Hamish Butler steps in as Division Chair
Hello and welcome to the end of summer update.
You may wonder why I am writing the update rather than Rees. After the end of last season Rees notified the board of his intention to step down from the role of Division Chair for personal reasons. 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 over the years. 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.
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and looking forward to next season. The board met again in August and started to make plans for next season, more on that to come in September. A big thanks to Mike Braun for putting together a great season schedule despite the challenges of working with all of the ski areas and race departments to find hill space to put on our races. This year we see a welcome return to Sierra at Tahoe after a long absence.
Mary Feddis has notified us of her intent to resign as the Vice Chair of Membership of Far West Masters. This is a very important role and we thank Mary very much for the excellent work she has done for us in that role. Mary will continue to assist and help mentor her successor through to the end of 2026. We are actively looking at options for Mary’s successor. If you think you can make a contribution in this area please let me know.
As you all know our snowfall last year was widely regarded as one of the worst on record in the West, despite that we managed to put on some great race days and the season ended with a very enjoyable US Masters National Championships at Mammoth in March. With the prospect of a potentially historic El Niño forecasters are optimistic that we should have a better season for 2026-2027. Opensnow favors above normal snowfall in California and the Southwest U.S. Here’s hoping they are correct and we have a great season ahead.
Hamish