Re-Dual Slalom

Is it possible to have too much snow?

In this newsletter:

• BLE Discussion

• Dual Slalom details

• Sponsors

• End Of Year Party

• MORE SHWAG

• Adult Racing

BLE Discussion

As we enter the final days of voting on the Base Lodge Expansion, I want to... Oops - wrong email!

Race #7 - Dual Slalom - Presented by Lysander Funds

What a week for snow! Powder throughout the week and weekend, culminating with the delay of our Dual Slalom race. As you are probably aware: our GDHL Dual Slalom has been postponed until this Sunday at 1pm on Lil Jon.

Take note that this is over 24 hours after the completion of a traditional Men’s Day experience. Those that are keeping the party going until race-time, we salute you and wish you all the best in the race course.

The format for this year’s dual will mirror the 2024 version. Some notes:

• You will start against the racer with the closest bib to you at the top of the course. (#1 vs #2, #3 vs #4, etc.) If we are missing numbers, you will be assigned by a GDHL Committee Member to the next closest racer.

• We will be using our dual slalom start gates, purchased with the assistance of the GDHL in 2022

• Each racer will have a run in the Blue and the Red course

• Combined time determines your finish placing for the standings

• If you do not finish one of the runs, your total time will be your other run’s time with a penalty applied.

• If you do not finish both runs, you will be scored a DNF

• Due to time constraints, we will not have time for more than two runs.

• No need for full slalom gear, though some may prefer the added protection

ROOKIES: Check out this video.

CANADIANS: Check out this video.

***speaking of DNFs, the latest news from the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital fracture clinic can be found here.

Sponsors

Thanks as always to our sponsors! See the SHWAG section below for another nice treat from our generous sponsors.

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Blake Farrow Project

• Sidelaunch Brewing

• Squire John’s

• Lange/Dynastar

• Nicholas Peace Wines

• Spy Cider

End Of Year Awards

1 more week till the biggest GDHL night of the year! Find out which team and consortium wins! Watch a few surprises we have up our sleeve and new this year - 10-year age category winners! 

There are still a few tickets left.

Come for the last blast in the South Lodge and make a few more memories before the bulldozers show up April 3rd! 

The important info:

• What: GDHL Awards Party

• When: Saturday, March 1 - 6:30pm until you can no longer dance or we make you leave around midnight-ish

• Who: GDHL racers, spouses, families, team owners, friends and fans (so pretty much anyone 19+)

• Where: South Lodge

  Cost $70 - all in. Leave your wallets at home.

Get ready to dance and sing with 'Friends from Work'

Challenge your rivals in the games area with flip cup, axe throwing, corn hole and more! 

Feast on appetizers, a pig roast, late night pizza, Craig's cookies and a candy table! 

Stay hydrated with beer, wine, sparkly, cider, ready to drinks, bar rail and non-alcoholic drinks! 

Complimentary shuttles/rides home as well!

See you there! 

Register OnLine in the Social Calendar section of the club site/app.

***Anyone who was in the South Lodge for the World Cup celebration or any other event for the last forty years knows how much this old South Lodge loves to party! Let’s give her a proper send-off***

More GDHL Swag?!?!?

Hopefully you are enjoying your GDHL Beer Stein.   You drink like a pro.  You race like a pro.   Now time to look like a pro.    We have custom gear labels for all of our racers thanks to our GDHL sponsors.   We will be handing these out at the Banquet, but if you want to get yours earlier, look for a committee member at Apres this Saturday, February 22nd.    Our committee members will even be equipped with drink tickets, again, thanks to our amazing sponsors. 

Photo courtesy of Meg and Paul Ryley.

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Giant Slalom this Friday.

• Date: Friday, Feb. 21

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 12:30 to 2:30 pm

• Hill: TBD – Check the White Board at the National Chair

• Discipline: Giant Slalom

• Equipment: GS Skis, Hard Shell Helmet, Forearm guards and padded suit if available.

• Coaches: Glenn Blaylock and Al LaChance

• Register by noon on Thursday.

Coach’s Tip: Edge Angle and Pressure

Carving a turn requires the right balance of edge angle and pressure on the outside ski, depending on snow conditions, turn shape, speed, and ski design. Review four movements to create edge angle and apply pressure on the outside ski, as well as movements to avoid that may disrupt the alignment and stacking of the core and leg against the outside ski.

Here’s the link: https://alpineracemethod.com/edge-angle-and-pressure

Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

See You At The Dual!

Duel In The Dual

Dual Slalom weekend is here! BLE Voting is here! The crowds are here!

In This Newsletter:

• Slalom Race Recap

• Sponsors

• Dual Slalom - presented by Lysander Funds

• End Of Year Event

• Ski Cross Club Championships

• Adult Racing Update

• BLE Meeting and Voting

Race #6 - Slalom - Presented by Raymond James

-from the desk of Carrie G.L.

With our second lowest number of starters (131) this year, everyone soared down the big, bad, terrifying, L'il Jon (Yeah!) for our last slalom race of the season! Some racers had huge sighs of relief, others grumbling that they are slalom specialists and would like 7 slalom races next year. It was a beautiful day, the birds were chirping, the sun was out, it was the afternoon of the athletic fundraiser, the GDHL was racing and Chris Knight was giving out drink tickets. A Saturday couldn't get much better. 

We started off hot with GDHL's own Fabulous Foxes - Debbie Gust, Sam Callow, Susie Raymond and Kate Veer to set the pace for everyone.

The purchased bib 10 came down which was none other than the 'funnest' Bruce brother, Fraser, who was apparently strutting around the finish for quite some time knowing he was in the hot seat. Sadly, little brother Gordie beat him in the overall. 

It was a rather disappointing showing from our 'distinguished gentlemen' category (65+). Only 6 of the 17 decided to show up this weekend. Rob Burnes showed that he is starting to (finally) take the GDHL a little seriously as he was dawning a new pair of denim purchased from Mark's that very morning. Jamie Coulter lost a shoe in the first run and then quickly discovered that his binding had somehow moved? Is someone sabotaging his skis at the start? Thankfully a screwdriver was found and his binding was fixed so he could have a 2nd run. 

With Meg Ryley home sick for the weekend and this writer not participating in slalom anymore, it was a clear runway for any of the 36-45 year old women to dominate that category. Jenn Price - self proclaimed slalom specialist - nudged out lifelong rival, Lesley White, by a fingernail (.02)!  Chloe Berry, Carrie Laurencelle and Catherine Jones are showing that their training is really paying off this season. Well done ladies! 

In the men's 'hey where is Carrie and the water bottle race' aka bibs 65-107, Jon Poulbiec made a triumphant return after injuring himself in the 3rd race of the season on Comet and was showing pictures of his battle bruises to anyone who asked. He beat out Andrew Ottaway! Gasp! There are rumors that Andrew was found in the woods afterwards sitting silently staring at a tree because he was so angry.

Ryan Taylor shaved over a second off of his second run - but was also seen doing push ups and squats between runs while simultaneously icing his knees, hips and shoulders. David Singh, Jordan White, Stephen Cavanagh and 'attack from the back' Quinn Richardson also made huge gains on their second runs. Jon Price's wife, Jenn, has been inching ever closer to him and for the first time ever, she beat Jon. Multiple people have been over to the Price residence this week to support Jon as he listens to REM's 'Everybody Hurts' on repeat. I heard both Paul Peterson and Sarunas Lenauskas, who knows the feeling of finishing below your wife all too well, have been consoling him and are starting a support group.

In the hotly contested Ottaway and Dyson brother race - those were won by Andrew and Peter respectively - only because their counterparts were vacationing.  Ed 'The Eagle' Barnicke has now officially changed his name to just 'The Eagle'. This lead to much confusion for the starter and the voice of Craigleith, Bill Barclay, in the finish hut, but much like The Rock, The Eagle is now official.

Paul Peterson somehow had the worst time differential of the entire race between his 1st and 2nd run, managing to add over 2 seconds. That 2026 Olympic team debut may have to be pushed out to 2030.

Trevor Currie and Jason Turnpenny both had solid first runs and improved for run #2 - that rivalry has been hot all season. Trevors got 1 more race to make up 14 points. Steve Cryer - who is supposed to one day write one of these newsletters - decided that on his first run, he would ski the first 4 gates, lose a ski, slide over and down a few more gates, lose another ski and then do a less than acrobatic backwards somersault. He then looked up the hill for the snow snake that caught him. Sadly, no snow snake was present, so he hung his head in shame gathering his equipment that was scattered everywhere. 

Lindsay Brazill and Ciara Gaffney battled it out and were neck in neck - Maddy Staples was the most consistent skier with the exact same time both runs. That group of 20-35 year old ladies, squished at the  back, have so much fun and support each other so much, it's really great to see. I also see a new Molly rivalry brewing - between Molly MacDonald and Molly Brenzel. We'll need to keep an eye on this one. 

Sandbagger Pete Valin almost beat out Brent Addison, Andrew Athey and Matt Brenzel - those guys all took go juice at the start. That might get Pete that .10 he's looking for. 

Joey Hill - or Jockey Hill, as he shall be called in this newsletter, showed up in full jockey gear - riding helmet included. Sadly, due to safety rules, he had to abandon his riding helmet for a ski helmet - it wouldn't really matter in the end though, as he only made it down 4 gates. 

The best story of the weekend - Jack Boyman - finally showed up for his first race of the season! *golf claps* And on his Bachelor Party weekend! You might have seen a group of 20 or so guys skiing around Saturday. Well that was Jack's crew here to support him in his debut race - 6 races into a 7 race season. Clearly the support, videographer and mouthful of fire juice helped, as he successfully made it down to the bottom to a cheering crowd who carried him off to the bar. 

The top guys came down the first run to an astounding crowd and cheers, you would have thought you were at a World Cup event. Williams and Welton came down only 0.3 seconds apart from one another. Ben thought he might have had a podium spot until Scott Barrett came down bib 187 and was the first person to break 19 seconds, with a 19.72. There was fist pumping, dancing and then Scott realized there was one skier left. He held his breath a whole 19.83 seconds while Griff ripped through the course. Scott thought he finally had the most coveted win of his career - a 1st place in a GDHL slalom on Little John!  He started looking for the champagne to spray and then saw Ben, Mike and Griff head back to the top for a 2nd run. Scott was deflated and knew he only had 30 minutes to devise a new strategy of attack. 

Ben was first to go for this ruthless group - he pulled out a 19.97.... then Mike tore the course apart with a 19.38...pulverising Scott's first run time and potentially his holy grail. Both Griff and Scott tried their best and were able to bettered their first run times, but alas, it wasn't enough.  Mike Welton and Griffin Copp finished 1, 2 and with Scott in 3rd, crushing Scott's dreams last Saturday on Craigleith's very own field of dreams. Skiing is such a merciless sport.

Great race everyone!  Get ready for the DUAL SLALOM this Saturday, again on Little John! 

Sponsors

Special thank you to our sponsors! You’ve helped make this a successful year, and we appreciate all your support!

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Blake Farrow Project

• Sidelaunch Brewing

• Squire John’s

• Lange/Dynastar

• Nicholas Peace Wines

• Spy Cider

Dual Slalom - Presented By Lysander Funds

This weekend sees the return of the Dual Slalom on ‘Lil John. It’s time to put on a show for a packed-Long-Weekend-Craigleith. (That’s a subtle reminder to anticipate lift lines this weekend!)

The format for this year’s dual will mirror the 2024 version. Some notes:

• You will start against the racer with the closest bib to you at the top of the course. (#1 vs #2, #3 vs #4, etc.) If we are missing numbers, you will be assigned by a GDHL Committee Member to the next closest racer.

• We will be using our dual slalom start gates, purchased with the assistance of the GDHL in 2022

• Each racer will have a run in the Blue and the Red course

• Combined time determines your finish placing for the standings

• If you do not finish one of the runs, your total time will be your other run’s time with a penalty applied.

• If you do not finish both runs, you will be scored a DNF

• Due to time constraints, we will not have time for more than two runs.

• No need for full slalom gear, though some may prefer the added protection

ROOKIES: Check out this video.

End Of Year Event

Well - that super bowl was a disappointment, however our year end awards party will look like the streets of Philadelphia's after party.

There aren't many tickets left (less than 30). Fun fact - Riley Keast 'said' he got a ticket for the banquet, but I have my doubts. Someone check in on him, just in case. 

If you don't have your ticket yet... there is not much time left to grab it. Your favorite GDHL committee member won't be able to help you and that might mean you will win all the awards.

As a reminder:

The GDHL Awards Party will be in the South Lodge.

Rumor has it (well, it's fact) that Miley, Dave MacDonald & Paul Smith have booked the wrecking ball for April 1st - so this is our last bash! 

Come prepared to laugh, potentially leave with some hardwear, find out who the big cheese is, who will be thrown under the bus and who will hoist the big trophy!

The important info:

• What: GDHL Awards Party

• When: Saturday, March 1 - 6:30pm until you can no longer dance or we make you leave around midnight-ish

• Who: GDHL racers, spouses, families, team owners, friends and fans (so pretty much anyone 19+)

• Where: South Lodge

Get ready to dance and sing with 'Friends from Work'

Have some last minute competitions with your rivals in the games area.

Feast on a plethora of appetizers, a pig roast, late night pizza, Craig's cookies and a candy table! 

Stay hydrated with beer, wine, sparkly, cider, ready to drinks, bar rail and non-alcoholic drinks! 

All included for the very tantalizing price of $70

Ski Cross Club Championships

From Dave Campbell, Head of Alpine Programs:

Saturday afternoon is the first annual adult Ski Cross Club Champs. All GDHL Participants are automatically registered. Anyone not in the GDHL that would like to race will need to register on the Club Calendar before 3:00 pm on Thursday February 13th.

Bib Pick up: Depot Lobby (this is not your GDHL bib, you will get a different bib for this race) 8:30am-12:00pm

Race Hill: Bowie Cross Track

Inspection: 12:00 pm to 12:45 pm  (Mandatory Inspection for all racers)

Race time: 1:15 pm (order is by age and gender – like our regular racing Club Championships)

Format: single run – time trial format (only one at a time in the course – fastest time wins)

Awards: Awards will be included with the GS and SL Awards on Sunday March 2nd on the Depot Lodge Deck

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Panelled Slalom this Friday, February 14th.

• Date: Friday, Feb. 14 (remember to bring your coaches a Valentine…)

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 12:30 to 2:30 pm

• Hill: Zipper

• Discipline: Panelled Slalom

• Equipment: Slalom Skis, Forearm guards and padded suit if available. If clearing gates with both hands, slalom hand guards are recommended.

• Coaches: Glenn Blaylock, Al LaChance, Eugene Jacta

Coach’s Tips: When racing Dual Panelled Slalom decide before the race if you will clear the gates with your inside arm or with both hands. Have an explosive start and practice the action of grabbing your poles after releasing the start handles, as it is common for racers to struggle with gripping their poles after the start.

Learn how to race Dual Slalom in this Module: https://alpineracemethod.com/dual-slalom-1

 Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

Special Member Meeting - Base Lodge Expansion

You made it to the end! What would a winter email be without mention of the BLE?

A reminder that the Special Member Meeting regarding the BLE starts on Sunday at 4pm in the Depot.

Voting on the proposal opens online directly after the meeting, and is open until February 23rd. Info can be found here.

Fast Runs and Big Air!

We’re halfway through the ski season, with two more GDHL races on the calendar…

In this newsletter:

• Super G Recap

• Upcoming Races

• Standings

• Awards Party

• Ski Cross Club Champs

• Adult Racing Update

• Athletic Fundraiser

Super G Recap - thanks to Sutherland Insurance

What a race! With no NFL games on the calendar this past weekend and everyone still buzzing about Jack Crawford’s blistering downhill win, all eyes were on the highly anticipated Super G (aka The Sutherland Cup). With National and Big John semi-closed, the pressure was on Craigleith’s elite athletes to rival past glories on our very own World Cup Ski Cross track.

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the winning team from the Super G race will be awarded the Sutherland Cup at our upcoming awards party.

A big thank you to all that assisted in the tear down of safety netting on National and Big John. It went very quick this year!

Many of our racers participated in the Super G this weekend. Whether it was the opportunity to ski fast, break out that downhill suit, break some sort of record standing in the winner’s circle, or come over those last two pro-bumps, all racers had a great ride down the Ski Cross World Cup hill.

DJ Eddie The Eagle provided some great tunes at the start area, the Coyotes kept a safe track running efficiently, and our GDHL superfans provided a jolt of energy at the finish line.

Duff Isberg moved up the standings with a blistering 3rd place finish. Not long after, you may have witnessed the run of the year if you saw Super G winner Griffin Copp come down a full 1.21 seconds ahead of second place Mike Welton. (You know what else took a full 1.21 seconds? The spread between 2nd and 9th place…)

GDHL sandbagger rookie Pete Valin finally had a result outside of the top 20, continuing his inevitable downhill slide after peaking in race #1. Fellow veteran Craigleith coach Alex Addison improved his rankings with a great finish in this race, closing in on fellow Dealer’s Cup contestant Dave Raymond in the standings.

Meg Robinson and Jenn Price battled it out on Sunday, with only .08 seconds between the two of them, making this one of the closer battles this season.

Charlie Nogas managed to ski the course with three pieces of equipment after his pole said “Abandonee” in the start block. Charlie’s got to be thinking about how much equipment to leave behind next race, after having his best result of the season.

Connor Clarke continued his pursuit of rookie of the year, finishing ahead of GDHL veterans and committee members Peter Dyson and Chris Knight. Hot tip: if you want a well-run race and a beer ticket after the race, these probably aren’t the two veterans to mess with!

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Brent Robbins has completed 4 GDHL races already this year. We will make sure that info gets out to current (and past) teammates. At this point, Brent’s just pushing himself further up the bib numbers for 2026. What a season!

