... But Were Afraid to Ask

This will be a chattier than usual version.  If you're not in the mood, please at least note the following:

• Registrations are coming along nicely.  It's possible that hardly anyone will have a triple digit bib number this year, but that's mostly because we've replaced a bunch of bibs that have gone missing over the years.  BUT DON'T WAIT.  If you want to be on a team, registration deadline is Wednesday at 4 pm.  If you want to race as an individual, it would be really good if you sign up by end of day Thursday.   
• There will likely be at least two more newsletters this week.  One will have details of who has registered, who wants to be on a team etc.  The registration process didn't pick up team vs. individual very successfully, so please look at this newsletter quickly and let me know if your details are wrong.  The second one will have details of all the great things happening at the Calcutta (Saturday the 7th at 5 pm in the South Lodge).
• Welcome to our new sponsor, Sutherland Insurance, thanks to Jeff and Suzanne.  More about our sponsors in newsletters to come.
• I'm down to the last two boxes of jackets.  They will be at the Calcutta, but if you reply to this message I'll happily bring your jacket to the Club this week.
• There have been some minor changes regarding the last two races of our schedule.  See here for the current version.

Now For Your Questions

The GDHL committee received an email today suggesting that the "Long Slalom" on Millennium and Venture and the Super G on Landslide were technically too difficult for most GDHL racers, which led me to ask myself whether GDHL is too hard.  I suppose in one sense it is.  Most of us know that we will be beaten by the U-14 forerunners, and not just because they have a pristine track.  We aren't pictures of grace either trying to make the next gate or standing around in our speed suits.  But I don't think that means we have to make all the races easier (although this year's schedule includes GS races on Venture and Comet, which may be less rigorous than Millennium).  The Long Slalom is a test of endurance but technically may be less difficult than our usual Comet slaloms.  

The Super G is different.  Unfortunately, running it on Partridge is no longer possible, and the Cruiser / Bowie route has its quirks, so we're going to try Landslide.  There will be a few turns that will be pretty fast if you want them to be, but there will also be a lot of gliding on terrain that is flat, but not as flat as Cruiser.  When I first started GDHL, Dan Hadley told me how much fun it was to be able to ski as fast as you could on a well prepared track with no one in the way.  He was absolutely right.  And the only time I've ever been in the top 10 of a GDHL race, or even close to it, was the year the Super G was extended to finish near the National chair.  I somehow got the right line coming off the bottom of Partridge on my 207's and managed to hold a good tuck around the corner into the finish.  I keep hoping every new year will be the one when that happens again, even if I have just as often had my ski catch in the netting trying to skate out of the start on Cruiser.

Lots of people don't ski as fast as they might be able to on the Super G, but that's okay.  Once Lindsey Vonn didn't take off her down jacket and warm up pants to ski a DH training run that she had to run in order to be allowed to race the following day, because she wasn't fit to go full out and needed a braking system.  I can't remember whether she recovered and won the race or they discovered she had a broken leg, but she adjusted for what that day would allow her.

Basically, I think that GDHL is fun, and that you can find fun in lots of different ways.    I'm pretty sure it would be fun to be talented and fit and to race like the people on television, but unfortunately I'm unlikely to be certain.   Still, I know it's fun for me to train for GDHL on and off snow, and to try to recreate that great moment at the bottom of Partridge.  And I know that Bob Callow has done the Super G every year since he started ski racing at age 72, so I hope he's having fun too.

Q&A With Sandy Nattress

Sandy is the head coach for our adult race training programs and course setter for GDHL races.  He has been kind enough to answer a few questions that I hope will be of interest.

1.      How do you deal with the challenges of setting a course for GDHL when there are so many different skill levels involved?

We typically try to set as straight forward a course as possible, and avoid anything overly "tricky". This way everyone is able to ski to their own potential and level of comfort. The fastest will ski it faster which creates its own challenges, as everything happens much quicker.

2.      How do snow conditions affect your course setting decisions?

Conditions are probably the biggest factor to consider when setting. When the snow is soft, or there has been a lot of fresh snow we need to be concerned with ruts. Similarly if it has not been cold the course can develop holes if turning areas are too abrupt, especially on the pitches. To keep the track smooth in soft conditions we often set a little straighter to try to avoid ruts from people grinding turns.  When it is solid and hard, we can include more offset without being concerned the surface will break down.

3.      How does a GDHL course differ from a FIS course in terms of distance between gates and offset?

 The distance between gates is pretty similar. Our offsets are going to be less in GDHL however. World Cup and NorAm athletes generate a lot more energy in their skis than we are able to. This allows them to create more dynamic and powerful lateral transitions. They are able to swing their feet out laterally much more than we do, which means they can ski a bigger offset, while maintaining good flow and momentum.

4.      How do you foresee setting the Super G for GDHL on Landslide?

I think the top section will be very straight forward, and we will begin to control speed coming onto the pitch and down the first half of the pitch. We will then open it up so all the athletes can carry good speed and momentum to the finish. We will use a little more offset coming onto the pitch, and tighten it up for two or three turns, before opening it up again.

By the way, one GDHL competitor told me about skiing a junior Super G on Landslide some years ago, that ran back up the hill on skier's left at the bottom of the pitch, leading to a long jump that landed somewhere down Buttonhole.  Rest assured that we aren't contemplating recreating that part of history, even if the fence wasn't there to prevent it.

Watch for more news soon, and let us know if you aren't having fun.

Cheers,

James Mathers