GDHL News

For the latest Race Results, Tech Tips, Events and GDHL what's what, be sure to sign up for the News (black button to the right). See you on the hill.

Quick Update for Today’s Races

In an apropos change of scheduling, the Olympic team event, which is dual slalom racing, took place last night. Clearly, our racing today will be far more competitive, and have far bigger viewership!

In regards to our races today, we have three important items to share.

  1. This is a paneled slalom course, dress accordingly. If you choose to wear guards of any sort, realize there is danger of getting them caught in the gates. If you choose not to wear guards, realize there is danger of the gates leaving lovely welts.

  2. Inspection begins at 9 10 am and closes at 9 50 in the morning.

  3. Bib hand-in will be at the bottom of the afternoon race. All those who hand in their bib AND arm band (where applicable) will receive one (1) drink ticket exchangeable at the bar during après ski.

That is all. See you at the top and good luck!

-Doug

For the past few years, the GDHL has been attempting to introduce an inclusive and fun dual slalom race each season. We have had some major success and a few challenges with these events, so we have continued to tweak the event to bring you something better! This weekend we have our last race of the season, cue the drama and to conclude the year we will be hosting a dual slalom!

Those with questions about the dual slalom, please keep reading. Most important, everyone gets to race and this counts for points. It starts at 10 am on Sunday, and runs into the afternoon, all on Little John. It will be a big day!

There is an extensive bit below about looking ahead, and there is also a shallow dive looking back at the top performers this season, as well as a recap of our exciting and quick race last Saturday. The entirety of this newsletter centred around the excitement that we are getting to see firsthand this season.

Last Week

Last weekend we raced Slalom down Comet on Saturday afternoon. Two weeks ago, the theme for the races was runs finishing under 30 seconds. Last week the theme was finishing the entire race in under 30 minutes… or at least it felt that way! With a number of athletes declining a second run, many because they had skied their first run then went and competed in the Interclub race at Alpine, it made for an expeditious day. The conditions were expeditious too… or not. They were slick for sure! A short melt on Friday, then freeze up Saturday morning turned the course into cast iron. Some with well tuned skis had no problem navigating the hardened surface, others had some issues.

One person who had no issues was Katie Farrow, as she won the race in 35.21 seconds. This is Katie’s first win of the year, and her second in her GDHL career – in 2020, Katie won a similar slalom on Comet. Following Katie to the podium was Cheryl McConachie (37.04) and Mackenzie Irwin (37.09). This makes the women’s overall standings very exciting. Megan Peterson has 379 points and Katie Farrow has 378. Do not count out either Cheryl McConachie (352 points) or Mackenzie Irwin (350 Points) as both have opportunities this weekend to make big leaps!

The men’s side was led by Taylor Simms Brown (35.31) who is solidly in second place for the season, behind of course Ben Williams who has already locked up top spot. Spencer McCool had a blistering second run (36.83), securing second place on the day after a DNF in first run. In third, Andrew Athey made his first appearance on the podium in his GDHL career (37.04). Both first and second place in the overall standings are no longer up for grabs, but third place on the season is within reach for a few athletes. Duff Isberg is currently in third with 375 points, and close behind him are Gordie Bruce (371 points), Cam Bellamy (370 points), Spencer McCool (367 points), Greg Cavers (366 points), Andrew Athey (362 points), and a few more stragglers who could easily make the jump with a solid performance this weekend in the final race.

All of this means that there is a lot on the line for this weekend and that is the best kind of race!

DUAL SLALOM This weekend:

On Sunday morning at 10 am, we will start a dual slalom race, like none you have participated in before! The race will be scored, and the results will count towards the GDHL teams, individuals and fantasy teams. Everyone is included and encouraged to participate.

*At the end of the race, we will be collecting bibs and armbands. All of those who submit both their armband and bib at the end of the race, will be provided a small reward!*

The format for the race is two distinct races, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. The race in the morning is a seeding race, for the afternoon’s race. Only those who race in the morning, will be able to race in the afternoon.

