to figure things out and how they could fit in two races. We heard they tossed around some options, one they decided on they couldn't do because it violated ski cross regulations, so they talked more. The original plan for today was to have practice, seed everyone based on their FIS points (would likely would have put Whitney last) and build the brackets from there.
When we got here today the course looked built and I was happy because it comes down to the bottom of the mountain. Whitney said that it was really long, which it looks. When we checked in though KC said that there would be no racing today and we got the official word shortly after that. They looked over the course and decided that it was too soft and unsafe for riders today. It's supposed to be cold tonight so tomorrow is looking good, hopefully. They are getting in some practice time; I don't know how much is on course and how much is just riding the mountain or looking at the course from the outside.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
It's a New Season
In so many ways it's a new season. Winter is here, although some days you wouldn't know it. Whitney graduated in May, had plans to head back to Maine to work for CVA but plans change. She's still here in Virginia, working at Massanutten Resort as a snowboard coach for the snowboard team and an instructor at the ski/snowboard school. Things are going well so far; she's enjoying being a coach, she's had some fun groups to teach and has had some really fun little kids.
Because she's working at the mountain as a coach it has limited her ability to race. She can't race in USASA races that she's coaching so most she would go to she's not competing. She also can't get to other races because she has to coach on Sundays. She is still racing in the USSA/NorAm races, that was a condition of her being hired. She's going to three races, we had talked about going to one in Quebec but I don't think it's going to work out. This weekend we're heading up to Gore, NY for her first race of the season. Later in the month we'll head out to Colorado to Ski Cooper then at the end of March it's back to Colorado to Copper Mountain.
We're moving into a new season as competitor and snowboard mom - fewer races but we still have the chance to travel together. She gets to do what she loves and I can be there to support her. I know the end is likely coming soon, another few seasons, so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Because she's working at the mountain as a coach it has limited her ability to race. She can't race in USASA races that she's coaching so most she would go to she's not competing. She also can't get to other races because she has to coach on Sundays. She is still racing in the USSA/NorAm races, that was a condition of her being hired. She's going to three races, we had talked about going to one in Quebec but I don't think it's going to work out. This weekend we're heading up to Gore, NY for her first race of the season. Later in the month we'll head out to Colorado to Ski Cooper then at the end of March it's back to Colorado to Copper Mountain.
We're moving into a new season as competitor and snowboard mom - fewer races but we still have the chance to travel together. She gets to do what she loves and I can be there to support her. I know the end is likely coming soon, another few seasons, so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
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