|
 |
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 & Snowboard competition rules,
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 US alpine 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
- Northstar SG's **CANCELLED**
There will be NO racing on Friday Feb. 22 at Northstar. The Northstar race organizers discussed conditions this morning
with the race jury and Far West Masters organizers and the consensus is that we will focus on having one good GS race on Saturday.
Northstar has received large amounts of snow from the recent storms and the cold weather this week makes it even more challenging
to attempt to pack and prepare the race hill, reset fencing, and work towards preparing the venue for racing.
So... it'll be an all-GS weekend! Saturday at Northstar, Sunday at Squaw - two good GS hills
so we're looking forward to some fun racing.
NOTE: online registration for both Northstar and Squaw races will remain open
for an additional day until 8pm Thursday 2/21.
[19-Feb-2019 10am]
- Northstar/Squaw race reminders
Just a few reminders about our races coming up next week at Northstar and Squaw.
After a pretty amazing run of storms, "Febru-buried" racing in Far West resumes next week
with forecasts of clearing weather. We have a Fri-Sat stop at Northstar for two SG races
on Friday and a GS on Saturday, followed by a GS on Sunday at Squaw Valley.
The Squaw GS will be the 2019 Bernard Cup trophy race, using an age-handicap formula
for awarding the overall men's and lady's titles, so racers of all ages have a shot!
Please note that the Thursday afternoon SG training session at Northstar has been
cancelled - we did not have enough signups.
The early registration deadline is Sunday Feb. 17, with $5/race late entry fee for entries
submitted after the deadline, so get your entries in before the price goes up!
Online registration for the Northstar and Squaw races closes Wednesday Feb. 20 at 8pm.
Area release form is REQUIRED at both Northstar and Squaw. Competitors who have not
signed the release will NOT be permitted to compete.
Northstar has requested that competitors send signed release form ahead of time to
NorthstarRaceDept@vailresorts.com in order to make checkin simpler and faster for all.
Squaw release forms will be available at checkin.
[17-Feb-2019]
- Northstar/Squaw race info
Our Far West race schedule takes a break in early February for the FIS Masters/Western Championship
races at Aspen CO on Feb. 8-10, with three days of racing SL-GS-SGx2. Both SG's and
the DH race immediately following on Mon-Tue Feb. 11-12 are part of the 2019 masters
National Speed Series.
Our next Far West races will be a joint north-shore Tahoe event, with two SG races and a GS
at Northstar on Fri-Sat Feb. 22-23, following by a GS race at Squaw on Sunday Feb. 24.
Northstar is also offering SG training on Thursday afternoon 1-3pm, so plenty of racing on tap!
Please note that signed Northstar Release of Liability is mandatory for all competitors in order to
participate in training and races. Northstar has requested that competitors send signed release form
ahead of time to NorthstarRaceDept@vailresorts.com in order to make checkin simpler and faster for all.
The Sunday Squaw GS will be the 2019 Bernard Cup race. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a suitable
date to reschedule the cancelled January Sqauw SL/GS races that were originally planned as the Bernard Cup races.
[03-Feb-2019]
- Mammoth SG photos
Race photos of the Saturday SG races at Mammoth on Jan. 26 were taken by
veteran race photographer Sue Morning and are available online for viewing
and purchase. All photo purchases support the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation (MMCF)
and kids in the Eastern Sierra, including the Mammoth team athletes like our
forerunners at the speed event.
Photos can be purchased from the Susan Morning Photography online site
in a variety of print formats or as a downloadable digital image. Sue got some great
shots so well worth browsing the gallery to see yourself and your racing friends!
To learn more about MMCF and their programs, visit their web site at mammothfoundation.org:
[31-Jan-2019]
- Mammoth DH/SG speed races
Wow. Just... WOW!!! What an amazing, spectacular, incredible event we had with four days
of DH and SG speed racing at Mammoth Mountain on Jan. 24.27. It really doesn't get any better
than this - comfortable, sunny weather, fantastic conditions on the speed track, top-notch support
from the Mammoth Mountain Race Department throughout. Talk about smiles all around - yeah!!