In the morning race, each racer will face off in the dual slalom against a racer who is next to them in the start list. This race will be run in GDHL Start list order. Obviously, attendance will determine exactly who you will face, but expect it to be a racer comparable to your level. The two racers will face each other in two runs, one in the blue course one in the red course. Once all skiers have completed their two runs, the finish times will be calculated by summing up each racer’s two runs. This will result in our start list for the afternoon.

The afternoon’s race swill start at 1pm, and the start list will be based on the seeding results from the morning’s race. This race will begin with the slowest racers from the morning. Racers will face one other racer for two runs, one in the blue, one in the red course. The racer you face will be either one finish rank above or below you, based on the mornings results.

If you find this complicated that is ok. The benefit to the complex competition is that everyone gets to participate.

Following the afternoon race, where every skier has two runs (one blue, one red), the finish times are summed up for each racer. Your result will be the sum of the two times you raced, and then be ranked accordingly.

  • Now come the big questions like… what happens when/if I DNF?

    • DNFs are scored with their opponent’s time + penalty of 2 seconds

    • If neither racer finishes (double DNF), then the fastest time of the previous two racers, plus penalty of 2 seconds for each racer

  • Next questions. How do we start the race?

    • The race will be run on Little John, with the race gates and the Christmas tree that looks like that picture above ^

      • Start will go like this:

        • Starter will say

          • Red course ready

          • Blue course ready

          • Go

    • The Christmas tree light will be set up

    • The barge gates (start gates) will open simultaneously on each course.

    • Time will start when gates drop

  • Another question; when will this all end????

    • This newsletter will end shortly…

    • The race should finish between 2 and 3 pm on Sunday afternoon

    • This is a perfect occasion to get a refreshment from the après and walk up the hill to cheer on from the finish corral

  • Last question: will we get to see the best racers face off?

    • Heck yes!

    • Following the afternoon race, we will pit the two top skiers from the day mono a mono

  • This should be electric!

For those of you who have now read all of this and realized that you retained none of it, do not worry. Just come show up Sunday morning at 10 am on Little John for a full day’s fun and entertainment. Bring your family, your dog, children, grandparents. Everyone is invited!

Friday training from our visionary and coach, Glenn Blaylock:

We will be training GIANT SLALOM on Friday, February 18, both morning and afternoon.

Be sure to sign up by noon Thursday so we can organize coaches.

Also, please remember to slip the hill after your last run through the course.

 

That is all for now. Sorry if these race instructions are more complex than IKEA instructions, it is all for the betterment of your racing experience. No doubt, you will love it!

Tune in next week for a season recap, a Fantasy GDHL update, and more details on our end of season banquet!

See you on the hill Sunday,

-Doug

SCHEDULE ALERT - RACE SATURDAY NOW @ 12 30

SATUDAY’S SLALOM ON COMET NOW AT 12 30

There is an air of excitement around Craigleith’s interclub team, as it sits only three points out of the top spot this season. With their second to last race this Saturday at Alpine, we will be moving our GDHL race start up to 12 30 to accommodate those racing in both.

To get you excited for the race, go ahead and watch Jack Crawford’s Bronze Medal Performance (LINK)

We are Back in the Start Gate!

After two weekends of free skiing and training, we have a busy weekend ahead. For the first time ever, the GDHL is hosting a night race on Saturday, that will have lots to offer you and your family. On Sunday we will have a GS on Big John, in the afternoon to give your legs some time to rest up. The final two races of the of season, are February 12 and 20th.  Full details are on the schedule page of GDHL.org.

It is going to be a fun and busy weekend, and there are a lot of details to cover about the Night Race, so keep reading below. Additionally covered below is:

  • Night Race Details

  • Call for Volunteers

  • End of Year Banquet

  • Some GDHL Race Etiquette

  • Training sessions for this weekend, including how you can take advantage of them!

  • Wrap up of the Interclub races to date, contributed by James Mathers

Night Race - This Saturday 6 PM to 8 PM

This Saturday, February 5th, we will be hosting our first night race. It is a traditional slalom down Little John, under the lights. The race will run from 6 pm to 8 pm, with appetizers on the patio and inside. Beyond the excitement of this being a night race, please note the following;

  1. The race event is open to all Club members! If you are 18+ years of age and would like to try a run through the gates on race evening, you are welcome to join us. Please email Peter Dyson dysonp@gmail.com no later than Friday at 5 pm so that we can get you on our list of participants.  Bib pick up for non GDHL racers will be coordinated by Peter Dyson.

