OCTOBER, 2018 WWW.SIERRALEAGUE.COM WHAT S INSIDE! S IERRA LEAGUE RACING NEWS Race News Page 1 President s Message Page 2 Sierra League Contacts Page 2 Member Clubs/Contacts Page 3 CA/NV Ski Area websites Page 3 Racing News Page 4 NSCF Virtual Auction Page 5 Snow Fest Page 6 Safety Pgs 7-8 Travel Options Page 9 - FWSA 2019 Ski Week Pgs 10 14 - FWSA 2019 Mini Ski Week Pgs 15-18 - FWSA 2019 Internat. Ski Wk Pgs 19-22 - FSWA Windjammer 2019 Pgs 23-24 - FWSA Convention 2019 Page 25 Ski Industry News Page 26 Tentative 2018-2019 Race Schedule January 19/20 - Alpine Meadows GS/GS March 2/3 - Alpine Meadows GS/SL March 16/17 - Sugar Bowl SL/SL Stay tuned for further information in subsequent issues L EAG UE RACE RESOURCES: Nan Carnal; Sierra League Race Chair: nan.sierraleague@gmail.com; 530-550-5228 (h); 510-520-7338 (cell) John Walsh; Singles League Race Chair: johnwalsh37@sbcglobal.net; 416-596-7234 Debi Phelps; Open League Director of Racing openleagueracing@gmail.com Do you follow facebook? If so, check out/join : Alpine ski racers of the world Save the Date!! Sierra Council Holiday Party, Snow Fest Saturday, December 8th PAGE 1
President s Message By Jo Simpson, Sierra League & Sierra Council President Board Members President: Jo Simpson 775-787-7556 jo_simpson@sbcglobal.net Vice President: Corey Doolin coreydoolin@att.net Secretary: Pat Ostroff patpierucci@yahoo.com Treasurer: open Race Chair: Nan Carnal 530-550-5228 nan.sierraleague@gmail.com VP Travel: Debi Phelps 530-414-8503 bms.rider8@yahoo.com Carlene Boutacoff (650) 208-4839 cboutacoff@gmail.com Head Gatekeeper: Mark Ostroff the_ostroffs@hotmail.com Newsletter: Beth Perryman 775-322-5805 slabanshee@aol.com Webmaster: Pavel Bosin 408-685-6470 pavel@bosin.net Hello Sierra Council! We have our first dustings of snow on the mountain tops and are eagerly awaiting the snow levels to come down to resort level. Your council board met on September 15th to approve budgets and plan for the 2018-2019 season. Getting race hill space at the resorts is getting much harder each year. So far, we have six races scheduled that are listed elsewhere in this newsletter. Carlene Boutacoff and Debi Phelps are planning an amazing kick off to the season on December 8th at The Lodge in Tahoe Donner. They have named it Snow Fest. In addition to a new name, Snow Fest will be a real party rather than a sit down dinner. There will be lots of good food and the opportunity to freely circulate and chat with everyone there while munching and checking out the silent auction. We have some surprises for the auction. So, come ready to bid and enjoy a wonderful fun evening. See the Save the Date flyer in the newsletter for further information Details regarding registration will be out soon, as soon as arrangements are completed with The Lodge. See you on the slopes! Jo PAGE 2
Member Clubs and Contacts Alpine Ski and Snowboard Club Las Vegas, NV www.alpineskiandsnowboardclub.com Mark Zellner, President alpineskiclub@embarqmail.com Cabernet Ski Race Club Truckee, CA Nancy Ellis nancyellis2@sbcglobal.com Capital Ski & Sport Club Sacramento, CA www.capitalski.org Walter Johnson, President president@capitalski.org Las Vegas Ski Snowboard & Sports Club Las Vegas, NV www.lasvegasskiclub.com Mark McNeil; President; 702-461-5762 info@lasvegasskiclub.com; mark42750@cox.net Reno Ski & Recreation Club Reno, NV www.renoskiandrec.com Steve Kelly, President renoskiandrecreationclub@gmail.com or 6tahoe10@sbcglobal.net RU SKI Club Campbell, CA Pavel Bosin, President pavel@bosin.net Sequoia Ski Club Visalia, CA www.sequoiaskiclub.com Woody Hogan, President wwhiii@hotmail.com Sugar Bowl Ski Club Norden, CA www.sugarbowlskiclub.com Dan Gross, President president@sugarbowlskiclub.com Ski Area Websites: Alpine Meadows/Squaw Vly: http://squawalpine.com Badger Pass: www.yosemitepark.com/badgerpass.aspx Bear Valley Ski: www.bearvalley.com Boreal: www.rideboreal.com Ski China Peak: www.skichinapeak.com Diamond Peak: www.diamondpeak.com Dodge Ridge: www.dodgeridge.com Donner Ski Ranch: www.donnerskiranch.com Granlibakken: www.granlibakken.com Heavenly Valley: www.skiheavenly.com