Despite some worries about whether the 5-6 ft of new snow from the preceding weekend would
pack in enough, Thursday's DH training day opened with a sunny day on the World Cup/Fascination
course. With many competitors coming in without any speed practice this season, most took the
first training run to get used to the hill and the speed. Giggles and smiles spread at the finish
as competitors realized how great the track ran, and enthusiastically cycled around to open it up
on the second training run.
The good times kept rolling with two DH races on Friday, with the first race counting in the 2019
masters National Speed Series as well as our Far West season scoring. It was great to be joined
by competitors from Rocky and Intermountain travelling the speed series tour.
Despite pleas for another day of DH racing, on Saturday we switched to two SG races on the
World Cup/Terries course. Again, the first race of the morning counted for the Speed Series.
Ho hum, another perfect day in masters racing paradise - spectacular conditions, beautiful
weather, great snow conditions on the course. Pretty incredible!
Sunday wrapped up the event with... another fantastic race day and a final SG race.
Everyone hated to see it end, but it was an amazing event and great preparation for the
masters national championships coming up Mar. 17-23 at Mammoth
Complete results are posted on the farwestmasters.org Race Results page
along with the updated Season Standings rankings for 2019.
Speed series results are published on the NSS page on usalpinemasters.org.
[31-Jan-2019]
- Mammoth DH/SG Speed event info
The Sierra is emerging from a snowy week that brought multiple feet of snow, just
in time to shift to a dryer pattern for the annual Mammoth DH/SG speed event!
Although there is a lot of new snow, the Mammoth Race Department and grooming crews
have a proven record of excellent course preparation and they know their speed track,
so we are optimistic that this could turn out to be a spectacular event.
Thursday and Friday are DH training and two DH races. Thursday DH training is mandatory - all competitors
must participate in at least one training run to be eligible to race on Friday. Note that there is
an additional $40 fee for the training day, in addition to race entries for Friday's two DH races.
On the weekend we shift to SG, with two races on Saturday and one on Sunday. So that's a lot of fun
packed into a few days. If you like to challenge yourself, this is it!
As an additional incentive, the first DH race on Friday and the first SG on Saturday count for the
2019 National Speed Series. The races are also a preview of the national championship venues, with the 2019
Masters National Championships to be held at Mammoth on Mar. 18-23.
Reminder: the early registration deadline is Sunday 1/20, so get your race signups in skiracereg.com/fw.
Registration closes 8pm Tuesday 1/22; late entries and cancellations after the close of online registration
are at the discretion of Mammoth Race Dept.
[19-Jan-2019]
- Squaw Valley Bernard Cup weekend
The planned Squaw Valley Bernard Cup SL/GS races on Jan. 12-13 had a complicated evolution
in the week leading up to the event, switching from concerns of insufficient coverage
on the Exhibition race run to concerns after weekend storms followed by midweek rain to
whether the hill could safely be prepared for racing. The final decision was made on
Thursday afternoon by Squaw that the races could not be held due to last-minute staffing
issues.
The late-breaking race cancellation is extremely unfortunate and is sincerely regretted
by the Far West Masters board and race organizing team. We are deeply aware of the
commitment that our competitors make to plan their race participation, including travel
time and reservations that many of us have to make to attend a race event.
On a positive note, we appreciate that Mark Mirviss and the Squaw masters coaches
provided competitors already committed to coming to Squaw with a weekend alternative
of free SL and GS training both days. Multiple reports have been received from participants
that the training sessions were very good.
Discussions are in progress between Far West Masters and Squaw to assess
the options for rescheduling the Bernard Cup and we'll announce a new schedule as soon
as a satisfactory plan can be made.
[14-Jan-2019]
- Heavenly Viva Italia
Our January racing program in Far West started off with the classic Viva Italia Cup SL
races at Heavenly Valley on Friday Jan. 11. The World Cup race run at the Heavenly California
base has been a reliable and popular venue for many seasons. Although the hill is relatively
short, snow conditions are often firm and the challenges of SL are supplemented by a warmup
hike from the top of the lift up a short but steep pitch to the starting gate.