  2. This race is being put on by the GDHL with skeleton race crew staff, and we would love some volunteers. Any old racers, or old race crew, that are free Saturday evening and would like to join in on our fun, please email GDHL@GDHL.org and we will get you into a volunteer role for the evening. The most needed people will be slippers, and course repairers.

The goal of our Saturday race is to turn the GDHL racing into a full family affair, please bring your little ones, along to watch you ski to glory.

End of Year Banquet

The GDHL committee received some great news this week, that we have been given the go-ahead for our annual end-of-year banquet on Saturday March 5th. Obviously, this is within the current provincial health guidelines and there is always potential for change. More details on the banquet will be communicated as we approach March 5th, just make sure you have marked it in your calendar.

Race Etiquette for the GDHL

Yes, we all know that the GDHL is a storied institution with roots to some of the most impressive masters racers on the Niagara Escarpment. And we know that our racing prestige is head and shoulder above adult race programs at other private ski clubs. But our race crew, timing team, and GDHL committee are not all omnipotent. Which means, if you ski out of a racecourse, or straddle a gate, or commit any foul that should rule out, YOU need to report yourself. Please, people, please report your DSQs and DNFs to the GDHL@GDHL.com email, after your race, so that we can keep our finish data clean.

We appreciate the honour you show by reporting these mishaps after the results are posted, but it is a far more efficient process for all, if you self-report immediately following the race. Thank you in advance!

Training Sessions – From Glenn Blaylock

Are you interested in training with Glenn? Great! Saturday training sessions are all booked up, but you can join ad hoc on Friday training. The only requirement is to call to the race office before Thursdays at noon, with your intention to train on that Friday. The race office is very good at making sure the right resources are in the right places. You may be required to fit into the schedule of the coach, by either training in the AM or the PM, all of those details will be provided to you when you call the race office.

Now what will we be training this weekend?

  • Date: Saturday, February 5th

  • Time: 9:00 to 11:30 am

  • Hill: Birches

  • Discipline: Slalom

  • Equipment: Slalom skis and protective equipment: guards for hands, shins and face

  • Coaches: Glenn Blaylock, Greg Roe and Cheryl McConachie

  • Hill and Course Maintenance

  • Before your first run through the gates be sure to inspect and slip the course.

  • During the training session the course will need to be slipped or reset from time to time depending on the conditions.

  • After training it is important we remove the gates and slip the hill by 11:30 am. Please slip the hill wide and the ski tracks as young racers will be training after us.

Weekly Coaching Tip

The Start (Important video below and linked here)

Alpine races are often won or lost at the start.  An effective method of starting is outlined below: 

  1. Place your boots just behind, but not touching, the start wand.

  2. Place your ski pole tips on the hill side of the start wand, about a hand width away from the posts.

  3. Stand up tilting the upper body forward at the waist. Allow your whole body to fall forward when the 5 second countdown starts.

  4. When your upper body is forward of the start wand push back on your poles. Advanced racers will push back with their legs as well, moving the upper body forward even more, before the boots open the start wand. (It is important to note there is no upward movement of the body).

  5. Push your hands forward, raise your chin and skate. Watch for soft snow on the side of the starting area to avoid catching your edges when skating.

For an excellent analysis and demonstration of start technique watch at least the first 5 minutes of this video.

We’re looking forward to another awesome training session. The session is 2.5 hours long providing you lots of time to ski runs out of the course working on technique.

Interclub Update

The latest interclub race involved both triumph and missed opportunity for our intrepid Craigleith representatives. COVID exigencies led to a Friday afternoon start at Devil's Glen. With calm and sunny conditions, it was as nice a minus 18 degree day as one can imagine.

