Top News Items

• Bob Bernard

  Ski racing and the masters community has lost a great friend this week. Bob Bernard is gone and his passing is a great sadness.

  Bob was an enormously influential member of our racing community. The masters racing programs we enjoy today are in large part due to the passion and organizational skills he brought to our sport. Coming to ski racing later in his life, Bob found challenge and joy in the sport and became a worthy champion. In his own quest for excellence, his standards were high and he set his goals to pursue the best - while he might not have beaten Alberto Tomba, he saw no reason not to try to reach that level!

  Beyond the enjoyment he found in his own racing, Bob supported the sport of ski racing with his involvement with USSA, the US ski team, and in the Far West. He was one of the founders along with Joe Lausmann of the Far West Masters scholarship fundraising program, which has grown into a very successful and appreciated program that helps support junior ski racers in the Far West.

  For many years, no masters championship event or race in the Far West was complete without Bob setting the standard for all us younger folk both on the race hill and off. In recent years he raced less often after health problems knocked him off the hill for a period, but he continued to have an active and satisfying life with family and travel as well as continuing to ski.

  He will be deeply missed, yet his legacy lives on with all of us and he will not be forgotten. Bob was a fierce competitor, a good friend, and a true gentleman.

  For more on Bob's life and contributions, visit Bob's page on the farwestmasters Google group. The farwestmasters group on Google is open to racers, members, and friends interested in USSA masters racing in the Far West. Feel free to join the group and share memories and stories about Bob Bernard.

  [23-May-2008]

• Summer Events

  The Far West Masters summer board meeting and social get-together will be Saturday, July 12 at Teddy Cantanho's in Gardnerville (Carson Valley) - see the summer meeting news item for details and directions.

  Mt. Hood ski/golf with US Ski Team athletes - as some of you may know, over the past year some of our US Ski Team athletes have been asked to fund some or all of their training and competition expenses. Affected athletes include well-known veterans as well as "up and coming" competitors, with some of our Far West competitors and scholarship athletes among them. Travis Ganong has gotten in touch to let us know about a Ski/Golf tournament that some of the US men's team athletes are organizing for July 19-20 at Mt. Hood to help raise funds. They will be running clinics with drills, gate training, video, and timing with a fun race at the end, along with a golf tournament the following day. Travis notes "I think that a lot of Masters might be interested in skiing and training with the best ski racers in the country". Details are available at mensalpine.com.

  [22-May-2008]

• Scholarship Application

  Far West junior athletes interested in applying to the scholarship program can click here for the 2009 application form.

  Please read the instructions and be sure to submit your application before the deadline of Sept. 15, 2008. (That's a hard deadline, we really mean it! In fairness to the other athletes and our volunteer review committee who work hard to consider everyone carefully, applications submitted after the deadline cannot be considered.) Contact Eddie Mozen at mozen@concentric.net if you have any questions.

  [15-May-2009]

• Summer Meeting

  The annual summer board meeting will be held on Saturday July 12 at Teddy Cantanho's home in Gardnerville, Nevada. The board meeting will start at 2PM, with food and socializing to follow at 5PM. Directions to Teddy's and additional info about related activities in the area (golf, Walley's Hot Springs) are provided here in the summer meeting announcement.

  Meeting minutes of board discussions from past meetings are available on the Board Records page

  [17-Apr-2008; updated 22-May-2008]

• 2008 Season Wrapup

  The 2008 race season wrapped up with a pair of GS races on the always-fun McTavish at Sugar Bowl. Good weather and spring racing made it a nice finale to the season, with a dual fun race on Sunday featuring many of our junior athlete scholarship winners along with masters and families. The season awards banquet on Saturday night had a good turnout, with many raffle prizes and auction items along with the season awards presentation.

  See the Race Results page for complete results and the final Season Standings.

  Take a few minutes to visit the  Pictures section to check out race photos from this season posted by some of our photo talents, Sasha Glushenko and Gerard Lill. Sasha has posted photo albums from a number of our races this season, along with some Sierra League races for those of you from the Tahoe and Bay areas who also do those events, and Gerard has photos from the March Alpine Meadows GS race. Thanks to Sasha and Gerard for sharing these, everyone loves race pictures!!

  [17-Apr-2008]

• Weekly News (3/31)

  March wrapped up with the penultimate weekend of racing for Far West providing a three-day bonanza of SL racing. The weekend kicked off with a Friday double-header on Heavenly's World Cup run, in a reschedule from the first weekend of January when the Sierras were hit by a huge series of storms. Spring brought us good racing conditions and a solid turnout for this weekday event. As always, Viva Italia trophy sponsor John Gianotti went over the top to put together a great post-race awards party. The action shifted to Tahoe's eastern shore for the weekend McKinney Cup races at Mt. Rose.