Card-carrying “slalom specialist” Mark Shillum had a great speed race to pull even with Jon Price, who himself is sitting only one spot ahead of future GDHL newsletter writer Steve Cryer.

All three Veers (Kate, Max, Jack) managed to lay down some fast results this weekend, while the Sultmanis brothers saw their standings gap narrow with two great looking finishes.

TRIVIA BREAK: The GDHL analytics department has crunched the numbers and found that there are 79 GDHL racers this year that are racing with another family member, with a total of 32 families making a start this year. We’ve checked the archives deep in the secret caverns below the South Lodge, and there hasn’t been close to this number before in GDHL history.

Pop quiz: which Ottaway is faster in Super G? Trick question! Not enough data to determine.

Great race everyone! Another Super G in the books.

The standings (see below) are starting to become more clear, as we have more racers joining the 4-finish club. Stay tuned for the last slalom and our Dual Slalom.

Upcoming Races

Two more GDHL races to go:

• Saturday February 8th - PRESENTED BY RAYMOND JAMES - Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil John at 1pm

• Sunday February 16th - PRESENTED BY LYSANDER FUNDS - Dual Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil John at 1pm

BONUS RACE: Ski Cross Club Championships - Details To Come from the Club

BONUS BONUS RACE: Plain Old Regular Club Championships - Details to Come from the Club

Standings

• Updated standings can be found here.

• Standings from a decade ago can be found here.

• Jack Crawford’s winning Kitzbuhel run can be found here.

• Paul Peterson and Ed Barnicke can frequently be found here.

• ***Fun fact: The top three teams have very good attendance so far…

Awards Party

From Carrie G-L:

Travis Kelce is ready for this weekend... will you be on March 1st?

We teased in the last email. There have been rumors.

The GDHL has never had a party like this before.

Ever.

Like I said in the last email; book the babysitter now.

Here's the big reveal:

The GDHL Awards Party will be in the South Lodge.

That's right, get ready for one last bash before Dave MacDonald and Miley Cyrus come in with wrecking balls.

Find out who the big winners are! Who sh!t the bed. Which team will take home the glory and gloating for the year! Who will be top dogs on the podium and most importantly, cheers to the most amazing season!

The important info:

• What: GDHL Awards Party

• When: Saturday, March 1 - 6:30pm until you can no longer dance or we make you leave around midnight-ish

• Who: GDHL racers, spouses, families, team owners, friends and fans (so pretty much anyone 19+)

• Where: South Lodge

Get ready to dance and sing with 'Friends from Work'

Have some last minute competitions with your rivals in the games area.

Feast on a plethora of appetizers, a pig roast, late night pizza, Craig's cookies and a candy table! 

Stay hydrated with beer, wine, sparkly, cider, ready to drinks, bar rail and non-alcoholic drinks! 

All included for the very tantalizing price of $70

Here's the kicker - there are only 275 tickets available. When they are gone, they are gone. Sucking up to your favorite GDHL committee member will get you absolutely nowhere. That's right, texting a committee member at 4:25pm the night of the party asking to buy a ticket like Riley Keast did last year won't work. You will end up at the village alone. Sad.

Tickets go on sale, Friday, February 7th at 9am on the club website.

Ski Cross Club Champs

• Saturday February 15th

• Location: If you need to be told…

• Mandatory Course Inspection at 12pm, Race Starts at 1:15pm

• All GDHL Racers are automatically entered

• Note: you will need to pick up a new bib for this event. Details to come in your weekly BLE Club newsletter.

Adult Racing

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Slalom on Friday.

• Date: Friday, February 7

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 12:30 to 2:30 pm

• Hill: Lower Vortex – Confirm on the White Board at National Chair

• Discipline:  Slalom

• Equipment: Slalom skis, and appropriate Safety Gear

• Register On-line by Thursday evening

• Coaches: Al LaChance and Eugene Jacta

Coach’s Tip:

Race Start: A well-executed start can greatly improve your race time. Learn how to launch from the start gate with confidence and speed. Tap here: https://alpineracemethod.com/race-start-1

Thank you for slipping the course and removing the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

Athletic Fundraiser

This Saturday February 8th - details below. You don’t want to miss this!

Speed Weekend

The highly-anticipated Super G is here! Get your best Jack Crawford impression ready, because we are going fast this weekend!

In this newsletter:

• Sponsors

• Friday Night Slalom Recap

• North Lodge Apres

• Super G Details

• Adult Race Training

• Remaining Schedule

• GDHL Awards Party

• Fundraiser

Sponsors

Thanks again to our 2025 sponsors. You’ve helped us to put together a great year so far. Thank you!

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Blake Farrow Project

• Sidelaunch Brewing

• Squire John’s

• Lange/Dynastar

• Nicholas Peace Wines

• Spy Cider

Friday Night Slalom Race Recap - brought to you by Paul P.

If there was ever any doubt as to the popularity of the GDHL or the commitment level of the racers,  those doubts were put to rest as we had a great turnout for the Friday night slalom which was a make up race from the cancelled race last week. Many racers who already had Friday night plans in place had to “abandonee” those plans to make it up to Little John in time to put some points on the board for their team.   Mike Welton for example, left his young baby unattended at home alone so he could be there.  Gordie Bruce,  just recently named one of the 50 sexiest people in Ski Country by “On the bay” magazine cancelled his photo shoot at the last minute to make the race.  Jeff Sutherland skipped his 3rd bicep workout of the day to be there and it was rumoured Brayden Irwin and Lauren Howe tried to skip their wedding in Zermatt to fly back in time for the race but unfortunately the flights were already sold out.  As you can tell the commitment required to be a top racer in the GDHL is significant.  

Remember that movie , Friday night lights with Billy Bob Thornton?!  Neither do I ….but I imagine it was almost as exciting as our Friday night finish. With Griffin Copp down at an all inclusive singles retreat in Cancun, it was anybody's guess who would finish on the podium.  Scott Barrett held the lead after the 1st run and was already texting his parents to make sure they were watching the live timing as he could taste his first GDHL victory coming.  As is often the case, the last racer down on the 2nd run was Magic Mike Welton who stole the victory, knocking Scott down into 2nd place . Speaking of last second disappointments, Meg Ryley was sitting in 3rd place, about to be the first female on the GDHL podium since Kate Veer back in ’97 but Benny Williams snuck by Meg in his 2nd run and stole the bottom step on the podium.  

In the ladies division it was Meg, followed once again by Cheryl McConachie but with Madison Staples not competing (her and her Dad "Dashing Dave" we’re out of town) Ciara Gaffney took advantage and took home 3rd place.  Lindsay Brazill with a solid 4th place in her first year back to GDHL . I don’t want this newsletter to become a gossip column but Lindsay mentioned to me after the race that she really hoped Griffin Copp noticed her great finish.  

Honourable mentions: 

Riley “the rocket” Keast laid down an incredible 2nd run to jump ahead of several GDHL legends including former President James “Money” Mathers and Chris “salty dog” Clark.

The only person being talked about more than Jack Crawford this weekend was Quinn Richardson, known universally as one of the nicest guys at the club. He laid down an incredible run, finishing a career best 55th overall. Quinn attributes his success to the 4 “courage shots" of Fireball he had from Carries water bottle before hitting the course.  

Brent Addison, ridiculed after his first race for another DNF, has bounced back quite nicely and finished 7th overall in race #4.  Brent and Hot Nat were seen leaving the race immediately after 2nd run to get home and “celebrate” as she put it. 

Carrie Laurencelle took down Zack Koorneef in the highly contested “safe skier” category. 

A Night to forget: 

Tina Ciccociopo had such a slow time she officially changed her last name to Stacey on the GDHL roster after the race.  Tony and his consortium will be expecting Tina to bounce back nicely in race #5. 

Slippery Pete Dyson finished 10 spots behind his brother Brook which is unfortunate because last Friday night, Pete actually finished ahead of Brook. Luckily for our GDHL president , last weeks results have been stripped from the record books. 

Random thoughts and musings: 

The GDHL apres on Saturday was amazing.  Fantastic free food, free drinks and we got to see some glorious ski sweaters come to that would normally be too sweaty to wear during a base lodge apres.  Great job by those who organized it. 

There are a lot of awesome ski families in GDHL and the 4 Brenzels are right up there at the top.  We’ve got young Matt who skis really fast , Pistol Pete the Dad who finishes only slightly ahead of me (no more explanation needed) which leaves Molly and Sydney.  I won’t say who is who but one of these 2 is the "fast" one and the other is the “fun" one.  Team Manitou, unfortunately got saddled with the “fun” one. 

The famous GDHL announcer has been calling Duff Isberg, Duff “Iceberg” so we should all call Duff "the iceman" going forward.  Speaking of Duff, it’s amazing to me how a guy can miss a few years with a terrible injury and still come back and ski with the top dogs.  Well done iceman. 

I learned that Ian Latimer has been skiing in the GDHL since before the Comet chair was moved to its current location.  Ian must have an entire bedroom in his basement full of old GDHL swag and Al Lachance game worn race suits.  What a legend. 

Don’t get too excited or disappointed when you look at the overall team standings on-line.  As of now they are counting total points so it’s essentially an attendance contest at this point.  Remember only the top 4 races count so once more people get races in, the standings will change quickly.  

That’s all for now, I would go on but I’m sure we’ll have another BLE newsletter to read today and there is only so much time in the day. 

Great effort by all those who made it in time for the Friday night race!

North Lodge Apres

Good times in the North Lodge this past Saturday! Thanks again to Nicholas Pearce Wines, Corona, Sidelaunch, and The Nomad Chef for helping us put together a great afternoon.

Send us your pictures and we will get them up on the @craigleith_gdhl instagram account.

Super G - brought to you by Sutherland Insurance

Sunday at 12:30pm (note the modified start time) will see the 2025 version of GDHL speed weekend. This year’s event will be a Super G down National that crosses over to finish on Big John. You’ll see the track set up for the younger racers (GDHL prospects) over the next few days, and we should have a very similar setup.

This year’s race will feature a new prize - The Sutherland Cup. The top performing team in the Super G (total points) will be recognized at our end-of-year event. Thanks to Sutherland Insurance for sponsoring this prestigious recognition.

Due to the increased speed on the course, there are enhanced safety protocols for Sunday’s race. Please read these carefully, as they provide a safe racing environment for everyone.

Weather permitting, we are planning for two runs on Sunday. The course will be set by former National and Provincial Team coach Benoit Lalande.

Some details for race day are as follows:

• Downhill suits are allowed, pole guards are not allowed, helmet cams are not allowed, and hard eared helmets are mandatory.

• Because of the speed, there are extra safety rules around this race that need to be followed.

• Inspection is MANDATORY for all racers and will be from 10:30am to 11:30am. Please check in at the top of the race course with your bib number. Your name will be checked off a list. If you do not inspect, you do not race.

• A Yellow Flag waving while you are on the course means that there is an obstruction or fallen racer ahead of you. Please try to safely stop and see the closest member of the race crew. You will be granted a rerun.

• The Yellow Flag will be placed on the course during inspection. Please take note of where they are located.

• If you see an athlete experience a fall, please do not attempt to enter the race course and approach them. While we totally understand and can relate to your urgency to help, Speed race emergency plan protocols will already have been activated to protect the safety of  athletes, officials, and course workers on course.  

• Only accredited personnel are allowed inside the fences (athletes, course officials, coaches, ski patrol, and course workers)

• Once inspection is closed, you must leave the course.  

Our race crew - The Coyotes - are there to ensure a safe and fun racing experience on this exciting Super G course. Many members of our Coyotes crew are veterans of World Cup races throughout Canada, and bring that safety know-how to our GDHL races. Thank you Coyotes!

In the event an athlete requires medical assistance the course crew will ensure the course is clear before allowing the Ski Patrol to move to the athlete.  This may require the "Yellow Flagging" of an athlete that is currently on course.  As a spectator, this may seem like the course crew is not aware, however, they are ensuring that no one else gets injured while they are responding.

All GDHL racers are asked to assist with tear down after the race. It takes many hands to remove the safety netting. Please meet at the top of the course just prior to the last racer.  One of the course crew will advise you of where they can use your expertise.  (Don’t want to help? That’s OK, we need to make tough decisions regarding registration for next year anyways…)

The GDHL organizers, Club staff, and the Craigleith Coyotes race crew appreciate your assistance with the course clean up!  Many thanks in advance from all of us.

Please send us an email or connect through IG or WhatsApp if you have ANY questions around the Super G. This is another first for a lot of you, so please don't hesitate to ask.

Here’s a clip of the 2017 Super G down Landslide from GDHL alum Morgan Rubes. (Click on his profile for a treasure trove of other GDHL videos. Thanks Morgan!)

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training fast Giant Slalom this Friday to prepare you for the Super G race.

• Date: Friday, January 31

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 12:30 to 2:30 pm

• Hill: Millennium

• Discipline:  Fast Giant Slalom

• Equipment: GS Skis, Hard Shell Helmet and appropriate Safety Gear including forearm guards

• Coaches: Al LaChance and Eugene Jacta

Coach’s Tips:

1. Inspecting and visualizing a racecourse, especially for speed events, will improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury. After your inspection, you should be able to close your eyes and mentally see yourself skiing through the course. Learning how to prepare for gates that are out of view is essential. Please take the time to review these critical skills: Here’s the link:  https://alpineracemethod.com/inspection

2. Increase your speed safely on the straighter sections of a racecourse by using these strategies: adopt the High and Low Tuck stances to reduce air resistance, glide on your ski bases, execute clean carved turns, and ski smoothly over rollers. I recommend watching the video of five key drills for improving skiing at speed. Here’s the link: https://alpineracemethod.com/speed

 Race Day Tips

1.  Race officials may instruct you to inspect the course from outside the track. When this happens, inspect the course from the side instead of slipping through it. This helps preserve the snow and dye lines on the racecourse.

2.  Unless you are an experienced racer with a background in downhill and Super G events, it is strongly recommended to use the skis you normally use for Giant Slalom. Longer skis designed for speed events require time and experience to handle safely.

3.  When racing in an aerodynamic suit, bring two jackets to the race. Leave one jacket near the finish area to put on after your first run. This will help you stay warm while riding the chairlift back to the start for your second run or when retrieving your other jacket. To learn more tips about keeping warm on race day, tap here: https://alpineracemethod.com/cold-weather

 Coach Glenn’s Absence

I’m in St. Moritz, Switzerland, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first ski race between the British and Swiss university ski teams. I competed for the British team during my university years in the U.K. and will be racing in the alumni race later this week. The "Anglo-Swiss" competition remains the world’s oldest team downhill ski race still held today. If you’d like to learn more about the origins of downhill ski racing and the history of this race, tap here: https://www.busc1926.com/history  

In my absence, your assistance in slipping the course and removing the race gates at the end of the training session would be greatly appreciated.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

Remaining Races

Saturday February 8th - PRESENTED BY RAYMOND JAMES - Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil John at 1pm

Sunday February 16th - PRESENTED BY LYSANDER FUNDS - Dual Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil John at 1pm

Saturday March 1st - End Of Season Event

GDHL Awards Party

As Travis Kelce’s girlfriend says... “Are you ready for it?”

The year end awards party for the GDHL is coming in hot. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 1st! This won’t be your average awards banquet. We've got something up our sleeve that’s sure to make it a night to remember as we say farewell to another GDHL season. Prepare yourselves accordingly and book the babysitters now.

What’s the awards dinner? Well, it’s where we find out who the winning team is! Which owner/consortium made the best decision at the Calcutta, talk about the battles of the season, celebrate the top female and male finishers, cheers to the good memories, plus all the other awards and so much more.

Tickets will go on sale, Friday, February 7th at 9am. We’ll have more info and details in next week's newsletter.

It’s going to be THE best party of the year.

Athletic Fundraiser

The athletic fundraiser is quickly approaching. Many of you know already what the Athletic Fundraiser is, but those newer to the club, maybe not. The fund supports the competitive on-hill infrastructure i.e. safety equipment (like netting), timing equipment, race huts, terrain park features, lights on the hill and lots more. The fund is key to the success of our young Athletes (aka Future GDHLers).

Your support is greatly appreciated, whether it's buying raffle tickets, signing your kids (or yourself) up for the family friendly race on Feb 8th, or purchasing the wristband for the Apres that day (which will get you access to different alcohol tastings) or buying 50/50 tickets that day, it all goes to a worthy cause.

Lastly if you or anyone you know would like to donate items to the silent auction, please reach out to Mike Deangelis directly. md@michaeldeangelis.ca

Variety of Waxes For Sale

A Craigleith coach has approached us looking to part with his extensive wax collection. If you’re interested in details, email us gdhl@gdhl.org and we will connect you with the seller.

See you at the Super G!

• Brook Dyson

• Paul Peterson

• Peter Dyson

• Carrie L

• Ben Williams

• Julie Statler

• Steve Cryer

• Mike Deangelis

• Chris Knight

Night Slalom Re-Do and Apres

A four-way tie for 48th? And consider last Friday’s slalom a practice run for this week’s night slalom…

In This Newsletter:

• Friday Night Slalom - Presented by Squire John’s

• Apres - Saturday PM

• Race #4 Recap

• Athletic Fundraiser Info

• Interclub Reminder

• Adult Training Update

• Remaining Races

• Mugs and Bags
  
  
  
  

Friday Night Slalom - Race #3 - Presented by Squire John’s

Due to the Great Blackout of 2025, last Friday night’s Slalom race was cut short with about 30 racers to go. Subsequently, all results from that event have been erased from the record books.

Fortunately your GDHL committee was able to reschedule the Friday Night Slalom to this coming Friday at 6pm. Thanks to the race office and club operations for assisting with the reschedule.

