Welcome to the Far West Masters! If you are a new visitor to our site, you may wish to visit the Information pages to learn more About masters racing. See the How To Join page for membership information and applications. We are open to all and welcome new racers!

Masters ski racing is the premier adult ski racing series in the country. We are governed by United States Ski Association (USSA), the sanctioning body in the US for organized ski racing at all levels from juniors up through international and Olympic competition.

Far West Masters organizes USSA masters competition in the Far West division. Our yearly schedule includes all disciplines (SL, GS, SG, and DH), with races held mainly at ski areas in the central Sierras. Racers from 21 to over 80 years old compete in ten-year age groups.


Top News Items

  • 2013 Wattenmaker Scholarship Award

    The Far West Masters Scholarship Program has awarded Morganne Murphy the 2013 Jeff Wattenmaker $10,000 college scholarship. Jeff Wattenmaker was an avid Masters ski racer who supported the Far West Masters Scholarship Program and its ideals. Prior to his recent passing, he generously arranged to donate funds to expand the Masters Scholarship Program and to thereby make available funding for a University education to members of the Program.

    Morganne graduated from Forest Charter High School in Truckee and will be attending Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire in the fall. She has been sponsored by the Masters Scholarship Program for the past 4 years. She is an active Nationally ranked FIS alpine ski racer on the Squaw Valley Ski Team and competes internationally in skier cross as well. She sustained a season ending knee injury last year and with hard work and persistence recovered to come back stronger than ever. She is an outstanding student who graduated at the top of her class and has served on the Board of Directors for Far West Skiing as the athlete representative for the past 2 years.

    The Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship to be used towards college expenses. It is given out yearly to a member of the Far West Masters Scholarship Program. Applications for the 2013-14 Far West Masters Scholarship Program will be available soon and are due on September 15, 2013.

    [02-Jun-2013]

  • Spring News

    The spring issue of the USSA Masters newsletter is out and all licensed masters will receive a print copy in the mail. You can also download a copy from the Alpine Masters page on ussa.org using the link below.

    Spring skiing and camps are still in progress at Mammoth! You can celebrate the closing weekend on Memorial Day by getting out for a few turns, or for something different sign up for speed camp training at the Stacey Cook and Friends Speed Camp, featuring Olympians (and Far West junior athlete alumni!) Stacey Cook and Marco Sullivan, along with local star John Teller and T.J. Lanning from the US national speed team. The 3-day camp on May 25 - 27 is designed to handle all ages and abilities and Stacey is welcoming all interested masters.

    [21-May-2013]

  • Season Wrapup

    The 2012-2013 race season is a wrap! Sierra ski areas are shutting down and shifting to spring/summer activities, with sking continuing at Mammoth through Memorial Day. We'll post any news that comes up over the summer and in August/September the tentative race schedule for next season will be posted.

    Looking ahead to next season, the national committee has selected Okemo VT to host the 2014 national championships on Mar 17-22. Okemo did a great job hosting this year's eastern regionals and is reported to have excellent race venues for masters. They will host a four-event championship, with both the national championship DH and the three-event SG/GS/SL technical nationals. With a good race crew and venues this should be an excellent event, so give some thought to an eastern adventure when planning your calendar for next season!

    With the nationals returning to Eastern division for the first time in five seasons, planning is still in progress for a "big event" in the west next season. We'll post an update when calendaring decisions have been finalized for whether there'll be a western regional championship or a FIS international masters event.

    [25-Apr-2013]

  • Race Ski Sales

    As most of you already know, Mike Braun is the Rossi, Dynastar, Look and Lange race rep for the Far West. He is now taking preseason orders for Rossignol, Dynastar and Lange race products and is able to offer racer pricing to Far West Masters members. Orders must be placed by May 1 and will be delivered in the fall to your nearest Rossignol Race Center (Footloose or Kittredge in Mammoth, Reno Mountain Sports and The StartHaus in Truckee.)

    The attached flyer provides additional information, contact Mike for futher information. He'll have demo gear available at spring camps in Mammoth.

