The 2019 GDHL Race Season Is Here!

Happy New Year! The start of the 2019 ski season is here, and it is exciting! The Going Down Hill League is all set for another exceptional season of ski racing, training, and a few fun après-events.

Below you will find information about the Calcutta, race schedule, our new mid-season Event (with lots of teaser media), training schedules and a friendly reminder to register before the season officially kicks off.

🔵🔴 Ready! 16:30 CET go time. @holmenkollenalpint

14.5k Likes, 18 Comments - Audi FIS Ski World Cup (@fisalpine) on Instagram: "🔵🔴 Ready! 16:30 CET go time. @holmenkollenalpint"

Registration

Late last night, James Mathers sent out a reminder to check your registration status. Please click here to do so.

“If you are listed, but the details aren’t correct, please reply to this email pronto and provide the correct details.
If you aren’t listed and want to race, or if you have friends, family, rivals etc. who want to race, sign up through the program registration page in the members’ section of the Club website or contact Kylie Deacon in the Club race office if you think there’s been a miscarriage of justice or some other cataclysm, none of which will be new to Kylie. PLEASE DO THIS RIGHT AWAY.”

— JWM

The Calcutta

The Calcutta will begin at 5:30 pm (17:30) on Saturday, January 5th. As is tradition, we will be at the South Lodge, and our sponsors Northwinds Brewery, and Side Launch Brewery will be in attendance to provide libations paired to some delicious finger food. There will be lots of door prizes and some great auction items. The action will be centred around the live auction for each of the teams.

Race Schedule - 2019

The Race Schedule was released last week, and it is below. Please be prepared to inspect the course on Big John, at 12:15 on Sunday.

• Sunday, January 6th, @ 1 PM

  • GS ON Big John

• Sunday, January 13th, @ 10 AM

  • Slalom ON Big John

• Sunday, January 27th, @ 1 PM

  • Super G ON Landslide

• *Saturday, February 2nd is our new Mid Season Event! * (details below)

• Sunday, February 10th, @ 1 PM

  • GS on Millennium

• Sunday, February 17th, @ 10 AM

  • Slalom ON Comet

• Sunday, February 24th, @1 PM

  • GS ON Big John

• CLUB CHAMPS: Saturday, March 2nd

  • GS ON Big John @ 10 AM

  • Slalom ON Big John @ 1 PM

Mid Season Race Event and Après

Our mid-season event is official! It is being promised as the race event of the season, and you won’t want to miss it! It will be on Saturday, February 2nd, beginning at 1 pm on the Comet. The afternoon will pit the top 32 GDHL skiers head-to-head, in a bracket-style dual slalom. All GDHL skiers, and fans are invited to join in the festivities—either racing or cheering—cowbells welcome!. After the winner is determined, (approx. 3 pm), there will be a BYOB Après Ski Party, at the North Lodge. This will be a “true” Après; think 70s style, with lots of fondue and dancing in long-johns and downhill suits. If you have further questions, or outfit concerns, find Marlene Jackson or Carrie Lenauskas, as they can both provide sartorial suggestions.

For your inspiration, you’ll find the two final races from the Oslo City Event Races last weekend below. Take a moment to watch the style of the racers, and the way they double punch the super-slalom panels.

Training Schedule - From Newsletter Published October 24, 2018

This year the gate training program has expanded to include an exclusive women’s class! Women of all levels of skill are invited to join as long as they are comfortable in gates. There will be 2 different days of women’s gates, on Fridays and Sundays, with multiple training times.

Last year we bifurcated the Saturday unisex program into two time slots, early morning and late morning, and that will continue this year.

Our 2019 Gate Training Schedule is as follows:

• Fridays:

  • Unisex and Women only gate training

  • Mornings begin at 10 am, afternoons at 1pm

• Saturdays:

  • Unisex gate training at 8:30, and 10:45

  • Early group is full, late group has limited space (Most likely both are full by now)

• Sundays:

  • Women’s gate training only 10:45 - 12:15

  • Unisex gate training 9:00-10:30 (Space is probably available)

See you at the Calcutta! Saturday, 5 30, South Lodge!

Happy Holidays!

The 2018-2019 Ski season is underway! Many of you are already on the hills enjoying the early season conditions and working off the holiday feasts.

There is lots to share! The 2019 race schedule is below, as well as a small preamble to the 2019 Calcutta (Saturday, January 5th). We’ve got an update on the training timing system being implemented this year, and a brief overview of our wonderful sponsors! Finally, we’ll take a look at what is new in skiing social media!

The race schedule has arrived!

• Sunday, January 6th, @ 1 PM

  • GS ON Big John

• Sunday, January 13th, @ 10 AM

  • Slalom ON Big John

• Sunday, January 27th, @ 1 PM

  • Super G ON Landslide

• *Saturday, February 2nd is our new Mid Season Event! *

• Sunday, February 10th, @ 1 PM

  • GS on Millennium

• Sunday, February 17th, @ 10 AM

  • Slalom ON Comet

• Sunday, February 24th, @1 PM

  • GS ON Big John

• CLUB CHAMPS: Saturday, March 2nd

  • GS ON Big John @ 10 AM

  • Slalom ON Big John @ 1 PM

Please be advised that we will do our best to stick to this schedule, however changes may happen, and we will communicate those changes through these newsletters and emails.

As we have had in the past, the 7th GDHL race will be the Club Championships races. You will notice a bye week from the formal race schedule, so that we can host our mid season event on February 2nd. More information on the afternoon Dual Slalom event and evening party can be found here in our earlier newsletters. Both the Calcutta and mid-season event are family friendly and we hope you bring along yours!

Calcutta 2019

The Calcutta will be held Saturday, January 5th, at the South Lodge. We’ve got some great prizes lined up as well as an improved format to keeps the night moving along through all the excitement! Our wonderful Sponsors: Pratte Ski Camps, Sutherland Insurance, Budget Propane, Locations North, have been generous to support the event with some amazing auction items and giveaways! As mentioned above, it is a family affair, so please bring your spouses, significant others, children, aunts, uncles, etc

Your 2018 Race Season Champions - Team Vortex

Timing Systems

Our new training Timing System has been acquired! The team will have it in place during the first week of January! There are only 8 timing chips left. To buy yours, you must contact David Henderson here. For those who missed the previous note that detailed the equipment, please read:

“Our team of experts have started consulting with a company out of the USA – Free Lap – that supplies timing equipment for amateur and pro training. The system is meant to be cost efficient, user friendly, and exceptionally responsive. It will enable GDHL gate trainers to learn about their skiing as they train for a very low cost, and see the live updates on their phone app as they ride the chair between runs.”

The FIS Circuit:

The story this year from the women’s side has been Mikaela Shiffrin’s scorching season! She has won a race in each discipline and has put down impressive runs nearly every weekend. This is quickly turning into a historic season for her and the sport! On the Men’s side, Marcel Hirscher (video below) is leading the overall points standings, however things may get interesting as the season progresses and the points spread closes.

Enjoy your time on the hills! As some of us are stuck working in the city, make sure you carve some great turns, regardless of the weather! We’re looking forward to re-connecting with you on January 5th at the Calcutta!

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Winter has arrived!

It most definitely has at the Club! It looks as though the Blue Mountains will receive continuous sub-zero temperatures over the next two weeks, which might mean some great December skiing! The GDHL Calcutta and first race are just six weeks away and there is lot of content in this newsletter to get you excited!

To get you started, check out this sensational video done by Salomon – pitching an Olympian Skier Vs a Drone:

For those who have recently joined the mailing list, and would like to review previous newsletters, you can find them all at www.GDHL.org/News.

The Craigleith social media pages are showcasing two very important elements of a GDHL racer’s life… snow and beer! The snow pictures are below, showing the new snowguns working hard. The big news from the club last week though was the partnership with Northwinds Brewery and B&B catering to bring a special Craigleith beer to the club! Now all they need is a name, and with all the creative talent in the GDHL, maybe an adult racer can get their name chosen! Click Here to check out the post!

PRATTE CAMPS

For those of you who are yearning for time on snow before the light dustings hit Craigleith, there are the Michel Pratte camps available here: https://bookings.pratteski.com/adult-and-family/. Michel Pratte is a sponsor of ours, however this is not a plug (at least not intended to be). The newsletter’s previous editor, James Mathers has just returned from a trip to Sun Peaks with Pratte Adult Race Camp and he will undoubtedly tell all about his experiences. There are camps in December in Mont Tremblant that are worth looking at, as it a closer destination and the camp is condensed into four days.

The Calendar

Events have started to book up and your calendars will soon be full! Below are some exciting social and race dates:

• Intermediate Apres Ski: Thursday, December 27th

  • If you have to ask if you are too old to attend, you are

• Calcutta: Saturday, January 5th

  • This will follow the LumberJack Apres

• First Race (GS on Big John): Sunday, January 6th

• Wine Festival: Saturday, January 19th

• NEW Mid Season GDHL Race And Dinner Event: Saturday, February 2nd

• Athletic Fundraiser: Saturday, February 9th

FIS World Cup Update

For those of you looking to catch up on ski racing results while waiting for our season to begin read below.

The FIS season kicked off during the last weekend of October with GS at Soelden. The women’s races were exciting as Tessa Worley (FRA) finished as the leader, with Fredrica Brignone (ITA), and Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) behind her. Valerie Grenier (below) – of St.isidore, Ontario – put up a very respectable 11th place finish. Bad news hit when Candace Crawford – Georgian Peaks – fell and broke her ankle during her race.