Triumph was evident at the top of the overall leaderboard as Duff Isberg (31.84 seconds), Greg Cavers, Tom Murdison, Scott McLorie, Joey Hill and Chris Shipton swept the top six places, with Jeff Sutherland, Richard Usher-Jones and Allan LaChance joining in to give Craigleith 9 of the top 14 places. Allan, Jeff, Greg and Chris were the highest point scorers on the team, as their results came in the heavily populated baby boomer and just below men's age groups. (We note that Jeff has apparently not fully recovered from his dog walking injury and, for the first time in memory, didn't win his age group. We feel certain this will be rectified soon!)

BUT, interclub is a team sport and a full score sheet requires four women. Kate Veer and Daina Dunlop admirably filled two of those spots, but the Peaks fielded four women and their 17 point margin of victory was supplied by interclub's patriarch, John Hethrington, who scored 21 points as the lone finisher in the men's 85 to 89 age group in a time of 73.23 seconds. The Peaks also swept the men's 80 to 84 age group, scoring a total of 43 points there.

SO, here's an exciting offer for an aspiring female ski racer. Forget all those valuable but time consuming and expensive lessons from Glenn Blaylock and his staff. Just show up to an interclub race and there's a good chance you will at least tie Meg Ryley! Here's how it works. At the previous interclub race, Meg finished 6th overall, beating Scott McLorie and Greg Cavers, among others. But because she was unopposed in her age group, she scored only 21 points. Same as John Hethrington on Friday. We understand that Meg Ryley can't ski interclub on Fridays and leave Megan Peterson to look after MCR Interiors and ski GDHL on weekends, but if you're there the next time this happens, you will very likely get 21 points and make the difference! (We like John Hethrington, but he's been used to losing to Craigleith for the last 10 years, so he'll get over it.)

AND, just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the same offer applies to men if the race is at Caledon! ('Cause we can never get enough guys to go to Caledon.) So, @paultheskiracer, watch for your big chance!!

Next interclub race is Sunday morning at Jozo Weider. Register at https://interclubski.org/signup/ and send an email to captain Taylor Simms-Brown at tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com.


A lot to look forward to this weekend. Stay safe as you commute north, and see you Saturday night!

-Doug

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

There is optimism on the horizon! We will soon be able to enjoy our hot chocolates and coffee inside while taking a break from the slopes! Heck, if you are feeling a bit peckish, you can even have your lunch in the Base Lodge. Yes, we have some great weekends of skiing ahead. Even after fitting in three races and getting through nearly half the season, there is a lot to look forward to. This weekend is pretty quiet on the GDHL front, as it is another bye weekend, letting you catch up on your training regimen. For those of you interested in keeping your racing momentum you can always check out Interclub, who race at Devil’s Glen on Saturday.

No races last weekend or this one coming up, gave your GDHL committee time to update some outstanding items Keep reading on for details on:

  • The Updated Schedule

  • Fantasy GDHL

  • This weekend’s Training Update

Schedule Changes

The Updated Schedule, as of today, looks like this:

  • Saturday, February 5th - Slalom Little John Evening

  • Sunday, February 6th - GS Big John 1 PM

  • Saturday, February 12th - Slalom Comet 1 PM

  • Sunday, February 20th - Dual Slalom Little John 10 AM

The changes that have been made are significant. Most importantly, you are urged to cancel any vacations you have booked to span next weekend, February 5th and 6th! We have our first ever, GDHL Night race on the Saturday, which will no doubt be followed by some social gathering. Sunday, February 6th we will have a GS down Big John, to cap off our second double-header weekend of the season.

We will also have one more traditional Slalom on Saturday, February 12th, before our season Finale race, on Family Day weekend, a Dual Slalom on Little John, on Saturday February 20th. February will be packed with excitement.

We expects crowds like this for our Night Slalom on Feb 5th!

Fantasy GDHL

It took a bit of time to boot up the Fantasy GDHL machine, but it is humming now and pumping out all of our results! The fun thing about this aspect of our race league, is that there are two ways to stay competitive. The first is to enter a team and try to win the overall contest. The second is to try to score as many fantasy points yourself, as possible.

In the former category, the current leaders in standings are:

  1. The Slippery Petes – 494 points

  2. Lashworth2 – 483 Points

  3. Slippery Petes 3 – 470 Points

For those on the outside looking in, do not be dismayed, there is a lot of racing left in the season and climbing into the top three is within reach of all the 45 entrants.