  See the Race Results page for complete results and the updated Season Standings.
  [Mt. Rose data files finally located today; results and updated standings posted 3PM... Thu 4/3]

  This weekend is the final racing of the 2008 season, with Fri/Sat GS races on Sugar Bowl's excellent McTavish race hill followed by the season awards banquet on Saturday night. Sunday offers a dual race which is a fundraiser for the junior athlete Scholarship Program fund as well as a fun way to wrap up the racing season. The season awards banquet will be held Saturday April 5, following the final scoring race that day at Sugar Bowl, at the Tahoe Biltmore in Crystal Bay, NV (on the north shore of the Lake Tahoe). Dinner is $40 per person - please RSVP to Linda Crowell if you will be attending. You can click here to print a season banquet RSVP form and mail to Linda at 1509 Tirol Dr., Incline Village NV 89451 or contact her by phone or email.

  Last week's news item failed to note an important result from the Mammoth nationals: Far West's own Linda Crowell captured the season-long women's title in the 2008 National Speed Series, holding off a late charge by fast youngster Jennifer Kaufman from Rocky by putting together a pair of outstanding results in the national championship DH and SG races. Congratulations, Linda!!

  [31-Mar-2008; updated 3PM Thu 4/3]

• Elections & Survey

  The March issue of the Forerunner newsletter is out and contains a ballot form for our Far West board elections. We need to elect members to fill the board positions of President, Secretary, and Treasurer for 2008. Please fill in your ballot and mail to Gaet De Mattei at address on the ballot form by Mar. 30.

  We'd also appreciate it getting feedback for the member survey on 5-year age classes. If you haven't already filled this out, please take a few moments to respond - click here for survey form and mail to Sandy Hogan (see Contacts page for mailing address).

  [27-Mar-2008]

• Weekly News & Mammoth Nationals (3/23)

  The Easter Bunny came early this year, and to celebrate the occasion the the beautiful spring weather in the Sierras continued to hold through the month of March. A one-week break between the Mammoth speed events and the national championships provided more great skiing and training conditions, with a small weekend storm coming through on the eve of the nationals bringing just enough snow to freshen up the snowpack.

  The 2008 masters's national championships at Mammoth the week of Mar. 17-22 were.... absolutely spectacular!!! The top-notch Mammoth race crews ran their events all week with clockwork precision, providing impeccable racing conditions every day with the welcome assistance of great weather as well as amazing work done nightly by Mammoth's grooming crews to prepare the racing surface. The after-race awards parties held in the slopeside Mountainside Conference Center provided apres-race socializing with a view of the race hills and tasty snacks. The week wrapped up on Saturday with the final day of racing followed by the awards banquet in the MCC, where a delicious buffet dinner provided a final touch of class to an outstanding event.

  The masters were delighted and impressed with all aspects of the event, and we truly thank Beat Hupfer and his people in the Race Department for all their work in putting on such a fantastic national championship event, as well as the Mammoth Mountain management for their support that made this possible. If you'd like to provide some feedback to Mammoth on this event, send an email to racedepartment@mammoth-mtn.com or by mail to Mammoth Race Department, P.O. Box 24, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546.

  Far West racers posted some great results on their home hill, while the Intermountain squad edged out Eastern and PNSA to go home with the 2008 Divisions Cup. Visit the 2008 Nationals Results page on ussamasters.org for complete event results.

  Our Far West racing season will wind up with two final weekends of spring racing. This week features a slalom-fest with a Friday SL double-header at Heavenly (the Viva Italia classic rescheduled from January) followed by the weekend McKinney Cup SL races at Mt. Rose. The final races of the 2008 season next weekend will feature 2 days of GS on Sugar Bowl's excellent McTavish hill, followed by a team dual fun race on Sunday. Be RSVP to Linda Crowell as soon as possible if you can make it to the season awards banquet on Sat. Apr. 5 at the Tahoe Bilmore in Crystal Bay on the north shore - click here for reservation form.