"I am so excited, I still can't believe it. Sölden is one of the toughest World Cups, this is my own personal best result, a great way to start the season!" - Valerie Grenier 11 - @valeriegrenier DNQ (32) - @mmgagnon DNF1 - @candacecrawford "Je suis tellement excite, j'en reviens pas encore. La Coupe du Monde de Sölden est l'une des plus difficile, je ne me faisais pas d'attente et je suis très contente de ma journée. C'est mon record personnel, une belle façon de débuter la saison pour moi". 📷: GEPA #CANskiteam #TeamCanada #ÉquipeCanada #FISalpine #Sölden #Soelden #worldcupsoelden

1,391 Likes, 18 Comments - Alpine Canada Alpin (@alpinecanada) on Instagram: ""I am so excited, I still can't believe it. Sölden is one of the toughest World Cups, this is my..."

Last weekend the Slalom races were hosted at Levi, Finland, where the host club gives social media the opportunity to fall in love with Reindeer at the finish line! The Women’s race finished with Mikaela Shiffrin 1st, Petra Vlhova (SVK) 2nd, and Bernadette Schild (AUT) 3rd. Erin Mielzynski of Georgian Peaks, finished respectably in 11th place.

"Mr. Gru, would you please stop trying to eat my ski boots and LOOK AT THE CAMERA."🤦‍♀️😂😜🦌 PC: @christophepallot

51.9k Likes, 416 Comments - Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Instagram: ""Mr. Gru, would you please stop trying to eat my ski boots and LOOK AT THE CAMERA."🤦‍♀️😂😜🦌 PC:..."

The Men’s race was their first of the season as their previously scheduled competition had been called off due to bad weather. Two of the best technical skiers had their day as Marcel Hirscher (AUT), beat out Henrik Kristofferson (NOR) by 0:00.09 to win, and Andrew Myhrer (SWE) came in third.

Up Next: The men race SG/DH in Lake Louise this Saturday/Sunday, and the women are racing in Killington with GS/SL on Saturday/Sunday.

If you are interested in timing your training runs, please reach out to David Henderson: dghhenderson@gmail.com

Enjoy your Black-Friday shopping, and make sure to squeeze in your final off season workouts before we hit the slopes!

New Beginnings!

Ski season will soon be upon us! We are quickly getting cooler temperatures below zero and less-urban areas are getting flurries of snow.

The GDHL Committee is excited for another great season on the slopes! We’ve got a new event to launch and some fun ways to track your training progress, both of which will be detailed below. We’ve also included important upcoming event and race dates for you to put in your calendar, and information regarding the different training programs.

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, ski racing is just around the corner! The GS races at Soelden begin on Saturday, but it looks like no one told Mikaela:

Everyone keeps talking about Saturday..."Are you ready for Saturday?"..."Who is going to be fast on Saturday??"..."We hope the weather stays good for Saturday!" Honestly-it's all I keep hearing about all day, every day! So, could someone please tell me what the heck is happening on Saturday?!! 🤷‍♀️😝😝⛷💨#4daystillSölden #AreYouReady 📷: @gettyimages / Alain Grosclaude

31.3k Likes, 193 Comments - Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Instagram: "Everyone keeps talking about Saturday..."Are you ready for Saturday?"..."Who is going to be fast on..."

IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION:

• Registration is open! Early Bird deadline is November 15th, so get to it!

• Calcutta will be January 5th

• First GS race will be January 6th

• Our NEW mid-season event will be the afternoon/evening of February 2nd

• End of year banquet will be March 2nd

GATE TRAINING

This year the gate training program has expanded to include an exclusive women’s class! Women of all levels of skill are invited to join as long as they are comfortable in gates. There will be 2 different days of women’s gates, on Fridays and Sundays, with multiple training times. Last year we bifurcated the Saturday unisex program into two time slots, early morning and late morning, and that will continue this year.

Our 2018 Gate Training Schedule is as follows:

• Fridays:

  • Unisex and Women only gate training at

  • Mornings begin at 10 am, afternoons at 1pm

• Saturdays:

  • Unisex gate training at 8:30, and 10:45 going until 12:30

  • Early group is full, late group has limited space

• Sundays:

  • Women’s gate training only 10:45 - 12:15

OFF SEASON REPORT

Every summer the GDHL committee members take time while drinking beers on their docks to brainstorm new ideas, and fun activities for our membership. Traditionally this has produced mixed results without much action… Not this time! There has been some new blood added to the committee and they have brought some inspiration and creativity.

Mid Season Dual Slalom Afternoon Event and Evening After Party

On the afternoon of Saturday, February 2nd, we will host our inaugural competitive and GDHL Homologated, Dual Slalom! The event will pit respective teams up against each other for the glory of the Dual Slalom title! Think World Cup Dual Slalom Night Event! Pundits have already chimed in with commentary concluding that this event will be an instant classic.

Following the afternoon race event, the GDHL will be hosting a family friendly dinner event at the club, to award the winners of the races, and bring the teams together. There are still details to be finalized, however we guarantee this to be a fun afternoon and evening!

We’re expecting a crowds similar to this:

For those of you with 25 minutes on your hands, here is a video of Team Canada coming 2nd to the Austrians at the 2015 world championships. It is definitely worth the watch! Fun note, three of Canada’s four skiers are from the escarpment, Erin Mielzynski, Phil Brown, and Candace Crawford!

Timing equipment

Since the beginning of Jeff Sutherland’s career in the GDHL, he has always asked himself “how do I know I was faster that run, than the run before that?”. It is tough, we skiers tend to think slows runs are fast, and fast runs are slow. It looks like we have found ourselves a solution…

Our team of experts have started consulting a company out of the USA – Free Lap – that supplies timing equipment for amateur and pro training. The system is meant to be cost efficient, user friendly, and exceptionally responsive. This would mean that GDHL gate trainers could learn about their skiing as they trained for a very low cost, and they could even see the live updates on their phone app as they ride the chair between runs.

If you’d like to hear more and/or would like to invest, please email David Henderson here

So Long and Farewell

After a million (probably) publications, and countless hours of research and writing, James Mathers has retired from writing the GDHL Newsletter. You will still see lots of James, as he will be racing and training with us, and busy around the club in his role on the Alpine Committee.

I know I speak on behalf of all GDHL members past and current, with a giant THANK YOU! James, your Thursday morning e-blasts have always been a source of great entertainment!

Your new writer is Doug Jarvis… if you buy him a drink around the club he may include something nice about you in the newsletter (just a thought).

FIS SEASON BEGINS IN 2 DAYS!!!!!

Some of us haven’t even raked leaves yet to welcome in fall, however the ski racing season begins in Soelden on Saturday! Women’s GS race Saturday, Men’s GS Race Sunday. If you’d like to catch up on your favorite winter athletes you can follow them on their Instagram pages, which feature tons of training content, below!

3 days and it's go time! #sölden2018 #calmbeforethestorm #CANskiteam

430 Likes, 5 Comments - Candace Crawford (@candacecrawford) on Instagram: "3 days and it's go time! #sölden2018 #calmbeforethestorm #CANskiteam"

• Candace Crawford – candacecrawford (above)

• Erin Mielzynski – erinmielzynski

• Phil Brown – philbrown77

• Marie-Michèle Gagnon – mmgagnon

• Mikaela Shiffrin – mikaelashiffrin

• Ted Ligety – ted_ligety

• Marcel Hirscher - marcel__hirscher

• Aksel Lund Svindal - asvindal

And for those of you who want to see the fun side of skiing and life, you can check out:

• Slalom Tokyo Drift – slalomtokyodrift

• Jerry of the Day – jerryoftheday

Lindsey Vonn

Yesterday, Lindsey (lindseyvonn) announced her retirement from racing! For those who would like to read her release you can find it on Sports Illustrated here. For those who would like to familiarize themselves with Lindsey’s accomplishments in ski racing click here. Below I’ve pasted a nice piece that she uses to sign off her article in SI.

“I have nothing left to prove to myself or anyone else. I am not the nervous little girl standing on top of a mountain anymore; I am a woman ready for the next chapter. I can do this! My legacy will be more than skiing and there are many chapters left to write.”

REMINDERS:

Remember to sign up before the early bird deadline, and to mark your calendars with all the important dates! We are beyond ecstatic to see you on the hill in nine weeks or so!

-Doug

Summer Reruns, and a Special Offer

For various reasons, I was motivated to write a dog days of summer edition of this periodic epistle.  One was that I came across a draft of a pre-website edition of the newsletter, when it was my practice to include an accumulation of past highlights at the bottom of each week's news.  No one has been sending me good jokes recently, so I thought I could repeat some, fittingly at the bottom of this message.

Many of us have some interest in summer cycling but watching the Tour in its entirety can be a challenge.  Here's an eight minute highlight package from the organizers.

Here's a different perspective, apparently compiled by an indie producer, with time on his hands and some arrangement with Eurosport.  It's probably the first video on the site, but you'll likely have to click "no, please help" when it tells you it's not available.  How the Race Was Won - Tour de France 2018 - Full Race.

Special Offer from Pratte Ski International

Buying propane, insurance, real estate and Dynastar skis, Lange boots and other things at Squires are pretty much year 'round propositions, and we trust you'll keep our loyal GDHL sponsors in mind when the time comes for you to do so.  (Just click on their logos in every newsletter.)  However, our friend Michel Pratte's training camps are very much focused on the off-season and now is the perfect time to book a trip to the premier camp - Zermatt from 22 September to 2 October - especially when Michel is offering a $100 discount to GDHL racers and their friends.  Click here for the website, or better yet click here to send an email to Michel.  Below are a few of my favourite reasons for going to Zermatt.

Wake up to this every morning!