• Same hill: ‘Lil Jon.

• Same time: 6pm

• Same inspection: 5:10pm - 5:40pm

• Same bar lineups.

Note: if you are still missing clothing items from the top of the hill (that were stranded after chair access was suspended), please speak with the main office.

GDHL Midseason Apres – January 25th @ The North Lodge! 

We almost had a GDHL free weekend, but now it’s a double header!  Were you starting to get blue? Tired of talking about the BLE? Join us this Saturday for the GDHL Midseason Apres. We’re taking over the North Lodge for an apres full of cold drinks, great company and maybe a little table dancing. You won’t want to miss this one.

What’s in store?

Beer - this is a beer league, so we've got you covered. Thanks to Sidelaunch and Corona! (Beer tickets available for GDHL racers)

Wine courtesy of Nicholas Pearce Wines – because who doesn’t love a glass (or two) of the really good stuff?

Light bites by Ryan aka Chef Nomad 

Kid-friendly activities – We’ve got the little ones covered, so bring the whole crew! They’ll have their own fun (and food!).

 Date: January 25th
 Location: North Lodge
 Time: 3:30pm - till we make you go home

Mark your calendars, bring the family (or not), and come ready to have a blast. Let’s celebrate the midway point of the season in true GDHL style! 

Not part of the GDHL but don't want to miss the fun, you can still come out and join! Chef Nomad will have beer and wine for purchase.

Race 3 (and a half) Recap

No Lights, No Dice – by Mike D

Isn’t it wonderful how our friends and family and coworkers are so supportive of how seriously we take our GDHL races? They just love hearing about it. I know my coworkers are on the edge of their seats on Monday mornings when I break out the weekend’s race results (okay so one of them was on the edge of his seat because he had slid off falling asleep, but he was just tired I think). I was saying how it’s a tough field this year, guys like Marcus Gillam, Riley Keast and Mario Skopek are skiing so well and it’s hard to keep up. And Mario that bugger is greasing his skis on top of the hill before every run (what exactly he’s greasing his skis with I have no clue, pretty sure he doesn’t either). I was also telling them how that speedy Jason Turnpenny has some kind of an in at Squire John’s and gets his skis tuned mere minutes before race time! I might have lost them a bit, they were like, ‘Turn-who? and what the hell is a Squire John?’ I was also saying that Paul the Ski Racer is getting some very respectable results this year. They were like, ‘Hold on, you know someone that calls himself Paul the Ski Racer?”. I said, ‘Yeah, he’s basically a celebrity, you mean you don’t know him?’. They asked me if I have been eating a lot of gummies lately? I didn’t really understand the relevance of the question.

Well, onto Friday night…

That was quite the ‘almost’ race we had. The Friday nights lights shone bright, until they didn’t. Dara Howell, Tyler McBrien and Evan Brisley literally skied the lights out (that truly must have been a shocker to be in the course at that time!). There were many that laid down fantastic runs that night that will unfortunately be for not, but hey, y’all got beer so there’s that. It’s safe to say there is no one more keen about ski racing this season than Ryan Taylor and he showed off his chops Friday night with a very impressive run, all his training is paying off, well done Ryan! Now, if any out there are denying their coworkers race talk at work, I’m thinking we can start a ‘bring Ryan Taylor to work’ day (maybe you’ll be able to bid on it at the fundraiser), he will more than happily talk to any and all about ski racing, ski equipment, ski everything, just give him a beer and say go. And this weekend we were finally blessed with the overdue presence of that beautiful man, the legend himself, Robert Peerenboom, who skied remarkably well for a guy coming off pneumonia and skiing with basically half a lung. Mark Shillum (the slalom specialist), Jenn Price (another slalom specialist) and Chris Knight (the silent assassin) all killed it too. Hope they enjoyed the beer!

So then there was that race that actually counted! Another GS on Comet, and our amazing Coyotes who worked a race earlier in the day on the same hill were doing their best to shave down the jump on turn two of the pitch, yikes. But, it would take a lot more than a bumpy ride to stop Ben Williams, who demolished the course with a smoking time a smidge under 26 seconds. Griffin Copp (team Big John’s big gun) actually tied Ben’s 2nd run at 25.97, securing second place. Ben and Griffin are now tied on top of the overall standings (yup, this is getting good). Not far behind on Saturday (albeit an eternity in ski racing) were Gord Bruce, Scott Barrett and Mike Welton who rounded out the top five. All these guys ski out of their minds at every race, it’s very impressive stuff, gents. And Meg Ryley skied like the champ she is and was the top female racer, followed by Cheryl McConachie, Madison Staples, Kate Veer and Carrie Grinter-Lenauskas. Bravo ladies, you do it with style.

How about Quinn Richardson!? I don’t know how many swigs he had from the Squeezy bottle, but it was exactly the right amount (no for real, how many? Inquiring minds pal). Amazing job, Quinn. Then there was Greg Cavers who put down another Greg Cavers-like performance before jumping in Jeff Sutherland’s car that was warmed up and ready to go (after Jeff’s blazing run) and they were racing Interclub at the Peaks moments later. Along for the ride were Ian ‘the journeyman’ Latimer, and Robert Burnes. These guys are all animals! And then there is Debbie Gust and Samantha Callow at bibs one and two. They certainly don’t ski how I picture bibs one and two should ski, they’re going way too fast, amazing stuff ladies but we’re on to you! And does anyone else get frustrated with those skiers who never seem to train but crush it every single week? You come inside the lodge after a hard morning of training and there is Brook Dyson, Pete Dyson, and Jon Price, they’ll have a drink in their hand, smile at you, because they know it doesn’t matter how much training you do, they are going to absolutely devastate you in the next race. No surprise they skied like they always do, it’s equally impressive and annoying��. And in sibling rivalry news, Lauren Liberty edged out her sister Meghan Robinson, which you might have heard, because Lauren probably told you (hey good for her, that’s what you do at Apres when you race well, loud and proud!) And shout out to Stephanie Henderson for showing up and battling hard every week, the results will come for Steph, no doubt! And of course these races would never be the same without racers like Stephen Jarvis, Vern Gomes, Roger Chiu, Paul McCool and Robert Bruce, always showing up, always skiing hard, always have smiles on their faces, these guys really add to the heart and soul of the GDHL and it doesn’t go unnoticed!

Whether you were satisfied with your results this week or if you thought you stunk, there is good news for all of you, there is always another shot at glory baby! Interestingly, we have four racers who have yet try their luck at any glory. But relax, they are racing individual (well mostly) and they can still get four races in. Opportunity awaits under the Friday night lights! So get out there everyone, have some fun, be sure to thank the hard-working Coyotes and most of all be sure to tell your friends and family all about it, in great detail and if your partner’s expression is that of a glazed ham when you’re explaining race analytics, fight through it and remember Ryan is always there to support.

Happy racing!
-Mike D.

Important Message from the Athletic Fundraiser Committee

Calling all GDHL’Ers! The Athletic Fund, which the club so heavily relies on to support the on-hill competitive infrastructure, needs your help!

How can you help?

• Buy Raffle tickets, either online or we will be selling them at the GDHL Apres on Saturday! There are some amazing prizes including a Utah Ski Trip valued at over $7000, a coveted Craigleith parking spot, $5000 off your Craigleith statement and more!

• Donate items to the silent auction! (please contact Michael DeAngelis 416-559-7625 to donate)

• Participate in the ‘Winterlude’ Apres event on February 8th by signing your kids up for the family-friendly ski and snowboard race/rail jam happening after kids progams end.

• All participants will be entered into a bib draw to win some exciting prizes!

• Purchase a wristband online that will get you access on to alcohol tastings on February 8th: sponsored by 5 Paddles Brewery, Georgian Hills Vinyards, Spy Cider House and Distillery, Beattie’s Distillers and more to be announced.

• Buy 50/50 tickets on February 8th .

Every ticket purchased above guarantees you some cool swag!

Thank you for supporting!

Craigleith Interclub Team 2025

From TSB:

We are heading into our second last race of the season so the door is closing if you are aiming to book your ticket to the finals at Alpine. To give us the best chance at qualifying the most talented racers from the GDHL, it is ideal to have at least one one interclub start under your belt. The Jozo GS being held this Saturday at 10am is the last 'conflict free' race of the season, as well as the second last event before finals. Check out www.interclubski.org for additional details or contact Sue (raceadmin@craigleith.com) or Taylor (tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com) and request to be added to the mailing list.

Adult Training Update

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Slalom this Friday.

• Date: Friday, January 24

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 12:30 to 2:30 pm

• Hill: Check the White Board at the National Chair

• Discipline:  Slalom

• Equipment: Slalom Skis, Slalom Safety Gear

• Coaches: Glenn Blaylock, Al LaChance, Eugene Jacta

Coach’s Tips:

1. The pole plant and touch are fundamental skills in alpine skiing that enhances balance, control, and rhythm. To learn more, including a superb video on how, where, and when to use these different poling actions, tap here:  https://alpineracemethod.com/pole-plant-and-touch-1

2.  Be sure to review the module on how to ski slalom, including the different techniques for clearing gates. Understand the importance of focusing on your skiing and not on your hands! Here’s the link: https://alpineracemethod.com/slalom-1.

 Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

Remaining Races:

• Friday January 24th - PRESENTED BY SQUIRE JOHN’S - Night Slalom at 6pm on ‘Lil Jon

• Sunday February 2nd - PRESENTED BY SUTHERLAND INSURANCE - Modified GS (Super G) - National/Big John at 1pm

• Saturday February 8th - PRESENTED BY RAYMOND JAMES - Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil Jon at 1pm

• Sunday February 16th - PRESENTED BY LYSANDER FUNDS - Dual Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil Jon at 1pm

• Saturday March 1st - End Of Season Event (No Ski Equipment Required…)

Mugs and Bags

• If you have not yet received your mug, please email gdhl@gdhl.org. We are slowly compiling a list, and will be distributing those at a date in the near future.

• If you did not yet receive a backpack from 2024, and were registered for the 2024 season, please email gdhl@gdhl.org. We are compiling a list for these backpacks as well. Distribution date TBC.

GDHL Committee

• Brook Dyson

• Paul Peterson

• Carrie L.

• Julie Statler

• Steve Cryer

• Peter Dyson

• Mike DeAngelis

• Chris Knight

• Ben Williams

What Dreams Are Made Of!

Week two is in the books. Two more races this weekend!

In this newsletter:

• Race #3 - Night Slalom - presented by Squire John’s

• Race #4 - GS on Comet

• Race Recap

• Results

• Mid-Season Apres

• Mugs

• Message from Glenn Blaylock

Race #3 - Night Slalom - Presented by Squire John’s

Looking ahead, this weekend sees two races in less than 18 hours. The highly anticipated Squire John’s Night Slalom on ‘Lil Jon takes place at 6pm on Friday January 17th. Inspection is from 5:10pm to 5:40pm. Lifts start their evening shift at 5:00pm.

Time to dust off those shin guards, pole guards, and mouth guards; our first slalom race (not a dual slalom!) of the year will take place down ‘Lil Jon under the lights and in front of our fans. ‘Lil Jon chair will be operating for our race and for any others that are looking to do some night skiing. The the base lodge will also be open.

*The GDHL organizing committee has sent emails, letters, smoke signals, messenger pigeons, couriers, and subpoenas requesting there be enough bar staff before/after/during our race. Hopefully someone has listened!

***Friendly reminder that dark lenses mean less vision at night…

Race #4 - GS on Comet, The Sequel

Comet GS part 2! Same as last week, we will be racing on Comet for our third GS of the year. Tired of that hill yet? Race starts at 1pm, with inspection from 12:10pm to 12:40pm. (stay tuned to the WhatsApp group in case of start time changes…)

Race Recap - Comet GS, Part 1 of 2

Our second GS race of the season came hot on the heels of the Adult Interclub race on Saturday that saw Craigleith cruise towards their first victory of the season. Nice job team!

Some familiar names were in the top 3 of the women’s GDHL race, with Meg Ryley edging out Cheryl McConachie and Madison Staples. The men’s race saw a repeat of last year’s final standings, with Griffin Copp and Mike Welton tying for first place. (For those of you new to ski racing, this never really happens…) Ben Williams rounded out the top 3 for the men.

Rust-covered super-rookie Mike Bascom finished just a tenth of a second behind Bindings Brent Addison, and 0.17 seconds ahead of fellow super-rookie Reid MacGregor. Watch out for these three as the season progresses. Alex Addison (another son of Craigleith legend Clark Addison) narrowly defeated Brayden Irwin and Alex Carter, two elite athletes that may finally be figuring out this whole ski racing thing.

Speaking of car dealerships, Dave Raymond continues to lose ground to his better half Susie, who is slowly moving up the GDHL standings. Dave was seen looking for a chiropractor following Saturday’s race…

The Battle for Brenzel Bestness was heating up this weekend, with all four members laying down some great runs. Also of note in the Fastest Family category (yes, there is hardware for this) Megan Robinson edged out sister Lauren Liberty and husband Dave Robinson, while Andrew Ottaway absolutely destroyed brother Phil (allegedly a slalom specialist).

The Callow family showed up this weekend, with Sam beating out sister Debbie Gust, while Zachary Enticknap narrowly beat out uncle Kevin Gust by 1/100 of a second. All were overshadowed by the fastest Callow, Austin Gust, who finished just outside of the top 10. Even though Callow family boss Bob did not lay any money down this year, he’s been closely watching the family results from his HQ in Florida.

Callow family and friends

Fresh after reading his own press clippings from last week’s newsletter, Gareth Imrie changed up his training regime and moved up the standings a few spots this week, edging out newcomer Laird MacDonald. Don’t expect Imire to get too comfortable in his role of GDHL veteran, as a whole wave of rookies is hot on his heels.

And finally, in the battle for Ex-President supremacy: James Mathers edged out fellow Chief Executive Chris Fregren by a mere 0.28 seconds. Rumor has it the winner of this grudge-match gets naming rights to the member’s lounge in the proposed BLE.

Results

The results page can be found here. Updates are in progress and may not appear until Friday.

Mid Season Apres

 GDHL Midseason Apres – January 25th @ The North Lodge! 

Thought you would have a GDHL free weekend and were starting to get blue? Fear not! We've got our next part-ay planned! Get ready for the GDHL Midseason Apres! On January 25th, we’re taking over the North Lodge for an apres full of cold drinks, great company and maybe a little table dancing. You won’t want to miss this one.

What’s in store?

• Beer - this is a beer league, so we've got you covered.

• Wine courtesy of Nicholas Pearce Wines – because who doesn’t love a glass (or two) of the really good stuff?

• Light bites by Ryan aka The Nomad Chef 

• Kid-friendly activities – We’ve got the little ones covered, so bring the whole crew! They’ll have their own fun (and food!).

Who doesn’t love wine?

Details: 

 Date: January 25th
 Location: North Lodge
 Time: 3:30pm - till we make you go home

Mark your calendars, bring the family (or not), and come ready to have a blast. Let’s celebrate the midway point of the season in true GDHL style! 

Not part of the GDHL but don't want to miss the fun? - you can still come out and join! The Nomad Chef will have beer and wine for purchase.

Mugs

If you have net yet received your mug, shoot us an email at gdhl@gdhl.org. We are working to get through all requests. If you haven’t heard back from us yet, sit tight!

Adult Race Training

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Slalom this Friday, January 17.

• Date: Friday, January 17

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 12:30 to 2:30 pm

• Hill: Check the White Board at the National Chair

• Discipline:  Slalom

• Equipment: Slalom Skis, Slalom Safety Gear

• Coaches: Glenn Blaylock, Al LaChance, Eugene Jacta

Coach’s Tips:

• Learn how to ski slalom including keeping your ‘core inside the corridor’ of the racecourse and how to clear gates. Here’s the link:  https://alpineracemethod.com/slalom-1

• Gates Hurt! Learn which safety gear will protect you while skiing slalom. Here’s the link: https://alpineracemethod.com/safety-gear

 Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

Lots of racing this weekend… We’re at the halfway point of the season, and the rivalries are heating up!

Your GDHL Committee:

• Brook Dyson

• Chris Knight

• Mike DeAngelis

• Ben Williams

• Carrie Lenauskas

• Paul Peterson

• Julie Statler

• Peter Dyson

• Steve Cryer

WhatsApp Announcements:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/BXdFxZHpmei9s1mADs02Hc

Week #2 Is Here!

The Calcutta and Race #1 are complete! Nerves have been shaken off and we are into the season.

In This Newsletter:

• Race #2 and upcoming race details

• Sponsors

• GDHL Mugs

• Calcutta Info

• Race Recap

• Results Page

• Interclub Information

• WhatsApp Group

• Adult Race Training

Race #2 - GS on Comet - 12:30pm (Races #3 and #4 not far behind!)

Our second race of the season is another Giant Slalom, this time on Comet. Inspection will once again be from 11:45am to 12:15pm, with first run starting at 12:30pm. Stay tuned to the WhatsApp group for any updates.

Race #3 is the first Night Race on ‘Lil John, Friday at 6pm. This has turned into one of our favourite events of the season. Lights will be on, bar will be open, fans will be screaming, and your Slalom season will just be starting!

Race #4 is the next day - Saturday January 18th at 12:30pm. Giant Slalom on Comet.

Sponsors

Thank you 2025 GDHL Sponsors! Hopefully our racers were able to meet some of our great sponsors at the Calcutta. Many of our sponsors are also long time racers, so give them a thanks if you see them on the hill or in the bar.

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Blake Farrow Project

• Squire John’s

• Dynastar/Lange

• Sidelaunch Brewing

• Spy Cider

GDHL Mugs

If you did not pick up your mug on Saturday, shoot us an email at gdhl@gdhl.org, and we will arrange times for pickup this weekend or next. In your email, please include your team name.