Heavenly welcomed us with clear weather and an enthusiastic course crew that kept the race
day moving expeditiously through 4 runs of SL. The field of over 50 competitors featured
an exceptionally young and strong women's field, with multiple women breaking into the
overall top 10 in both races led by Casey Edgeton's smoking Buck Hill-honed charge keeping
men's overall winner Ryan Ritchie working to hold his lead.
The day ended with a pizza party at the base of the race hill while the age handicap
scoring was computed to determine the overall Viva Italia Cup winners. The trophy
award went to two class 8 competitors who combined consistent fast skiing with sufficent age to
edge ahead of the younger athletes in the final rankings. Former winner Deb Lewis
took the ladies title, while hard-working TD Doug Fulton abandoned his "slalom boy" moniker
to convincingly ascend to the Slalom King seat.
Complete results are posted on the Race Results page
along with the updated Season Standings rankings for 2019.
[13-Jan-2019]
- *** Squaw races cancelled ***
We are very disappointed but unfortunately the Squaw races for Sat-Sun Jan. 12-13 must be cancelled due to last-minute staffing issues.
For all who have made plans and travel reservations already, Squaw is offering free race training to everyone on both Saturday and Sunday on Exhibition, as well as a free lift ticket on Saturday for anyone who needs lift access. Meet at the base of Exhibition at 9:30am for training.
If there is sufficient interest, Mark Mirviss says he can set up Brower timing as well.
Once again, we very much regret this schedule change and the disruption to all who made plans and have been looking forward to this event.
[10-Jan-2018]
- Heavenly and Squaw race info
Our next races after the holiday break are coming up in just over a week at Heavenly on Friday Jan. 11
for the Viva Italia Cup SL races and on Sat-Sun Jan. 12-13 at Squaw Valley for the
Bernard Cup SL/GS races. Both of these events include an overall trophy for the fastest man and women,
using an age-handicap formula that allows racers of all ages a shot at these perpetual trophies.
We will be racing on the World Cup run at Heavenly, at the base of the California base.
World Cup is a good SL hill that has been a popular venue for many years and Heavenly is always
a gracious host to the masters. The race hill is reported to be in excellent condition with copious
snowmaking thanks to the recent cold weather.
For the weekend, we shift to the north shore of Tahoe to Squaw Valley, racing SL on Saturday and
GS on Sunday. Early season coverage on the lower mountain at Squaw has been thin, but we are
expecting a good storm series over the coming weekend that should bring a good increase to the snowpack.
The masters have been in close contact with the Squaw Race Department to monitor conditions and will
continue to do so over the next few days.
Online registration is open on SkiRaceRegReg. Remember that the early registration deadline is Sunday evening 1/6;
prices go up next week so get your entries in now! You have until the close of registration at 8pm Wednesday 1/9 to withdraw,
so there's no penalty to signing up early. And while you're on SkiRaceReg, remember to sign up for the National Championships
at Mammoth in March!!
[04-Jan-2019]
- 2019 Major Events
Happy New Year! While everyone is hopefully enjoying holiday time
with family and friends, it's a good time to plan ahead for the racing schedule
in the coming months. This season we have two major masters events located
in the Western region.
On Feb. 8-10 the international FIS Masters Cup series makes
its North American stop at Aspen with SL, GS, and two SG races.
This event is also the Western Region Championships. And
to make the travel worthwhile, Rocky Masters are hosting two DH races
immediately following the FIS masters races on Mon-Tue Feb. 11-12.
The "big one" for all of us in Far West is the Masters National Championships, returning to
Far West's own Mammoth Mountain on March 17-23. This is a 4-event nationals, with the
national championship DH on Mon-Tue-Wed followed by SG-GS-SL national championships on Thu-Fri-Sat.
The Aspen SG's and DH and the Nationals DH and SG are all included in the 2019 Masters National Speed Series.