• Apart from the skiing, Zermatt itself is a pretty cool place.  It's mostly only electric vehicles, but some of the posh hotels have horse-drawn carriages to collect you at the train station.  The horses wear diapers to avoid fouling the footpath.  The churchyard cemetery is full of reminders of those, many British, whose motto regarding the Matterhorn was perhaps "Veni, vidi ... and whatever the Latin is for I fell off."
• Skiing there is a genuine Alpine experience - a gondola and two cable cars to reach the top of the glacier.  Skiing is almost always under blue bird skis in my experience, sometimes after breaking through clouds on the top cable car, which arrives at a landing station bolted onto the Kleine Matterhorn and drops you off for a couple hundred metre trek in a tunnel bored through the mountain before you reach a most pleasant cafe to put your boots on.
• Even on the glacier, the runs are much longer than anything on the escarpment, and the snow is astonishing.  It's often fresh, and there never seem to be ruts in the course.
• There's nobody skiing there except people in the Pratte camp and rock stars.  The Swiss ski team, World Cup mogul skiers, the Swiss Interski demo team - all riding the same t-bars.  Didier Cuche was there sometimes.  He tended to have a minder on the t-bar and arrived by helicopter instead of cable car, but sometimes you would get a t-bar with a minor World Cup racer.
• The coaching is excellent, and the group dinners at the Hotel Hemizeus are most convivial.
• You will come away feeling certain this is the year you'll break through to your rightful spot at the top of the leaderboard.  I leave this part of the news with pictorial proof that even a decidedly middle of the pack racer can look and feel relatively glamorous training at Zermatt. 

Your correspondent doing due diligence.

Reruns

Top 10 Things to do at the Mall
10. At the bottom of an escalator, scream "MY SHOELACES! AAAGH!" 
9. At the stylist, ask to have the hair on your back permed.
8. Ask a saleswoman whether a particular shade of panties matches the color of your beard.
7. Sneak up on saleswomen at the perfume counter and spray them with your own bottle of Eau de Swanke.
6. Collect stacks of paint brochures and hand them out as religious tracts.
5. At the pet store, ask if they have bulk discounts on gerbils, and whether there's much meat on them.
4. Hand a stack of pants back to the changing room attendant and scornfully announce that none of them are "leak proof".
3. Ask appliance personnel if they have any TVs that play only in Spanish.
2. Try pants on backwards at the Gap. Ask the salesperson if they make your butt look big.
1. Show people your driver's license and demand to know "whether they've seen this man."

Now Bode's classic ride on the fence at Kitzbuhel:
 

GROUP THERAPY..  - A psychiatrist was conducting a group therapy session with four young mothers and their small children.  "You all have obsessions", he observed.  To the first mother he said, "You are obsessed with eating, hence you named your daughter Candy".  He turned to the second mother.  "Your obsession is with money. Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny".  He turns to the third mum.  "Your obsession is alcohol.  Otherwise, you wouldn’t have named your child Brandy".  At this point, the fourth mother gets up, grabs her little boy by the hand and whispers, "Come on Dick, we're leaving!"
 
HOW TO START A FIGHT - Someone else (not me) took his wife to a disco on the weekend.  There was a guy on the dance floor giving it large; breakdancing, moonwalking, backflips, jiving, the works.  His wife turned to him and said, " See that guy? 25 years ago he proposed to me and I turned him down."  The husband said, "Looks like he's still celebrating!!"  And then the fight started ...

And one of my favourite bits of Ted Ligety.  Perhaps his line isn't quite as fashionable now, but good watching nonetheless.
 

HOW TO START A FIGHT – Having read that variety is the spice of life, so to speak, some other husband ventured to ask his wife “Shall we try swapping positions tonight?”  She replied “That's a good idea - you stand by the stove and sink while I sit on the sofa and do nothing but fart.”  And then the fight started …
 
A man was seated next to a boy in an airplane.  The man turned to him and said "Let's talk."  The boy replied "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"  Thinking he would have a bit of fun, the man said "How about nuclear power?"  The boy countered "That's a very interesting topic.  But let me ask you a question.  Horses, cows and deer all eat grass, but deer excrete pellets, cows produce flat pies and horses have big clumps of manure.  Why is that?"  Puzzled, the man said "I don't know, what does it matter?"  To which the boy replied "Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear issues when you clearly don't know sh*t?"

A longish analysis from Reilly McGlashan of why Ted's line isn't so fashionable anymore:

A man doing market research for the Vaseline Company knocked at the door and was greeted by a young woman with three small children running around at her feet. “I’m doing some research for Vaseline. Have you ever used the product?”
She said, “Yes. My husband and I use it all the time.”
“If you don’t mind my asking,” he said, “what do you use it for?” “We use it for sex,” she said.
The researcher was a little taken aback. “Usually people lie to me and say they use it on a child’s bicycle chain or to help with a gate hinge. But, in fact, I know that most people do use it for sex. I admire you for your honesty. Since you’ve been so frank so far, can you tell me exactly HOW you use it for sex?”
The woman said, “I don’t mind telling you at all. My husband and I put it on the doorknob and it keeps the kids out.”
 
HOW TO START A FIGHT – Someone’s wife (to be clear, not mine!) sat down next to him as he was flipping channels.  She asked, "What's on TV?"  He said, "Dust."  And then the fight started...

A very amusing episode regarding the front falling off an oil tanker:

HOW TO START A FIGHT  - Someone else’s wife was lamenting her difficulty in maintaining the recommended body mass index.  Her husband said “I’ve noticed that married women are usually heavier than single women.  Why is that?”  She replied “Single women come home, see what's in the fridge and go to bed. Married women come home, see what's in bed and go to the fridge.”  And then the fight started...
 
HOW TO START A FIGHT – Thinking that the budget was looking a little stretched, a man said to his wife “What have you been doing with all the grocery money I give you?”  She replied, “That’s pretty easy to demonstrate.  Turn sideways and look in the mirror!”  And then the fight started…
 
HOW TO GET DISCIPLINED BY YOUR PROFESSIONAL SELF-GOVERNING ORGANIZATION - My psychiatrist told me I was crazy and I said I wanted a second opinion. 
He said okay, you’re ugly too.

And a snippet from Conan O'Brien's show on racism (really not) in skiing:

Things that are difficult to say when you're drunk: cinnamon, indubitably, innovative, preliminary, proliferation
Things that are VERY difficult to say when you're drunk:  British constitution, loquacious trans-substantiate, passive-aggressive disorder, speciality
Things that are downright IMPOSSIBLE say when you're drunk:  "Thanks, but I don't want to have sex."  "Nope, no more alcohol for me."  "Oh, I just couldn't!  No one wants to hear me sing."  "You are quite right, I can't jump over that table."

And finally, not previously published in this space, not exactly new, but hopefully entertaining.

Enjoy the rest of the summer safely, and be ready to race before you know it!

James Mathers

Observations From a Lifetime

This issue has been compiled at my leisure after the urgency of a coming weekend's events has passed.  I hope you'll have an opportunity to absorb it all at your leisure as you have transitioned into off-season activities, perhaps having enjoyed a stretch of post-Club Championships skiing that was almost as long as the stretch before it.  I always think I'm skiing better in March and April than in the height of the season, although maybe it's just the absence of those pesky gates dictating where I have to turn.  My bucket list includes skiing at least once in every month of some year, with a view to keeping that feeling into the next race season.

Housekeeping

The last news left open the possibility of team results being affected by adjustments from the first race's minor confusion.  Fortunately, the adjustments would not have made a difference, so the results stand as in the last news and on the database.  Winners were paid out through March statements from the Club.

As of my last visit to the Club, some of you hadn't returned your GDHL bibs.  Please do so before Christmas comes.  As an aside, the GDHL balance sheet includes more than one set of old bibs (asset or liability yet to be determined under GAAP), so if you know of a third world ski race league or another charitable use for them, please speak up.  If you didn't get your GDHL team or individual medal, follow up with Randy Dalton, and if you didn't get your GDHL commemorative mug, see Julie Hughes.

Here is a link to Lou Montana's pics of one of the last GDHL GS races.  Remember that you're entitled to one free electronic image from Lou's collection, so contact him through his website to collect yours.  Here is a link to a large collection of pics from the Club Champs GS and here is the link for the SL.

Non-Skiing News

I'm delighted to pass along news from Carrie Grinter Lenauskas that Luke Sarunas Lenauskas was born at 8:04 pm on 30 March, weighing 5 lbs 13 oz. and that Jackson Vytas Lenauskas was born two minutes later.  Jackson was somewhat smaller at the time, but the difference will be a rounding error before long.  Their short term focus is eating, sleeping and gaining weight.  Depending on your perspective, this represents measurable and achievable goal-setting or just what a male of Lithuanian heritage does naturally.  A picture taken on their arrival home from the hospital follows.

This was a few weeks ago - they're probably shaving and drinking beer by now :)

Glenn Blaylock sent the photo below from his visit to St. Moritz.  It depicts events from the celebration of the 100th Cambridge-Oxford hockey game, the first of which was played in St. Moritz over a century ago.  Glenn was captain of the Cambridge team when he studied there.  Elaine, now his wife, had a supporting role in team administration.  Glenn apparently managed to also visit the mountains during his time in St. Moritz.

A scenic spot for the great Canadian pastime.

What Do You Think?

The end of the season brings a chance to reflect on opportunities for improvement, although fortunately it seems that none is critical at this stage of GDHL's evolution.  Let the committee know what you think about the points below.  (You can just reply to this email.)

We've not had much fuss lately about bib allocations.  Several years ago, we moved away from placing all older males in a preferred spot and now allocate men's bibs based on weighting age 1/3 and performance 2/3, but switching to 50/50 at age 60.  (Women are ranked in the same way, but we group them together a bit more, as they seem to thrive in clusters.)  For reference, Jeff Sutherland will turn 60 for next season, so he will get a small bump towards the front of the line despite his continuing fine performances.  Based on the past season's list, Jeff would move from 82 to 73.  Allan LaChance has been in the 60+ adjustment regime for a while.  This past season he was bib 62 instead of bib 75 as a result.