Mugs WILL NOT be available at the race office.

Mugs are available for all racers, whether on a team or racing individually.

Calcutta Info

Saturday night saw our annual Calcutta in full effect! Teams were bought, beer lineups started out long, sound systems were pushed to their breaking point, and good times were had by all. Special thanks to Paul, Rip, and Mary for taking us through the live auction, and to all of our volunteers for helping get everyone registered and taken care of.

Many racers have confirmed their buy back intentions.   If you were not in attendance OR were undecided on the team buy back (4 or 2%), you have until mid-night Friday Jan 10th to decide (or change your mind).   Please email cmknightrider@hotmail.com

For everyone involved, either as a successful bidder, consortium or racer buy back, funds will be managed through member charge in the month of January.

Lastly, if you are unclear on how the Calcutta or points process works, please check out GDHL.org OR just flag down your friendly neighbour committee member at the bar on Saturday.

Team listings will be available on the results page once it is updated for 2025.

Bibs #10 and #20

Bibs 10 and 20 were auctioned off on Saturday night. All proceeds from these bib auctions will be going to Track 3 and Craigleith Cares. A reminder that bibs can be used for yourself or any other racer that you wish.

Jan 11th: Bib 10 Brent Robbins, Bib 20 Ed Barnicke

Jan 17th : Bib 10 Brent Addison, Bib 20 Brent Addison

Jan 18th: Bib 10 Fraser Bruce, Bib 20 Nick Rockandel

Feb 2nd: Bib 10 Geoff Bertram, Bib 20 Ed Barnicke

Feb 8th: Bib 10 Fraser Bruce, Bib 20 Nick Rockandel

Feb 16th: Bib 10 Polubiec, Bib 20 Ed Barnicke

Race Recap, from the desk of Paul P.

Sunday’s Giant Slalom was the highly anticipated 1st race in the biggest adult race league in North America. With over 150 racers competing, many of them for the first time, the nervous tension in the air was so thick, racers had to factor it in when they were calculating their speed on the course.  There was a big crowd on hand and race organizers are already trying to figure out how to handle the even bigger crowd expected to be in attendance during the Super G when Griffin Copp’s physique will be on display as he walks around in a tight race suit all afternoon. Perhaps they will need to add GDHL grandstands to the base Lodge expansion plan, who knows!! 

Getting over 150 racers down a course is no easy task and although some racers will say the course was bumpier than the clubs relationship with Peasemarsh catering , I think overall,  the course held up quite well.  We were able to provide a 2nd run for those who wanted it and that should be the expectation for all races going forward.  

Big B Benny Williams (who is turning into a legend of Craigleith GDHL) had a lot to prove as his controversial pre season ranking has him sitting in 4th overall to start the year.   He laid down an incredible first run, good for 1st overall and just under 31 seconds which the ladies will be talking about in the bar for weeks to come.  

Griffin Copp took advantage of his 2nd run, jumping ahead 1 spot into 2nd place which bumped Magic Mike Welton down to the 3rd step on the podium.

Gorgeous Gordie Bruce came in 4th place which is no surprise although members of the Gordie Bruce fan club will remember fondly how he won this first race of the season last year.  

It’s hard to tell who has felt more pressure the last few days, Justin Trudeau or Scott Barrett.   For those who aren’t aware, Scott was a former National Team member and Vidal Sassoon Hair model who was at one time one of the top 50 GS racers in the world.  With his account several years in arrears at Osler we were happy to take him in and welcomed him with open arms into the Craigleith GDHL.  There was a lot of debate as to where to rank Scott, his long johns for example are older than most of the top racers in the field, but in the end his 2nd overall ranking was a good choice and Scott finished an impressive 5th in his first race on the biggest stage in Adult beer league racing.

Meg Ryley finished 7th overall and first for the ladies as it appears her “no sex during race season” policy is still in effect and paying off again this year.  She finished ahead of Cheryl McConachie who was 2nd place, and Madison Staples took home 3rd place in the ladies category. 

Honourable mentions: 

Slippery Pete Valin finished an impressive 8th overall which surprised a lot of people especially the pre season rankers who had him ranked quite a bit lower. 

In the Sr division aka the “viagra division” Jeff Sutherland snuck by Greg Cavers as both studs showed they have still got it and easily finished inside the top 20. 

Al Lachance completely dominated the Super Sr division finishing in the top 30 and once again ahead of GDHL President Brook Dyson. 

Debbie Gust coming down in bib #1 made the Gust name proud as she finished with an electric time of 41.25, just ahead of the 9 time defending Japanese racer of the year, Ray “the missile” Murakami. 

Eddie “the eagle” Barnicke proved a 3 hour sauna the night before a race is not a bad thing as he laid down a great time and took down his sister in law Carrie Lenauskas in race #1.  This will once again be a hot rivalry to keep an eye on this season.  

Dave “the rocket” Robinson skied so well, he is now almost too fast to be made fun of and has distanced himself from the last place racers where he spent most his time in seasons past. Nicely done Dave. 

Less than honourable mentions: 

Shelley Spivak had a tough week, losing to Paul Peterson by .87 seconds and it’s almost certain she will adopt Meg Ryleys “no sex” policy to ensure she is fully ready to go on all future race days.  

For the 3rd consecutive year, in the first race, at around roughly the same gate, Brent Addison lost a ski and was forced to “abandonee” the race.  He left the course and went immediately to Squire Johns so he’s expected to be back in fine form, with $4000 worth of equipment for next week. 

Gareth Imrie will have to ask his ski technician for a refund as he clearly had a bad tune, finishing well behind his sister in law Lauren Howe who was racing in her first ever race (and basically just learned to ski). 

It was impressive skiing by Lauren and all the newcomers as that was not an easy course to come down for your first ever race.  

Congrats to all racers on a great first race! 

Results Page

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Stay tuned for an update to the results page at www.gdhl.org/results

Interclub Racing 2025

Interested in taking your skills on the road?! The Interclub Racing Circuit features 8 local clubs battling it out over 5 different 'team' events held at various locations on the escarpment. The first race will be at Craigleith this Saturday morning prior to the GDHL event on Comet. Check out www.interclubski.org for additional details or contact Sue (raceadmin@craigleith.com) or Taylor (tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com) to be added to the email bulletin.

WhatsApp

Remember to sign up for our WhatsApp group, for up-to-date information about race schedules and locations.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/BXdFxZHpmei9s1mADs02Hc

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training a Giant Slalom this Friday, January 10

Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Hill: Comet (Check the White Board at National Chair to Confirm).

Equipment: GS Skis, Hard Shell Helmet and Forearm guards.

Coaches: Glenn Blaylock, Al LaChance, Eugene Jacta

 Coach’s Tips:

When skiing wider arced turns typical of Giant Slalom, it's important to stack the body over the outside ski. Additionally, there will be a moment when your body faces the next turn. View the following two modules from the Alpine Race Method to learn more:

 Stack, Separate and Press: https://alpineracemethod.com/stack-separate-and-press

Giant Slalom: https://alpineracemethod.com/giant-slalom-1

 Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose  Glenn

See you on Saturday!

Calcutta and Race #1

Time trials are in the books, and we are coming up on the Calcutta and first race. The 2025 GDHL season is upon us!

In this newsletter:

• Time Trials

• Sponsors

• Registration Update

• Teams

• Recap of League Scoring

• Calcutta Event Details

• Calcutta Rules

• Upcoming Races

• WhatsApp Group

Time Trials

Why wouldn’t we race in the fog and rain?

Thanks to tall those that took a run in our inaugural Time Trials. This pre-season race helped us to better put together the rankings for this year’s league. With record turnout and a large number of new racers, this gave the organizing committee a chance to provide more accurate rankings. Rest assured, any veterans that sandbagged during the race will not be getting a better bib! Your past results speak for themselves.

Sponsors

Thanks again to our 2025 GDHL Sponsors. Your generosity allows us to enhance the adult ski racing experience at Craigleith. We couldn’t put on this season without you! Thank you!

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Blake Farrow Project

• Sidelaunch Brewing

Registration Update

We are officially at full capacity for the 2025 season, with a record number of racers. There were some latecomers placed on the waitlist. Some have been bumped to full registration and some have not. Make sure to mark your calendars for next year.

Teams

This year we have 12 teams competing for the GDHL championship. All racers will find out their teams at the Calcutta on Saturday night. We will not be posting teams prior to 4:30pm on Saturday.

Scoring Recap

The scoring for the 2025 season is very similar to previous seasons.

Each race that you finish you will receive points. These points are determined by a) your finish order and b) the total number of racers in the league this season.

Example: in 2024 the first place finisher in each race received 167 points, the 20th place finisher received 148 points, the 110th placed finisher received 58 points, etc.

For the purposes of Team scoring, your best four race points will be added together to give you a season total. The team result consists of the sum of all of those totals, minus the lowest scoring racer on your team.

Team scores are then ranked, with the top three teams receiving prize money, glory, and bragging rights. The lowest scoring team is relegated to the U14 North Texas Pro-Am circuit.

End of season awards are based on these results.

League winners - Team Vortex

Calcutta Event Details

Race Fans, get ready! The GDHL Calcutta is THIS Saturday, January 4th from 4:30-6:30 in the Depot.

Everyone is welcome, no tickets are required and hopefully the bar will have shorter lines! Bring the kids - we will have activities and snacks available.

Pick up your bib and swag, find out who your teammates are, talk about the glory you will achieve this season, and lay down some early excuses for your 2025 season result.

As always, Craigleith legend Rip Riopelle will be auctioning off our 2025 teams, with all funds going towards the prize pot for the top 3 finishing teams. The GDHL (not the club) will take a small percentage from this amount to help offset various social costs.

We will also have Bibs #10 and #20 for each race available to be purchased via silent auction. All proceeds will go to charity. Maximum one bib purchase per person/consortium.

If you have any questions regarding bidding, speak to a GDHL vet or reach out to the GDHL committee. gdhl@gdhl.org. If you would like to help out and volunteer for the night, send us an email as well.

Special Guest at the Calcutta!

CHALK'S Studio is going to be on site to test your strength!  They will be bring one of their bikes and will be hoping to see some big skier quads pushing some big power on the bike. 

The Competition: Get on the bike and see if you can hit over 1,000 watts (male) or over 700 watts (female). 

Those that are successful will receive a free workout at Chalk's Studio. In addition, Chalk's trainer (Chad) will chug a beer for every successful attempt. This is definitely a must do!

CHALK’S Studio is a bike studio equipped with state of the art equipment, aimed at providing high level coaching to anyone looking to improve their cardiovascular fitness. We offer coach-led, interactive cycling workouts, for anyone ranging from beginners to advanced. 

Classes range in intensity from endurance or “zone 2”, to high intensity. Chalk’s can customize the workout for each individual offering a range of displays for various levels of information or intensity. 

Rip and Mary auctioning off a team.

Upcoming Races

Race #1 - Presented by BLAKE FARROW PROJECT - is a Giant Slalom on Big John on Sunday January 5th at 1pm. Inspection opens at 12:20pm, and closes at 12:50pm.

Race #2 is a Giant Slalom on Comet on Saturday January 11th at 1pm. Followed by Apres in the base lodge.

Race #3 is a Night Slalom on ‘Lil John on Friday January 17th at 6pm.

Helmets are mandatory. Hard ear helmets are mandatory for GS Races. No downhill suits.

Race schedule can be found here.

WhatsApp Group

Join the GDHL WhatsApp Group using the link below. Stay up to date with any last minute race updates and reminders for upcoming events.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/BXdFxZHpmei9s1mADs02Hc

GDHL Jackets

There are still a few GDHL jackets available for purchase at the Calcutta. See us there or email gdhl@gdhl.org

See you at the Calcutta!

Snow Is Falling! ...and the 2025 GDHL Schedule

The snow is falling. Guns are on. Winter is here!

If you’re new to the GDHL: welcome to the league!

If you’ve raced before: MAYBE you’ll get better this year!

If you’re a superfan, bar patron, or a member of one of our many feeder leagues: we appreciate your support!

As a reminder, during the season this newsletter is published Thursday mornings.

In This Newsletter:

• 2025 Schedule

• Sponsors

• Race Equipment

• Calcutta Date

• Time Trials

• Ski Cross World Cup Volunteers Needed

• Call for Coaches

If you haven’t seen any snow yet, check out the club’s webcam here. (You may need to login to the club website)

2025 GDHL Schedule.

To help you better plan your supposed dryland training, your Apres practice, your wardrobe planning, your “I could have skied better, but…” excuses, here’s your 2025 GDHL schedule:

(Friendly reminder to make sure you start FOUR races minimum. You clicked that button at registration!)

• Sunday December 28th - Time Trials - Big John at 1pm (highly encouraged for rookies, vets are welcome to race too)

• Saturday January 4th - Calcutta - Depot Lodge in the evening (you know the drill!)

• Sunday January 5th - Presented by Sutherland Insurance - Giant Slalom (GS) - Big John at 1pm

• Saturday January 11th - Giant Slalom (GS) - Comet at 1pm

• Friday January 17th - Slalom Night Race (SL) - ‘Lil John at 6pm

• Saturday January 18th - Giant Slalom (GS) - Comet at 1pm

• Sunday February 2nd - Modified GS (Super G) - National/Big John at 1pm

• Saturday February 8th - Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil John at 1pm

• Saturday February 16th - Dual Slalom (SL) - ‘Lil John at 1pm

• Saturday March 1st - End Of Season Event

Other Races for GDHL’ers: (Registrants are automatically entered)

• Saturday February 15th and Sunday February 16th - SkiCross Club Champs - Bowie

• Saturday March 1st - Adult Club Champs - GS in the morning and SL in the afternoon

Please note that these dates and locations are subject to change. Follow our Instagram and this newsletter to stay up to date.

SPONSORS!

Thanks again to our league sponsors for the 2025 season! You’ll hear more about these wonderful sponsors as the season progresses and races are happening. Thank you for all your support!

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Blake Farrow Project

Race Equipment and rules

A quick refresher on our equipment and general rules:

• Hard-eared helmets are mandatory.

• Downhill suits are not allowed. (If you’re not sure whether your ultra-slippery, spray-on, overpriced “long underwear” is allowed or not, then it probably is not.)

• Ski tuning is highly recommended.

• Respect our race crew (Coyotes), and your fellow racers. We are all here to have fun.

• Laughs and hilarious stories are mandatory in the start gate and finish area.

• Rivalries are encouraged.

• …make sure your bindings are set to the proper level. We’re looking at you Brent Addison!

Calcutta

Mark your calendars for the evening of Saturday January 4th, in the Depot Lodge.

Once again we will be auctioning off our GDHL teams to the highest bidders, while enjoying the company of your fellow GDHL’ers and other members and supporters. This event is open to all and is not a ticketed event.

Come by and pick up your bib and gear, and find out who’s on your team and who owns your team!

Stay tuned for more details closer to the event.

Time Trials

If you’re new to the GDHL, we highly encourage you to come out to the time trials on Sunday December 28th on Big John at 1pm.

If you’ve been hanging around the club racing circuit for decades, are new to the league, or fall somewhere in between, then this race warm-up is open to you.

This one-run event exists to help us ensure the league rankings are as accurate as possible. It also gives rookies and veterans a chance to get in the gates before the first race of the season.

If you’re registered, you’re good to go! Just show up at the top of the course on Big John and provide your name. Remember, helmets are mandatory.

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers for the 2025 SkiCross World Cup at Craigleith are still needed. If you’re interested, send a note to gdhl@gdhl.org and we will pass along your contact info.

Interested in Coaching?

Whether you have coached before or think this sounds like something new you would like to try, Craigleith is always looking to add great coaches to their team! Please email Dave Campbell – davecampbell@craigleith.com for more details. This is a great way to be involved in a fantastic program and be active on the hills on the weekends.

A very special Happy Birthday to GDHL vet Scott McLorie!

That’s it for now! Any questions, please send us an email at gdhl@gdhl.org.

We're Back! Registration Is Now Open.

A friendly reminder that registration for the 2025 GDHL season is now open. Head over to the club website and get it done!

Make sure to reserve your spot before we fill up. Last year saw record registration, and we could be trending that way again this year.

A note from your GDHL Committee: Please commit to at least four races this year. We had a registration crunch this past year, so if you aren’t planning on making enough races, please reconsider so that we have enough spots.

Sponsorship Opportunities

If you know a business that would like to support the GDHL community, please send an email to gdhl@gdhl.org and let us know. 

If you’re a current sponsor - Thanks Again! We will be reaching out to you soon about 2025 opportunities.

Mark Your Calendars

• Sunday December 28th - GDHL Rookie Seeding Time Trials (recommended for rookies or those with a whole lot of rust, also an optional warm up for vets)

• Saturday January 4th - Calcutta

• Sunday February 16th - Long Weekend Dual Slalom

• Saturday March 1st (not March 8th!) - End Of Year Event

GDHL Committee Members

There are a few spots open on the 2025 GDHL committee. If you’re looking to get more involved, and help out with what has been voted “The Best Adult Race Experience On The Escarpment” by Yelp users, then please send an email to gdhl@gdhl.org. We may not have enough spots for all that apply, but we will speak with everyone that does show interest.

Adult Racing Website

Check out the updated Adult Race Method website put together by Adult Racing Coach Glenn Blaylock. 

Adult Race Method

Bibs

If you have one, give it back! We promise the race office won’t ask any questions about where it’s been all summer.

…more GDHL info to come in the weeks before the season starts…

Remember to register!

Season Wrap Up

That’s a wrap on the 2024 GDHL season! Thanks to all of our racers for bringing your best to the hill every race!

In this newsletter:

• Season Results

• Thank you Sponsors!