  [24-Mar-2008]

• Weekly News (3/10)

  Beautiful spring weather continued in the Sierras last week, with the Mar. 2 Mammoth SG Sunday double-header followed by another three spectacular days of DH racing at Mammoth for those lucky enough to be able to stay on for the weekday races. Warm sunny weather and a fabulous track on the World Cup course, racing from lower Cornice Bowl onto World Cup run and Fascination, provided competitors with a preview of the national championships speed venue under incredibly good race conditions. The crack Mammoth race crews ran the event like clockwork and provided the competitors with a top-notch race.

  The first week of March continued into the weekend with great weather and good racing with a pair of GS's at Alpine Meadows. See the Race Results page for complete results and the updated Season Standings.

  We're now only a week away from the 2008 Masters National Championships, hosted this year on our home division race hills at Mammoth Mountain. The preliminary entry list as of Mar. 5 is posted on the 2008 nationals page of ussamasters.org. Late entries are still being accepted - contact the Race Secretary or the Mammoth Race Department by phone or email if you would like to submit an entry (contact and entry details are on 2008 nationals page of ussamasters.org)

  For travelling racers competing in the DH and SG events who'd like to travel light or if you just want to try out some top-notch speed skis, Start Haus from Truckee will be bringing an inventory of speed skis down to Mammoth for nationals, from 196cm up. Contact Start Haus (starthaus.com) at (530)582-5781 to make arrangements. The equipment will be available for pickup at Command Performance in Mammoth.

  [10-Mar-2008]

• Weekly News (3/2)

  The rescheduled Mammoth SG weekend kicked off our March racing with two outstanding races on the nationals World Cup speed course. Following a week of warm and sunny weather, the original Saturday schedule was blown away by high winds from a front passing to the north. Competitors were rewarded for their wait with two outstanding races on Sunday. Competing on the "front side" Cornice Bowl/Fascination course on World Cup, which will also be the venue for the national championship speed events in two weeks, the racing surface was buffed by the previous day's winds into a fantastic surface that was firm, grippable, and un-ruttable. The Mammoth race crews put on a great event for us, working diligently from early morning to replace the safety fencing and then put on a double-header for the masters in addition to a Far West USSA race. See the Race Results page for complete results and the updated Season Standings.

  This coming weekend provides one last "tune up" opportunity before the nationals with a GS/GS weekend at Alpine Meadows on Mar. 8-9.

  Following the Mar. 17-22 national championships, Far West will have 2 final weekends of racing on our spring schedule. Break out the SL skis for the weekend of Mar. 28-30, with a Friday double-header at Heavenly for the rescheduled Viva Italia races followed by the Mt. Rose McKinney Cup races on Saturday and Sunday. The season finale will be hosted the following weekend at Sugar Bowl, with GS races on Friday and Saturday and a dual race on Sunday which is a fundraiser for the junior athlete Scholarship Program fund as well as a fun way to wrap up the racing season.

  The season awards banquet will be held Saturday April 5, following the final scoring race that day at Sugar Bowl, at the Tahoe Biltmore in Crystal Bay, NV (on the north shore of the Lake Tahoe). Dinner is $40 per person - please RSVP to Linda Crowell by April 1 so we can provide a head-count estimate. You can click here to print a season banquet RSVP form and mail to Linda at 1509 Tirol Dr., Incline Village NV 89451 or contact her by phone or email.

  [03-Mar-2008]

• Mammoth SG/DH Updates

  With a week of warm and sunny weather following last weekend's storms raising everyone's spirits, the field for this weekend's rescheduled SG races is now close to 70 competitors. The SG races this weekend as well as the DH's with the juniors on Mon-Wed next week will be held on the front-side World Cup course (Hair Jump off the back of 3 down World Cup and onto Fascination). The original plan had been to race on the "backside" Denny's Downhill course on chair 14, but despite an excellent base of 10-13 ft the upper section of the speed track was exposed to high winds in the recent storm cycle and does not have sufficient coverage to enable the full course to be prepared. The World Cup course will also be the site of the Masters Nationals speed events in 3 weeks, so this weekend is a great time to check out the venue.

  The weekend schedule: inspection 9-10. The USSA race start times are 10:15 and 10:45 for the women and men, respectively. The masters start is scheduled for noon, following the completion of the juniors and after a cleanup/redress of the course. Registration is 7:30 daily in "Roma's room" on the 3rd floor of the Main Lodge.

  [Thu 28-Feb-2008]

• Weekly News (2/25)

  Squeezing into a rapidly closing window between incoming systems to wrap up February with a stormy-weather sandwich, Homewood was able to host our Saturday GS. With the final and largest storm of the series rolling in on Saturday afternoon, the Sunday race was cancelled. Special thanks to Homewood and the race crews for their hard work to prepare the race hill and get the race off. See the Race Results page for complete results and the updated Season Standings.