Some have suggested that ski-cross racers got it right by not allowing alpine-style race suits.  Certainly pre-race ablutions etc. would be facilitated, although Cynthia Waite's fine pink and white suit would be missed.  Ski-cross apparently has a rule about minimum loose fabric measurements, which sounds like a sexual harassment lawsuit in waiting for GDHL inspectors, so I would be inclined to simply stipulate that the fabric content has to be less than 10% Lycra, and if you split your pants during a race you're disqualified.

The past season's scheduling led to slalom being overweighted at the outset, although we were able to restore the traditional mix of three GS, three SL and one Super G with two GS on the final day.  It's been suggested that we should perhaps switch to four GS and two SL.   Supporting arguments include straighter, simpler races being safer and GS being easier to grasp and less intimidating for newcomers.  Conversely, some prefer slightly slower races, and SL seems to give women a better chance of beating men.

Although there has been little fuss about bib allocations, there is no shortage of inquiries about scoring adjustments for those who are injured or appear in hindsight not to have been properly ranked.  I'm sure this is all in an altruistic spirit of justice for all, coupled only coincidentally with the positive effect on one's own team's ranking.  I had one such inquiry from a racer who seemed unaware of his team already being in first place despite an injured member who had missed all of the races to date.  I believe my answer has uniformly been that the Calcutta is gambling (shocking I know) and you take your chances when you pay your money.  Your committee is not keen on the prospect of weighing the merits of the excuses for non-attendance that racers would inevitably propose.  Having said that, it has occurred to me (often when adjustments leave a low ranked racer who has missed all races to date with a negative score) that the adjustment system favours higher ranked racers.  (If you don't have four races, you get your average score minus 10 points for each missing race.  If you have no races, you get points based on your ranking, assuming everyone showed up, minus 10 points per race, which would leave you with something like minus 36 if you were the lowest ranked racer and missed all races.)  We could instead make the adjustment say 10% of your average score, and if you have no races give you a score based on the score of the person who is in your ranking spot, less 10%.

So, let the committee know if you have a strong view about:

• bib allocation rules
• not allowing speed suits (except maybe in the Super G)
• having fewer SL races
• adjusting the penalties for those who don't complete four races

And of course, if you just feel strongly about keeping GDHL a great place to race, please volunteer to join the committee.  Skill testing question is "who are you" and 75% accuracy is required - we have standards!

Observations

I was surprised and delighted to be given a lifetime achievement award at the GDHL dinner.

Thank you!  I don't normally smile this much.

It behooves me to say that mine has been a very short lifetime on the GDHL committee to date and that Marlene Jackson and Mark Reidl in particular have much greater accumulated service.  But nonetheless I will take the implicit invitation to an honoree to offer a few reflections.

First, I don't want to minimize the amount of work that it takes to run GDHL, as that would diminish the efforts of many others, but I must say that it's not overwhelming, especially with the benefit of recent routines and the support of Club staff, and it's uniformly gratifying.  J-F Courville and Byron Darlison had a sound vision for building on the legacy that Mark Reidl left, and the website and related features that they contemplated have been key to making GDHL what it has become.  And they, followed now by Marlene, have succeeded in assembling a capable and congenial committee who in an informal way have managed to get everything done with a minimum of fuss and a high level of results.

Second, having generous sponsors has confirmed my suspicion that life is much easier when you don't have to worry too much about money.  Squires, Ron Warren and Locations North (Des von Teichman) were recruited by Mark and have been key supporters of GDHL and much else at the Club for many years.  Michel Pratte was recruited by Byron and J-F after several of us had a great time in Zermatt despite wind-related interruptions.  Do try to go there or to one of the other camps sometime!  And then Bob Callow (Budget Propane) and Suzanne Sutherland (Sutherland Insurance) literally or figuratively walked into the Club office with their cheque books asking to be sponsors.  We are indeed fortunate.  Their support and an underlying sentiment that most of us don't need too many more giveaways from our activities have enabled GDHL to purchase a lot of gates and other equipment that has been dedicated to adult training and racing, subsidize the North Face jackets that many of us are pleased to wear, underwrite the construction of the Landslide start hut and the Interclub website and scoring system, and much more over the years.

Third, it's been very gratifying to see what I think has been a significant increase in the number of younger racers in GDHL in recent years.  This may be an inevitable result of the number of baby boomers' children who have reached the age of GDHL eligibility and re-embraced the idea that it's possible to enjoy a limited amount of time around their parents.  I hope it has something also to do with GDHL providing a high caliber but relaxed environment in which to pursue a pastime by which we're all very excited, to be with longtime friends, to meet new friends and, for many of us, to watch a few friends who have skills we can only wish we had and to hope next year might be the year in which we finally improve enough faster than everyone else that we have a few moments of our own glory, however we define that.

Enjoy the summer, train hard, stay safe and we'll be in touch in the fall.  (Unless you have thoughts or want to join the committee, in which case we'll respond promptly.)

James Mathers

Oh the Drama!

What a glorious weekend!  Brilliant sunshine, three races on Saturday, a fabulous dinner Saturday evening and lots of fun in the dual start ramps on Sunday.  The combination of extra races, different bib numbers and non-GDHL racers starting seemed to overload our data management processes.  We got some issues sorted, but left some suspense for the post-season. 

So, what do we know now?

On Saturday evening, the team standings looked like this:

However, we discovered that one racer in each of the two GS races was inadvertently scored as DNS.  Chris Fregren in fact finished 30th in the first race, and Rob Bruce, a member of Comet, has now been properly credited with a fine 23rd in the second.  This not only increased Rob's season total by 12 points, it pushed down the scores of other racers.  So now the database looks like this:

But wait, that's not all!  These results don't take into account any adjustment arising from the first race of the season having a few instances of what sailors used to call "Yacht Materially Prejudiced."  Join us on or near the Base Lodge patio at 3:00 on Saturday afternoon for the awarding of the team medals.  Randy Dalton will have individual medals available as well, if you didn't get yours on Saturday night.

What else happened?

Kate Ryley won the Club Championships wearing animal onesies, and beat all the men in SL

Bob Callow had good results too, returning from a double knee replacement in September

Full Club Championship results are posted on the GDHL website here.  They're quite intriguing.  Kate Ryley beat all the men in SL, as did Katie Farrow, and Cheryl McConachie was 5th overall.  On the men's side, Taylor Simms-Brown was 1st (3rd overall), followed by Phil Ruffolo at a hundie back.  DNFs were the theme of the day among the men, as Libert, Charron, Farnand, both Bruce brothers, Cavers and Winstone were among the high profile abandoners.  TSB took full advantage and claimed the overall men's Club Championship, although Phil's unofficial second run time would have left them tied had it counted.  Leslie Sims won decisively in the vintage women's category, while Allan LaChance combined a smoking SL run with some DNFs and a case of "what happens in Vegas keeps hurting even when you come home" to win the men's vintage category again, in his 16th year of eligibility.

On the GDHL side, Joel Charron narrowly won both GS races to claim the season's championship by one point over Alec Libert, with Scott McLorie in third leading a group of five racers separated by only four points.  One of those was Cheryl McConachie, who handily claimed the women's title, followed by Samantha Higgins and Brianna Machej.  Jeff Sutherland and Dave Raymond tied for the men's over 50 title, with Allan LaChance just a point behind, while Leslie Sims had a wider margin over Tiana Boyman and Mary Riopelle in the women's category.  Greg Lee awards were given to Stu McFarlane, Dave Henderson, Mark Shillum, Samantha, Cheryl and Leslie.

All smiles for the women's podium

Family award winners, the Bruce Bros, sons of Rob, brothers of Rob but not related to D. Rob.

Something in the water seemed to make the crowd a bit giddy.

A gallery of dinner pictures courtesy of Lou Montana can be found here.  Many more pictures from Saturday's first race can be found here.  Remember that GDHL racers are entitled to one free digital image from Lou.  Do some clicking on his site and you'll find ways to contact him to get yours.

Other things to remember

Erin Latimer begins her Paralympic races imminently.

9:30 a.m. in Korea is 7:30 p.m. the day before in Toronto

If you haven't returned your GDHL bib, please drop it off in the race office pronto.

If you didn't get your etched glass GDHL beer mug at the dinner Saturday, contact Julie Hughes to claim it.

Extra gate and gateless training is offered this weekend and next.  Contact Laurel by noon Friday to book.

We have tried various timing systems in training several times, with limited success.  A new chip timing system is drawing some interest.  If you'd be keen to buy a timing chip so that you could get a time for your training runs, let David Henderson know.  If there are enough enthusiasts, we'll look at getting the rest of the infrastructure in place.

See you on the weekend!

James Mathers

Time Please Ladies and Gentlemen

Time for the last races, time for dinner, time to celebrate, time for anything you haven't done yet this season.  Here's what we know so far:

• Club championships are morning and afternoon Saturday - pick up special bibs in the South Lodge - for the first time, we'll use the Interclub start order, which will move women's age groups ahead a bit, rather than being in sync with their male counterparts
• Our Finish Line dinner is Saturday night - get your tickets by Friday noon at the latest - don't call me, call the Club's front desk or order through the members' section of the Club website
• Dual SL training for everyone on Sunday morning

Apparently the details aren't quite settled, so there will likely be an update in the next 24 hours.

Interclub Results

The smiles tell the story

Despite some last minute attrition in the lineup, Craigleith dominated the Interclub finals last Saturday beating Alpine and the Peaks by 36 points, the same as the spread between second and fifth.  Each woman on the team (Anne Mathers, Mary Riopelle, Patti East, Leslie Sims and Kate Veer) won her age group and Craigleith won all but two of the men's age groups in which we were entered.  Leading point scorers on the men's side included Allan LaChance, Glenn Blaylock, Chris Fregren, Trent Winstone, Craig Shibley, Rob Burnes, Jerry Patten, Greg Cavers, Chris Shipton, Richard Usher-Jones, Alec Libert and Duff Isberg, while Captain Taylor-Simms Brown and Scott McLorie won their smaller age groups.  Full results are here.  This makes an unprecedented seven in a row for Craigleith.  This is attributable to a large group of racers, who have contributed over the years.  The most recent unsung contributor is Brian Holland, who answered the call when the team was short-handed at Caledon then was a late strategic addition to the finals lineup, resulting in other team members' scores being increased by three points.  So all aboard for number 8!