The latter category is even more fun. Remember there are a number of ways to achieve points as a GDHL athlete.

  • 1 point for each race run started, 2 points for each run finished

  • Podiums are 20 points for 1st, 10 points for 2nd, and 5 points for 3rd. There are four podiums: Men’s Overall, Women’s Overall, Men’s Masters (55+), and Women’s Masters

  • Lastly, differential between finish position in any race and that racers rank, with the minimum score being 0.

So, in the first race, Steve Kurtz finished in 23rd. His rank is 47th, so he automatically scored 24 fantasy points, along with one race run started and one race run finished, totalling 27 points. As the season progresses these races starts and finishes accumulate, and the rank differential can be the most important stat. the top three fantasy athletes so far this season are:

  1. David Staples – 137 Points

  2. Craig Shibley – 126 Points

  3. Leslie Sims – 125 Points

If you have any of those three on your fantasy team, you are in great shape. This will pick up significantly as the season rolls on and the data compounds. For the entire listings of teams and athletes, click through here.

Training update - Glenn Blaylock ,Head Coach of Adult Racing

  • Date: Saturday, January 29

  • Time: 9 to 11:30 am

  • Hill: Millennium

  • Discipline: Giant Slalom

  • Equipment: GS skis, forearm guards

  • Coaches: Glenn Blaylock, Greg Roe and Jon-Paul Booth

Weekly Coaching Tip (Important videos below)

Review of Previous Coaching Tips:

We reviewed the importance of shin pressure against both boots all the time.  To start the turn, flex the outside ankle forward onto the big toe. At the same time (or even before) roll the inside ankle towards the fall line keeping the ski tips level. Ensure the bones of the outside leg are aligned or stacked with no inward tipping of the knee. These actions will apply 100% foot pressure against the outside ski causing the ski to bend and carve.

The Transition Between Turns:

When building speed, as you flex the ankle forward on the new outside ski actively lift your chin and start pressing the new outside arm down the fall line. Lifting the chin brings the body forward and pressing the outside arm down the fall line will apply more foot pressure against the new outside ski. Focus using your back core muscles to press the outside arm down the fall line.

Our objective is to keep our shoulders level so we can efficiently start the new turn. Once you gain speed and the outside ski is carving, gravitational forces will push you up and backwards. Instead, allow the feet and knees to move upward. This is not a pulling up action, just let the gravitational forces move your feet and knees upwards under your body. This is the optimum time to roll the inside ankle towards the fall line causing a like edge angle on the new outside ski. Then apply pressure on the new outside ski, lift your chin and press the new outside arm down the fall line.

Excellent analysis of these actions is demonstrated in the following two videos:

LINK

I’m looking forward to another great weekend on the snow.

See you on the slopes,

-Doug

GOOGLE SEARCH: Can I get a Skiing Hangover?

This past weekend GDHL racers braved some of the coldest race-day conditions ever, on Saturday, and then went on to race a full slalom down Comet on Sunday. Usually, we have the super combined weekend about halfway through the season, giving everyone some time to get their race legs and slalom lungs back. It was not the case this year!

We are now three races into our GDHL season, and you deserve a break. There have been some schedule changes – which you can check out here – that now enables you to get some training in over the next few weekends. Our head coach of Adult Racing has more details on training this weekend below.

To help you get your GDHL fix, here is a long newsletter full of everything you want to read about. Covered below you will find:

  • Weekend Race Recaps

  • Schedule updates

  • Silent Auction news

  • Interclub Information

  • Training Schedule

We are fortunate to have a great racing community around Craigleith, which contributes to making our GDHL league the best. Financially, we have exceptional support from our sponsors. All of which are listed on the banner on the right, and now on our banners in the race corral. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting our race league!

Race Recap

Saturday morning the mercury read somewhere in the negatives 20s, however with the sun rising, and the wind dying there was an air of optimism in the GDHL committee. The decision to have only one run for the Modified GS race was made, out of an abundance of caution and was the right call. But it still meant that the GDHL racers needed to be prepared to race down Landslide at speeds around 90 km/h while the rest of Ontario hunkered down beside their fireplaces.