• Banquet Recap

• Club Championships

• Bib Drop Off

• GDHL SHWAG!

• Coat Purchase

• Feedback - we value it!

Season Results

Full results for the 2024 season can be found here.

Team Results

1st - Venture – 6040 points

Owners: Christine Ottaway and consortium

• Stephen Jarvis

• Robert Burnes

• Craig Sievenpiper

• Kim Westlake

• Meghan Barber

• Marc Warren

• Geoff Matthews

• Ethan Eakins

• Keegan Irwin

• Ed Barnicke

• Brook Dyson

• Tom Murdison

• Griffin Copp

2nd - Vortex – 5898 points

Owner: Peter Popalis

• Susie Raymond

• David Staples

• Peter Ashworth

• Gordon Jennings

• Jeff Sutherland

• Chad Westlake

• Paul Peterson

• Petey Popalis

• Alex Addison

• Richard Sultmanis

• Joey Hill

• Noah Levine

• Ben Williams

3rd - Zipper – 5824 points

Owner: Jennifer Bellamy and consortium

• Peri Wiseman

• Brian Holland

• James Mathers

• Elizabeth Hind

• Jenn Price

• Mario Skopek

• Kellis Malcolm

• Sarunas Lenauskas

• Matthew Staples

• Cam Bellamy

• Robert Prusinski

• Aidan Turnbull

• Mike Welton

Individual Results

Male 

• 1st - Griffin Copp and Mike Welton – TIED

• 3rd - Ben Williams

Female

• 1st - Meg Ryley

• 2nd - Katie Farrow

• 3rd - Cheryl McConachie

Male 50+

• 1st - Jeff Sutherland

• 2nd - Greg Cavers

• 3rd - Allan LaChance

Female 50+

• 1st - Kate Veer

• 2nd - Susie Raymond

• 3rd - Sam Callow

Greg "Sumo" Lee – Most Improved

• 1st - Drew Clark – 190 points increase

• 2nd - Robbie Bruce – 138 points increase

• 3rd - Jake Sheehan – 135 points increase

Fastest Family

1st - Bruce Brothers

Gord/Fraser – 4th/8th

2nd - Gust Brothers

Austin/Dylan – 5th/20th

3rd - Mistaya Homes

Mike Welton / Meg Barber – 1st/31st

4th  - Veer Family

Jack/Kate – 10th/45th

Approximately 33 families!

5 families of 3 or more

If you are a team owner of a top three team OR were smart enough to buy back in as a racer, your share of the winnings have already been sent to accounting for processing. Look for the credit on your account in the weeks ahead. Enjoy!

Rivalry Cup

Cheryl McConachie vs Mackenzie Irwin

Thank you Sponsors!

Once again - thank you to our wonderful sponsors! You help us put on the best season that we can. We appreciate your assistance with largest adult ski racing league in the province.

If you’re interested in joining this great group of sponors for the 2025 season, please let us know gdhl@gdhl.org. We are looking for assistance with putting on all of our events and races. It’s a great way to get in front of an audience of hardcore and not-so-hardcore adult racers.

• Sutherland Insurance

• Raymond James Canada

• Lysander Funds

• Squire John’s

• Erinwood Ford

• Lange/Dynastar

• Sidelaunch Brewery

• Spy Distillery

• Nicholas Pearce Wines
  
  
  

Banquet Recap

What a night! Thanks to Paul, Brook, Richard, Chris, Carrie, Meg, and Mike for taking us through the festivities of the evening. We had over 200 racers, fans, groupies, coaches, and Coyotes in attendance on Saturday night. Everyone was celebrating everything GDHL!

Special thanks to JF Courville for presenting the Greg “Sumo” Lee Award and to James Mathers for presenting the Rivalry Cup. Racers new and veteran appreciated you keeping the stories behind these awards alive. Big shout out to Drew Clark for winning the Sumo, and Mackenzie and Cheryl for duking it out!

2024 was a record-breaking season with record-breaking social events. We look forward to seeing you in 2025!

Club Championships

Congratulations to all of our GDHL’ers that competed in the Club Champs this past weekend. One more chance at glory!

Full results can be found here.

Bib Drop Off

Remember to drop off your bibs at the Race Office in the Depot. If we don’t have your bib your account will be charged.

GDHL SHWAG

Fresh off the boat from halfway around the world - your 2024 GDHL Bags! Global shipping lanes may be hard to navigate right now, but our gear finally made it.

Drop by the Depot or Lodge on Saturday/Sunday and look for your friendly GDHL Committee Member. We will be there to hand them out.

Shoot us an email at gdhl@gdhl.org if you will not be picking up a bag for yourself. We have more racers than anticipated this pre-season, so we may not be able to accommodate all racers.

Feedback

We value your feedback! If there is any way that we can make the GDHL better for the 2025 season, please send us your thoughts at gdhl@gdhl.org

See you next season!

Your GDHL Committee 2024:

• Brook Dyson

• Meg Ryley

• Carrie L

• Michael Deangelis

• Chris Knight

• Richard Usher-Jones

• Peter Dyson

• Paul Peterson

Offseason Training Ideas

Looks like we have run out of room for 2024… but our Instagram account is always looking content to post!

The Banquet Is Here

The much-anticipated end of season banquet is here on Saturday! Get ready for awards, recognition, stories, and good times!

In this newsletter:

Dual Slalom Recap

Dual Slalom Results

Final Results???

Banquet Details

Sponsors

Bib Drop Off

Adult Race Training

Club Championships Details

Race #7 Recap- Big Dual on Little John

Remember that time Canadian Olympic skier Phil Brown showed up to the GDHL dual slalom, jumped into the race last second, mashed every gate and left the crowd speechless? Yeah, that was pretty rad. It’s just how we roll in the GDHL, you gotta show up because you never know what’s gonna happen, any given Sunday baby! And big props to Meg Ryley who took on the Olympian and skied superbly herself.

There was lots on the line at the final GDHL race of the season (I know, say it ain’t so). Skiers were fired up! None more than Jeff Sutherland who has a pre-race routine like no other. Talk about beast mode, in Jeff’s mind, he’s going to win the damn race or go down hard trying. He lays it out there every race, an inspiration for the rest of us!

Big questions would be answered this week, Would Griffin Copp remain on top? Could Jack Veer, Eric Sultmanis or Tom Murdison ski the lights out and disrupt the top 10? Would team Vortex keep the top spot? Could Team Comet find some of their missing skiers? Actually, there were several teams prepared to put up ‘missing persons’ posters around the club to help find their racers, just saying.

Ok, here’s how it went down (and how some of you went down). Mike Welton put on another Mike Welton-like performance, making it look easy for another GDHL victory, this guy is just plain f#@&;ing fast! Ben Williams crushed both of his runs for a solid 2nd place finish. He also notably crushed beers at Saturday’s Apres (now that’s how it’s done buddy!). And how about Jack Veer with a super impressive 3rd place result, inching out Austin Gust and Gordon Bruce who rounded out the top 5. Well done you fast people!

The Dual wasn’t without a few good falls and thankfully no ambulances (this week at least). Joey Hill had a ‘whaaa happened’ expression on his face after he did a spin, straddle and roll move (all very gracefully actually), but he bounced back nicely on his second run. And him along with Mark Shillum, Brent Robbins, Gordon Levitt, Meghan Robinson, Lauren Hitchman, Jerry Patten, Robert Bruce, Peter Copp, Richard Lavery, Jamie Bruce, Andrew Ottaway, Trevor Jackson, Justin Burul, Riley Keast, Jon Price, Alex Addison, Douglas Mac Con, Susie Raymond and Pete Dyson (Jeez that’s a long list!) all had something in common- they took advantage of the Pete Dyson rule (which Pete made when the forerunners were skiing). What’s the Pete Dyson rule you ask? Simple, if you bail on one of your runs, you take the run you complete, double it, divide by your age, multiply by your opponent’s second run, add a second, have a cup of coffee, divide that by how many sips you took and voila, there is your time. Just trust us people.

Other notables, Sarunas Lenauskas skied like a Rockstar, his two runs were almost identical (off by only .01 of a second!). Perhaps he had some of the protein/electrolyte-packed special Elixir at the top of the hill and he wouldn’t be the only racer who enjoyed a few mouthfuls of that fiery punch to give themselves an extra boost. How about Warren Pearce, another picture of consistency, he has found his racing groove this year with a nice finish to the season. Jake Sheehan deserves a shout out, two smoking runs, ask him how long he’s been racing? Never mind, it will only depress you, he’s only been on skis a short while (one of them athlete types). And Roger Chiu had his mojo working with two fine looking runs, nice job (was it the Elixir, Roger?).

Some of the ladies really showed off their skills in the dual! Samantha Callow and Susie Raymond both felt the need for speed, woohoo well done. Elizabeth Hind, Andrea McLorie, Aisling Lanigan all posting sweet looking times. And it seems every race there is that moment when people say, ‘who is that person with the early bib number totally crushing it? Oh yeah, it’s Kate Veer’. Always a pleasure to watch. And Carrie Lenauskas layed down two very impressive runs, wow apparently she’s not just the bartender people! Then there is Cheryl Mcconachie, has she ever had a bad race? She blazes!

Well, that’s a wrap on the season. But not quite, because we got the banquet folks! Let’s be honest, half the reason most of us are in the GDHL is for the beers, the chats, meeting new people, it’s pretty awesome. It gives us some purpose at the club (besides dragging kids or grandkids to their lessons). The point being, get your ass to the banquet! And be prepared for the big reveal! (it’s more anticipated than the Bachelor finale). Did you notice how this update didn’t reveal the overall winners? You’re catching on. See everyone Saturday.

Mike D

Dual Slalom Results

Click here to see your times.

First column is red course, second column is blue course. If you had a DNF or DQ, that run was scored as your other run with a one second penalty.

Final results in finish order for the Dual Slalom will be available on Saturday night when final results are published.

Final Results

Final results for the season will be updated after the awards ceremony on Saturday night!

Banquet Details

Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Sumo, The Team Ski, and even Calcutta.

Awards season is here! We’ll be handing out a few of these, along with Individual Winners, Most Improved (The Greg Lee “Sumo” Award), Fun Awards, Team Awards, Fastest Family Awards, Calcutta Results, and more!

Keep your Ladies Day streak rolling and/or celebrate your big Club Champs finish!

When: Saturday, March 2nd  7pm - until all the fun has been had

Where: The Depot

Why: Celebrate the season and give out all the awards - serious and fun!

Who: GDHL'ers, Family, Fans, Coyotes & Coaches 

Bring Your Own Wine and GDHL will pick up the corkage tab! Be like Barnicke last year and bring a cooler full for the team! 

Transportation after the event will be available.  No drinking and driving please.  

Sponsors

Thanks again to all of our 2024 sponsors! You have helped us put on a record-breaking season. THANK YOU!

• Sutherland Insurance

• Raymond James Canada

• Lysander Funds

• Squire John’s

• Erinwood Ford

• Lange/Dynastar

• Sidelaunch Brewery

• Spy Distillery

• Nicholas Pearce Wines

Bib Drop Off

If you have not yet returned your bib, please do so at the Race Office. You will need a whole different bib for club championships.

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

To prepare for Club Championships we will be training Giant Slalom this Friday, morning, and Slalom in the afternoon. Check the white board at National Chair for the training hill.  The morning session starts at 9:30. The afternoon session starts at 1 pm.

Coach’s Tip: Skis properly waxed will improve your race results. Many adult racers enjoy the process of tuning their skis, becoming 'one with the ski'. Excellent videos demonstrating how to tune and wax your skis can be viewed through this module. https://medium.com/@lockgc/ski-tuning-ba91553cf61c  

 Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

Craigleith Club Championships Information

Saturday March 2nd

*GDHL participants are automatically registered* DO NOT CLICK the link if you are a current racer. (YES - this newsletter goes far and wide, beyond just GDHL racers!)

Click Here if you are not a GDHL racer and wish to register. Registration will close Thursday February 29th at noon.

ALL GDHL RACERS NEED TO PICK UP A BIB. This is different from your GDHL bib.

** NEW BIB PICK UP LOCATION ** starting at 8:00 am in the Depot lower lobby area.

GS Race Hill: Big John

• Inspection: 8:40 – 9:10am

• Start: 9:30am

• Adults will go first, followed by U16+ - Separate courses

SL Race Hill: Big John

1. Inspection: 12:10 – 12:40pm

2. Start: 1:00pm

3. Adults will go first, followed by U16+ - Separate courses

Awards will be Sunday March 3rd on the Base Lodge patio

See you at the Banquet!

Your GDHL 2024 Committee:

• Brook Dyson

• Michael DeAngelis

• Meg Ryley

• Chris Knight

• Carrie L.

• Paul Peterson

• Peter Dyson

• Richard Usher-Jones

Apres Your Way Into The Dual Slalom

This weekend sees our last race of the 2024 GDHL season! Saturday Apres followed by the Sunday Dual Slalom.

In this newsletter:

• Race #6 Recap

• Standings Update

• Apres - Saturday in North Lodge

• Dual Slalom - Sunday on Little John

• Bib Return

• Banquet Tickets on sale Now!

• Adult Race Training

Race 6 Recap- Who’s Afraid of Little John? (Apparently 55 of you!)

Nerves were high and racers were rightly concerned mid-week as they anxiously checked their weather apps, looking ahead to the potentially sloppy conditions for Race #6. GDHL’rs have been known to handle sketchy conditions over the years, but their fear this week that Little John would turn in mogul alley, had many racers questioning whether it was worth it. And yet 106 racers overcame those fears and showed up, because hey, it’s freaking Little John people!

The race got off to a tricky start with the Little John chair line once again wreaking havoc on racer punctuality. GDHL’rs clearly didn’t learn from the night race (and fair enough their thoughts are mostly consumed with whether they’re getting a free beer ticket or not). Vern Gomes and Andrew Turnbull were on the chair when they saw bib numbers past their own already on course and that’s when the chair came to a complete stop, so they settled in and got a great view of a few more racers. Both used that knowledge, eventually got on course, and skied nice runs.

The anxiety our racers felt pre-race turned out to be much ado about nothing, as the course didn’t turn into the terrain park some thought it might (fertilizer for the win!) and we were treated to some superb skiing from skiers like Mike Wellton who crushed it, taking the podium and now sits in 2 nd place just behind Griffin Copp (who also had an outstanding race)in the overall standings, setting up a potentially fun and nail-biting finish to the season in the dual!

And speaking of crushing it, Chris Knight had his best finish of the season coming ahead of some of his key rivals with a second run of 22.45. No wonder he had a glow on at the ‘Fire and Ice’ Fundraiser, never mind, that was just the fireball shots. Meg Ryley was the top female finisher and showed us once again why her photo is sported proudly on the Craigleith racer hall of fame. Paul Petersen’s photo is not, but don’t let that fool you, he’s skiing very consistently this season, well done Paul you are officially no longer part of the ‘shitty people’! And did anyone notice Robert Peerenboom on course this weekend? How could you not in that outfit, and he showed those gates whose boss by crushing every one of them! He will tell you he’s not happy with his time, but he was fun as hell to watch and his race times are destined to improve.

Mark Shillum at bib #42 continues his best GDHL season ever showing us he deserves more respect next season with his bib number (no problem Mark, we see you, we hear you, nothing less than bib #90 coming your way next year, and we can get you over #100 if you really finish strong this weekend!). Mike DeAngelis’s return to the GDHL has been a little underwhelming, but he’s out there battling at every race and has a potential top 80 finish in him, okay maybe a top 100 race is more realistic (and frankly he’ll need some no shows). Carrie Laurencelle’s steady improvement week after week is impressive, she’s getting the hang of this racing thing, now she just needs some slalom equipment so she can start Peerenbooming the gates (Carrie, just show this newsletter to Dan as proof if he gives you a hard time about your potential shopping spree at Squires). Jason Turnpenny (who’s name just frankly sounds fast and he proved it again this weekend) and his pal Mario Skopeck (I think we can all agree the GDHL is better off for having Mario in it) were both just happy the race was on Saturday and not Sunday as these gentlemen and their wives were the last standing at the Fundraiser. Hey, when the ladies wanna dance, they wanna dance! Some other notables, Graeme Blair (one of the hardest working racers on the hill!) had a great race with a killer 2 nd run, and Geoff Matthews coming off a tough fall in the Super G, put those demons behind him and skied like a champ, nice job Geoff. Riley Keast took more than a second off on his 2 nd try, watch out for him in the dual! Then there is Jenn Price, wow, slalom specialist, enough said. How about Stephen Jarvis this weekend? Great skiing Steve, we trust you called Doug to brag. And the strong sister duo of Meghan Robinson and Lauren Liberty both improved on their second runs (not easy to do people!) to finish very respectably. And Dave Robinson continues to fight the good fight every race and is looking better and better, you the man Dave! Ian ‘born to race’ Latimer laid down a super solid run and is quietly having himself a very nice GDHL season, but no surprise there.

This race recap can’t be complete without recognizing the Dyson brothers who continue to make their rivalry fun for the rest of us to watch. This time the younger Dyson, Pete Dyson, who must have had just a few more Wheaties in his bowl that morning, used his 2 nd run to best his older sibling, Brook Dyson by .05 seconds (hey that’s an eternity in ski racing!). Brook versus Pete in the dual, this needs to happen, just saying, give the fans what they want!

Okay, enough reminiscing about last race, it’s all about the dual slalom this coming Sunday. If you feel you haven’t lived up to your potential, you have one more chance for glory! Just try to relax, there’s nothing to worry about, sure it’s the busiest weekend of the year at the club which means the number of spectators might rival last year’s World Cup, but don’t worry about them, just go back to that calming thought that will put you in the zone, ‘I do this for the beer’.