Odds and Ends

• Please drop your GDHL bibs off at the race office if you didn't return it Sunday.
• Remember you're entitled to a free digital image from Lou Montana and a free 30 minute massage from Sonya Lee Reimer at Living in Balance - check past news for full details
• Your committee was gratified to see the generally very positive results for GDHL in the members' survey, but please feel free to let us know if you have suggestions for improvement, or if you want to join the committee and keep things moving forward positively - just reply to this message.

Watch for an update soon.  See you at the Club!

James Mathers

Rivalries

Rivalries, both real and imagined, are a great part of the fun of masters racing.  We're coming to the point of the season at which the rivalries get resolved temporarily and those who may perceive that they've come up short this time have months to plot their next moves.

Things to think about in the meantime:

• Adult gate training is GS on Millennium Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the usual times
• Adult Tech and Fast & Female meet Saturday and Sunday at the usual times and places
• The next installment in the great Interclub rivalry will be resolved on Big John Saturday afternoon, as Craigleith seeks a record setting seventh consecutive Finals championship
• GS continues on Big John Sunday afternoon, with the sixth GDHL race at 1:00 pm, inspection at 12:15 - please leave your bib at the bottom of the corral when you've had your run(s) or drop it in the race office
• Club championships are on Saturday 3 March, GS in the morning (which is also race 7 for GDHL), SL in the afternoon - GDHL racers are automatically entered but we will have a different start order and bibs - others look for sign up sheets outside the race office
• The GDHL "Finish Line" dinner is Saturday 3 March as well - more details below

GDHL Results

A rare Saturday start for GDHL saw firm conditions that led to five of the first seven placers in the SL having a DNF as their second result, but allowed many second run improvements for those who judged the opportunities correctly and saw those who are truly skilled at this pastime set themselves farther apart from the rest of us than usual.  

The Healey family celebrated patriarch Ron's life on the run that is named for him (Healey's Comet) by forerunning or racing.

Janeva Healey, Keira Lavery, Dave Healey and Rich Lavery

When all was said and done, Alec Libert had avenged his Super G loss to Joel Charron, recording a most impressive 33.96 on his first run, although he may have had some nervous moments after his second run DNF, as Joel improved from 34.84 to 34.08 on his second run.  Keith Farnand rebounded from his narrow loss to Cheryl McConachie in the long SL and finished third, while Cheryl bounced back from a first run DNF with a 35.92 that was almost two seconds ahead of the fifth place finisher.  Allan LaChance, Stu McFarlane, Colin Gaffney and Dave Henderson all posted second run improvements to finish in the top ten, while Brianna Machej and Samantha Higgins were second and third women behind Cheryl, finishing 12th and 13th overall.

Cheryl McConachie and Samantha Higgins in their Austrian team suits.

Other notable improvements over rankings from last year's results included Jamie Coulter with a GDHL career best 20th, Mark Shillum and Paul McCool.

As we go into the last two races, Alec Libert in first, Cheryl McConachie in fourth and Keith Farnand in fifth are all still carrying 10 point penalties for missing races, which they can eliminate with one more finish.  (Sorry Cheryl, no more slaloms though.)  Joel Charron, meanwhile, isn't far back and is carrying 20 points in penalties, so good attendance and results could see him challenge Alec by the time we're finished.  Things are tight in the team standings as well, with several of the leaders having opportunities to eliminate penalties.  Remember that, even if you have your four races, missing one may let your rivals finish one place higher, and that can mean 10 points difference for a team.

Finish Line Dinner

• Saturday 3 March in the Base Lodge
• Drinks and nibbles at 7:30 pm, awards at 8:00, very nice dinner shortly thereafter
• $25 per person for those 35 and under, $35 for those over
• BYO wine with a modest corkage fee, or buy at the bar
• Opportunities to compete at other refreshing activities, supplies graciously provided by GDHL
• Generally a fine time to be had by all
• Tickets through the front desk or online soon

Finally, we may have to offer sew-on labels for soft goods to complement last year's equipment stickers.  In the meantime, if you have the wrong pair of black Karbon slalom shorts with suspenders, please contact Roger Chiu.

See you on the weekend!

James Mathers

The Hits Keep on Coming

Another exciting weekend behind us, and more to come:

• Track 3 Ski Day is Friday.  Register here for training, racing and more in support of a great cause.
• Regular Friday training will include SL.
• There may still be room in the special Friday Night Lights dual SL - registration is limited but try here.
• Saturday gate training is SL at 0900 and 1045 on Venture.
• GDHL is SATURDAY at 1300 (inspection at 1215) - SL on Comet
• Sunday gate training is GS at 0900 on Venture
• Fast & Female and Adult Tech will meet at their regular times on Saturday and Sunday

Looking farther ahead, Interclub finals are at Craigleith on Saturday the 24th.  Club championships are the following Saturday.  GDHL racers are automatically entered and the GS will be our seventh GDHL race.  Please encourage friends who are interested in GDHL to take part in the Club champs, so we have some info for ranking.  That same evening is our "Finish Line" dinner and awards event.  More details will follow, including those for booking tickets.  Generous pricing, some great swag and lots of fun for racers and their guests.

Long SL Results

The traditional race from the Millennium start hut down Venture threatened to be a second Cheryl show, as Ms. McConachie (bib 46) laid down a 51.1, which was 8.5 seconds faster than the then-current leader.  Greg Cavers eventually got within shouting distance, and Keith Farnand was about 0.2 back, but it wasn't until bib 108 that Phil Ruffolo didn't get chick'd.  Phil's lead didn't last long, however, as Alec Libert was next down and posted a 48.75, that ultimately proved to be the winning run.  Cheryl was one of several racers who improved on their second runs, posting a 50.39 that eventually left her in second, followed by Keith and Phil.  Farther down the standings, Colin Gaffney cut 2.3 seconds off his first run time to finish 9th from his 21st ranking, Stu McFarlane continued his strong second season in 14th from 33, Dave Henderson overcame a DNF to finish 15th, Pete Dyson took advantage of the "best of two" rule that might have helped his earlier career, finishing 17th, followed by Mark Shillum in 18th from 58th rank.  Samantha Higgins (21st overall) and Leslie Sims (27th from 63rd rank and looking like a candidate to be put back in the second women's start) were the next two women. 

Lou Montana was on hand again to record the proceedings.  The full gallery is here.  Samples below:

They don't call it the Long SL for nothing

Definitely Long!

Cheryl Almost Made It Two in a Row

But Alec Prevailed in the End

Finally, a shout out to Jeff Sutherland, who missed the Long SL.  As we've seen, travelling to Caledon to race can be a challenge.  Jeff not only ventured past Stayner, he ventured past Stowe to Okemo Vermont for the US Masters Nationals, where he finished 3rd in Super G, 2nd in Combined, 1st in both GS and SL and 2nd overall in his age group.

See you on the long weekend!

James Mathers

Mid-Season Form?

This weekend marks the mid-point of the nine week training programs and the fourth of seven GDHL races.  As an aside, once the fourth race is posted, the database will automatically start making year end adjustments, awarding average points less 10 point penalty for missing races.  Don't worry though, just get your four finishes and you'll avoid the penalties.

This week's schedule is:

• SL training for Adult Gates, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the usual times.
• Fast & Female and Adult Tech meet at the usual spots Saturday and Sunday at 0930
• The GDHL long SL is Sunday at 1300, with inspection at 1215.  Start is from the Millennium hut, running down to Venture and all the way to the Millennium finish line.  Have your oxygen tanks ready!

Interclub Results

Last Saturday was the fourth and final regular season race for Interclub.  Craigleith dominated the top of the standings, finishing 1, 2, 4 and 5 overall with Taylor Simms-Brown, Alec Libert, Greg Cavers and Jeff Sutherland, respectively.  However, the charms of Caledon and the Forks of the Credit weren't sufficient to overcome the logistical challenges of getting a full team out, and the rest of the standings featured far fewer of our heroes than usual.  In the end, the team finished about one average score short of defending the overall regular season title.  The Devil's Glen / TSC / Milton Heights combine took those honours.  All is not lost however, as the Finals will be held at Craigleith on 24 February and the team will be out in full force for the occasion, seeking a seventh straight title.

Chris Fregren, Jeff Sutherland and Ian Latimer at Caledon

Murray Sarafinchin and Anne Mathers

Miscellanea

No one reported that the link to our new race management principles in last week's newsletter was password protected, so I assume no one looked and I'll provide them in full here:

1.           Safety of racers, race crew and others is the paramount consideration.

2.           Because of the difficulty of re-scheduling races to another date, races may be run in less than perfect conditions, and start times may be subject to reasonable delays.  The GDHL committee will endeavor to notify racers of changes and status during delays and the Club will endeavor to allow a reasonable time for racers to reach and inspect the course before a race is started if it is delayed, but racers are ultimately responsible for being at the start when a race is held.

3.           The decision to hold, cancel, abandon or delay a race is made by the Club.  If the problem is a general operational one, such as lift operation, extreme weather etc., the decision will be made by the Club’s General Manager or his nominee.  If the problem relates to race operation or safety, the decision will be made before a race begins by the Club’s Alpine Programs Manager or his nominee, and during a race by the course setter (Sandy Nattress in 2018), assuming the course isn’t set by a racer.  The decision maker may consult the race crew (Coyotes) and members of the GDHL committee if desired, but committee members who are racing should not normally play a significant role in a decision. 

4.           If deteriorating conditions or time constraints mean that not all racers can be given an opportunity to have a second run, it is acceptable to allow only those who did not finish their first runs to attempt a second run.

