Now that Christmas is over, it's time to get ready for the season's biggest bash. Don't waste yourself on New Year's Eve, the GDHL Calcutta is the real deal! It's at 5:00 on Saturday, 4 January 2014 in the South Lodge. But before we get to all of the Calcutta details, here are a few other reminders,

Coming Soon

First two GDHL races - Sunday, 5 January at 10 am - GS on Big John, then Sunday, 12 January at 10 am, SL on Comet. Please double-check here that you're signed up. I have discovered one racer who was out of the country thinking he was signed up and wasn't on our list, so things can happen. Today (28 December) is the deadline to sign up if you want to be on a team.

Adult gate training - Christmas Camp continues each morning at 9:30 am through 31 December (already fully subscribed); Friday training starts on 3 January, with GS sessions at 9:30 am and 1 pm (contact Laurel Armstrong in the Club admin office to sign up "a la carte"); nine week program starts on Saturday 4 January with GS training at 9:30 am and 1 pm (because of the Sunday morning GDHL race, the Sunday training session will move to Saturday at 1 pm), and will be on the same schedule the following weekend, with SL training; looking farther ahead, there will be a special adult GS and Super G camp Wednesday through Friday, 22 through 24 January while the kids' Podborski Cup is on, to get you ready for the GDHL Super G race on the 25th.

And Now for the Calcutta

Find out what team you're on, pick up your race bib and a nice bit of loot (racers only), buy a team for a chance to win big, bid on great auction items and party hard until at least 7:30 pm! (Remember there's a race the next morning.) The budget for appetizers has been increased and our esteemed chairman is arranging for premium wines to be available at the (cash) bar. Check the GDHL information page on our website for an explanation of how teams are established, bibs are allocated etc. And register to attend the Calcutta on this page. There is no charge to attend, but we want to know who's coming. And remember you must be there to claim your loot!

Also, those who want to bid on teams need to register (through the head of their consortium if they're part of one) with Byron Darlison at the Calcutta. We will identify Byron for you if he hasn't somehow drawn attention to himself :) Usually he is the guy doing all the work, although he has found able alternates to arrange the social aspects of the Calcutta. Getting in Byron's books is very important to make the accounting work. Consortium heads will be responsible for determining who on the team(s) they buy wants to participate in the buy-back, and team members should try to contact their "owners" to indicate their interest.

We have more and better auction items than ever before, so we are expecting aggressive bidding and will start with pretty high minimums. On the hardware side, our sponsors Ron Warren Sports (representing Dynastar, Lange, Toko and Sidas) and Squire Johns (home to those great brands and many more) have collaborated to put together some great packages. First, we have two pairs of Dynastar WC Master skis, with Look bindings. You can choose 175 or 180 cm. See the Equipment information page for my full comments on these skis, but in short these are for you, not your whiny spouse or kid, they are the Sh*t That Will Kill Them!

Then for the first time ever, we have boots on offer. You can choose any pair of Lange boots up to a 130 flex index from the selection at Squires, and Shane Kilfoyle at Squires will give you an expert fit with custom Sidas footbeds and Sidas boot heaters. So you can choose to up your own game or mollify a family member. Drop by Squires before the Calcutta to check out the many boot options!

Finally on the hardware side, the return of a popular favourite from last year. We have two complete sets of tuning and waxing gear from Toko, including a wax bench, vises, iron and more. A great way to give the whole family an edge!

And if you want to go somewhere with all of your new hardware, or just train to keep up with the guys who got new hardware, you will definitely want to bid on the great ski camps offered by our sponsor Michel Pratte of Pratte Ski International. We have one space at Michel's camp in Zermatt at the end of September 2014. The Zermatt glacier is an unparalleled training environment. There are national World Cup teams surrounding you (the Swiss team alone had 50 coaches on hand in 2013), the sky is almost always blue, the sun is high in the sky so the light is great and the snow is mid-winter quality and all natural. The coaching is great and there is a great group of skiers from all over. You fly to Zurich or Geneva and take the train right from the airport to Zermatt. Ten nights' accommodation at the Hotel Hemi-Zeus with coaches and other camp participants is included, as are breakfast and dinner. And ask Rob Cassels or me about how easy it is to extend your trip by taking a few days in Lake Como afterwards!

And finally we have two places at one of Michel's camps in Sun Peaks in November or December 2014. This camp has been well attended by Craigleith people. It's not quite as glamorous as Zermatt, but closer and shorter. The package is for lifts and training only for six days. You fly to Kamloops and take a shuttle bus to Sun Peaks. There are lots of accommodation choices at Sun Peaks at very reasonable prices. Again, great coaching from the Pratte staff.

Finally Fashion News

Some of you may have heard that Spyder Canada has moved West, to Calgary. Fortunately for us, Carrie didn't follow them. (She now works for Norco bicycles, who also import the snappy turquoise helmet pictured below.) On hearing this, I was afraid for the future of our fashion feature, but my fears were unfounded. While the showroom samples may not be available, Carrie's own closet remains well supplied, including with last year's hit one-piece with fur trimmed hood. And it comes to pass that our new coach Shelley Johnston has some game in this department too. (Shelley speaks tantalizingly of a "Top Gun" outfit.) See below for the opening round of what promises to be a friendly but intense rivalry!

That's about it for now. Do everything humanly possible to get to the Club while these epic holiday conditions last! And remember that, if you have difficulty with any of the newsletter content in your e-mail, you can check it out on the GDHL site. The Svindal video didn't come through on some e-mails last week. You can get it on our website or here if you prefer.

See you at the Club!

James Mathers