Very Variable Snow

Sometimes "spring" skiing is a relative term. Over the past two weeks I have competed in more races with soft snow than the last two or three seasons combined. I had no idea that when I left the soft snow of Whistler that I would be encountering similar conditions for the rest of the season. The RMD Spring Series slalom races in Beaver Creek didn't have much of a base to push off of, while the super g's in Breckenridge were straight up cancelled. Winter Park received a fair amount of snow during US Nationals, and while the course crew and volunteers did a great job of limiting the damage to the course, it was still a bit of a gong show. The races lost in Breckenridge were rescheduled after US Nationals and then re-cancelled again due to snow, making way for two gs races on the same hill that were the softest of them all. My favorite course report came from Ian Gardner in one of these races. He explained the conditions in his section of the course as "very variable". Also, since I left Burke Mtn Academy for NorAm Finals on March 13th, my Tri-One edge tuner has not been used once. I haven't needed to use much more than a diamond stone on my edges to keep them sharp. That thing sat in my duffel for nearly a month doing nothing more than make my luggage about 15 lbs heavier and take up space.

However, even though the conditions were less than ideal, races did happen and that meant opportunities. At US Nationals I was 3rd or better on both top splits of the gs, but was unable to keep the same speed all the way to the finish line. The super g was a similar story. I was 9th until the last split at which point I got very low and started fighting the ruts, finishing 39th on the bottom split and 13th overall. Slalom was a bust, I hiked second run. But in Breckenridge I skied well on the second run on the first day of the gs races, finishing second overall and earning myself the top gs result of my career.

I was considering going to Mission Ridge or somewhere else to extend the season but given the health of my knee and lack of great races left in North America I decided to pull the plug somewhat early this season. Instead I accepted an invitation to help as a coach at the Mammoth Mountain Invitational, a fundraiser benefitting the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation. The event was a lot of fun and was a great way to end the ski season in a non-stress way. It's also almost impossible to pass on a free trip to Mammoth in the spring, no matter how one's body feels.

Finally, I want to send some positive healing vibes and support to Scotty Veenis, Hank Shipman, and the rest of the Rowmark boys that were involved in a car accident over the weekend while racing in Oregon. The community of ski racing is quite small and word spread quickly in Mammoth about the terrible situation. Scotty is a long time friend starting from my days back in Utah and even in his serious condition (broken femur, shattered tibia, head trauma, multiple surgeries already with more to come) I know he is staying positive. I can't help but think that right now he is smiling with his trademark ear to ear grin. Hang in there Scotty we're all pulling for you!

Life on the road...Packing up from Winter Park, heading to Breckenridge. That's my duffel on the back left, a hazard of getting picked up last.