Homewood: www.skihomewood.com June Mountain: www.junemountain.com Kirkwood: www.kirkwood.com Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard resort: www.skilasvegas.com Mammoth Mtn: www.mammothmountain.com Mountain High Ski: www.mthigh.com Mt. Baldy: www.skibaldy.com Mt. Rose: www.skirose.com Mt. Shasta Ski Park: www.skipark.com Northstar: www.northstarcalifornia.com Sierra At Tahoe: ww.sierratahoe.com Snow Summit: www.snowsummit.com Snow Valley: www.snow-valley.com Soda Springs: www.skisodasprings.com Thank you to our sponsors (s): Tahoe Donner Senior Alpine Ski Club Truckee, CA www.tdski.com Denny Mosher, President president@tdski.com/infotdski@gmail.com Top Gun Ski Club Greg Peairs, President shiftyp@aol.com www.habervision.com PAGE 3
RACING NEWS, w/nan Carnal, Sierra League Race Director Ski season is coming soon! The league race schedule is posted on the front page of this newsletter. Please note that FWRA Championship location and dates are still pending as of the date I write this. Our first league races are January 19-20, 2019 at Alpine Meadows. The season race pass fee remains the same as last year at $125 for 6 races ($20 refundable for gatekeeping or other hill work service) and $30 for daily drop in. The 2018-2019 league registration form and waiver will be included in a future newsletter and posted on the Sierra League website when the waiver is available from our insurer (November). I will send information on how to submit these forms once they are posted. Enjoy the beautiful fall, your final hikes, bike rides and kayaking ventures! Snow is just around the corner and on to another season of great skiing and enjoying Sierra races. See you soon. Nan, Sierra League Race Director Truckee Ski and Snowboard Swap Saturday November 3, 2018; 11:00 am-4:00 pm Community Recreation Center; 8924 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, CA Back with a wide variety of new and used equipment, accessories, clothing and miscellaneous winter gear for the entire family. Local reps from ski shops and resorts will be on hand to answer questions. Proceeds from the Swap help support Truckee Youth Sports Programs such as Buddy Werner, Girls volleyball and Youth basketball. How To Sell Equipment: Any business or individual may sell equipment at the Swap. A 20% commission is charged on all merchandise sold. Equipment check in tags will be available at the Main Office a week before the event. Please call 530-582-7720 for more info. Admission: $2 for Ages 13+, Kids 12 and under free Public Check In: Fri, Nov 2, 5:00-7:00 pm; Sat, Nov 3: 7:30-9:00am Equipment Pick Up: Sat, Nov 3, 5:00-7:00 pm; Sun, Nov 3. 9:00-11:00am Sales Check: Sun, Nov 5, 9:00-11:00 am PAGE 4
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SAFETY: Is Your Gear Ready for the Season? It is always a good idea to check that your gear is ready for up coming ski season. The following article is from the Outsideonline website (https://www.outsideonline.com/1918976/prepping-your-gear-skiseason ) with basic pointers to consider. Prepping Your Gear for Ski Season: You re ready. Get your gear there, too By Kim Kir cher While you ve been doing wall sits and watching TGR movies on repeat in preparation for ski season, your boards haven t seen daylight in months. You re pretty sure your boots are filled with cobwebs (or crickets, or worse), and there s a good chance you never turned off your beacon after your last spring tour. It s time to venture down to the basement to assess the damage. It s time to get your gear in shape for the season. SKIS Bare minimum: Inspect the edges; look for burrs and rust. Remove burrs with a diamond stone, and clean the edges. Dry, white, or furry-looking bases need a few layers of wax, which will provide both protection and speed on the slopes. Bells and whistles: Give your skis a full tune at your local ski shop. The most common edge bevel is half a degree on the base edge and three degrees on the side edge. The higher the degree, the more aggressive the edge. As long as you're giving your skis a spa treatment, throw on a few more coats of wax. Wax on and