Weather be damned, the GDHLers came out in full force, and in full downhill suits. Sure, some zippers were stretched, and a couple gents had some trouble fitting 4 layers underneath their skin-tight suits, yet everyone enjoyed themselves. Overall, 64 racers competed on Saturday, for a pretty good turnout considering the conditions. The snow was cold and slow, which resulted in a and fun course including a blue gate on the pitch of Landslide that looked like it belonged on the Hahnenkamm. Following the race, the GDHLers and friends, did a great job rolling the auxiliary B Netting that had been set to keep us safe, making the Coyotes, and your GDHL committee very happy!

Racers on Sunday enjoyed warmer temps in the sunshine

On Sunday morning the weather broke a bit, with temperatures in the mild zone of just -10 Celsius and the sun back out, we had a beautiful race day. The slalom course down Comet was set around some ominous rollers, that in the end made no difference. With the temperatures slowly warming to negative single digits, the moods in the start and finish areas were all smiles. With 65 racers competing it was another decent turnout, including a lot of racers who had skied the previous day and were enjoying the balmy weather, and the added layers of a jacket.

In an interesting twist, some of the top skiers did not ski both races. Neither Megan Peterson nor Katie Farrow skied the Super G, and both skied exceptionally well in the Slalom on Sunday. Might this be a new approach to load management? Who knows, but it was a bold strategy, that certainly paid off.

Along with Megan and Katie, there were some great performances this weekend! On Saturday Madison Staples took home her first race win of the season (1st/ 49.58) in just her second GDHL race, she was followed closely by Brianna Machej (2nd, 50.80) who is making a good habit of standing on the podium, and in third Leslie Sims (3rd/54.35) got her first podium of the season.

On the Men’s side Ben Williams (1st/45.61) came down with a small advantage over Taylor Simms Brown (2nd/45.70), and Duff Isberg (3rd/45.96) rounded out the podium. With his second win of the Season already, Ben is edging close to claiming the overall title.

On Sunday, the Women’s side was full of outstanding performances. Megan Peterson (1st/32.95) took home her second win of the season, while Katie Farrow was in hot pursuit with (2nd/33.73), and Brianna Machej stepped on the podium again (3rd/38.02) for the third time in three races. As mentioned before, the Women’s overall title race will be fun to watch!

For the men, Ben Williams won his third race (1st/Place) of the year and all but claiming the title for the year. Taylor Simms Brown (2nd/ 32.75) was on his tips, and ahead of Greg Cavers (3rd/34.35) who got himself on the podium for the first time this year.

Of course, in a super combined the individual races are awarded like above, but so two is the combined aspect. The Combined Winners were Ben Williams (I guess this is not surprising since he won both races), and Brianna Machej! There are no extra points in the data base awarded for this accolade, but there are certainly bragging rights!

There were some great results all around, but one finish of specific note is that both Brook and Peter Dyson skied their best slalom run on Sunday within a time of 39.10. Two racers tying to the hundredth is not that uncommon, but for those two skiers to share a last name is pretty remarkable! Congratulations to both on a great race!

Schedule Update:

We knew it was coming, there was going to be a schedule change one way or another, however this change is to benefit all of us. We will not be hosting our night race on January 22nd, we will instead have two bye weekends in a row. This means you can spend some time training, and skiing with your loved ones, hopefully that is a good thing for you!

Also, this postponement of the night race means we can host it when there are hopefully fewer restrictions, and we can host an actual EVENT. The GDHL committee is working hard to bring you a night race to remember, that you can bring your family to, with food, drink, and lots of entertainment (GDHL racers).

The full schedule is here: https://gdhl.org/schedule

It is subject to change, but any change will come with some correspondence from this newsletter, so just stay tuned.

Silent Auction Update

The silent auction was fun. Thank you for your support! We are still collecting the items from the contributors and should have things ready for distribution soon. If you won an item, you will be contacted to schedule time for pick up. If you have any questions about the silent auction, please just respond to this email or email gdhl@gdhl.org

Inter Club:

A message from Taylor Simms-Brown, our Interclub Leader:

Are you interested in taking this show on the road? Interclub racing is ON and our first event is at Georgian Peaks this Saturday.