    [15-Apr-2013]

  • Squaw Season Finale

    The final races of the 2013 Far West masters season were held at Squaw Valley on April 5-7. The determined Squaw race crew battled the onrush of warm spring weather and the rapidly diminishing coverage on the race hill and succeeded in getting the races off. After the scheduled SG on Thursday was cancelled, the drizzle cleared out on Friday and good conditions ensued through the weekend. With a bit of creative course-setting, the final GS and SL races were successfully completed for a satisfying end to another season of racing.

    Saturday evening brought everyone together for the season banquet. Along with the the day's race awards and the overall season awards, the evening featured raffle prizes and auction items to benefit the junior athlete scholarship fund.

    Along with the season awards to the top 3 finishers in each age class, the "leader bibs" for next season awarded to the top 10 men and top 5 women in the overall standings were awarded. Several classes for both the men and women came down to the final day of racing to determine final rankings and the overall class champions, making for some exciting racing and tactical decisions on the final day of racing.

    The Rookie of the Year awards recognizing new racers went to Tatjana Polyakova (W04) and Tom Bullard (M08) - we welcome them and everyone else who competed this season for the first time. The Most-Improved awards recognizing the racers who have most impressed their peers with significant improvement went to Ingrid Braun (W05) and Randall Sussek (M06). The Teddy Cantanho "Spirit of Masters" award was presented to Elizabeth and Mike Kennedy, who together have contributed greatly to our program for many years now by organizing race day checkin, helping both new and returning competitors to get registered and out on the hill racing.

    [08-Apr-2013]

  • Squaw SG Cancelled

    Due to lack of people signing up for the Super G, we had to cancel the race. The event organizer, Squaw Valley, needed a minimum of 50 people to make it worthwhile for them to hold the race. As we had under 30 people sign up for the race as of 12:00 PM Tuesday, I have decided to cancel the race now, as to allow our racers to alter their travel plans accordingly. Our final cutoff date for registration was this evening, however we only had two new entrants in the last two days.

    ***Entry deadline extended*** The entry deadline for the Fri-Sat-Sun GS-SL-dual events as well as Saturday's season banquet has been extended for an additional day to allow signups through Wednesday evening. Please enter online at SkiRaceReg.com if you will be competing or attending the banquet.

    Our banquet location has been changed to the Palisades Room. This is a much better site than we originally had planned for. The Palisades Room is in the main registration area of the Squaw Valley Village, at the extreme east end of the Village Buildings. It is adjacent to parking for everyone's ease.

    Sorry to have to cancel the Super G for all of those who had signed up, and for those that did not, please support our variety of races by signing up in the future when possible.
    [Mark Mirviss - President]

    [02-Apr-2013]

  • Season Finals

    We're only a few days away from the final races of the 2013 Far West Masters season. We have 3 final races scheduled that count in the season standings scoring, starting with a SG on Thursday Apr. 4, followed by GS/SL races on Friday and Saturday, and a fun-race dual on Sunday with teams formed from masters, family and friends, and junior scholarship athletes. The entry deadline is Tuesday 4/2, so please get your entries submitted.

    The season finals banquet will be held on Saturday Apr. 6 at the Squaw Valley Olympic House, in the O Lounge of the Olympic House (above where we have race checkin). Dinner will be a buffet meal with chicken and appetizers. Once again, the banquet will include raffles prizes as well as a number of auction items donated by members, sponsors and supports whose proceeds go directly to the junior athlete scholarship fund. Auction item details are provided in the announcement flyer; for those who may not be able to attend the banquet in person, you can submit bids to Eddie Mozen by email or phone.

    [01-Apr-2013]

  • Big Sky National Championships

    The 2013 masters national championships were held at Big Sky MT on Mar. 18-23. Big Sky's excellent race venues handled a 4-event championship, with the first 3 days for the national DH championship followed by 3 days of SG-GS-SL racing of the nationals.

    While the calendar and daylight-savings changeover said "spring", the Montana weather countered with "it's still winter here!". The week brought snow showers and increasingly cold weather, with a glorious sunny day on Tuesday for the second day of DH training followed by powder, showers, and single-digit temperatures through the weekend. Nonetheless, the racing conditions were excellent, with the cold temperatures producing firm, consistent racing surfaces on all venues. The Big Sky race crews and volunteers worked hard all week and put on an outstanding event.