scrape off several times to really drive in the substance. Also consider detuning tips and tails by running a file at 45 degrees across the edges. BOOTS Bare minimum: Your boots are your most important piece of ski gear. Removethe liners and foot beds, and look inside. Make sure no rodents or insects took up residence over the summer. You never know, you may find your long-lost car keys in there. Once aired out, replace the foot beds and liners and buckle the boots. Plastic has memory, so buckling helps maintain shape. Bells and whistles: Examine the soles of the boots. Check for excessive wear at the heel and toe. Most boots come with heel and toe pieces that can be replaced, if necessary (the exception are high-end performance and racing boots that have solid soles for better precision). If you re considering new boots, start shopping early for the best selection (throw in a new pair of ski socks while you re at it). Don t expect new boots to fit right out of the box. Make an appointment with a good boot fitter to get the toe or ankle punched out, if necessary. PAGE 7
SAFETY, continued: Is Your Gear Ready for the Season? BINDINGS Bare minimum: Clean your bindings of grime, but remember some parts are sealed. A faulty binding can cause serious injury. I f you feel wary at all, take them (along with your boots) to a shop to make sure they meet DIN specifications. Bells and Whistles: Excessive wear on the heels and toes of your boots can change the interface with the binding. This can alter the forward pressure and toe height. If you have this problem, take your boots and bindings to a shop for readjustment. The following is basic advice regarding taking care of your helmet from the following website: https://www.wedze.co.uk/advice/how-take-care-your-h-300-ski-helmet-a_84552 HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR H 300 SKI HELMET? Your ski helmet allows you to enjoy the ski slopes safely. To continue to benefit of its comfort and its protection over time, it is important to take good care of it during your ski trip and also by the end of the season. Daily care: Your helmet's care is a piece of cake. At the end of your day, always think to dry your ski helmet before putting it away in it protective cover. If still wet, even lightly, the moisture will not go away and will prevent your helmet to dry which may compromise your comfort and cause bad odors and appearance. Make sure to also avoid impacts when going back to your accommodation and in general to preserve the efficiency of your helmet. Maintenance care by the end of the season: We recommend you to wash the cap of your ski helmet (internal foam part). For this, all you need is to take off the part attached to the hull of your ski helmet to wash at 30 in a washing machine. Then air dry it well before repositioning it back. To put back the cap in your helmet, simply place inside using the fasteners making sure the cap is not overflowing. You can also wipe it on the external part of the helmet. Then, use a lightly wet sponge to wash the protective foams of the ears. With these simple steps, you can preserve you helmet even longer and avoid bad odours when storing at the end of the season. The following several other websites with useful information about gear maintenance in preparation for the upcoming season. https://www.kulkea.com/prep-your-ski-gear-for-winter/ https://blog.liftopia.com/tips-ski-gear-ready-upcoming-season/ https://rootsrated.com/stories/ski-season-2014-quick-guide-prepping-gear https://www.theactivetimes.com/snow/ski-board-gear/5-things-you-need-do-ski-season https://www.outsideonline.com/1785826/how-do-i-prep-my-skis-opening-day PAGE 8