-Mike D

Standings Update

Top five teams, with one race to go:

• 5766 - Vortex

• 5701 - Venture

• 5666 - Zipper

• 5579 - Landslide

• 5546 - National

The full standings through six races can be found here.

APRES - THIS SATURDAY! North Lodge!

Don't forget - the most happenin' Apres of the year - our BYOB Mid-Season APRES!  3:30pm-5:30pm in the North.  Put the skis away and head over to the North.

Nicholas Pearce (npwines.com) will be pouring some fine wines and we will have some ice cold Side Launch as well. North Lodge is BYOB, so feel free to bring another beverage if you would like. We will have some chips and pizza with a rockin' Spotify playlist. 

For the kids! The movie "Inside Out' will be playing on the big screen downstairs and we'll have crafts, drinks and snacks readily available. 

Get your rivalries in check for Sunday's Big Finale. This one is for all the glory and gloating!  We are taking rivalry requests at the Apres! Everyone will want to see if Mike Welton and Ben Williams race each other to continue on their season (read: life long) battle or if one of them will choose to race the young buck - Griffin Copp.  Will brothers Gordie and Fraser Bruce race each other for the ultimate family battle? Will Kate Veer accept Carrie Lenauskas' challenge (how about it, Kate?). 

This writer is also requesting that Brook and Pete Dyson race each other... things could get spic-y!

And the ultimate question - Will Dan Lacey and Trevor Jackson show up for their 1st start of the season on race #7?!?

So many unanswered questions. 

We can not wait to see everyone there!

-Carrie

Dual Slalom - Sunday 1pm

This weekend sees the return of the Dual Slalom on ‘Lil John. It’s time to put on a show for a packed-Long-Weekend-Craigleith. (That’s a subtle reminder to anticipate lift lines this weekend!)

The format for this year’s dual will mirror the 2023 version. Some notes:

You will start against the racer with the closest bib to you at the top of the course. (#1 vs #2, #3 vs #4, etc.) (with an exception noted below). If we are missing numbers, you will be assigned by a GDHL Committee Member to the next closest racer.

• We will be using our fancy new start gates, purchased with the assistance of the GDHL in 2022

• Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30, there will be a live demo of the start gates at the top of ‘Lil John. If you have never used these gates before we recommend you go and check out the demo.

• Each racer will have a run in the Blue and the Red course

• Combined time determines your finish placing for Race #7

• If you do not finish one of the runs, your total time will be your other run’s time with a penalty applied.

• If you do not finish both runs, you will be scored a DNF

• Due to time constraints brought on by scheduling, we will not have time for more than two runs.

• No need for full slalom gear, though some may prefer the added protection

If the excitement of the dual slalom is not enough, you also have the opportunity to race head to head with that one racer you have been looking to challenge all season long.   Put an end to all the trash talking and settle the score at the last race of the weekend.  And retain bragging rights for a full year!   If you would like to be matched up with a particular racer for the dual, please email cmknightrider@hotmail.com and look to have the starting list updated.   Your revised starting  position will be based off of the higher of the two bib numbers of the competing racers. (This is something new we are trying this season, so bear with us if we cannot accomodate 100% of the requests received.)

And if you don’t like where you bib number(s) places you, we have our last bib auction this weekend and with the dual format, you effectively get a 2 for 1 deal!   If you purchase bib 10 OR bid 20, you and your dual partner both get to enjoy the pleasure of almost "fresh race tracks".    And again, this auction supports a great cause with Craigleith Cares and includes a tax receipt.    Similar to previous weekends, the silent auction will take place from 1030-1130am in the Main Lodge Bar area – just look for the Craigleith Cares sign.

-Brook and Chris

Bib Return

Please remember to return your GDHL bib following your second run on Sunday. Those that do not return their bib will also have the opportunity to do so at the banquet. If your bib is not in our hands by the banquet, your account will be charged and your picture will be posted in the Big John start hut.

GDHL Banquet

We are entering Ray Murakami's favorite night of the year! The GDHL Banquet. Always a good time with food, beverages, music and oh... the AWARDS!   

When: Saturday, March 2nd  7pm - until all the fun has been had

Where: The Depot

Why: Celebrate the season and give out all the awards - serious and fun!

Who: GDHL'ers, Family, Fans, Coyotes & Coaches 

Tickets on sale now! Cheaper than last year as well!  (Thank you sponsors!) $75 - also Bring Your Own Wine and GDHL will pick up the corkage tab! Be like Barnicke last year and bring a cooler full for the team! 

Transportation after the event will be available.  No drinking and driving please.  

Tickets must be purchased by Saturday, February 24th.  We'll send out a reminder next week and on Instagram as well!

Tickets on sale now! Purchase on your account!

-Carrie

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Paneled Slalom this Friday am/pm, February 16th.  Check the White Board at the National Chair for the training hill.

Equipment: Slalom Skis and Forearm Guards.

 Coaches Tip: Practice the action of grabbing your poles after releasing the start handles, as it is not uncommon for racers to struggle with gripping their poles after the start.

 Learn how to race Dual Slalom in this Module: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/dual-paneled-slalom-333b03598dd8

 Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 -Glenn

See You At The Apres and Dual!

Your GDHL Committee:

• Brook Dyson

• Michael DeAngelis

• Peter Dyson

• Chris Knight

• Carrie Grinter-Lenauskas

• Meg Ryley

• Richard Usher-Jones

• Paul Peterson

Super Good Times on National!

The 2024 edition of the National Super G is complete! There were some nerves at the top, downhill suits that were dusted off after 12 months, and lots of smiles at the finish. This coming Saturday sees our last Slalom of the year.

In This Newsletter:

• Super G Recap

• Standings Update

• Athletic Fundraiser - This Weekend

• Bib Draws

• North Lodge Apres - February 17

• GDHL Awards Banquet - March 2

• Adult Racing Update

• Interclub Update

Super G Recap

It was a blue bird afternoon for the highly anticipated Super G race this past Sunday.  The capacity crowd in attendance included a few celebrities such as Steve Podborski,  Rob Safrata, and Famous Flo Popalis, just to name a few.  The crowds were lined 3 deep from the top of National to the bottom of Big John hoping to catch a glimpse of some great racing, or maybe they just wanted to see what grown men and women look like in race suits. Either way they crowds got what they wanted. 

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES: 

In the Mens division it was Griffin Copp once again taking the top spot on the podium as he is starting to put up rookie stats not seen in the GDHL since Greg Cavers’s record breaking rookie season back in 1984.  Right behind Griffin were Benny “the Jet” Williams and Magic Mike Welton who are both pretty much guaranteed to be in the top 3 of any race they enter.  Shout out to Noah Levine who finished 4th, which my statistician is telling me is his best career finish in a GDHL race so far. 

In the ladies division it was Meg Ryley who finished in her usual spot at the top of the podium but there was a shake up in the top 3.  Craigleith legend Grant Irwin had a big smile on his face after his daughter (and favourite child) Mack Irwin came down in 2nd place. Mack finished just a few spots ahead of part time bikini model Katie Farrow, who finished in 3rd place.  Honourable mention to Taylor Davies who slipped into 4th place.  In case any of our readers are looking to stay on top of the GDHL gossip,  Taylor is the longtime main squeeze of Griffin Copp and these two appear to be the new millennial version of Hal and Sal from body break. (50% of you will be too young to get that reference) The GDHL and the Craigleith Interclub team are lucky to have these racers competing together. 

RIVALRIES: 

Andrew Ottoway was not happy about losing to his brother Phil in the night slalom so he was all business in this weeks race.  The instagram video shows Andrew grunting like Serena Williams as he went around each gate and this strategy paid off as he finished 10 spots ahead of brother Phil.  Eddie “the Eagle” Barnicke finished ahead of sister in law Carrie Lenauskas, which is big news (I’ll be surprised if this line makes it to print as Carrie has editors in high places who may remove it before it goes to press).  Paul Peterson finished well back of rival Brayden Irwin but he also finished one spot of President James Mathers.  Paul and James don’t necessarily have an existing rivalry but the author felt it should be mentioned regardless.  Dave Robinson wins the mens “safest skier” award once again as his fiercest rival and main competition Gareth Imrie laid it all on the line and finished one tenth ahead of Dave for 2nd safest skier on the day. 

MORE BIG HEADLINES: 

Dashing David Staples, widely known around the club as the most handsome of all “Veteran" racers looked like Hell as he had 2 black eyes and busted up his nose while gate training on Friday…. Paul Peterson skied shirtless and finished 75th which had other racers intrigued. In fact, rumour has it Cheryl McConachie was planning on utilizing the same strategy to improve her time for run #2 before the GDHL committee turned her idea down as there were kids mixed in with the enormous capacity crowd….  Harrison Simms Brown and Hilary Craig both underwent successful knee surgery and will be back stronger than ever by 2027… We wish them well in their recovery as the GDHL isn’t the same without them… 

Only 2 races left and  the team standings are very tight at the Top.  Should be an incredible last few weeks of racing! 

-Paul

A note on scoring from the Super G:

Unfortunately the race was cut short halfway through the second run on Sunday. Due to a combination of timing problems, a late start, and injuries on the course, the race went longer than hoped for, and a decision was made to halt the race. As such the scoring will only reflect times that were completed in the first run of the race.

If you missed a gate on the first run and finished, and you are not listed as a DSQ or DNF then please email us at gdhl@gdhl.org to get that corrected.

Thanks to everyone that helped take down the netting after the race Sunday. It was a long day of racing and many had commitments on a Sunday afternoon, but we appreciate the efforts of all those that helped out. Thank you!

-Brook

Standings Update

Results and standings should be updated by this weekend. We are still waiting on final timing and race information from the race crew.

A reminder that your contribution to your team standings is the total of your four best races. If you have less than four races, then only those points count towards your team standings.

Be sure to get those four races in! Feel free to nudge a teammate that may need the extra encouragement…

Athletic Fundraiser

The Athletic Fundraiser is this Saturday night at 7pm in the Depot. Be sure to get your tickets at the club website! Proceeds from this event go towards racing equipment and infrastructure around the club. If you’ve raced in the GDHL, you’ve benefited from the proceeds of years past!

Bib Draws

Our bib auctions are growing in popularity, as the results of bibs 10 and 20 continue to yield benefit.   You too can have the opportunity to race up front and ski like Al Lachance* on a freshly groomed course; which could be very helpful if the weather forecast holds (*you will only ski like Al if you are indeed Al). The early bib also comes with early access to the bar to talk about your epic run – before the young guns even finish! 

The bib auction will again take place in the Main Lodge from 1030am to 1130am on Saturday, before the 1pm SL on Little John.   Look for the Craigleith Cares sign – all proceeds go to a great cause, and come with a tax receipt!

Our generous sponsors continue to support the hydration of our athletes after the race.   After the race, look for your friendly neighborhood committee member for beverage tickets at the finish line or around the bar area.

-Chris

North Lodge Apres - February 17

A reminder of our Apres at the North Lodge on Saturday February 17th. This event is BYOB and admission is free. Racers, friends, families, and fans are welcome! We will have activities for the little ones in the lower level while we are gearing up for the next day’s Dual Slalom!

GDHL Awards Banquet - March 2nd

Mark your calendars for our end of the year banquet on March 2nd. Your committee is busy putting together a nightcap on the GDHL season.

If you’re a rookie this year or a veteran that has never been to the banquet, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the year with your fellow GDHL racers. (…And you can bring your own wine…) Stay tuned for more details!

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training slalom this Friday, February 9th.

Coaches Tips:

Learn how to ski ‘Slalom’ including different strategies for clearing slalom gates: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/slalom-969d345745

Learn how to ‘Train With Purpose’ to optimize your training experience: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/train-with-purpose-db359f147fa2

Friday Training

•  Date: Friday, February 9

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 1:00 to 3:00 pm

• Hill: (Check the White Board at National Chair to Confirm).

• Discipline: Slalom

• Equipment: Slalom Skis and Protective Equipment including guards for face, hands and shins.

• Coaches: Glenn Blaylock and Greg Roe

 Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

Interclub Update - from Taylor Simms Brown

The Craigleith interclub team FLEXED this past weekend, dominating almost every age category, taking 5 of 6 podium spots, but still ended up losing by 2 pts.

The GS @ TSC this weekend is the last event to qualify for finals hosted at Craigleith on February 24th. 

If you are interested in learning more, how you could contribute (you don't need to be the fastest), or think you can win your 5 year age category versus other clubs email Taylor at tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com

See you on the hill Saturday at 1pm!

Brook, Paul, Chris, and the GDHL Committee

Speed Weekend 2024

Its arrived - Super G Weekend! Get ready for our speed race that runs right underneath the busiest chairlift at Craigleith. By Sunday your legs will have had over two weeks of rest and preparation. So make sure to wax those skis and squeeze into those suits, because our racers and fans can’t wait for this race!

In this newsletter:

• Super G - rules and details

• Bib Auction

• Athletic Fundraiser

• Sponsors!

• GDHL Apres - February 17th at North Lodge

• Upcoming Races

• Adult Race Training

• Interclub

Super G

Year 2 of the GDHL Super down National is sure to be a great time. This is a unique space at Craigleith that only sees races one week this year. For those of you that saw the Ski Cross World Cup Final on National, don’t worry - there are no plans for the extreme jumps and features that were in place for that last year. But otherwise, it’s the same, right?

Weather permitting, we are planning for two runs on Sunday. The course will be set by former National and Provincial Team coach Benoit Lalande.

Some details for race day are as follows:

• Downhill suits are allowed, pole guards are not allowed, helmet cams are not allowed, and hard eared helmets are mandatory.

• Because of the speed, there are extra safety rules around this race that need to be followed.

• Inspection is MANDATORY for all racers. From 12:10 to 12:40pm please check in at the top of the race course with your bib number. Your name will be checked off a list. If you do not inspect, you do not race.

• A Yellow Flag waving while you are on the course means that there is an obstruction or fallen racer ahead of you. Please try to safely stop and see the closest member of the race crew. You will be granted a rerun.

• If you see an athlete experience a fall, please do not attempt to enter the race course and approach them. While we totally understand and can relate to your urgency to help, Speed race emergency plan protocols will already have been activated to protect the safety of  athletes, officials, and course workers on course.  

• Only accredited personnel are allowed inside the fences (athletes, course officials, coaches, ski patrol, and course workers)

• Once inspection is closed, you must leave the course.  

Our race crew - The Coyotes - are there to ensure a safe and fun racing experience on this exciting Super G course. Many members of our Coyotes crew are veterans of World Cup races throughout Canada, and bring that safety know-how to our GDHL races. Thank you Coyotes!

In the event an athlete requires medical assistance the course crew will ensure the course is clear before allowing the Ski Patrol to move to the athlete.  This may require the "Yellow Flagging" of an athlete that is currently on course.  As a spectator, this may seem like the course crew is not aware, however, they are ensuring that no one else gets injured while they are responding.

All GDHL racers are asked to assist with tear down after the race. It takes many hands to remove the safety netting. Please meet at the top of the course just prior to the last racer.  One of the course crew will advise you of where they can use your expertise. 

The GDHL organizers and the Craigleith Coyotes race crew appreciate your assistance with the course clean up!  Many thanks in advance from all of us.

Please send us an email if you have ANY questions around the Super G. This is another first for a lot of you, so please don't hesitate to ask.

Here’s a clip of the 2017 Super G down Landslide from GDHL alum Morgan Rubes. (Click on his profile for a treasure trove of other GDHL videos. Thanks Morgan!)

Bib Auction

Word has traveled fast on the success Bibs #10 and #20 are having for our racers.   As a result, more people are asking how they can get in on the action.  

If you are interested in bidding on these bibs, for yourself or your team, a Craigleith Cares representative will be located in the main lodge near the bar on Sunday AM (pre-race) from 10:00am to 11:30am, accepting bids.  

Highest offer for each bid wins and we will contact the winner view text – bib 10 and 20 will be available for pick up at the starting hut.   We may even arrange for a local celebrity to deliver it!    And don't forget, all proceeds go to Craigleith Cares and tax receipts will be issued.   A win-win-win.  

Athletic Fundraiser - Saturday February 10th

Tickets are available for the Athletic Fundraiser on Saturday February 10th in the Depot. Treat yourself to music, a silent auction, good food, and some drinks with friends.

If you’ve ever raced in the GDHL, you know that you have benefited from the proceeds of the fundraiser, just look around! Start huts, finish huts, safety netting, timing gear, gates, and much more.

Tickets are available on the club website.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED: The Athletic Fundraiser committee is looking for members of our GDHL community to help out with ticket sales during this Friday evening in the base lodge. If you’d like to assist, please email gdhl@gdhl.org and we will forward your information.

SILENT AUCTION ITEMS: If you would like to donate an item for the silent auction, please email gdhl@gdhl.org and we will forward your information.

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Once again, a big thank you to our sponsors. They are the ones that allow us to offer much more than just racing! We couldn’t do it without you.

Sutherland Insurance

Lysander Funds

Raymond James

Erinwood Ford

Sidelaunch Brewery

Spy Cider Distillery

Squire John’s

Lange and Dynastar

Nicholas Pearce Wines

MID-SEASON APRES - SAturday FEbruary 17th - North Lodge

We are kickin' it old school... in the North Lodge.  Similar to last year's South Lodge Apres. 

Who: GDHL'ers, their families and Fans!  (Yes, kids as well!)

When: Saturday, February 17th  3:30-5:30   (Family Day weekend and day before the Dual Slalom)

Where: North Lodge

What: Old School BYOB Apres with munchies

We will have some beer from our fabulous sponsor SideLaunch. Nicholas Pearce Wines will be there pouring a selection of fine wines for your refined palate. www.npwines.com 

Get those rivalries in check for the dual the next day!

Bring the kids! Similar to the Calcutta, we will have a kids section and helpers.