5.           The GDHL committee retains the right, on very rare occasions after notice to GDHL racers, to exclude the results of a race from the GDHL standings or to award reasonable scoring adjustments to individual racers who are differently affected than other racers by factors beyond their control.

Remember the Track 3 Race Day at Craigleith.  Get the Family Day weekend off to an early start with training, racing and much more, all for a great cause.  Register here.

Finally, Lindsey Vonn is rounding into form just in time for the Olympics.  Watch her 81st World Cup win below.

See you at the Club!

James Mathers

Mostly About Youth

The Super G was dominated by under 30's, at least among the men.  More below, after you absorb a few details about this coming weekend.

• Adult Gate training will be SL on Vortex for Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions at the usual times.  Next week, we'll be back to GS.
• Adult Tech and Fast & Female will meet in the usual places on Saturday and Sunday at 0930.
• Interclub is SL at Caledon on Saturday afternoon - there is usually less competition for places in the lineup for Caledon, so be sure you're signed up at interclubski.org and contact Taylor Simms-Brown if you're interested.  Need to be on the list for 0900 Friday.  Thanks to several of you who've heeded the call for reinforcements!
• Sorry, no GDHL race this weekend.

Super G Results

Watch Morgan Rubes's annual Super G video, shot with his goggle cam while forerunning.

Despite a few potential challenges, the Super G went off without a hitch.  A few racers were apparently uncertain about the somewhat daunting Landslide course, which seemed slick during side slipping,  But once again, looks were deceiving and everyone completed the course without incident.  Many racers were able to post faster times on their second runs.  Francis Pope was most notable among them, cutting 6.4 seconds. I was about to congratulate Steve Power on gaining 4.1 seconds to finish a career best 46th, when I received his email saying that wasn't his time.  On a quick examination, I think it was Roger Chiu's, but will leave that for tomorrow to sort out. 

At the top of the table, Joel Charron led after the first run in his GDHL debut, only to see defending overall champion Alec Libert better him by a hundie on his second run.  Joel returned the favour however, recording the only sub-47 second time of the day.  Gordie Bruce finished 3rd, while Keith Farnand was the only over 30 representative in the top seven, which was completed by Phil Ruffolo, Fraser Bruce and Trevor Jackson.  Stu McFarlane rode a quicker second run to his first GDHL top 10.  Other notable finishers were Jerry Patten (14th from 43rd rank), Anthony Ruffolo (24 from 52), Mark Shillum (27 from 58) and Brad Sproule with a career best 29th.  Leslie Sims led the women with a strong 26th place.  Thanks to those who helped with net removal afterwards.

Lou Montana was on hand again to record the event.  Remember that GDHL participants are entitled to one free digital image from one of Lou's collections.  See the latest gallery here and a few samples below.

Leslie Sims
 

Alec Libert

Joel Charron

Interclub Results

The third Interclub race of the year was GS at the Peaks.  Once again, Craigleith's women dominated, with Anne Mathers, Mary Riopelle, Patti East, Daina Dunlop and Kate Veer (fastest woman overall) all winning their groups.  For the men, Allan LaChance, Jeff Sutherland (top point getter overall), Greg Cavers (soundly beating John Mealey of the Peaks), Scott McLorie and Alec Libert (fastest overall) all won their groups, while Trent Winstone, Craig Shibley, Doug Deeks, Glenn Blaylock and Chris Shipton scored 25 points or more.  Craigleith beat the Peaks by 22 points overall to remain unbeaten on the season.

Not Results, But Still Important

• Because of the confusion following the delay of our opening race, the GDHL committee and the Club have established some basic race management principles.  They've been added to the GDHL information page on gdhl.org.  See here.
• Remember that GDHL racers are entitled to a free 30 minute massage from Sonya Lee Reimer of Living in Balance in downtown Collingwood.  Highly recommended!  Contact Sonya by email or text her at 705.606.0880 to book an appointment.
• Last but not least, remember the great Track 3 ski day at the Club on Friday, 16 February.  Training on Big John in the morning, fun racing in the afternoon, great food and refreshments all day, excellent silent auction items, guest appearance by Todd Brooker and a tax receipt to boot!  Register in advance online and you'll get a free Gogglesoc.

Caledon for me on Saturday.  See you on the Sunday! 

James Mathers

One Last Thing

Or maybe a few.

For Sunday's Super G, make sure that you've read the special instructions here.  Especially remember that we need help removing the netting after the race!

Circumstances permitting, we're going to try a little innovation for the Super G.  A couple of brushes will be set below each gate, to help show you the line to the next gate during inspection.  Once inspection is over, a dye line will be painted between the brushes and the brushes will be removed.  The line will be set so that your outside ski should run along or just above it.  Hopefully this will assist less experienced racers in finding a good line, with the result that any ruts that appear will be in a place that is less dangerous for those who follow.  If it works, we'll try again for future races.

Finally, I want to share with you another element of GDHL that is particularly relevant to the Super G.  I trust you're all aware of the generous support we receive from our sponsors, whose logos are displayed on newsletters, website pages etc.  While the GDHL committee uses some revenues to provide mementos to our participants, our sponsors' generous support has enabled us to put aside some money to support racing infrastructure at Craigleith, and specifically things that benefit the adult race programs.  In the past we've purchased gates and other equipment for those programs, but over several years accumulated a sufficient sum to allow us to underwrite the cost of the new start hut on Landslide, which is used for FIS GS races and our GDHL Super G, among other events.

I'm attaching pictures of the plaque that is now affixed to the start hut to recognize the support of GDHL and its sponsors in constructing the hut.

Landslide Start Hut

This is how good things can happen!

Have fun in the Super G!

James Matehrs

And Time for Super G Rules

As promised / threatened yesterday, there are more details surrounding the Super G than our usual races.  It's on Sunday afternoon on Landslide.  Check out the new start hut, which has been constructed with the financial support of GDHL and our generous sponsors.  Two key things right up front:

• If the weather doesn't cooperate, we may need extra slippers to help maintain the race track.  Please be prepared to help with side slipping between racers if you're not on deck yourself, and follow instructions from the Coyotes carefully when doing so.
• Whatever the weather, the nets lining the course for our safety need to be removed after the race.  Please don't leave without rolling a few.

Now for a bunch more important things to absorb:

1.    You must have a helmet with full, hard ear covering.  It may not have a camera or camera mount attached.  Your ski poles must have baskets and may not have slalom guards attached.

2.    You must inspect the course or you will not be allowed to race. Inspection is from 12:10 to 12:40, but you must start inspection by 12:30. You must check in with the appropriate race official at the start, who will check you off on the list.  Inspection ends promptly and early in order to allow sufficient time for final course preparation before the race starts.  We have at least one past would-be participant who knows this rule is for real.

3.    The ski patrol must be on site before racing starts.

4.    Only authorized people may be inside the netting that has been erected around the race course. This means racers, officials, coaches, ski patrol, Coyotes and racers who are asked to side slip. It doesn’t include friends, family and other spectators.  The Coyotes will try to identify and announce an appropriate place for spectators who want to watch from above the finish line.

5.    Movement on the course will be controlled by race officials using radios. If there is any unauthorized movement on the course, racing will be stopped.

6.    Racers will be started at regular intervals. This will likely mean every 30 to 45 seconds, but will be adjusted as appropriate.  The spacing will probably be longer at the start, shorter in the middle and then longer for the last few racers to try to avoid waiting for reruns at the end of the race.

7.    If a racer falls, the following racer(s) may be flagged down with a big yellow flag. During your inspection, watch for "yellow zones" where flagging may happen.  If you are flagged, stop racing immediately. You will get a rerun.  Even if you aren't flagged, you should stop if you come upon a crash, and you can ask for a rerun.

8.    If you fall, miss a gate, come to a stop etc., you must abandon your run and leave the course immediately.  Getting up, hiking etc. is not permitted.

9.    If you are watching the race and see a racer fall, don’t enter the course. The ski patrol and others will assist as soon as race officials have made sure that the course is clear, for the safety of those assisting. Please spread the word on this to spectators.

10.   We hope to be able to complete two runs, but time is limited and this race takes longer to run than usual. Therefore, it may have to end without two runs for everyone who wants them. The ability to offer two runs depends on avoiding delays with inspection, being lucky in avoiding delays for crashes etc. and having the course stay in good condition.  If it isn't possible to offer two races for everyone, it's possible that only those who didn't finish their first runs will be allowed to attempt a second one.

11.   The top of the course is narrow and there isn't a lot of room in the start area.  If you can avoid being there during the race, other than for your run, that's best.  Otherwise, please pay strict attention to the Coyotes concerning egress.

Understood?  Good!  See you there!

James Mathers

Super G Time

It's many people's favourite weekend of the year - the GDHL Super G is on tap.  Watch for a special edition tomorrow with full details and rules you need to read.  And don't be apprehensive about Landslide as the venue.  It's really Partridge with a longer pitch.  Or think of the race as a "modified GS," as some in the race office do.  It's a blast!

Full Weekend Schedule

• Adult Gate Training is GS on Millennium all weekend - Friday, Saturday at 0900 and 1045 and Sunday at 0900
• Fast & Female meets at the top of the National chair at 0930 Saturday and Sunday, while Adult Tech meets at the bottom of the National chair at those times
• Interclub is GS at the Peaks at 1300 Saturday - see more below
• GDHL Super G is on Landslide at 1300 Sunday - see more in tomorrow's special edition

Pics

You'll remember that Lou Montana is the official GDHL photographer this year.  Lou will be capturing our collective glory at three races this year.  All the pics from the opening GS on Big John are here.  Remember that each GDHL racer is entitled to one free digital image from Lou this season.  Contact him through the website to get yours.  I thought this week's collection was particularly exciting.  Here are some samples:

Scott McLorie on his way to the win.

