Strikes and Gutters: Panorama NorAms, Sticking to My Guns

Panorama NorAms

The week of NorAms in Panorama, 2SG, SC, GS, SL, is in the books and for the first time in my life racing up there I didn't have to worry about frostbite from sub zero temperatures. I usually don't mind competing in adverse weather conditions because it can bring down the focus of other people, and relatively speaking I think that it gives me an advantage. But really cold weather, 15 or 20 below, which is typical of Panorama is a whole other animal. These changes affect how equipment functions and makes getting to the start too early very costly. This year the temperatures were never colder than 15 ABOVE, making for a great race series at a place that I now like much more.

The race organizers moved some of the venues around this year by raising the start of the SG and GS to the top of a pitch above the old start. This made the steep technical section much longer and in my opinion a better race. They also moved the GS finish up eliminating the last bottom flat. These changes were to my advantage as I am historically slower on flat sections and do much better when the course is technical and steep. This held true in the two Super G races as my split times on the top had me 7th and 5th and on the bottom flats 31st and 27th. Overall I finished 20th and 11th in the two races, banking some NorAm points and scoring enough of a FIS result that I should qualify for any speed races I want to for the rest of the year.

The GS was by far my best race of the series, notching my first career podium at a NorAm. Starting bib 6 I won the first run by two-tenths of second on a relatively turny course. On the top steep section I had what I consider to be some of my best GS turns of my life. All of my pressure was in the fall line and I released each turn cleanly into the next. I had the fastest top split and was able to take good speed onto the flats, skiing well enough for the fastest time on the run. The second run course was set much straighter and didn't have the large tempo changes that the first run course did. Running 30th on the second run, I got a little knocked around by the developing groove in the snow and never quite got to do what I wanted on my skis. I never pushed the line deep enough and was constantly starting my turn too early, forcing me to back off and then start again and making for some very slow double turns. By the time I was able to fix this I was already on the flats and it was too late to generate much speed. I ended the day in second place, a career best in a NorAm, but a little bittersweet considering where I was after the first run.

The slalom was a different story. The night before the race the organizers decided to inject the steep hill with water to firm up the soft snow. This decision didn't quite have the intended effect, apparently they went too fast trying to inject the hill, and the snow turned out to be a mix of grip, ice, and sugar. I drew bib one and was in a great position to capitalize on what was going to be a quickly deteriorating course. All week I came into each race focussing on technical aspects of my skiing and executing these goals. This has been a good focus for me so far this year, that good skiing will bring the good results.

However, something changed after the first run inspection and I decided that I was going to really push the line and go for it. I think it was a combination of getting the hole shot on bad snow, not having a great second run the day before, and wanting to prove something to myself, but I abandoned my skiing-first focus and decided just to rip the course. I skied well on the top of the course and even onto the pitch. But about a quarter of the way down I came through a gate that already had a shelf developing from inspection. My inside ski slid and hit my downhill ski, I got caught on the inside and could not get off the turn, and all of the sudden I was out of the course. Poof. I haven't been that upset with myself in a long time, not just for going out but for abandoning my game plan that I set before this series.

I learned a lot during this race series, and I am still in a good position in the NorAm standings. I am second in the GS standings for North Americans and first among those who will be racing the circuit full-time. I moved a bit further back in the slalom standings but I'm not more than 50 cup points behind, and I will still start in the top seed. Next time I'll be sure to stick to my game plan regardless of the circumstances...unless of course I get bib one again.

Road Trip

Adam Cole and I drove to Panorama races from Utah, and then back to Washington where we both flew home. It turned out to be a lot of fun but not without some less than ideal situations. The middle of the video is so dark that it plays more like an audio track but hopefully it gives you an idea of what we were going through. Enjoy!

NorAms, Beaver Creek, and My Fantasies Involving Hirscher

The past ten days have been a blur. What started as a grueling four days on the NorAm circuit got extended into a little over a week of racing, or a race atmosphere, as I was able to forerun the World Cup races in Beaver Creek.

NorAms
Throughout the 4-day NorAm series (2GS, 2SL) I really tried to keep my focus on establishing a solid position over the skis and skiing within my ability. In the past I have felt like only a perfect run would do in these races, making me press and take unnecessary risks. This is because these NorAms are not only the first ones of the year but also include more World Cup racers than I will face the entire year. The GSs in Aspen had 13 of the top 30 skiers in the world, and the slaloms in Loveland had nearly as many. Most of my North American competition started in the top seed from last year’s NorAm points, something I missed out on due to injury. Coupled with the WC stack of skiers, I started bib of 37 in slalom and 45 in GS.

I made it down both runs all four days with results that I am proud of and put myself in a great position for the next NorAm tech series in Panorama, Canada. There I should be the top North American in GS and the second in SL.

The highlight run of the series had to be finishing 6th on the second run of the first GS in Aspen. With the field of competition so high it was hugely motivating to know that I could match up with the best in the world when I get on a clean course (I ran 1st after finishing 30th first run). GS has taken a back seat to slalom lately, but as UVM coach Johnny Davidson put it I am a “born again” GS skier! Here is a link to a video from that run was sent to me from the Dodge boot guys.http://sharing.theflip.com/session/2d7d13d7f1c633fb0a8e03fed02be450/video/34708231

Beaver Creek
I knew that it would be possible to forerun the Beaver Creek World Cup GS, but I was wholly unprepared when Forest Carey, the men’s Europa Cup head coach, asked me if I wanted to forerun the super g. I have only trained one day of SG since getting to Colorado and the Birds of Prey SG is no walk in the park. I though it over for a few minutes and weighed whether this was an opportunity to make every race for the rest of the season feel slower or a risk to finishing the season in one piece. I had already made it further into the season than last year without breaking something, and didn’t want to push my luck. What the hell, I said yes and immediately snuck onto the race hill for a little early inspection. I figured that getting two inspections on the course and getting used to the 45-degree start pitch far outweighed any trouble I would get in. What could they do, disqualify me?

The race turned out to be a lot of fun. I haven’t skied a course that well prepared since the Westendorf night slalom last year, and certainly have never experienced anything like that in a speed race. Being a part of the World Cup atmosphere, from inspection with my peers to having Baby Huey pump me up in the start, was definitely motivating to make me want to make it to The Show even more.

The GS was also a lot of fun. Again, the track was so hard and grippy it was hard not to feel good. Whenever I got late I would try and get my feet out from me even more and step on it, and the snow always held. Ted Ligety showed the world exactly how this was done in one of the best GS runs I have ever seen in my life second run, talk about taking the turn deep. Also, it was great to see Warner Nickerson score his first World Cup points of his career by placing 24th. Nice job W!

“You have me in your fantasy?”
During the first run inspection of the GS today I exchanged a few words with Marcel Hirscher, Austrian wunderkind. He was at all of the NorAms and I had spoken to him a bit before, so I didn’t think much of telling him to have a good race and that I had him getting third today in fantasy ski racing.

“You have me in your fantasy?” he asked, no doubt beginning to question our seemingly casual conversations over the last week. Oh no. I tried to explain that fantasy ski racing was just like fantasy football, but that didn’t make any sense to him either. Right. I then tried to explain about how fantasy sports work but it sounds really lame to someone who has never experience the thrill of victory in this realm (Jim you got owned this season, The Dynasty is over) and I’m not sure it got through. I gave him the name of a website to make his own fantasy team, but this might have gotten lost in translation as well. Although he's a really nice guy I’m sure he’ll be avoiding me next time we cross paths.