  With the forecast for the coming week predicting clear and warm weather, our next race weekend returns to Mammoth on Mar. 1-2 for the rescheduled SG weekend. With the national championships only a few weeks away, this is shaping up to be a good opportunity to preview the speed venues. Saturday's SG will also count in the 2008 National Speed Series.

  The preliminary entry list for the 2008 nationals, to be hosted by Mammoth Mountain the week of Mar. 17-22, has been posted on the 2008 nationals page on ussamasters.org. Late entries are still being accepted; see the 2/19 news item for details.

  Speed skis from Start Haus available for nationals: Start Haus from Truckee will be bringing an inventory of speed skis down for nationals, from 196cm up. These aren't your usual demo ski rentals, as you may imagine - these are real race skis and prepped for speed. Contact Start Haus (starthaus.com) at (530)582-5781 to make arrangements. You'll be able to pick up your equipment at Command Perfomance in Mammmoth.

  [24-Feb-2008]

• Weekly News (2/19)

  Following a schedule break in our Far West calendar to allow division competitors to travel to the Western Regional championships at Winter Park as well as last week's National Speed Series stops at Soldier Mountain and Aspen, our division races resume this weekend with a pair of GS's at Homewood. The following weekend provides a second chance to compete on the nationals speed venue at Mammoth, with a pair of rescheduled SG's on the weekend of Mar. 1-2 as well as 3 days of downhill competition. The Saturday SG will be counted in the Speed Series as originally planned.

  The National Championships, hosted by our own Far West division and Mammoth Mountain, are now less than a month away. Division entries were due Feb. 8 and have been submitted to USSA and the organizing committee. The preliminary entry list will be posted within the next week on the 2008 Nationals page on ussamasters.org.

  Late entries will be accepted directly by the organizers, with an additional late fee of $10/race. Entries should now be mailed directly to the Race Admininstrator:

  Esther Delli Quadri
  227 Diagon Alley, P.O. Box 1736
  Steamboat Springs, Co 80477

  If you are interested in competing and have any questions, contact Esther Delli Quadri at 970.879.1346 or by email at nationals@ussamasters.org. The event entry form can be printed using the Nationals Entry button on the Print Race Entries page.

  [19-Feb-2008]

• Weekly News (2/4)

  January in the Far West arrived with a roaring blizzard on Jan. 4 and departed in much the same fashion, breaking the early-season dry spell but wreaking havoc with our race schedule at both ends of the month. The skiing is great everywhere, but for racing we're all quite ready for a classic west coast high pressure to build in and break the active weather pattern we've been in since the holidays.

  Thanks to the efforts of FW scheduler Rees Palermo and the organizers at Heavenly and Mammoth, we are pleased to announce that the Heavenly Viva Italia SL's and 2 Mammmoth SG's have been rescheduled for March.. The two Heavenly SL races will be held on Fri. Mar. 28, adding onto the previously scheduled McKinney Cup SL weekend at Mt. Rose on Mar. 29-30. We will be holding two rescheduled SG races at Mammoth on Sat and Sun Mar. 1-2, with our masters field competing following the J1/J2 field in the previously-scheduled USSA races. So for speed fans and those who want a chance to race on the nationals venues, we now have a pair of weekend SG's followed by 3 days of DH with the juniors, while those who fancy quick feet can look forward to a 3-day, 4-race spring SL festival.

  The first weekend of February is open on our division calendar, with the Western Regionals being held at Winter Park CO. The National Speed Series has plenty to offer those who are able to travel in the coming weeks, with the WR SG followed immediately by the classic Soldier Mountain DH's on Feb. 12-13 and Rocky's 3-day SG-DH weekend at Aspen.

  Pavel Bosin from Sierra League offers another option this weekend that may appeal to Tahoe area masters: Sierra League will have races at Northstar on Feb 9-10. Those who aren't going to the Regionals are more than welcome to drop in. Slalom will be on Surprise on Saturday, with GS on Challenger/Follow Me on Sunday. See sierraleague.com for details.

  [04-Feb-2008]

• Mammoth SG's Cancelled

  With great regret, we are making an early decision to cancel this weekend's SG races at Mammoth. Due to significant snowfall accumulation over the past weekend, along with high winds, there is a considerable amount of fresh snow (3-4 ft) and the weather forecasts call for additional shots of snow through the weekend. While none of the coming systems are as large at the weekend storm, we see no break in the pattern for the next week and the outlook for being able to prepare the race course for a safe speed event is not good.