Sarah Latimer was the leading woman on the day.

Is that a shadow under Phil's outside ski?

No shadow, but still an awkward moment!

Max shadow!

Interclub

While it was an off week for GDHL, last weekend saw the second Interclub race of the season, a GS at Blue Mountain, hosted by the Jozo Weider race club.  When all was said and done, especially some debate about the scoring rules, Craigleith won by 26 points, while the spread between the other five teams was 25.  On the women's side, Mary Riopelle, Patti East (our Osler import), Leslie Sims and Rya Prozes all won their age categories.  Leslie's margin was over four seconds, while the others were in the range of two seconds.  Jeff Sutherland led the way for the men, overcoming an atypical first run deficit to score 28 points, while Doug Deeks, Jerry Patten, Chris Fregren, Craig Shibley and Phil Ruffolo were the highest scorers among the other men.

Things are looking promising for our heroes, but it all comes down to the finals at Craigleith four weeks hence.  Racers must start two previous races to be eligible for selection to the team that will seek to break the record for consecutive season's championships.  Sign up at interclubski.org if you're new to this game, and also let Captain Taylor Simms-Brown know that you're interested.  There's only one regular season race after this weekend, but being away at Caledon, there's always a call for all hands to make the jaunt.

Enough for now.  Watch for more tomorrow.

James Mathers

Results, Results, Results (and Some Other Stuff)

Lots of results on which to report.  That and more below, but first:

Weekend Schedule

• Gate training is GS all weekend, i.e. Friday, Saturday at 0900 and 1045 and Sunday at 0900.  Hill space isn't available as of press time, but watch for the Club race bulletin (for which you must subscribe separately from the weekly update bulletin). 

• Adult Tech meets at the bottom of National Chair and Fast and Female meets at the top, 0930 Saturday and Sunday

• Interclub race is GS at Jozo Weider (Blue Mountain) Saturday at 1000 - sign up for the season at interclubski.org and let Captain Taylor S-B know by email that you've done so if you want to be considered.

• GDHL has an off weekend.

More Race Etiquette

As was evident with the windy conditions of the first race, GDHL doesn’t have a fancy system of on-hill officials, juries etc.  Sometimes this leads to a bit of scrambling, but mostly it lets you get on with enjoying your race and not be burdened with formalities.  Since we don’t have gate judges, we mainly rely on self-policing.  This year’s second race showcased a different aspect of our legal system.  On Sunday evening, I had a note from a racer saying he felt obligated to disqualify himself after he realized he shouldn't have skied a number of gates during inspection.  That is something one isn’t permitted to do.  (Inspection is sometimes for sideslipping and sometimes not, depending on what the Coyotes tell us.  It’s not a practice run.)  Turning oneself in like that is unusual but certainly commendable. I had notes from more than one other racer pointing out that there had been several other racers taking practice during inspection and asking that I emphasize that this is not done.  Consider yourselves admonished.

I had another note from a racer who saw the results and thought that another racer had erroneously been given a time for one run despite missing several gates.  The other racer readily acknowledged having done so, and thought that the timing hut would have seen the problem and entered a DSQ.  In fact, the timers rarely do that.  It isn’t their job.  In other races, the jury would make the ruling, but since we don’t have a jury, we ask that racers who ski out of the course stay out of the course and don’t cross the finish line at all.  If you can’t avoid crossing the finish line despite not completing the course correctly, please go immediately to the timing hut and ask them to change you to a DNF.  

In short, we rely on people to police themselves, always recognizing that there are sharp eyed interested parties in the vicinity who may raise a hue and cry if you don’t.  Changing the results after they’re posted is a nuisance for which we pay our programmer and, despite that, he gets a bit grumpy about doing so :)

Illustrated Interlude

The video above shows a practice run by Daron Rahlves on the Streif course in Kitzbuhel.  There's a little compass in the top left of the screen that allows you to rotate the view through 360 degrees.

Results

Sorry it has taken longer than usual to get results posted in the database.  FYI, we can’t set up a new season until registration is complete, which inevitably seems not to happen until after the Calcutta.  This year, a few other elements of life took precedence thereafter.  GDHL results are found on gdhl.org in the Database under the Results drop down. Before they’re posted, they can usually be found through the Live Timing site, which is also accessible under the Results drop down.  Finally, Interclub results are available on interclubski.org, for which a link also exists under the Results drop down.  As of the time of writing, the DSQ relating to missing gates hasn't been implemented yet (oh the suspense!) and the rankings recorded in the database are indeed rankings but not the ones we normally publish.  That may all be done by the time of reading, just to confuse matters.

So, what actually happened on the hill?  In the opening GS on Big John, you will recall that reaching the immaculately prepared course was delayed by high winds shutting down the chair at a critical juncture, but people sprang into action once Mother Nature co-operated.  Scott McLorie, who reminisced during the delay about racing when one inspected a course on foot from bottom to top, and professed a willingness to hike to the start, didn't need the advantage many thought that would give him.  Although the GDHL database shows only one race in which Scott has finished outside the top 10, and many in which he's been top 5, it didn't show any wins until 7 January 2018.  Scott had the fastest time in each run, ultimately winning by 0.3 over Phil Ruffolo, with Jeff Sutherland grabbing third, the Bruce brothers taking fourth and fifth and the preferred bib holders (Trent Winstone and Doug Jarvis) following them.  Richard Usher-Jones and Patrick Pedlar broke into the top ten for the first time in a while, sandwiching Duff Isberg.  Other notable placings included newcomer Aaron Maybin (a Peaks refugee) in 11th, Peter Dyson (14th) and Chris Knight (first top 30).  Defending champion Sarah Latimer led the women in 26th, followed by Leslie Morgan (first top 30, at least recently) and newcomer Brianna Machej.

Weekend 2 saw the first Interclub event of the season.  There's some question, at least in my mind, whether Craigleith is seeking a record-breaking 7th consecutive championship season or a record-breaking 8th consecutive championship season, but in any event the quest got off to a fine start at Devil's Glen.  Despite being short one woman and the database scoring being caught off guard by one of the teams changing its name since last season, Craigleith won by 13 points over the Peaks.  Leslie Sims, Al LaChance, Glenn Blaylock, Kate Veer, Jeff Sutherland (leading a 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 in the biggest category of the day), Greg Cavers, Keith Farnand and Duff Isberg all won their age groups, as Craigleith won all but one of the categories in which we started.

Weekend 2's GDHL race (SL on Comet) brought more excitement.  I'm told the course set was challenging, particularly towards the end.  In any case, Cheryl McConachie apparently found no difficulty, as she impressed the onlookers in winning by an even second over Jeff Sutherland, who's now tied for first place in the overall standings with Scott McLorie, who was fourth on the day.  Cheryl became the second woman to win a GDHL race.  You can find the results of the first female conquest here and decide for yourself which was the more dominant.  Greg Cavers was third, Trevor Jackson fifth, Samantha Higgins joined the fast and female team in eighth., and Allan LaChance was ninth.  Brianna Machej was third female in 13th.  David Henderson (17th) and Chris Knight (29th) continued their consistent improvements in their sophomore seasons, while J-F (The Schnoz) Courville struggled bravely a bit further back.

One More Thing

Last but far from least, Margaret Isberg sends us an early reminder of the Friends and Family Race Day in support of Track 3.  It's a great chance to train, race, eat, drink and have fun in many other ways, all in support of a great cause.  It's Friday, 16 February at Craigleith.  More details and tickets here.  More reminders will follow.

Cheers,

James Mathers

Robbie Burns Day Comes Early

What do I mean by that title?  Well, you'll have to read a bit, because first there are some important details for this weekend.  But no, don't hold your breath Rob Burnes (bib 79).

Weekend Schedule

• Friday gate training is SL on Birches at 0930 and 1300 - contact Laurel Armstrong to register
• Saturday gate training is SL on Comet at 0900 to 1030 and 1045 to 1215
• Sunday gate training is SL on Birches at 0900 to 1030
• Fast and Female meets at the top of the National Chair Saturday and Sunday at 0930
• Adult Tech meets at the bottom of the National Chair Saturday and Sunday at 0930
• GDHL race is SL on Comet Sunday at 1300, inspection at 1215
• Interclub is GS at Devil's Glen Saturday at 1300 - more details below

Gate Training Etiquette

As we all know, racers leave ruts racing.  So do racers training.  Other skiers like skiing in ruts even less than racers, especially when there aren't gates to warn them that there may be ruts.  The last few minutes of each gate training session will be devoted to sideslipping the course.  Click here for details on techniques.  Please don't leave (aka bugger off) without doing your part.

Interclub

Interclub is another great way to take part in ski races, in a different format from GDHL.  Click here for details.  Desirable qualifications for racers are being reasonably fast for your age, if you're male, being able to finish the race, if you're female, or being willing to race at Caledon, if you're either of the above.  Go to the interclub website and "Sign Up Now" if you're new, or log in to your account and register for 2018 if you're a vet.  Craigleith is seeking an unprecedented seventh straight championship this year, but it's not too late to jump on the winners' bandwagon.

Calcutta

A splendid time was apparently had by the assembled multitude, with enthusiastic bidding on teams being a highlight.  

Did the folks who bid $2700 on Team Cornice think Peter Dyson has been sandbagging?  Have they seen his record of DNF's at fis-ski.com?

Could they possibly be worth 2.7 times this fine group of Team Manitou members? 

Thanks to Lou Montana for his pictures.  See more here.  Remember that GDHL racers are entitled to one complimentary digital picture from Lou this year.  Contact him through his site to arrange.  Lou will take pictures at three races this year, and we'll post them through the newsletter.

Newsletter Subscription

I've added all of this year's racers to our newsletter distribution list based on the email addresses in our records.  Sometimes these are the addresses of a racer's parent or spouse.  Sometimes racers have multiple addresses.  If you're getting more copies than you need, just "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the one you don't want.  If someone you know isn't receiving a copy, subscribe at gdhl.org.