Far West competitors can collect speed series results and get a preview of the nationals speed venues
at our Mammoth speed weekend coming up on Jan. 24-27 with two DH races and 3 SG, with the first DH and SG races
counted in the Speed Series standings.
[01-Jan-2019]
- Mammoth Woolly's Challenge season kickoff
The 2018-2019 Far West Masters race season kicked off the weekend before the Christmas holidays
with three days of excellent racing conditions at Mammoth Mountain. The weather was a bit of a
mixed bag - clouds and wind with a couple inches of new snow for Friday's first GS,
warm and sunny for the Saturday SL's, and back to breezy and overcast for Sunday's final GS race.
But despite the varying weather, the race surface on Andy's Double Gold (ADG) was
consistently outstanding - firm and grippy. Mammoth Race Department put on a first-class event
for us, with a large race crew every day and beautifully prepared courses.
The pre-holiday timing was a bit difficult for some to negotiate, but those who were
able to make it were treated to an excellent kickoff to the race season.
Many thanks to the Mammoth Race Department for hosting an excellent season opening event for us,
and congratulations to everyone who competed!!
Complete results are posted on the Race Results page
along with the first Season Standings rankings for 2019.
[31-Dec-2018]
- Mammoth Dec. 21-23 opening races
What a difference a few weeks can make! Going into Thanksgiving everywhere was brown in the Sierra, with limited
man-made snow at those areas able to open. But December rolled in with a lovely series of storms that transformed conditions
and set up all our Sierra resorts with great conditions going into the upcoming holidays.
Our first Far West Masters races of the 2018-2019 season will be held next week at Mammoth, with the postponed Dec. 1-2 races
added onto the originally scheduled Fri-Sat races. We will now be racing GS on Friday 12/21 (as originally scheduled),
two SL races on Saturday 12/22, and an additional GS race on Sunday (postponed race makeup). Mammoth Race Department will be
providing a two-day training camp on Wed and Thu Dec 19-20, so come early if you can and get in a couple solid days of training
before the races.
Mammoth Mountain is now in full operation and the conditions are very good. Weather outlook for next week is also encouraging - after
a moderate storm on Sunday/Monday, forecasts call for clearing and warm through the rest of the week, so we should have very good
conditions to kick off the race season!!
We realize the timing of the opening event will conflict with holiday plans for some, but after our delayed start of the season
we wanted to take advantage of Mammoth's offer to host the additional races so that we have racing to offer those who can attend.
If you can't make it, happy holidays to all and we look forward to gathering in early January at Heavenly and Squaw for our next event.
Reminder: the early registration deadline is Sunday 12/16, so get your race signups in skiracereg.com/fw.
Registration closes 8pm Wednesday 12/19; late entries and cancellations after the close of online registration
are at the discretion of Mammoth Race Dept.
[15-Dec-2018]
- Mammoth Opening Races Postponed
Due to limited terrain and coverage available for racing and training, the decision has been made
to postpone the Mammoth masters training camp on Nov. 26-30 and the opening GS/SL races on Dec. 1-2
and reschedule as part of the late December event at Mammoth. Although forecasts for the Thanksgiving holidays
predict moderate snowfall for the Sierra, dry weather returns the following week and it is unlikely that
even with good snowmaking conditions that adequate race conditions could be prepared.
The rescheduled event will now be 3 days Fri-Sat-Sun Dec. 21-23: GS Fri, SLx2 Sat, GS Sunday.
A shortened training camp will be held on Wed-Thu Dec. 19-20 with SL and GS training.
- 2019 membership and race signups are open
The web site has been updated with all our 2019 race schedule and membership information
and Far West Masters is open on SkiRaceReg.com.
Head on over to SkiRaceReg.com/fw to join Far West Masters for the season and
sign up for December races.
(Race signups for events in January through the end of the season in April
will be available by the end of October)
US Ski & Snowboard Masters Membership: deadline to renew
your US Masters membership is Monday Oct. 15 - $25 late fee will be added
for renewals after the deadline. (Late fee does not apply to new masters or short-term memberships)
Online Membership Renewal: online membership renewal
is available through our Far West Masters race series
on SkiRaceReg.com. The online membership options allow you to pay your membership dues
using the same online account that you use to sign up for races and pay race entry fees.