  Today (Tuesday) was expected to be a break before a small system moved through tonight and into Wednesday, but fog, snow, and high winds returned by late morning. The Tuesday report from the Mammoth Race Department, after consultation with hill operations and snow safety:

  Avalanche control was done this morning and is commencing and all closures are still in effect. This means that the Super G track was last groomed on Saturday, when the snow cats were allowed in that area. They may be able to go back later today, but with a couple of more storms predicted between now and Friday it is very questionable that the Super G race trail will be accessible enough to groom it every night and get it firm to have a safe enough race surface. It is also entirely possible that we will not be able to get to the trail on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday because of avalanche closures.

  After extensive discussions between the Far West Masters and the Mammoth Race Department, and considering input from hill operations and snow safety personnel as well as the weather outlook, it was reluctantly concluded that the best decision would be to make an early cancellation decision.

  [2 pm Tue 29-Jan-2008]

• Weekly News (1/28)

  Racing the weather as well as the competitors on the hill, the 2008 Bernard Cup GS weekend go just enough of a break in our current "active weather pattern" to get both races this in. Thanks to the January snowfall, the always-challenging Exhibition slope featured good coverage. The 2008 Bernard Cup winners both came out of the 50's class this year, with first-time winner Julie Rolfe joining Kurt Belden as overall champions for the weekend.

  See the Race Results page for complete weekend results and the Season Standings.

  Next up is "speed weekend" at Mammoth, with 2 days of SG racing winding up with a new-fangled Super-Combi on Sunday, with 1 run of SG combined with 1 run of SL. The current schedule is training and a race on Friday, followed by 2 SG races on Saturday. The first race on Saturday will also count in the 2008 National Speed Series, which kicked off this past weekend with a SG at the Park City Loritz Cup.

  Although the original schedule had called for racing on Mammoth's "backside course" where the nationals speed events will be run in March, the current outlook as of Monday is that given the weekend snow accumulation and high winds we will most likely move the event to the "frontside course" starting from Hair Jump onto World Cup and Terrie's. This course challenges competitors with a combination of gliding sections and technical turns and has hosted many USSA and FIS level events, while still being accessible to those who may be new to the high-speed SG event. Be sure to bring your SL gear for the Sunday SC, and be prepared for possible changes in the schedule if the weather dictates adjustments.

  Don't forget to get your entries in for Regionals and Nationals. The nationals entry deadline has been extended to Feb. 8, so you still have to compete in qualifying races this weekend and get your entries in to Sam Crowell. For those following the Speed Series, the Western Regionals SG is the next stop after Mammmoth, followed by the classic Soldier Mountain downhill. The latest report from Ken Corrock, chief of race: All is good at Soldier. We are having a great snow year. We have already had our Junior DH and the masters are next. We plan to run the classic race over the Waterfall down Monument and over the Easter bump. We will have the Super Combined as well.

  [28-Jan-2008]

• Weekly News (1/21)

  This weekend's Bernard Cup classic GS weekend at Squaw is coming up quickly. Eddie Mozen, Squaw local and this weekend's TD, reports on Tuesday that the coverage on Exhibition is excellent. GS training on the race hill will be open to all competitors (weather permitting, as always) - see last week's news item for details. California weather has become active again this week, with periods of snow predicted through the coming weekend. Snowfall amounts are expected to vary locally and our current outlook is still good for this weekend's races, but as always be sure to check weather conditions if you are traveling to the race this weekend.

  Any updated information about training and race conditions will be posted here as soon as available, should there be a need for any adjustments.

  The additional snowfall predicted for the coming week should improve the already good conditions at Mammoth for the SG speed event the following weekend Feb. 1-3. This should be a great event, with SG training on Thursday and 3 SG races, with the Saturday morning race also counting in the 2008 National Speed Series, which kicks off this coming weekend with Intermountain's Loritz Cup SG. The weekend finale with be a super-combi race on Sunday, consisting of a first-run SG followed by a second-run SL.

  We are working on rescheduling the Heavenly Viva Italia SL races, which were cancelled due to the big Jan. 4th weekend storm, and hope to have a date by the end of this week. We're exploring possibility of rescheduling on the Friday of one of our scheduled race weekends, so that competitors can combine with existing travel plans.