    Nearly 200 racers from around the country as well as Canada competed in this year's national championships. While Far West's 17-member team was relatively small, we had good results from everyone and were proud to bring the Divisions Cup back home to Far West. Former Far West chairman Don Smith was reportedly floating home with the trophy after capping his week by claiming the title of M10 national SL champion on the final day. Mihai Filimon (M03) and Deb Lewis (W07) took the overall in their age classes with 1st place sweeps, with Gate de Mattei taking the M12 title by winning the final SL. Good skiing was produced by everyone, including DH and SL victories in M04 by Ara Papazian and medal performances by numerous Far West racers, including Sandy Hogan (W10), Jim Dugan (M10), Don Merritt (M10), Ingrid Braun (W05), Tim Stewart (M08), Pierre Jeangirard (M07), and Mike Braun (M06). Even strong performances don't necessarily produce podiums in competitive nationals fields, and everyone from Far West skiied well.

    Complete event results are posted on ussamasters.org. Excellent race photos by Marshall Tate of bigskyphotos.com can be found on his web site, nicely organized in event galleries as well as by individual racer.

    [28-Mar-2013]

  • Mt. Rose McKinney Cup

    The annual Mt. Rose McKinney Cup races were held in beautiful, sunny spring conditions on the weekend of Mar. 9-10. Saturday featured a long SL on Sunrise, while Sunday offered a full-length challenging GS on Silver Dollar. Mt. Rose once again outdid themselves welcoming the masters, with a breakfast spread at checkin each morning and a tasty buffet for the afternoon post-race party. Out on the hill, race director Rees Palermo and the Mt. Rose race crew and volunteers teamed up to put together two excellent days of racing.

    The McKinney Cup is sponsored by Tamara McKinney in memory of members of her family, Steve, McLane, and Frances McKinney. The McKinney family started out skiing in Far West at Mt. Rose and the Cup is a perpetual trophy on display over the mantle of the fireplace in the Mt. Rose lodge. Award to the skier with the fastest combined time in the weekend event, the women's title was a tightly fought battle on every run with Carol Levine (W08) edging out Leslie Marcacci (W01) to defend her McKinney Cup title. The men's title had several contenders in the running after Saturday's SL race, but Matt Savage took the cup with a powerful display of GS skiing to wrap up a an excellent weekend.

    Complete results are posted on the Race Results page along with the updated Season Standings rankings for 2013 going into the season finals event at Squaw Valley on Apr. 4-7.

    [11-Mar-2013]

  • Mammoth FIS Masters Cup

    The 2013 FIS Masters Cup international masters races were hosted by Mammoth Mountain on Feb. 29-Mar. 3. SG training was held on Wednesday and competitors were treated to two training runs on the World Cup/Terrie's race venue under warm, sunny skies with light breezes and excellent conditions on the track with firm but grippy snow. And it only got better from there - Thursday's opening race brought brought another day of fabulous conditions, and the second SG on Friday was if anything even better. Three days of ideal conditions and great racing - no wonder there were so many smiles at the finish!

    The scene switched to SL for the weekend. While Saturday brought a few high clouds and increasing winds ahead of a small front, racing conditions on Fascination continued the standard set by the speed venue. Excellent skiing was displayed on both the Group B/C course and the younger Group A men's course, with top positions settled by hundredths in tight racing.

    Sunday arrived with snow, wind, and fog, leading to an early end to the weekend with the jury decision to cancel the race due to the soft conditions on the race hill. Disappointment in losing the final race was balanced by positive memories and encounters with old and new friends. We thank everyone who was able to come and compete in this event, especially our friends from other countries who brought an international flavor that was much appreciated by the American competitors.

    [04-Mar-2013]

  • Squaw Valley Bernard Cup

    This year's Bernard Cup was held under mostly sunny ski in perfect weather conditions at Squaw Valley. Snow conditions were fast and challenging. As usual, our races on Exhibition, featured very firm snow, on a steep hill that truly tests the ability of our racers to make quality turns.

    On Saturday we held two Slalom races (at total of four runs) all for the price of one lift ticket! Racing began at 9:30 AM and finished before 3:00PM. Some high clouds rolled in for the second run, but weather was never a factor in this race. The Squaw Valley Race Department again demonstrated its ability to pull off a race without any glitches.