So, On to Mr. Burns

"The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy!"  Or to put it another way, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."   Despite many more than satisfactory elements to the season opening, your committee had a couple of agley club moments, notably around 1232 Sunday.  So:

• Thanks to the Club and the Coyotes for succeeding in running a great race and being prepared when Mother Nature unexpectedly cooperated.  
• Sorry for some contradictory communications from the committee as we tried to manage our end of the situation, and thanks to racers for adapting quickly.
• We're aware of a few racers who may not have started Sunday as a direct result of contradictory communications.  If you think you're one of them, please let us know by replying to this newsletter email pronto.  Those considered justifiably aggrieved may be awarded the average of their best three race scores in place of their DNS's.  This will happen at the end of the season only if it affects team or individual prizes - if it doesn't we will not disrupt the programming of the database, which affronts my son the programmer.
• We are developing a policy to deal with similar situations, which will be published in due course.

The lovingly prepared sheets on which team members indicated their interest or otherwise in buying a 5% interest in their respective teams went missing.  Through some desperate logic, this has been blamed on the Winstone family puppy, which is young enough to get off with a suspended sentence.  Most team members have already responded to a follow up email from Trent on Tuesday.  If you haven't, please do so right away if you want to buy in.

Results

To maintain the suspense a bit longer, but really because the database isn't updated quite yet, you won't yet find the results from Sunday in the usual place.  Unofficial results are available on Live Timing here.  Full commentary and illustrations will follow when the database is updated.

Enough for now.

James Mathers

Making Lists & Checking Them Twice

Not so much about naughty and nice as fast, faster and fastest - all made much easier when people register well in advance :)

For those of you keeping score at the Calcutta, here are the following lists:

• racers by ranking, with bib number and team, if any
• bibs by name 
• bibs by number, with team, if any
• teams with rankings and bib numbers

If you missed the Calcutta you can collect your bib at the Race Office, chez Kylie and Steve.  You can also collect your Squires gift card from them.

Training continues Sunday.  Gate training for those registered for Sunday morning is 0900 to 1030 - GS on Big John.  Try to warm up before 0900 so you are ready to do a quick slip and inspection at 0900 and then run gates.  Please don't run away before helping to tear down and slip the course (fill the snow back into the ruts at the end), all of which will start about 1015.

And of course the first race is GS on Big John - inspection at 1215 and start at 1300.

There are two (very) late additions to our GDHL family.  Bib 121 will be starting between bibs 42 and 43 and bib 122 will be starting between bibs 90 and 91.

PREFERRED BIBS

In all of the excitement of the Calcutta (thanks to all of the enthusiastic bidders), we didn't have a chance to draw for bibs 10 and 20 during the event.  This was completed immediately afterwards with the following results:

• First race - Bib 10 Warren Finlay, bib 20 Trent Winstone
• Second race - Bib 10 Mike Suska, bib 20 Trevor Jackson
• Third race - Bib 10 Colin Gaffney, bib 20 Al LaChance
• Fourth race - Bib 10 James Mathers, bib 20 Rob Bruce
• Fifth race - Bib 10 Patrick Pedlar, bib 20 David Henderson
• Sixth race - Bib 10 David Arthur, bib 20 Mark Arthur

There's no actual bib change.  Just show up with your regular bib at the premium spot in the starting order.  These bib rights may be transferred, but no racer may use more than one premium spot during the season.

Cheers,

James Mathers

Last Call & Calcutta Details

UPDATE AS OF 3:30 PM FRIDAY

(This part wasn't on the site when I circulated the special message Friday morning.)

• Adult Tech will meet the bottom of National chair Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 am.
• Fast and Female will meet at the top of National chair Saturday and Sunday at 9:30
• Adult Gate training early will be Big John GS 9:00 am Saturday and Sunday and 10:45 Saturday only.
• For the Adult Gates, you're expected to be in the session for which you're enrolled.  There's still room for Sunday.  If the early Sunday session fills up, a 10:45 Sunday session will be offered if there's a minimum of six participants.
• We have had a late surge in registrations, especially among the younger and faster - even some yet to be confirmed Ryley sightings!

THINGS YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE READ

Condolences to those of you who haven't been at the Club recently.  Conditions continue to be stellar.  A few days of corduroy, but mostly just more and more fresh snow!  The next couple of days will be on the chilly side, though "mainly sunny," but Sunday will be comparatively balmy as we break out race suits for our inaugural competition of the season.  (I've never had so much interest in my Boot Gloves as in the last few days - indeed they're very effective.)

In the meantime, there's lots to think about:

• While many of us believe competing in GDHL is an effective part of an anti-aging regimen, the Club's computer seems to have felt the need to contribute to the feeling by lowering almost everyone's age by one year.  This has been corrected as best we can.  The usual round of changes from team to individual and vice versa has also been processed.
• ONLINE REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE AT NOON FRIDAY.  We've had a dozen or more people sign up in the last day or so.  Delighted to have you, of course.  Please make sure that others experiencing similar uncertainty do it now.  On Friday afternoon, you may be able to register by contacting Kylie Deacon directly.  I could make it easy for you by putting in a link to her email but I'm going to make it easy for me by suggesting you find it or her phone number on the Club website.  Anyone managing to enroll after that will be wearing a bib in the 120's, which will identify him or her as egregiously tardy, albeit charming and persuasive.

Calcutta 

It's at 6:00 pm on Saturday in the South Lodge.  This will give you time to enjoy the 60th anniversary apres, and Marlene and Julie have considerately arranged a nice storage area (my words, I'm sure it will be comfortable, entertaining and safe) for your children during the event, so bring them along if you wish.  You're welcome to bring other family and friends who aren't GDHL racers, especially new members.

As soon as you arrive:

• Pick up your bib
• Buy a ticket for the raffle - $20 gets you chances to win one of half a dozen or so great ski racing prizes from Squires and Ron Warren Sports or bib 10 or 20 in one of our GDHL races (bibs are transferable but no racer may use more than one each season) - I haven't picked out the prizes yet - if there's something you really want to win, send me an email suggestion :)
• Claim your $25 Squires gift card
• Claim your personalized ski equipment stickers from last season if you haven't picked them up yet

After that:

• Enjoy complimentary tastings of the wares of the Thornbury Village Cider House and Brewery
• Buy drinks at the bar if you want bigger servings
• Chat with Sonya Lee Reimer of Living in Balance and get a card for a free 30 minute massage - more details below
• Watch the slide show provided by Lou Montana, featuring all of his great shots from last year's races - again, more details below
• Listen attentively to welcoming remarks from our Chair, Marlene Jackson

And then, when you thought you couldn't possibly have more fun, Rip and Mary Riopelle will officiate at our famous live auctions, featuring:

• the GDHL teams - remember that team members are entitled to buy an interest (likely either 1/16 or 1/20, depending on team sizes) in their team for that fraction of the selling price - please indicate whether you're in or out on the handy sheet as you leave the stage
• one pair of Dynastar GS Masters skis and one pair of Dynastar FIS SL skis in each case with Look bindings
• a Sweet Protection - "top-of-the-line and no-compromise alpine ski race helmet ... the most advanced race helmet on the market"
• the signature Zermatt camp in September 2018 from our sponsor Pratte International - includes 10 nights double occupancy accommodation (you can upgrade to single if you don't take your sweetie), nine days lifts and training, plus breakfast and excellent dinners - I've heard you may have to outbid Jeff Sutherland because he had such an awesome time this year
• two more Pratte camps, which allow you the choice of either the Sun Peaks camp in November 2018 (six days lifts and training only) or the Tremblant camp in December 2018 (five nights double occupancy accommodation and five days lifts and training)

Details, Details, Details

• Sonya Lee Reimer is a Registered Massage Therapist who has very generously offered to provide a free 30 minute massage to every GDHL racer at her home clinic, Living in Balance, located at 29A Fourth Street West in Collingwood.  This offer is valid until 31 March 2018.  You will probably want to go right away, and keep returning like our esteemed immediate past Chair, but the offer will still be valid after Club Championships if you can wait that long!  Read more about Sonya's services on her website or talk with her at the Calcutta, where she will be distributing cards for the massages.  You can reach her via sonya@livinginbalance.ca to book an appointment.
• Lou Montana has been engaged as our official photographer this year.  He will be taking pictures of three races during the season.  Images will be posted online, with details to come in the newsletter.  Every GDHL racer will be entitled to one free digital copy of a picture from Lou this year - if you see one you like at the Calcutta then go for it, but Lou will bring a slide show of this season's pictures to the final dinner and you can pick one then, or order online during the season.

And Ski This Weekend Too!

• Nine week programs begin on Saturday and continue on Sunday
• First GDHL race is GS on Big John, Sunday, with inspection at 1215 and start at 1300

See you there and everywhere there's snow!

James Mathers

Important - Review Registration Details

All,

Please review the list here.  It contains details of GDHL registrations in our records as of noon on 2 January.  Please do the following:

• Reply to this email if your name is on the list but details aren't correct, and provide the correct details.
• Contact Kylie Deacon in the race office if you think you registered but can't find your name on the list.
• Register in the members' section of the Club website if you still haven't done so.
• Get your friends and rivals to register if they haven't done so.

The Calcutta is on Saturday at 6 pm in the South Lodge.  Experience tells me that there's no point in trying to finalize things before Friday, but it's no fun doing it on Saturday.  Please don't wait until the last minute, but if you've changed your mind about being on a team, reply to this email and we'll try to make adjustments.  Teams will be filled based on first come, first served, and of course we need to have a nice round number for teams.

Skiing is awesome.  Come out and make some turns!

See you on the hill.  Watch for an email in a couple of days with full Calcutta details.

Cheers,

James Mathers