  [23-Jan-2008]

• Weekly News (1/14)

  Sunny skies and warmer weather have returned to the Sierras this week as we "ridge up" on the west coast following the big storm systems of Jan. 4-6. This weekend is a "off week" in our schedule, following the blizzard-induced cancellations of our first two race weekends in January. There's plenty of snow and good training conditions, so get out if you can!

  Our next race is the Bernard Cup at Squaw on Jan. 26-27; be sure to get your entries in this week. Returning to the classic GS/GS format, this year's event should have good snow coverage on the challenging Exhibition race hill. The fastest overall competitors for the weekend under the age-handicapping scoring will be awarded the Bernard Cup, joining many of our best racers of all ages over the years. See the Bernard Cup section on the Race Results page for more about this event and a complete history of previous winners.

  Squaw Valley will offer GS training on Exhibition on Fri Jan 25th, from 9:30-noon. Cost is $30.00; register at the Race shack at 9:00am. This is a good chance to get on the race hill - Eddie Mozen reports "The hill is awesome for racing now..pure ice, good coverage..we had great training onit this week". If you have questions, call Gary Pederson at the Squaw Race Dept at (530) 581-7188.

  Following the Bernard Cup will be a 3-day SG weekend at Mammoth on Feb. 1-3. Friday will provide a training run prior to the SG race, while Saturday will feature 2 SG races, with the first race of the day counted in the 2008 National Speed Series. The weekend will wrap up with a super-combi race on Sunday - the first run will be a SG course, while the second run will be a SL. The second-run SL will be seeded according to our Far West rules (fastest-to-slowest in each age class based on 1st run times), with an Open class formed out of the fastest 10 men and 5 women from the 1st (SG) run.

  (Open class reminder: you must elect OP on your entry for SG and DH events.)

  Deadlines are coming up soon for submitting your entries for the Western Regionals and the National Championships. (See the related news items for information and entry forms). With the nationals hosted at Mammoth this season, we're looking forward to great racing in March and a big turnout from our FW division.

  [15-Jan-2008; updated 17-Jan-2008]

• Mammoth National Championships

  For the first time in 10 years, the USSA Skier's Edge Alpine Masters National Championships are returning to the Far West division. The 2008 nationals will be hosted by Mammoth Mountain on Mar. 17-22 and includes all four events (DH, SG, GS, SL) during March prime-time.

  Entries are due Jan. 31. All competitors must have a current USSA Masters competition license. Use the Nationals Entry button on the Print Race Entries page to print the event entry form and send with a single check to your division contact.

  Far West competitors should send their entries to our Far West Division Chairman, Sam Crowell:
  Sam Crowell, 1509 Tyrol Dr, Incline Village, NV 89451

  Qualifying criteria for the Far West division are that competitors should have 4 starts in FW division races before the entry deadline, or have 6 starts in the previous season to have been eligible in the final 2007 season standings. Competitors must also be members of the Far West Masters in the 2008 season (see the How to Join page for information and membership application). Competitors who wish to enter the nationals but do not meet the qualifying criteria may submit entries, but their entries will be considered at a lower priority than those who meet the criteria when our division entries are submitted for our division headcount quota.

  [12-Jan-2008]

• Winter Park Western Regionals

  The 2008 Western Regional Championships will be hosted by Rocky Mountain Masters and Winter Park, CO on Feb. 7-10. This will be a 4-day, 3-discipline event, with SG training on Thursday followed by the SG race on Friday and GS/SL events on the weekend.

  Entries are due Jan. 31; a 25% late fee will be applied after this date. Field size is limited to the first 200 entries and all competitors must have a current USSA Masters competition license.

  Use the Western Regionals Entry button on the Print Race Entries page to print the event entry form and send with your check and liability release to the Winter Park Competition Center.

  Please include a signed liability release with your entry. The event liability form is available for downloaded from the skiwinterpark.com/competition/masters.htm, along with additional event information and contact.

  [12-Jan-2008]

• Weekly News (1/7)

  After a wild weather weekend throughout California and western Nevada to open the new year, things are finally settling down and clearing in this second week of January 2008. With a dry early season and relatively low-snow conditions at many areas coming into the holiday period, a nice storm system just prior to Christmas followed up by this major storm that rolled in on Jan. 4 bringing multiple feet of snow throughout the Sierras changed everything around. From "not enough", we now have "too much snow", at least for racing.