    After the racing concluded, we adjourned to the Ponderosa Room at the Squaw Valley Lodge for our Awards Party. As was the case last year, our party featured the fine culinary fashioning of ball tip steak generously provided to us by Brian Smith, racer extraordinaire and owner of Kinder's Bar B Que in Reno, and wine courtesy of our wine sponsor and bar sponsor, and also racer extraordinaire Gary Erickson, owner of Cliff Bar. Thank both of them please when you see them on the hill for their generous donations!

    The Awards presentation also featured speeches by scholarship athletes Claire DeAngeli, Jessica Tidd, and Niccolo Monforte. In addition to forerunning and speaking, Claire and Jessica both went above and beyond by setting up the food (except for the alcoholic beverages) for our party.

    A moment of silence, and a toast was made in honor of Gayle De Mattei wife of 57 years to our Gate De Mattei. As most of you know, Gayle and Nina Thys for years arranged and set up our Bernard Cup Party and were (and are) huge supporters of ski racing. We honor her passing and will always remember her contributions to our organization. Gayle always loved a good party, and I'm sure was smiling down on this one!

    On Sunday we again started racing at 9:30 AM, but this time the event was Giant Slalom. The courses included a bit of an "over the road" adventure that always draws a lot of oohs and aahs! We raced two runs under cloudless skis, and were finished with the racing prior to noon.

    This years winners of the Bernard Cup were Ingrid Braun, and Tim Stewart. Congratulations to the both of them.

    For those of you who raced, thanks for your participation and efforts, and for those of you who didn't race, we hope to see you there next year.

    [Mark Mirviss, President]

    [25-Feb-2013]

  • FIS Masters, Nationals Entries

    The FIS Masters Cup races are coming up this week at Mammoth Mountain. There will be SG training on Wednesday, SG races in Thursday and Friday, and SL races on Saturday and Sunday. The snow conditions are outstanding for racing and the weather outlook is for warming and "ridging up" with a strengthening high pressure system through the week, so we're looking forward to some classic California sunshine racing. Online registration has closed, but Mammoth will still accept entries made to the Race Department office through Wednesday. Contact MRD at (760) 934-0642 or email racedepartment@mammoth-mtn.com.

    The early entry deadline for the national championships on Mar. 18-23 at Big Sky MT is Monday Feb. 25 - late fees apply after tomorrow, so get your entries in by tomorrow to take advantage of the early registration discount! Big Sky reports great snow and excellent racing conditions, so this should be a great week at a favorite masters venue.

    [24-Feb-2013]

  • Bernard Cup Info

    We have a great weekend of racing planned for the Squaw Valley Bernard Cup this coming weekend of Feb. 23-24. We will be racing on Exhibition in the Toyota Race Arena, with two Slalom races on Saturday and a GS on Sunday. Race checkin will be 7:30-8:30am on the ground floor of Olympic House at the Squaw base complex. (Please note: Squaw will **not** be able to accept day-of-race signups, so be sure to get your entries submitted by the Thursday Feb. 21 entry deadline.) Inspection will open at 8:30, with first run at 9:30 each day.

    Saturday afternoon's post-race part will be in the Ponderosa Room of the Squaw Valley Lodge, conveniently located between the Funitel and the Tram just past the the West end of Squaw Valley's main lodge, about 50 yards from where we conduct our morning check in. This is always a great party and this year will again feature meat courtesy of our own Brian Smith from his Reno restaurant Kinders Meats and Deli.

    So get your entries in and plan to have a great weekend of racing, as we gather to compete and honor one of the most important individuals ever in Masters Ski Racing, Mr. Bob Bernard!

    [18-Feb-2013]

  • Mammoth Archibald GS's

    This weekend's Giant Slalom Races at Mammoth were held under cold but near perfect conditions. Under clear, sunny skies, the temperatures struggled to creep into the teens and a brisk wind on Sunday encouraged competitors to keep moving, but the course conditions were fantastic. The snow was firm and grippy on the Redelsberger/Terrie's track and times ran minute-plus for most competitors.