You will also have the option to purchase a print subscription to the Forerunner newsletter
if you wish to receive a copy in the mail in addition to the electronic copy distributed
to all members. Joining online is quick and easy, highly recommended!!
Note: the first time you sign into your SkiRaceReg.com account at the start
of the season, you will be told that your account is "inactive" and needs to be reactivated
for the new season. You didn't do anything wrong, this happens every year!! We need to
make sure that the contact and payment information for your account is up-to-date, so just
follow the instructions on each page, it should only take a few minutes.
We've put together a "FAQ" (Frequently Asked Questions) on about your SkiRaceReg.com
account and the signup/renewal process, so take a look at that if you're not sure what's
going on, or contact the Far West series administrators at raceadmin@farwestmasters.org
if you need assistance.
[15-Oct-2018]
- Fall Newsletter and Membership Package
The Fall issue of the Forerunner newsletter is out!
Click the link below to read online or download your copy.
The Fall newsletter as well as previous issues of the Forerunner from past seasons
are always available on the Newsletters page.
Electronic copies of the Forerunner are sent out on the news email list
to all recent members of Far West Masters. If you purchased a print subscription
to the newsletter last season, you will also receive a copy in the mail.
The Fall issue is packed with news about the upcoming season, including the complete
season schedule and the Far West Masters membership package containing information
on the 2018-2019 program and membership options for new and renewing members.
Please get your Far West Masters membership in to Membership director Mary Feddis
by Nov. 16 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. Membership renewals received after the deadline are subject to a $5 late fee.
(Note: late fees are only applicable to renewals.
New members may join anytime during the season without late fees!)
REMINDER: don't forget to renew your U.S. Ski & Snowboard masters membership!
Early renewal deadline is Oct. 15 and a $25 late fee will be charged for late membership renewals.
Online Membership Renewal: We're very pleased to be able to offer
online membership renewal again this season through our Far West Masters race series
on SkiRaceReg.com. The online membership options allow you to pay your membership dues
using the same online account that you use to sign up for races and pay race entry fees.
You will also have the option to purchase a print subscription to the Forerunner newsletter
if you wish to receive a copy in the mail in addition to the electronic copy distributed
to all members. Joining online is quick and easy, highly recommended!!
Coming Soon: Membership renewal on SkiRaceReg.com will be opened next week; webmaster
and race series administrator Deb Lewis will be working over the weekend to install
all the 2019 season information so we can open for membership renewal as soon as possible.
We're a little late getting the 2019 updates posted, please be patient - we're doing a
major internal renovation of the web site to enable improved capabilities
and a modernized design for the coming season.
[04-Oct-2018]
- Preliminary 2019 Schedule
The preliminary 2018-2019 race schedule is now available.
Scheduling Director Mike Braun has worked hard to put together a race schedule
which offers diverse competition opportunities at areas in Far West
with a proven ability to host excellent events.
Although there are still a few details being settled, we believe
the preliminary schedule is essentially complete and should provide a fun
season of racing opportunities.
A highlight of the season will be the Masters National Championships at
Far West's own Mammoth Mountain on March 18-23. This is a 4-event nationals,
with the DH championship along with the triple-combined SG/GS/SL championships.
[07-Aug-2018]
- May Forerunner newsletter
The end-of-season May issue of the Forerunner newsletter is out
with season wrapup and spring news stories to jog your skiing memories as
everyone shifts into summer activities. Newsletter editor Hamish Butler has pulled
together stories from the final events of our season, along with reports
from the March FIS Masters World Criterium at Big Sky MT and news about some of
our scholarship athletes.
Click the link below to read online or download your copy.
The March newsletter as well as previous issues of the Forerunner from past seasons
are always available on the Newsletters page.
Electronic copies of the Forerunner are sent out on the news email list
to all recent members of Far West Masters. If you purchased a print subscription
to the newsletter this season, you will also receive a copy in the mail.
[10-Jun-2018]
|