  To everyone's regret, the Viva Italia SL races scheduled for Sunday Jan. 6 were cancelled on Saturday afternoon. Although Heavenly's race hill had held up fairly well through the first 2 days of the major 3-day blizzard pounding the west coast, a final shot of weather coming through on Saturday was too much. In addition, many competitors had been forced to withdraw due to hazardous travel conditions and road closures throughout the region. We are working with Heavenly to find a date for rescheduling this event on a Friday to fit with one of our originally scheduled race weekends. This will likely be sometime in Feb or March so there's sufficient time to get the word out and allow people to replan.

  Boasting a weekend storm total of 11 ft and with more snow forecast for this week, Kirkwood has had to cancel the Jan. 12-13 race weekend due to "unstable and unsafe" conditions on the race hill. (No wonder!) We'll explore rescheduling options and post updated schedule news here on the site. In the meantime, with every ski area in California and Nevada covered with large quantities of fresh snow, we'll regret the loss of our first January race weekends, but hey - for a backup plan get out and hit the powder!

  Sierra League races this weekend: Masters racer Pavel Bosin, who is also president of the Sierra League, says "FW Masters racers are welcome to drop in at the Sierra League races at Sugar Bowl this weekend". See the sierraleague.com website for more information.

  [08-Jan-2008; updated Wed 1/9]

• Weekly News (1/2)

  Happy New Year, masters racers! Our January race calendar kicks off with the always-classic Viva Italia SL races at Heavenly on Sunday Jan. 6 - a 2-for-1 race day with two Slaloms on World Cup. Details are posted on the Schedule page entry - remember to arrive early for 9:30 start; the second race will be run immediately following completion of the first race. Heavenly's release form is also posted, print and sign a copy to save time at registration.

  For those of you travelling to the Tahoe area this weekend, be sure to watch the weather and road reports. Current forecasts call for a good-size storm system to hit the Sierras on Friday/Saturday. Any updates on the race schedule due to weather conditions will be posted here.

  Fri 8AM update: The FW race officials and Heavenly organizers are monitoring the weather and travel conditions as the storm evolves. The biggest portion of storm has moved into the Sierras this morning and is expected to move through by Saturday; there may be a third smaller storm still coming Sunday, but forecasts for that have been varying. The TD and Heavenly's Race Department will discuss the situation today and we'll post any updated outlook as soon as information is available.

  Fri 11AM update: Buck (Heavenly Race Manager) and Doug Fulton (our TD this weekend) spoke this morning and both agreethat a decision will be made the morning of the event. Buck says "The weather is calling for light snow race day.". Please be sure to call the Heavenly race department at (530) 542-5133 and cancel your entry if you know that you will NOT be there on Sunday so they can have an accurate outlook on the number of competitors to expect.

  Sat 10AM update: Heavenly is still in good shape to hold the races tomorrow. Buck's report this morning from Heavenly: "We got about 4' at the top, 3' middle mountain and about 16" on the race course. I still feel strongly about hosting this event. Talking with our Referee, (Reinhard) an official decision will be made at 6:30am tomorrow. The race course is in great shape. I think the rain before the snow helped.". So the race is on for those who can get there; check the weather and road conditions and be safe if you're travelling.

  Sat 4:45PM update: Heavenly is CANCELLED. Buck and the Heavenly race crew did their best to pull this race off, but a late afternoon band of heavy snow and blizzard conditions is hitting Tahoe, topping off a wild weather weekend. We are exploring the possibility of a reschedule later this season, it would be a shame to lose the Viva Italia, so we'll post further news when available.

  [02-Jan-2008; updated Sat 1/5 4:45AM]

• December Alpine Races

  The second race weekend of the 2008 season was hosted at Alpine Meadows, featuring a pair of SL races on Kangaroo. Many thanks are due to the Alpine race crew and management, who dedicated a significant portion of their available hill space to our race despite the limited number of runs available to the public. As was also the case for the opening weekend at Mammoth, we wouldn't have been able to race in this so-far-dry season without the support of the organizing area, and the Alpine management and staff were thanked by all at Saturday's awards party.

  Sasha Glushenko has posted race photos he took this weekend on his Picasa photo-sharing account. Check'em out, and get in touch with Sasha if you'd like full-resolution copies of your pictures.

  See the Race Results page for complete weekend results and the Season Standings.

  [21-Dec-2007; updated 20-Dec-2007]

• Weekly News (12/10)

  On an off weekend in our Far West Masters race schedule, following the opening weekend races at Mammoth, a welcome winter storm finally rolled through the Sierras bringing a couple feet of snow to Mammmoth and Tahoe ski areas. The long-awaited snowfall supplements the man-made base that many areas laid down for their initial season opening and will be a welcome addition to their preparations for the coming holiday period.