    The ambitious schedule of 3 runs per day for 3 races in 2 days kept racers and crew busy, but once again the expert Mammoth Race Department put an outstanding event. Saturday's post-race party at Giovanni's was hosted by Bill Archibald in memory of his wife Laura, whose loss last spring to cancer took a good friend from us.

    The "home team" Mammoth racers appeared to enjoy the race conditions. Ara Papazian swept the men's open, while Ingrid Braun lit up the women's field with two days of dominating racing. New racer Zach Lambert announced his arrival by breaking into the Men's Open class, while "old-timer" Bill Archibald posted strong finishes in M10 and the ultra-competitive M7 class had tight racing on every run.

    Complete results are posted on the Race Results page along with the updated Season Standings rankings for 2013.

    [10-Feb-2013]

  • Mammoth Conrado SG's

    After weeks of sunny January weather, the Far West Masters broke down the persistent west coast high pressure ridge by bravely scheduling... a speed event! Thursday's SG training day before the 3-day Rick Conrado SG event turned into a freshies day with 6-8" of new snow arriving as a warm storm system brushed Mammoth on its way down the coast towards southern California. With forecasts of iffy weather for the weekend, the planned race schedule was adjusted to try to find the best weather window and the flexibility paid off with clearing conditions on Friday that held through the arrival of a small cold front late Saturday.

    Thanks to the weather break and some outstanding work by the Mammoth Race Department to prepare and maintain the race venue, we had two good days of SG racing and completed 4 of the 5 scheduled races, losing only the last race on Sunday morning to another powder day. With two of the four races counting for the 2013 National Speed Series, the Far West field was enhanced by visiting speedsters from Rocky, Intermountain, and PNSA.

    Complete results are posted on the Race Results page along with the updated Season Standings rankings for 2013. The first race each day was counted for the 2013 National Speed Series standings:

    SG Scoring Note: for the 2013 season scoring, Open class for SG has been changed to use the same system as for SL/GS tech events: the top 5 women and top 10 men qualify for Open class (with "opt-out" for anyone who wishes to remain in their age class for season scoring). If anyone was scored in OP because opt-out request to stay in age class was missed, please contact Scoring Director Deb Lewis to request correction.

    [28-Jan-2013]

  • FIS Masters at Mammoth

    The FIS Masters are returning to Mammoth! Following up on the extremely successful 2012 FIS Masters World Criterium, held in March 2012 at Mammoth Mountain CA, the International Masters Cup circuit returns to the US and Mammoth Mountain with a 4-race event on February 28 - March 3. SG training will be available for all competitors on Wednesday Feb. 27. Thursday and Friday feature two SG races for all groups, followed by a weekend of 2 SL races for each group A/B/C.

    FIS international masters competitions are open to racers 30 years or older by Dec. 31, 2012. You must have a current USSA Masters competition license as well as a FIS Masters license, available from USSA for $30.

    Additional information and links are available on the 2013 Phillips 66 FIS Masters Cup page on ussamasters.org and in the event announcement and detailed schedule published by the Mammoth Race Department.

    Event registration is available online on SkiRaceReg.com and includes lift ticket as well as race entry. (Competitors with Mammoth lift passes should print and submit the "no lift" entry form for race-fees only)

    Note: online entries on SkiRaceReg.com show US masters age classes. Subtract 1 to adjust to international masters age classes for this event!

    [20-Jan-2013]

  • Nationals Entries

    This year's national championships will be held at Big Sky MT on Mar. 18-23. The 2013 nationals are a four-event championships with the DH championships colocated with the 3-event SG/GS/SL nationals.

    Big Sky has hosted many successful masters events and features excellent race venues,

    [20-Jan-2013]

  • Bring a Friend!!

    Don't forget our new "Bring a Friend" program announced in the Fall Forerunner newsletter. Help spread the word about masters racing and share your enjoyment of the sport by bringing a friend to a race this season! We need everyone's help to build our organization by bringing in new racers, so the board has put together an incentive program to encourage all of us to help increase participation.

    If you bring a new racer to any of our races, you will receive a rebate on your entry fee for each race the new person enters that weekend. To qualify for your free race(s), you just need to contact Far West president Mark Mirviss at least 24 hours prior to the morning of the race. Send Mark an email at bringafriend@farwestmasters.org and let him know who you'll be bringing to the event. (Please, no phone calls!!! Mark says only email notification will qualify!)

