Nooo! Not yet. To start with, there's still lots and lots of snow! And there's still lots of fun to come.

What's Ahead

Friday training is GS, at 9:30 am and 1:00 pm. Contact Laurel to register.
Weekend gate training is GS at 9:30 on Saturday and Sunday.
Technical training is also at 9:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Meet at the National chair.
Gateless training with Jacques Reid is at 1:00 on Saturday. Contact Laurel to register.
Athletic Fundraiser starts at 6:30 pm Saturday. Don't wait to get tickets online or at the front desk, and in the meantime bid on the great package donated by GDHL and all the other online auction items.
AOA Masters Camp is at Osler on 26 and 27 February. One day of GS and one of SL. Jacques Reid and Scott Barrett will coach. Click here to register.

GDHL Wrap Up

Thanks to all of you who returned your bibs at the conclusion of Sunday's race. There are still quite a few missing however. Please return them to Kylie in the race office pronto. We aren't going to spend a lot of time chasing people who don't. You will just get a bill from the Club.

On a more cheerful note, we have a great evening planned for the final dinner and awards. Saturday 1 March in the Base Lodge. Cocktails at 6:00 pm, dinner at 7:00, dancing to the Mickeys at 9:00. Bring your own wine if you wish ($10 corkage fee). Get your tickets online or at the front desk (special price for racers under 30 and their significant others). Do it soon, as sales will likely be closed next Wednesday!

Last Race(s)

The final GDHL race of the season was Sunday SL in the sunshine on Comet. Results are here. Alec Libert completed an undefeated season, winning each run by almost two seconds. Ian Malcolm finished second to consolidate his second place overall and Spencer Jackson overcame a big stumble on his first run to grab third place on his second attempt. Scott McLorie finished fourth to take the close race for third place overall. Randy Dalton laid down a season's best 7th place, while Brittany Stainer emphatically confirmed her overall win in the women's rankings with a fine 13th place. Other highlights included Chris Fregren moving from 36th ranking to 19th place, Glenn Kilmer (29th from 50), Leslie Morgan (33rd from 60), Jamie Coulter (37th from 82), Dave Baran (49th from 78) and Daina Dunlop (56th from 93).

In the team competition, Landslide proved that they are aptly named, winning by many lengths with strong performances across the board. Millennium had a strong final race, with lower-ranked skiers Paul Henschel, Brian Athey and Shayne Mintz all increasing their point totals by double digits, and Venture shook off two double-DNF disappointments to preserve its third place overall, led by strong final races from Chris Fregren, Randy Dalton and David Arthur.

Meanwhile, at Saturday's final Interclub race at Caledon, a slightly under-strength team was able to compile enough points to maintain its hold on first place for the season. Jeff Sutherland, Greg Cavers, Taylor Simms-Brown and Paul Atkinson all won their age groups, with Paul taking the overall win as well, while Daina Dunlop, Chris Clark, Chris Fregren, Craig Shibley, Randy Dalton and Trent Winstone were other high scorers. Results are here.

Looking Back

Here are videos shot by Morgan Rubes's goggle cam on the Super G a few weeks ago. The first is of the inspection, and the second is Maddie Irwin's view as a forerunner. Maddie appears to be pretty good at peripheral vision, as her goggles are mainly looking at her pole grips.

And Finally

Here's a link to Tina Maze's winning GS run in Sochi. Ditto for Ted Ligety. And what Bode Miller had to say about Ted's win:

“In general, (Ligety) just carries speed from turn to turn better,” said Miller. “Because he’s going deeper, his turn is actually longer … Ted goes so round that his turn is naturally a longer radius. So by the time his turn finishes, it’s time to go into the next turn. … That way, he generates from one turn right into the next one and tips it up. The two things work together. He generates more speed … and because he has so much space, he never pinches or gets in trouble because he’s always way far away from the gate.

“Take nothing away from Ted. I think he’s one of the best GS skiers in history,” added Miller, “but if he had some competitors that skied alternative styles to his — everyone right now is trying to do what he’s doing … If you saw a guy like (Alberto) Tomba at his best or Hermann (Maier) at his best or even (Michael) Von Gruenigen, those guys had their own thing going and they knew exactly how to do it. It would be tough for Ted to compete against somebody who was cutting that much line off him.”

Closer to home, if you're ready for some dryland training, get in touch with Mary Riopelle if you're interested in joining a group seeking a discounted group membership to the gym at The Northwoods Club in Collingwood.

And see you on the snow!

James Mathers