T RAVEL OPPORTUNITIES The Far West Ski Association (FWSA) is one of the largest associations of snowsport enthusiasts in the U.S. FWSA covers 12 states with 9 regional Councils with more than 150 Clubs and a combined membership of over 50,000 skiers and snowboarders. As a member of a club that belongs to the SIERRA Council, you are automatically a member of FWSA and entitled to all benefits. You may also join Far West as a Direct Member. North American Travel FWSA Ski & Snowboard Week 2019: Steamboat, CO; February 2 9 FWSA Ski & Snowboard Week 2020: Big Sky. MT; January 25- February 1 FWSA Mini Ski & Snowboard Week 2019: Winter Park, CO; March 24-29 FWSA Mini Ski & Snowboard Week 2020: Big White, CA; March 29 April 3 FWSA Mini Ski & Snowboard Week 2021: Zermatt Resort & Spa, UT; March FWSA 87th Convention 2019; Indian Wells, CA; June 13-16 International Travel: FWSA International Ski Week 2019: Japan; March 4-23 FWSA International Ski Week 2020: Davos, Switzerland TBA Dive/Adventure/Cruises British Virgin Islands Windjammer Cruise 2019; May 19-26 Philippines Dive Trip, 2019, TBA Croatia Adventure; 2020 TBA Please contact the trip leader and/or check the FWSA website for further information regarding travel/housing/schedules, registration forms, waivers, payment schedules, etc. FWSA travel website: http://www.fwsa.org/travel/travel.html PAGE 9
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SKI INDUSTRY NEWS Ski industry news from the National Ski Club News, National Ski Council Federation Newsbeat and the FWSA Newsflash United introduces nonstop service to Mammoth: United Airlines said it will begin flying daily, seasonal service from Denver International Airport to Mammoth Lakes, California, starting December 19. Inntopia/ Denver Business Journal Largest Ski Area Expansion in Over 15 Years for Eastern United States: Hunter Mountain Ski Area will become the third-largest ski area in New York State from next season with the installation of a major new lift and the opening of associated new terrain in what is being dubbed the Hunter North project. Inntopia/ InTheSnow More Than 30 New Runs as Arapahoe Basin CO Ski Area Grows in Size by Almost Half: Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, one of the world s highest altitude ski area with a season that typically runs from October to June will add 34 new runs over 468 acres for ability levels from intermediate through expert to its Beavers and The Steep Gullies area this winter. InTheSnow Ski Areas Are Investing Millions in Upgrades This Summer: It's out with the old and in with the new for many North American ski areas and resorts this summer, with 10 of the most notable ski destinations undergoing infrastructure changes. Inntopia/Powder New Owners Making Improvements to Pine Mountain, Mich: An anonymous buyer recently purchased Pine Mountain Ski & Golf Resort in Iron Mountain, Mich., and has already begun making improvements to the yearround resort while business operations continue uninterrupted. More. SAM Colorado resorts become leaders of sustainability in the ski industry: After Vail Resorts made a very epic, and public, promise last year, its flagship mountain is the first resort in the United States and more impressively, the first mountain resort in the world to earn the sustainable destination certification. More. Intopia/Freeskier Ikon Adds Solitude, Brighton and Taos: The Ikon Pass has added Solitude Mountain Resort, following Alterra s closing on this acquisition earlier this month, and added neighboring Brighton Resort as an Ikon partner. This brings Ikon s five Utah connections Solitude as a full unlimited access member, and Deer Valley, Alta/ Snowbird and Brighton as limited-access partner areas, with five to seven days of access at each. Alterra to Acquire Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington: Less than three weeks after Vail Resorts closed on its acquisition of Stevens Pass in Washington, Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Crystal Mountain Resort. More. Two Classic Ski Areas, Chamonix and Garmisch Partenkirchen: See Cable-Cars Destroyed within 36 Hours. Chamonix in France and Garmisch Partenkirchen in Germany have both suffered accidents this week that saw lifts valued at tens of millions on Euros destroyed. Old Farmer s Almanac Winter Weather Forecast 2019: Winter is nearing, and the Old Farmer's Almanacs' (not to be confused the Farmer's Almanac) has just released their long-range winter weather forecast for the 2018/19 season. PAGE 26
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