More info to come as we get closer.

Upcoming Races

Mark your calendars for the two remaining races: Slalom on February 10th and the Dual Slalom on February 18th. Both races are on Little John.

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training a fast Giant Slalom this Friday, February 2nd to prepare for the Super G on Sunday February 4th

Coaches Tips for Skiing Fast

Learn key tactics for racing Giant Slalom: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/turn-shape-791de526b0ba

 Learn how to ‘Search for Speed’ and when to use the ‘High’ and ‘Low’ tuck stances:  https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/skiing-fast-3c35cf1b6e84

 Friday Training

Date: Friday, February 2

Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Hill: (Check the White Board at National Chair to Confirm).

Discipline: Giant Slalom

Equipment: GS Skis, Hard Shell Helmet and Forearm guards.

Coaches: Howard Cole and Greg Roe

 hank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

Interclub

The team is filling up for the GS at Alpine this weekend.

If you’re interested in learning more about the interclub racing circuit, Craigleith’s 11 year championship run, or how you could be involved email tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com

SEe you on National on Sunday!

Halfway There!

Hard to believe, but the GDHL season is halfway done! This weekend featured our annual Friday Night Lights and our last GS of the year.

In this newsletter:

• Friday Night Lights Recap

• Saturday GS Recap

• Mid Season Apres! February 17th

• Bib Auctions

• Winter World Masters Games

• Message from Glenn, Adult Race Head Coach

• Interclub Message

• Athletic Fundraiser - Fire and Ice

• Bye Week This Week!

Friday Night Lights Recap

Consistent with what has become a trend this year, we had record turnout at our Friday Night Lights slalom race. The Base Lodge was humming, the hills were filled with fans, and our racers put on a show worthy of this great event.

Notable performances at the top of the standings included Mike Welton with his first victory of the season, Meg Ryley picking up an auction bib and finishing fourth, and Andrew Athey recording his first top 10 of the season. In addition, those that put in training sessions really saw some improvement in their slalom placings.

118 racers (and countless fans on the hill) were treated to an exciting night of slalom racing. You may have noticed an exciting new voice walking the crowds through the results on Friday night. We had a cameo from the talented Mike Garrity, who was announcing his first ever ski race. Thanks Mike!

As this was our first Slalom of the year, a few new faces climbed the standings with their performances. Many racers put up their best results of the season, including Marc Warren, Chloe Berry, Peri Wiseman, and Margaret Squires. 

Fresh off the surgeon's table, Warren Finlay showed that he is still the longest-tenured slalom specialist at the club. 

Andrea McLorie appears to be closing the gap with husband Scott, who himself had his most honest showing of the post-Covid era. 

Peter Dyson somehow pulled off a miracle and took brother Brook by an unprecedented 13 spots. Satisfied that David had successfully slayed Goliath, Peter decided not to take a second run.

Get well soon Harry. We are all thinking of you.

Saturday GS

Less than 24 hours after our first slalom race of the year, the GDHL saw it's last GS race of 2024. Comet was the site of a slightly shorter GS course that had some gnarly features built in courtesy of the morning's junior race. Thanks to the Coyotes for clearing the track and making it an enjoyable afternoon.

The team standings now have Vortex (medium Calcutta price), Landslide (bargain price!), and Big John (record setting expensive) in the top three spots. Unlike the Republican primaries, this race is still up for grabs with spots four through seven within striking distance of our top three teams.

For those tracking the progress of Gareth Imrie, the second run was faster by almost a second. Take the over on Gareth. 

The auction bibs were scooped up by the Westlake family who grabbed Kim and Chadwick some sweet start positions. Kim laid down a record finish, while Chadwick may be bidding for another bib next week.

Alex Carter and Shelly Spivak are now neck and neck in the standings, trading rankings over multiple weeks. This new rivalry is heating up, with the winner possibly finding tequila magically appearing in front of the winner at an apres.

Speaking of Apres, the GDHL Apres is set for the day before the Dual Slalom of the Long Weekend. If you have a grudge match, let us know at gdhl@gdhl.org, we will do our best to put you in the gates against each other.

MID-SEASON APRES

Get ready for the apres of the year. The GDHL committee has been able to secure a date and location for our mid-season apres!

We are kickin' it old school... in the North Lodge.  Similar to last year's South Lodge Apres. 

Who: GDHL'ers, their families and Fans! 

(Yes, kids as well!)

When: Saturday, February 17th  3:30-5:30  

(Family Day weekend and day before the Dual Slalom)

Where: North Lodge

What: Old School BYOB Apres with munchies

We will have some beer from our fabulous sponsor Side Launch and Nicholas Pearce Wines will be there pouring a selection of fine wines for your refined palate. www.npwines.com 

Get those rivalries in check for the dual the next day!

Bring the kids! Similar to the Calcutta, we will have a kids section and helpers.

More info to come as we get closer!

Bib Auctions

Our bib auctions for #10 and #20 in the starting hut have been a big success and win-win for everyone involved.    Our successful bidders have benefited with personal bests, as the confidence of a freshly laid course has led them to some impressive times. Wearing an official bib from last year’s Ski Cross World Cup has rubbed off on these racers!

More importantly, we have raised $750 for Craigleith Cares (https://www.craigleithcares.org/).   Thank you bidders!  

With three races remaining, there will be further opportunities to place your bid and grab a better starting position.   And a tax receipt and good karma to go with it.    As the competition amongst teams heats up, these elusive bibs could be the difference maker.   

Stay tuned to this newsletter and our Instagram feed for more information on where and when the next auction will take place.   Don't miss out!

Winter World Masters Games in Italy

Remember a while back when we told you Tiana Koffler-Boyman and Jeff Sutherland were going to the Winter World Masters Games in Lombardy, Italy?  Well this was also news to Jeff as well...Ooops! He is going to another set of Masters races later in the year. 

 But.... getting back to Europe, it should surprise no one, that Tiana did a few warm up races in Austria before the big games, where she posted great results in a very competitive age category.

Our Speed Queen then sped off to the Winter World Master Games in Italy, where she posted a 2nd in the Super G, just off the podium in GS and then raced the slalom.

Check out her results below. Great job TIANA!

https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=ma&competitorid=110249&type=result

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Giant Slalom this Friday (January 26) as outlined below.

Coaches Tips:

The Line.  Where you ski through a racecourse is as important as how you ski through a racecourse. To learn about the different ‘Lines’ click on this link: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/line-a6b0859907aa

Course Inspection: Inspecting the racecourse before a race will improve your result and reduce the risk of injury. To learn more, click here: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/course-inspection-deadb0d2d53f

Friday Training

 Date: Friday, January 26

Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Hill: (Check the White Board at National Chair to Confirm).

Discipline: Giant Slalom

Equipment: GS Skis, Hard Shell Helmet and Forearm guards.

Coaches: Glenn Blaylock and Greg Roe

Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

Interclub Message, from James Mathers

As many of you know, Craigleith has won the interclub finals 11 times in a row, for which some of you can take credit.  Our hopes of successfully defending our regular season championship have sadly been lost in the tumult of racing in Caledon and conflicting schedules, but there remains every chance of winning the final showdown on Big John.  It's coming up soon, on Saturday 24 February.

Interclub racing is primarily a team event.  Those who can win overall are great to have, but those who can do pretty well in a big age group are often even more valuable.  The requirements to qualify for the finals have changed to our advantage this year.  Some can qualify solely based on GDHL participation and will never have an away race, but life is much easier for the team captain if you can get to the interclub races at Alpine on Saturday 3 February (no GDHL conflict) or TSC on Saturday 10 February, or better yet both.

Many leading names have already expressed interest.  Our sophisticated masters racing performance analytics system, proudly built with all natural intelligence, has identified names such as Clark, Raymond (S.), Zoricic, Banfield, McCool, Lenauskas (C.), Pedlar, Gust (one or more), Farrow, McConachie, Murdison, Bruce (F.) and Copp among potential contributors who haven't donned the Club colours recently, if at all.  The Staples family is thought to be holidaying at the critical time, unless Paul Peterson can shame them into not taking one for the team.  Of course, anyone of a similar age to those named who fancies themselves as faster would be carefully considered.

Those who fit the description or just want to be part of the well-known exclusive social events associated with interclub are encouraged to contact Taylor Simms-Brown (tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com) or James Mathers (jamie.mathers@gmail.com) as pronto as possible to get more details.

Athletic Fundraiser - February 10th

Tickets are still available for the Athletic Fundraiser on February 10th. Always a highlight of the year, the fundraiser is a good time to raise money for a good cause: our athletes!

If you’ve ever raced in the GDHL, you have benefited from those proceeds: start huts, finish huts, safety netting, timing gear, gates, and so much more.

Tickets are available on the club website.

No Race This Week

Rest your bodies, exercise your livers, and get in the right headspace for next weekend! The Super G race is down National on Saturday February 4th. Downhill suits are allowed and speed is encouraged! Wax those skis and get your headspace worked out, because we are doing a Super G!

Snow Snow Snow!

This weekend saw the return of mother nature to Craigleith’s hills. Worries about course conditions due to snow were expertly handled by the Coyotes crew again this week.

In this newsletter:

• Standings Update

• Race #2 Recap

• Night Race - Friday 6pm

• GS Race - Saturday 1pm

• Bib Auctions - Friday and Saturday

• Note from Glenn Blaylock

• GTHS Event Notice

• Interclub Race Saturday

Standings Update

A reminder that your best four races count towards team points and placing. If you’re on a team, please do your best to get in four races. Your teammates (and owners) are counting on you!

Race #2 Recap

Saturday’s GS was our second race on Big John in 2024. The course was fast and chattery, with extra bounces thrown in. Some skis were lost on each of the runs, but in general the course held up. Most of our racers are now in mid-season form, with new and old rivalries coming to the forefront.

A record 143 racers scored points for themselves and their teams. It’s safe to say the rust is gone, bad habits are forming, and everyone has their eyes glued to the live timing site after the race.

Griffin Copp took his first victory of the season, followed closely by Ben Williams and Mike Welton. Last week’s winner Gordie Bruce came fourth and edged out Alec Liebert and Austin Gust by the narrowest of margins. The season is shaping up to see a variety of racers on the men’s podium.

Katie Farrow was victorious on the female side, followed closely by Meg Ryley and Mackenzie Irwin. Less than a second separated the top five females, rounded out by Madison Staples and Cheryl McConachie. As with the men, the prize for top female is definitely up for grabs this year.

As always, family competition in the GDHL is alive and well. The latest entrants to the Irwin team saw some improvements over last week, with Keegan moving up a few spots and rookie Gareth Imrie shaving significant seconds from last week’s effort. Sarunas Lenauskas is quietly closing the gap with wife Carrie, while Dylan Raymond edged out father Dave by 19 hundredths.

The Popalis boys finished within 7 hundredths of each other, with Petey taking top spot. Rumour has it that proud parents Flo and Peter are opening up their bar tab to whichever brother comes out on top!

90s-era Mackenzie All-Stars Justin Burul, Doug Mac Con, Allison McMillan and Jordan White have reappeared on the racing circuit after a multi-decade break, putting up respectable results in their first two races back. Brad McMullen and Mark Shillum renewed their rivalry by finishing right next to each other, only one place apart.

Chris Clark made his return to the GDHL from a multi-year hiatus, after learning of the break-out performance in 2023 of son-in-law David Singh. Keep an eye on this matchup!

Fan favourite Dave Robinson has begun his much-anticipated ascent up the GDHL standings, narrowing the gap on better half Meghan, who herself is pulling ahead of sister Lauren Liberty.

Former GDHL committee member James Coulter welcomed daughter Alex to the GDHL, showing off by narrowly beating Richard Usher-Jones by 2 hundredths. Defending his family’s honour, Richard’s son Nicolas snuck ahead of Alex Coulter by 3 spots.

Sporting Bib #10, Ed Barnicke placed an impressive 29th, while Bib #20 owner Phil Ottaway opened up a gap of 19 places this week over brother Andrew. These bibs are up for auction again this week, and can be a good investment in yours or your team’s fortunes.

By managing to stay on two skis this week, Paul Peterson closed the gap with wife Meg by 12 spots! Vegas bookies are keeping an eye on this incredible breakthrough, and are now expecting big things from Paul this year.

Race #3 - Slalom - Little John - Friday at 6pm

Our first night race, and first slalom, of 2024 is this Friday at 6pm. The front half of our weekend doubleheader is sure to be a great night! A reminder that the Little John chair is open to all members from 5pm to 8pm. Bar and food services are open throughout the night.

Inspection is from 5:15pm - 5:45pm.

This race is also open to non-GDHL’ers. If you’ve been doing some Adult Gate Training and looking to put your skills to use, shoot us an email at gdhl@gdhl.org and feel free to drop by the start area prior to the race. We will do our best to get you in.

A friendly reminder to check your goggle lens. Dark shades aren’t the greatest at night!

Yellow lenses are great for the night!

Race #4 - GS - Comet - Saturday at 1pm

The second half of our weekend doubleheader is this Saturday, with the return of Giant Slalom racing to Comet. This is our last GS race of the year, so let’s make it count!

Inspection is from 12:10pm to 12:40pm. Race starts at 1:00pm.

A reminder that Downhill Suits and their long-lost cousins are not permitted. Hard ear helmets are mandatory.

Bib Auctions

Similar to this past week, there will be auctions for bibs #10 and #20. ANYONE is open to bid on these bibs, with all proceeds going to Craigleith Cares Foundation (tax deductible).

The bibs for the Friday Night Slalom will be auctioned off LIVE at the top of Little John at 5pm on Friday.

The bibs for the Saturday Afternoon GS will be auctioned off LIVE at the top of Comet at 12pm on Saturday.

As mentioned above, last week’s bib owners Ed Barnicke and Phil Ottaway saw some nice runs with a clean course, for a small price!

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

We will be training Slalom this Friday (January 19) as outlined below.

Coach’s Tip: A good start technique will improve your race results. To learn how you can start a race like World Cup racers, click on this link: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/the-start-86e9acf46da7

Friday Training

•  Date: Friday, January 19

• Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am / 1:00 to 3:00 pm

• Hill: (Check the White Board at National Chair to Confirm).

• Discipline: Slalom

• Equipment: Slalom Skis, Helmet and Guards for hands, face and shins.

• Coaches: Glenn Blaylock and Greg Roe

• Thank you for slipping the course and helping the coaches remove the race gates from the hill at the end of the training session.

 Ski with Purpose

 Glenn

Georgian Triangle Humane Society Event - February 1st

Enjoy the day on and off the slopes at SKI FOR PETS 2024, Feb 1 at Craigleith Ski Club in support of critically needed day to day operations to care for the animals at GTHS. Purchase tickets HERE.

$200.00 Ticket includes lift, light breakfast, lunch + après ski snacks. ($50 tax receipt)

$100.00 Ticket for non- skiers and Craigleith Members includes light breakfast, lunch + après Ski Snacks. ($25.00 tax receipt) 

SKI FOR PETS ITINERARY 

• - 9:00 - Registration opens w light breakfast w coffee, tea, juice

• - 9:30 - Free Ski 

• - 12:00 - Lunch

• - 1:30 - Fun Race + Guided Snowshoe

• - 3:00 - Apres w Jenny Howes Duo Live

• - 4:00 - 50/50, Fun Race Winners Announced

• - 5:00 - See you next year for SKI FOR PETS 2025!

• Equipment Rentals Available HERE

• 50/50 + Much More! 

Food

• Provided by in house caterer Pease Marsh Farms. Enjoy a delicious light breakfast, buffet lunch with tasty après treats.

Tickets Non-Refundable.

Hope we see you there! Your support would mean the world to us and 1000's of Pets in Need. 

Interclub Race - Saturday

The next interclub race will be at Georgian Peaks this Saturday at 1pm. For more information or to inquire about participating, please contact Taylor at tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com or check out www.interclubski.org. Open to all racers looking for an elevated racing experience.

See everyone on Friday Night! Bring your cheering sections!

Race #1 Complete!

The first race of the season is complete! The nerves are gone and the rust has (mostly) been shaken off! The rookies now have a race under their belts, and the veterans are left wondering how they can get better.

In this newsletter:

• Race Recap

• Teams

• Results Page

• Next Races

• Calcutta Recap

• Craigleith Cares

• World Masters Games

• Message from Glenn, Adult Racing Head Coach

Race #1 - Big John - Giant Slalom

The first race of the year saw some a collection of great runs, amazing wipeouts, spectacular crashes, puzzlement at the delay gate, chatter at the top, nerves of steel, and tight jeans. Congratulations to all of our first-time racers: you are now a Ski Racer!

Race #1 Recap:

Saturday’s GS race on Big John was memorable and historic for a variety of reasons.  Coming off a record setting Calcutta the night before, we had 140 racers come down the course which was easily the biggest filed in the long history of Adult racing on the escarpment.  When you combine excellent snow conditions, great visibility, big crowds and Joey Hill’s extra tight, suede, equestrian pants, you know you are going to have a great race.  

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES: 

Gorgeous Gordie Bruce , often compared to a young Tom Cruise, skied incredibly well and narrowly snuck by Benny “big bulge" Williams for the top step on the podium.  Gordie had quite the weekend as he won a $500 gift card the night before at the Calcutta, and luckily his main squeeze Tenyka was there to claim it on his behalf. 

Alec Libert took a break from hanging drywall in his own house, came out of retirement, and looked great with an impressive 3rd place finish. 

Scott Mclorie, like a fine wine, getting better each year, finished 6th overall, crossing the line as his wife Andrea, and fellow GDHL speed demon;  yelled  “That’s my man!” 

Shoutout to newcomers; Griffin Copp, (4th place) Austin Gust (7th place) and Noah Levine (9th place) all placed in the top 10 which is impressive considering the pressure to perform the first time out in this prestigious league. 