  This coming weekend the SL races at Alpine are scheduled on Kangaroo, a slope at the base of the mountain with excellent snowmaking. Take a break from holiday preparations and get in a good weekend of racing as the ski conditions improve for all.

  Tue morning update: we've confirmed with Alpine management this morning that this weekend's SL races are ON. Last weekend's snow and continued snowmaking operations should combine for good conditions on the race hill, as well as the additional terrain that Alpine is opening as coverage permits.

  [10-Dec-2007; updated 11-Dec-2007]

• Scholarship Program News (12/10)

  The 2008 scholarship awards have been announced, with 51 junior athletes from throughout the Far West selected.

  Once again the Scholarship Fund will sponsor fund-raising raffles throughout the season. One of the responsibilities of scholarship winners is for the athletes to attend a masters race to forerun and attend the awards party to present themselves with a short speech before the raffle drawings. Giving a speech is much scarier than tackling a race course for most of our athletes (and ourselves!), but it's a challenge that pays off with a life-skill that'll always be of value.

  We have a number of generous sponsors who support the program by donating products and services, so by buying raffle tickets you can support junior ski racing as well as win some great race-oriented prizes. For the third season, Santa Monica Subaru is donating a Subaru Tribeca lease as the grand prize. Special tickets for the Subaru raffle are sold throughout the season, with the winner selected at the season finals awards banquet. Learn more...

  Scholarship fund sponsor DeFeet is once again generously offering team pricing on their line of sports socks to Far West Masters competitors. Click here for the DeFeet Team Order form. Detailed information is available on their web site at http://defeet.com.

  [10-Dec-2007]

• Scholarship Fund Awards

  We are extremely pleased to announce that we have been able to make 2007-2008 scholarship awards to fifty-one athletes (19 J3's, 12 J2's, 17 J1's, and 3 mid's) See the Scholarship Program section for the complete list. Congratulations to these athletes and thanks to all the competitors who applied. Best of luck and a great season to everyone!

  [Dec. 8, 2007]

• December Mammoth Races

  The 2008 Far West Masters season opened with a pair of SL races on a brisk and breezy weekend at Mammoth Mountain. Thanks to the efforts of the Mammoth Race Department crews and the snowmaking and grooming crews, we were able to open the season as scheduled. The firm racing surface of Fascination challenged the skills and edges of the competitors, especially those getting out for their first days on snow in this dry season in the Far West.

  See the Race Results page for complete weekend results and the Season Standings.

  [02-Dec-2007]

• Weekly News (11/12)

  With the Thanksgiving holidays and the opening season races coming soon, Mammoth opened as scheduled on November 8. Although terrain and coverage is, well, limited - only Broadway is open at this time - the snowmaking crews are prepared to do their magic as weather and temperatures permit.

  Willie Wiltz, well-known and respected in the racing community from his days as a World Cup technician, will be giving a ski prep clinic at Reno Mountain Sports on Thu Nov. 15 from 6:30 to 8PM. Wille, now working for Holmenkol, definitely knows how to prepare a REALLY FAST ski, and this is a great opportunity to learn from one of the best. Contact Dave Garner at Reno Mountain Sports for additional information at 775-825-2855.

  Race schedule news updates: the Mammoth SG's weekend of Feb. 1-3, with the Saturday morning SG race counted in the 2008 National Speed Series, will wrap up on Sunday with Super-Combi. Originally envisioned as an all-SG weekend, the board decided at the fall meeting to change the final day to the new SC discipline. So Sunday's race will be a 2-run race, with the morning SG run used to seed the open class for the second run of SL.

  With the season opener at Mammoth coming in a few weeks, the Print Race Entries page is now open for the 2008 season. Use this to print your entry form for race events this season. Include your bib or USSA number on the page before clicking the Print Event Entry for the selected event and your registration information (age, class, gender) will be automatically included if you're listed in our membership database. Members with an account on the site can Login using the link in the header nav bar to have full address contact info included as well.

  To check your membership status and registration information, use the Member Lookup page. Current members of Far West Masters can also use the lookup service to access the members contact list (for members only, information subject the "opt-in" allowing this to be shared with other members).

  [12-Nov-2007]

• Fall Board Meeting

  The meeting minutes from the Fall board meeting, held Oct. 6 at the Palermo residence in Verdi NV following the annual officials clinic, have been approved and are posted on the Board Records page in our Organization Documents section of the site. (Summer meeting minutes are also available, as well as meeting records from past seasons.)

  [13-Dec-2007]