    This program is designed to attract more racers to our events and our organization. Please note that "new" is defined as someone who has not raced with us for at least three seasons, so you can qualify by bringing back a lapsed racer or a friend who's never tried masters racing. This is a grassroots effort to build our program and you will be rewarded for participating.

    [02-Jan-2013]

  • Major Bill Disbrow

    While many of us gather this with friends and family to celebrate the holidays, it's also a time to remember friends who are no longer with us. Longtime masters racer USAF Major Bill Disbrow passed away over the summer at age 96. We didn't see him much in the past few years, as he was occupied caring for his wife, but memories of Bill in his classic helmet and racing outfit remain for all who knew him.

    Bill had an eventful and action-packed life. Born in 1915, he joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 and flew 50 missions in B24s, including 7 missions to the Ploesti Oil Fields in Romania where so many US aviators were lost. Continuing his Air Force career Bill flew missions in the Korean war and went on to be a test pilot and squadron leader. Following his retirement from active duty, Bill raced on skis and in Corvettes and was an active ballroom dancer. Major Disbrow was buried with full military honors at Riverside National Cemetery.

    [24-Dec-2012]

  • Re-Scheduling of Races

    It is always unfortunate, disappointing and an inconvenience to our racers when we must cancel a race. With that said, Far West Masters is in the business of putting on safe, high quality ski races for the enjoyment of our racers. Our team of volunteers works very hard towards this goal. Ski areas have very full race calendars throughout the ski season. It is not usually the case that we have the ability to re-schedule a race. Therefore, when a ski area is willing to re-schedule a race, we will jump at the opportunity if it fits within our schedule. This is why our Mammoth race, which we unfortunately had to cancel this weekend due to 2-4 feet of new snow, and high winds, was moved to next weekend (December 8th and 9th).

    We know when we re-schedule a race, it means some will not be able to attend the re-scheduled race. However our season scoring allows a racer to "throw out" 25% of their results (or non-results due to missed races), this allows racers to compete for end of season awards without attending all races.

    We are an all volunteer organization, every one of our board members works hard to provide you with the best races we can possibly arrange. If you feel that your voice is not being heard, becoming part of our Board or volunteering in other ways is by far the best way to have a louder voice in our organization.

    I want to thank each and every one of you who comes out to compete in our races, I am well aware of the commitment in time and money it does take to compete, and I for one do appreciate the fact that it takes all of us to make this a program as successful and enjoyable as it is.

    Mark Mirviss - President, Far West Masters

    [01-Dec-2012]

  • Membership and Masters License Reminders

    Just a reminder to everyone before the first races of the season... You need a USSA masters license to compete in Far West masters races. (If you're a first-time racer, you can "try before you buy" by getting a weekend temporary license that allows you to compete in the event - the fee will be credited towards your masters license) You can renew online at ussa.org or print and mail an application form. For more information and links, see the How to Join page on the web site.

    You also need to join Far West Masters for the season. This gets you your permanently assigned stretch bib for the season; the nominal $20 membership fee goes towards the costs of organizing and putting on our calendar of race events. Far West Masters is an entirely volunteer organization, so your money comes back to you in the races and social events we put together.

    • FWM membership info How to Join - membership information and application forms

    [21-Nov-2012]

  • 2013 Competition Rules

    Need some relaxing reading? Check out the 2013 USSA competition guide! The 2013 Masters Comp Guide contains everything you need to know about masters racing in divisions around the country, as well as information on major regional and national events. For the ambitious reader, the Alpine Comp Guide contains the complete rules for Alpine ski racing in the US - guaranteed to awe and amaze you!

    A few highlights from the 2012-2013 annual officials refresher clinic... With the exception of forearm and shin protectors, all body protection must be worn under the suit - this includes knee braces and back protectors. Helmet cams are NOT allowed. Single-pole SL and GS is approved for USSA competitions - be sure you know the rule for "correct passage"!