In the ladies category, Meg Ryley took top spot but Katie Farrow, freshly engaged and looking to impress her fiancee, was only a few hundredths behind which could make for an interesting rivalry the rest of the season. Speaking of fiancees,  Mack Irwin finished 3rd for the ladies which was about 2 and a half minutes faster than her fiancee Gareth Imrie who was spotted learning how to ski on the magic carpet just hours before the race.  Gareth deserves an award for his efforts and surely Dave Robinson will be buying Gareth beer all season as Gareth now takes over Dave’s spot as the “safest” skier in the race league.  

FAMILY TIES: 

Newcomer Matt Staples snuck by his sister Madison which should move him to the top of parents David and Catherine's speed dial, and most likely ensure him a bigger share of his parents enormous will down the road.  

The El Presidente of the GDHL Brook Dyson finished one spot ahead of brother Pete, and it’s hardly worth mentioning anymore but Andrew Ottoway easily finished ahead of his brother Phil. 

The most interesting of all could be the new rivalry between Kate Veer and her son Jack.  Kate is an incredible racer so I shouldn’t be surprised but Jack only beat her by 3/100ths in race #1. I can only imagine how tough it is for Paul Peterson to finish 10+ seconds behind his wife every week but to lose to your Mother of all people, that would be something else!  

COMEBACK SEASON: 

Jen Price, Sarunas Lenauskas, Alec Libert, Cheryl Mcconachie and Trevor Jackson are just a handful of the former GDHL legends who are returning to action this year after some time away.   Jen Price looked smooth as ever but finished right behind Libby Barnicke and that will be a matchup to watch going forward. 

WEIRD AND WACKY

Matthew Brenzel lost a ski coming out of the start gate and somehow still managed to ski down the entire course on one ski without missing a gate… He came across the line and shockingly still managed to finish one spot ahead of Paul Peterson who apparently used dog poo for wax on Saturday as he was terribly slow. 

Speaking of Paul Peterson, he must have been feeling over confident as he was wearing a triple digit bib for the first time. Hanging out,  stretching and talking about the course setup with all the top racers who come down last.  He was even thinking with Mike Welton not in attendance this could be his chance to podium for the first time. With his confidence soaring, he came flying down the start ramp, taking a great line to the first gate yet he somehow tripped over his own pole and did a front somersault landing on his head and losing a ski.  With all the top skiers cheering and laughing , Paul put his ski back on and skied over the pitch looking smooth as ever to the crowd down below who couldn't figure out why it took him 25 seconds to get to the pitch.  Luckily for Paul his arch rival Brayden Irwin was not in attendance to see the disaster. 

Good luck to all racers this weekend! 

Results:

All results can be found on the GDHL.org page at the results tab.

Current results can be found here.

Calcutta Recap

The Calcutta was a great success!!!    Maybe it was the fancy new depot, or the inflation soaked prices of food and beer, but buyers were in the spending mood as we witnessed numerous records broken, with both the individual cost of teams and the overall winnings up for grabs. 

Thanks to our sponsors Sidelaunch and Spy Cider for providing refreshments, and to Dynastar/Lange and Squire John’s for providing some great prizes and auction items. Lysander, Ramond James, Sutherland, and Erinwood all provide funds to assist with putting on these great events. THANK YOU!

Paul Peterson once again hosted the evening and led us through our first GDHL event of 2024. Rip Riopelle returned as our auctioneer, and made sure each of our ten teams went for amounts that have not been seen before. A GDHL-record prize pot was assembled Saturday, to be distributed amongst the owners and racer-buy-backs of the top 3 teams at the end of the season, with a portion going towards GDHL operations and events through the year.

For those that now have a financial interest in a team, race-by-race results will be posted along with past seasons at https://gdhl.org/results-database.

If you were a successful buyer of a team, we will be in touch to confirm your consortium before we proceed with billing.  If you chose to buy back 4% of your team (which most did), we will bill your member account in the January cycle.    If you missed the Calcutta OR were undecided on the team buy back, you have until this Friday (Jan 12th) to opt in.   Please reach out to Chris Knight (cmknightrider@hotmail.com) to confirm your interest OR if you have any questions on the Calcutta.    Team details are above for your reference and Chris can share more details directly on buy in costs.

From the Craigleith Cares Foundation:

The Craigleith Cares Foundation is grateful to the GDHL Committee for providing us a place at the Calcutta last weekend. So much energy in the room - it was fun to be a part of!  We appreciated the warm welcome and the people stopping by to chat and learn more about the Foundation, including the Founding Members initiative. For those of you we didn't meet and who might have questions regarding the Foundation, feel free to drop us a line at info@craigleithcares.org, visit our website at http://www.craigleithcares.org or click on the link that will soon appear on the Club website.  Best wishes for a wonderful GDHL season!

Next Races

Our next race is this Saturday at 1pm on Big John. Please note the location change from Comet due to snow conditions. It’s a Giant Slalom race once again, so remember your hard-ear helmets and No Downhill Suits. (A reminder: when we refer to Downhill Suits, we mean anything that is tight tight tight against your body. This includes cycling suits, speed skating suits, painted on underwear, and really anything that is athletically designed to reduce drag.)

We will do our best to get in two runs, but may be limited to just one. You will be notified in the start/finish area if we are able to get in a second run for all racers.

Don’t forget to stop by the Base Lodge after your run for some drinks and conversation with your fellow racers!

Following this weekend’s race, our first Night Slalom will be on Friday January 19th at 6pm. This will be followed by a GS on Comet on Saturday January 20th at 1pm. Lots of racing to come!

GDHL'ers are going International! 

Tiana Boyman and Jeff Sutherland are competing in the 4th edition of the Winter World Masters Games in Lombardy, Italy, January 15-19th. There will be masters athletes competing in various winter sports from around the world. They will join a group of around 30 Canadians competing at Ponte di Legno and Aprica in Lombardy, Italy.  

This will be Tiana's 3rd time competing at the Winter World Master Games and Jeff's 1st. 

You can follow all the action at the link below but we will make sure to update you on their results and share some pictures.  

https://wwmglombardia2024.it/

GO TIANA & JEFF!  

Message from Glenn Blaylock, Head Coach, Adult Race Programs

Friday morning and afternoon training camps start this week. Details about this Friday are below followed by the training schedule for the 2024 season.

Explore the Race Technique module in the Alpine Race Method for Adults to learn how adults can adopt techniques used by elite skiers and racers.

Here’s the link: https://medium.com/alpine-race-method-for-adults/biomechanics-b44ab70ac264

Friday Training

• Date: January 12, 9:30 to 11:30 am / 1:00 to 3 pm

• Slalom: Slalom skis and protective equipment including helmet and guards for face, hands and shins.

• Hill: TBD. Check the message board at the bottom of National Chair for the training hill.  

• Coaches: Glenn Blaylock and Greg Roe

• Register On-Line by Thursday noon 

Thank you for slipping the hill after your last run through the course.

2024 Friday Adult Race Training Schedule

Friday morning and afternoon training sessions for 2024 are below. The sessions align with the GDHL race schedule.

• January 12th – Slalom

• January 19th – Slalom

• January 26th – Giant Slalom

• February 2nd – Fast Giant Slalom to prepare for Super G on Sunday

• February 9th – Slalom

• February 16th – Panelled Slalom

• February 23rd – Giant Slalom

• March 1st - TBD

THAT’S IT! See you on the hill!

…Brook, Paul, Chris, Carrie, and the rest of the GDHL Committee

GDHL Update - Race #1 and Calcutta

Good morning GDHL racers! 

Hopefully all of your off-season training is now complete (on-hill and in-bar!) as we are only days away from our 2024 kickoff! 

In this newsletter:

• Registration Update

• Sponsors

• Calcutta Update

• Race Rules and Information

• Race #1

• Adult Race Training

• GDHL Committee

Registration Update

2024 has seen record registration for the GDHL! Your committee has done its best to include all those that would like to participate. 

We thank you for your patience as some of you had to be placed on a waitlist.

Due to a higher than normal number of racers, there may be some modifications to how each race is conducted. With an eye towards course safety, some races may be reduced to one run only. This will be decided on a race-by-race basis, and will take into consideration snow conditions and number of racers at start. (An exception to the single run will be made for those that do not finish their initial run.)

Even though some races may have only one run, with record registration comes record participants at Calcutta and Apres.  More racers means more rivalries and more post-race stories! Bring it on!

Sponsors

Thank you to all of our sponsors for the 2024 season! We appreciate your support!

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Spy Cider and Distillery

• Sidelaunch Brewery

• Lange and Dynastar

• Squire John's

Cacutta Update

Saturday, January 6th at 4:30pm in the Depot. 

The Calcutta is back! Come out and mingle with members of the GDHL community as we auction off teams and prizes. If you haven’t experienced a Craigleith Calcutta before, ask a veteran what to expect. The action is exciting and fast! 

The night will feature season commentary by Paul (@paultheskiracer) , a season update by Brook, and the main event run by Rip Riopelle. We look forward to welcoming you back!

Remember to pick up your bib and startlist upon arrival. We have also secured some other goodies for our racers courtesy of our sponsors. 

Special thanks to Sidelaunch and Spy Cider for providing refreshments. 

A huge thank you to all of our sponsors for making these events possible!

Race Rules and Information

Each of our races is governed by the FIS International Ski Competition Rules (ICR).

The GDHL is a fun racing league and we do not expect you to know all of the ski racing rules from the beginning. If you are unsure about ANYTHING, please ask a fellow racer or some of our Coyotes course crew. This is a fun race, and you will not be disqualified for minor infractions. However, major rules infractions will be enforced (missed gates, mistreatment of officials, etc). If you are unsure, please be polite and ask, we are all there to have a good time!

• No Downhill Suits for GS and Slalom races.

• **Inspection is where you get to SIDESLIP through the course prior to the race. This will help you get a feel of where the turns are, what the terrain is like, and where the finish is. It is highly recommended that you inspect the course prior to your run.**

• A reminder to all racers (veteran and rookie) that you are NOT to ski any of the gates during inspection. This is not practice. Don't ski it, just look!

• Results will be posted at GDHL.org.

• Racers will assemble at the top prior to each run, and the first racer (Bib Number 1) will leave the start gate at the start time. Each racer then goes in numerical bib order.

• Don’t be late for your run! If you are late, please see a race official and they will do their best to get you started. They will let you know where you are slotted in.

• Remember, the timer starts when your legs pass through "the wand". The timer stops when you cross the finish line at the bottom. You must go around all Red and Blue gates on the course. If you're not sure where to go, watch a few racers on the course and in the start gate before your run (or watch the forerunners).

• The Coyotes are our race crew at Craigleith. You will see them at the start, at the finish, and at various points throughout the race hill. They are there to ensure a safe, fair, and fun event.

Please be kind and respectful to all race course personnel and your fellow racers. Remember, race course personnel are all volunteers. **If you have any complaints, suggestions, or frustrations, see a GDHL committee member. We will help you out.**

After your race, feel free to head by the lodge. There is a 99% chance you will see other racers cooling down with a frosty beverage!

Race #1   -   Giant Slalom

Sunday January 7th @1pm on Big John 

Course inspection at 12:30pm

All racers are encouraged to inspect the course via side slip prior to the 1pm start. A reminder to NOT SKI the course during inspection. Consequences can include disqualification from the race. Just don’t do it! 

• No Downhill Suits. But feel free to get creative with your racing outfit…

• Helmets are mandatory. (Soft ear helmets are not sufficient, you will need a hard ear helmet). 

Adult Racing Update (a note from our Adult Head Coach Glenn Blaylock)

The 9 week training programs start this Saturday and Sunday (January 6 and 7).  If you would like to train on Sunday mornings, please contact Aaron Harrison, Program Administrator,  aaron.harrison@craigleith.com . Saturday morning sessions are currently full.

Friday training sessions begin January 12th. Be sure to register by Wednesday, January 10th so we have time to arrange for coaches.

We will be training Giant Slalom on Friday Jan 12 and the weekend.

Alpine Race Method for Adults

Welcome to the Alpine Race Method for Adults (Alpine Method), a comprehensive website designed for the adult race community. The Alpine Method covers skiing and racing skills and knowledge, including technique, race course strategies, injury prevention techniques, fitness programs, equipment insights, self-coaching tips, and much more. The Method is designed for adults at various stages of their racing journey, whether they are aspiring racers, those honing their racing skills, or advanced racers with years of experience.

Please access the Alpine Method through the following link. 

https://www.alpineracemethodforadults.com/ 

Your coaching team is looking forward to working with you this season.

Ski with Purpose

Glenn

GDHL Committee

A big thanks to our volunteer GDHL committee members for putting together a fantastic 2024 season!

• Brook Dyson

• Chris Knight

• Michael DeAngelis

• Meg Ryley

• Richard Usher-Jones

• Carrie Lenauskas

• Peter Dyson

• Paul Peterson

That's it for the update. See you on Saturday!

-brook

instagram.com/craigleith_gdhl

gdhl@gdhl.org

Christmas Update

Merry Christmas to everyone! Believe it or not - the first race of the season is January 7th at 1pm!

In this newsletter:

• Time Trials and Warm Up Race CANCELLED

• Registration and Waitlist

• Sponsors

• Outstanding Bibs

• Calcutta Information

• Jackets

• Rules Update

• Alpine Race Method For Adults

  
  
  
  

Time Trails and Warm Up Race cancelled

Unfortunately the weather has not been cooperating with our plans! The Time Trials and Warm Up Race scheduled for today - December 28 - has been cancelled. Due to the rain and warm weather, there is not enough snow to properly set a GS course and install necessary safety netting for our racers.

We were hoping to get an extra race in this year, but mother nature did not want to cooperate! If we can get a rescheduled date we will, but the forecast is not looking too promising at this point.

Registration and Waitlist

Thank you for your understanding as we deal with record turnout in this 2024 GDHL season. Your GDHL committee has managed to squeeze in all racers that were on the waitlist into this year's GDHL.

If you would still like to join, please add your name to the waitlist at the Alpine Programs Section of the Craigleith website. We will do our best to add you.

Sponsors

Thanks again to all of our sponsors for the 2024 season! We appreciate your support!

• Sutherland Insurance

• Lysander Funds

• Raymond James

• Erinwood Ford

• Spy Cider and Distillery

• Sidelaunch Brewery

• Lange and Dynaster

• Squire John's

Outstanding Bibs

A reminder: if you are holding onto a bib from last season, please return to the Race Office or a friendly GDHL Committee member. We do our best to collect 100% of the bibs at the end of each season, but there are always a few stragglers!

Calcutta

Join us on Saturday January 6th at 4:30pm in the Depot for the kickoff to our GDHL season! This is a great chance to get to know your fellow racers and possibly bid on some teams.

As always, Rip Riopelle is back to conduct our auction. If you haven't experienced the Calcutta, then you are in for a treat! (Check out our previous update for a breakdown of how bidding and scoring works). In addition to our teams, we will be auctioning off some equipment and other prizes. There will be snacks and drink samples. Thanks again to Spy Cider and Sidelaunch for helping out!

GDHL Jackets

We still have a few GDHL jackets available for purchase. Check out the table at this year's Calcutta to grab some of the few remaining jackets. If you would like to get one ahead of time, please email Chris Knight at cmknightrider@hotmail.com  Jackets are $80 each.

Rules Update

Each of our races is governed by the FIS International Ski Competition Rules (ICR).

The GDHL is a fun racing league and we do not expect you to know all of the ski racing rules from the beginning. If you are unsure about ANYTHING, please ask a fellow racer or some of our Coyotes course crew. This is a fun race, and you will not be disqualified for minor infractions. However, major rules infractions will be enforced (missed gates, mistreatment of officials, etc). If you are unsure, please be polite and ask, we are all there to have a good time!

• No Downhill Suits for GS and Slalom races.

• **Inspection is where you get to SIDESLIP through the course prior to the race. This will help you get a feel of where the turns are, what the terrain is like, and where the finish is. It is highly recommended that you inspect prior to your run.**

• A reminder to all racers (veteran and rookie) that you are NOT to ski any of the gates during inspection. This is not practice. Don't ski it, just look!

• Results will be posted at GDHL.org.

• Racers will assemble at the top prior to each run, and the first racer (Bib Number 1) will leave the start gate at the start time. Each racer then goes in numerical bib order.

• If you are late for your run, the race crew will do their best to get you started in order. Please be respectful of your fellow racers that were on time. You will get your run in, but you may need to be patient.

• Remember, the timer starts when your legs pass through "the wand". The timer stops when you cross the finish line at the bottom. You must go around all Red and Blue gates on the course. If you're not sure where to go, watch a few racers on the course and in the start gate before your run (or watch the forerunners).

• The Coyotes are our race crew at Craigleith. You will see them at the start, at the finish, and at various points throughout the race hill. They are there to ensure a safe, fair, and fun event.

Please be kind and respectful to all race course personnel and your fellow racers.  **If you have any complaints, suggestions, or frustrations, see a GDHL committee member. We will help you out.**

After your race, feel free to head by the lodge. There is a 99% chance you will see other racers cooling down with a frosty beverage!

Alpine Race Method For Adults

If you are looking for more detailed information on ski racing, and developing yourself off-hill, then check out the Alpine Race Method For Adults. The Method was created by our adult racing head coach, Glenn Blaylock. 

Next Race

Our first race is Sunday January 7th at 1pm. It's a GS on Big John. Reminder: No Downhill Suits! You need a hard-ear helmet to race.

A reminder that scoring is based on your four best races. If you complete less than four races, you will not be awarded points for the races that you miss, only those that you finished. This is different from previous years, but is in alignment with historical GDHL scoring.

See you at the Calcutta!