If you haven't received an interclub update this season, contact Taylor Simms-Brown tsimmsbrown@jascor-intl.com directly to be added to the team contact list, OR register at www.interclubskiorg.com. If you can race GDHL...you can race interclub. Don't miss out!

 Training

Lastly, and most importantly, a message from our Head Coach of Adult Racing, Glenn Blaylock

We will be training slalom this Friday and the weekend. (Important coaching tips and videos below).

Date: Friday, January 21

Location: TBD

Time: 9:30 to 11:30 am

Event: Slalom

Equipment: slalom skis, protective equipment for face, shins and hands

Coaching Tip and Video of the Week:

To carve a turn we put 100 % pressure on the outside ski. We achieve this by flexing the outside ankle forward onto the big toe. This action will tip the ski on edge enough for the front of the ski to start carving. It will also ensure the outside leg is in a powerful position by keeping the bones aligned or stacked as demonstrated by the following video.

LINK

The angle of the inside ski determines the angle of the outside ski. The more the inside edge is rolled over the more the outside ski will be on edge. We achieve this by rolling the inside ankle towards the fall line during the transition between turns. It’s important to have no pressure on the inside ankle when it starts this rolling action.  Please watch this video for a demonstration.

LINK

I look forward to another amazing weekend on the snow.

Wow, what a fun weekend, that is all from GDHL HQ…. Now time to ski on all that great snow we got on Monday!

-Doug

Week One is Done!

Good morning GDHL’ers! On Sunday we completed our first GDHL sanctioned race since the end of our 2020 season and boy did it feel great! Big John has become the traditional place for our inaugural race of the season, so it was right that we started this season the same way. With that being said, a big welcome back to all racers and spectators! We have missed you.

Also, thank you for sifting through the quantity of emails being sent out by the GDHL committee over the past few weeks. Just like racers are shaking off the rust, getting back into the courses, so too is the GDHL communications lead in getting information across to everyone in timely, efficient manner.

Onto a very dense newsletter, with a lot to cover! Here are some things that detailed below. The mandatory sub-heading to read is the race rules for Saturday’s Modified GS race down Landslide.

  • Saturday’s Modified GS – Including Mandatory & Unique Rules

  • Sunday’s Slalom Race

  • Message from our Head Coach of Adult Race Programming, Glenn Blaylock

  • Wrap up of Sunday’s GS Race on Big John

  • Race Schedule

  • Fantasy GDHL Update

Modified GS Down Landslide - Saturday, January 15th @ 1PM

This Saturday is our super-fast, super-fun, “Modified GS” race down Landslide. We start at the very top, where often only snowshoers appear, and race down The Edge (yes, that is a marked trail name) and onto the pitch and flats of Landslide. Here is a great video showing the starting point to the top of Landslide for anyone needing a reference.

We will optimally each get two runs, in numerical bib order, but be prepared for notice of only one run being completed.

With this fun race, come additional rules for participants which are:

  • Inspection is mandatory

    • Every racer will be checked in at the top of the course by a Coyote. Any bib number not checked off on the inspection list, will not be allowed to race the course

    • Inspection begins at Noon sharp and closes at 12 30. Best to aim to be there before it opens at Noon.

    • Inspect slowly, and do not turn through the course.

  • Equipment is heavily scrutinized

    • Hard eared helmets are required for your safety

    • Both ski poles must have securely fixed baskets

    • Downhill Suits are allowed, and advised, but not mandatory

  • Race details are a bit different

    • This is a long racecourse, and will be managed differently than a regular GS, pay attention to the Coyotes at the top, on course, and at the bottom

    • There is a possibility that you will be flagged down by a Coyote while skiing. If you are flagged down, stop, you will get a re-run. This is for your safety and for the safety of everyone else

  • This race is run exceptionally well by the Coyotes, race crew and Club, respect everyone and the course.

    • Tidy up time after the race

    • At the conclusion of the race, every GDHL’er is required and expected to help roll the B netting through the bottom portion of the course.