    New this season are revised rules on hiking and overtaking: If a competitor comes to a complete stop (e.g., after a fall), they may NOT continue in DH and SG events. Hiking is allowed in SL and non-scored (masters) GS, but only so long as the competitor does not interfere with the following racer and has not been passed. A competitor who has been passed cannot continue and is classified as DNF.

    [19-Nov-2012]

  • Race Registration is open

    Race registration for the 2012-2013 season is now open! The December races have been posted on SkiRaceReg.com for online race entry; the remaining season races as well as the February FIS Masters Cup races at Mammoth will be added by December.

    If you are unable to use the online registration system, entry information and a printable entry form are also available. We strongly encourage use of the online registration system - it simplifies the organizer's logistics for processing entries, makes it easy for competitors to enter or cancel as needed, and best of all, it's free! There are no extra charges for using online registration, this is provided as a member service.

    [05-Nov-2012]

  • Web Site Move Completed

    This week the web site and our news mailing list were moved to a new home on the internet. Considerable preparation was done to ensure a smooth transition and we appear to be back up and running on our new server without any disruption, but please be patient if you run into any glitches over the next few days while the logistics of running the site on a new technology platform get sorted out on our new web hosting server.

    All current subscriptions to the news mailing have been preserved and an email news blast will be sent out tonight to verify that our news emails are being delivered properly from the new server.

    If you aren't receiving the news emails and would like to be added to the list, you can sign up yourself using the list information page (link) below or contact Deb Lewis at webmaster@farwestmasters.org to request that you be added (or report any problems).

    [26-Oct-2012]

  • Fall Newsletter

    The Fall issue of the Forerunner newsletter is in the mail! All members who have joined within the past few seasons will receive a copy. Click the link below to view online; previous issues of the Forerunner are available on the Newsletters page.

    The fall issue also includes the Far West Masters membership package, with information on the 2013 program and membership application for new and renewing members. Please get your Far West Masters membership in to Membership chair Marcie Pettigrew by Oct. 31 so she has time to process everyone's application and ensure that our membership records and bib assignments are up-to-date for the coming season.

    Reminder: don't forget your USSA masters competition license! Renewals are charged a $25 late fee after Oct. 15, so get your license renewal in to USSA if you haven't already! You can print and mail the USSA license form, or use USSA's online member service to renew online. Details and links are available on the How to Join membership information page:

    [16-Oct-2012]

  • 2013 Race Schedule

    The preliminary 2012-2013 race schedule is now available. Schedule VP Mike Braun has worked hard to put together a race schedule which offers competitors opportunities to compete in all disciplines at areas around the Far West with a proven ability to host excellent events.

    The season opens in December at Mammoth Mountain with a SL/SL/GS weekend on Dec. 1-2, following the now-traditional masters training camp week (preseason training camp details will be posted when available). A north shore event follows on Dec. 15-16 with 2 SL's at Squaw Valley.

    Following a break over the holiday period, which is usually a busy time for most with family gatherings and early season skiing, racing resumes on Fri Jan. 11 with the classic Viva Italia SL at Heavenly Valley, followed by two days of GS racing at Sierra at Tahoe on the weekend. January wraps up with a feature event for speed racers at the 3-day Rick Conrado Memorial SG races at Mammoth.

    February opens with a GS race weekend at Mammoth on Feb. 9-10, followed by the Bernard Cup SL/SL/GS event at Squaw Valley on Feb. 23-24. The month wraps up with a rare opportunity for international FIS masters racing, with Mammoth following up on last season's outstanding FIS Criterium event by hosting FIS Masters Cup SG and SL races on Feb. 28-Mar. 3.

    March opens with another Far West Masters classic, the McKinney Cup at Mt. Rose on Mar. 9-10. With no mid-season western regional championships being held this season, the competition highlight of the season will be the national masters championships at Big Sky MT on Mar. 18-23. Big Sky has excellent race venues to host this 4-event championship event (DH, SG, GS, SL) and a proven record on putting on great masters events, so make some plans to travel next spring to a beautiful place for a fun week of competition with masters from around the country.

    The season finale will be hosted at Squaw Valley on Apr. 4-7, with 3 days of racing (SG, GS, SL), the season banquet, and a final "fun race" day on Sunday which mixes family members and junior scholarship athletes along with masters race for a spring dual.

    [10-Sep-2012]