You may wonder why I am writing the update rather than Rees. As some of you may know Rees had an unexpected medical setback shortly after the end of last season, but he is making good progress now. As a result of this Rees decided to step down from his role as Division Chair of Far West Masters. We held a special board meeting in July where Rees nominated me as his interim successor as Division Chair and the board voted to confirm my appointment. Please join us in thanking Rees for his many contributions to Far West Masters as Division Chair and in so many other ways over the years. Rees will continue on the board as immediate past Division Chair and Ray Tulloch will step down from that role as Rees succeeds him. A big thanks to Ray for his many contributions also. I would like to thank Rees and the rest of the board for their confidence in me to succeed Rees. According to the bylaws the role of Division Chair will be up for election by a vote of all members in March next year.

As we enter the "meaty" portion of the Far West Masters ski season, so enters Mother Nature as well. We are grateful for the impending snow, but timing is everything as is said.

The 2026 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Masters National Championships will be held March 22–28, 2026, at Mammoth Mountain, CA — right here in the Far West division. This is a full week of racing, socializing, and celebrating everything that makes Masters racing great.

For the full event schedule, news, and updates, visit the [U.S. Ski & Snowboard Masters events page](https://www.usskiandsnowboard.org/masters/masters-events-schedules#NAT). A more detailed schedule will be released closer to the event. Once the event has started, refer to nightly racer emails and WhatsApp updates for the latest schedule details.

Register: [AdminSkiRacing](https://masters.adminskiracing.com/2026nationals)

Late fee deadline: Sunday, March 8, 2026 — registrations after that date are subject to a $20 late fee per race.

Far West Masters is a volunteer-run organization, and every year we rely on members who are willing to step up and help keep things running. Board elections take place at our annual membership meeting, and nominations are now open.

All current officers are willing to continue serving, but per our bylaws, several Vice Chair positions are open for nomination if you or someone you know is interested in running. In particular, we need a Vice Chair of Membership, as Mary Feddis is stepping down.

If you've been racing Masters for a while, you're probably used to a pretty relaxed approach to course inspection—head up the lift, drop in when you're ready, maybe take a second look if time allows. This season, that may look a little different at some of our race venues.

What's Changing: One-Look Inspections with Timed Entry Windows

It depends on the discipline—and whether the next racer is on your heels.

We've all been there. You're in the middle of a run, you miss a gate, and in that split second you have to decide: do I hike back, or is my run over? The answer depends on what event you're racing.

Important: Hiking back to a missed gate in slalom is a U.S. Ski & Snowboard rule only. Under FIS (international) rules, hiking is not permitted in any event.

Far West Masters has updated the titles of its board members to align with the organization's official bylaws. The changes bring consistency between the titles used on the website and in communications and the roles as defined in FWM's governing documents.

The most notable change is that the President title has been updated to Chairman, and most board members who previously held descriptive role titles now carry the designation of Vice Chair with their area of responsibility. For example, the Membership role is now Vice Chair of Membership, Communications is now Vice Chair of Communications, and so on.

by Bill Schenker

A wise old man once said you can’t have a bad day of Super G. You might go slow, you might go fast, but no matter what, you’re going to have fun!

Two days and four Super Gs at Mammoth Mountain last Friday and Saturday proved that to be true yet again.