Many hands make light work, so bring in your children to help, they have young backs, and it is a good learning experience. Look to a Coyote to point you in the right direction of which fence to take out. As of Thursday morning, the request is to take out the bottom half, from the base of the Landslide pitch, through to the finish.

Now that the details are out of the way, we can focus on the fun we are about to have! Saturday weather forecast is for -17 degrees Celsius, so be ready to sing your favorite Elsa line from Frozen while in your skin suit up top. Any other year, a few of us might consider finding something warmer to do on a sunny Saturday, but there is no doubt we are all thankful to get out on the racecourse, regardless of how numb our extremities are. On that note, who won the heated socks in the silent auction? Those would come in handy this weekend!

Slalom Comet, Sunday, January 16th @ 1PM

Thankfully, the cold snap that will grace us on Saturday, quickly leaves town and Sunday is forecasted to be a balmy -6 degrees. It is great to be back on the race hill, but for those who have yet to make net 50 turns this season, the 50 slalom turns down Comet will be a workout like nothing we can remember.

You may opt to wear a downhill suit on your lower half, while wearing slalom shorts, in an effort to avoid getting gate marks on your pretty, new Kjus ski pants. You will still be required to wear a sweater, or jacket on your top half.

Announcement from our Head Coach of Adult Racing, Glenn Blaylock

Friday Training will be divided into two sessions.

  • Morning: GS Skis, meet TOP of National Chair at 9:30 am

  • Afternoon: Slalom with protective equipment. Meet skiers right on Comet at 12:30 pm

Friday morning will be a “Need for Speed” session to get ready for the Super G on Saturday. We’ll be working on the skills used to ski fast, especially skiing the flats, how to transition over the pitch at speed, and how to power the ski through the arc of the turn. This session will be outside the gates

Video of the Week: The USA team demonstrates the importance of flexing ankles and having shin pressure (Americans call it “cuff” pressure) against both boots all the time. Turn up the sound and enjoy. LINK HERE

Sunday’s GS Race, a Recap

No two ways about it, Sunday was an absolute blast! The buzz around the Club was palpable, with nervous energy making way for smiles (even behind masks), and greetings from old friends and (friendly) foes. At the top of the racecourse, athletes – for lack of another word – gathered and discussed strategy, which for most was preservation rather than speed. Even with many declaring how rusty they were and telling their fisherman’s stories about how long it had been since they last raced, there were some exceptional performances!

With the low bibs starting off, Number 1, in our hearts, and on our course, Cynthia Waite led us out of the gate, skiing a respectable 53 second time. Leslie Sims (38.45) and Alan Shaw (39.58), both skied great races to get them into some major points, and David Staples (36.85) started his GDHL career with a top 30 finish.

Others with great GDHL debuts include Tom Murdison (34.74/5th), Harrison Simms Brown (34.99/7th), Noah Levine (35.08/8th), Spencer McCool (35.29/11th), Brent Addison (36.18/20th), Riley Webb (36.51/25th), Andrew Ottaway (37.12/29th), and Madison Staples (37.26/30th) … there may be a great Father Daughter rivalry in the making here. The full results are on the GDHL website here.

Some suspect that a few racers claiming to have not been in gates in years and decades have actually been summering in Chile, skiing the Andes and getting training in with the European powerhouses. Looking at you, Simms Brown brothers!

The top three overall were Ben Williams (32.68/1st), Taylor Simms Brown (33.41/2nd), and Duff Isberg, (33.89/3rd). Honorable mention to Cam Bellamy (34.06/4th), who narrowly missed out on his first podium of his GDHL career.

On the women’s side, Megan Peterson (34.96/1st), Katie Farrow (35.12/2nd), and Brianna Machej (36.48/3rd), rounded out a competitive podium. There will be a very intense battle for the top three women this year!

For future races, please wear your armband! It identifies you to your teammates and is a great way to show GDHL spirit. After all, we try to make this a team sport. If you have loved ones eagerly awaiting your results, they can track online too. Here is a link to the live timing site.

GDHL Maniacs braving the blizzard at the beginning of run 2

Fantasy GDHL

Your Fantasy GDHL teams have been tallied and the system is currently being booted up. We use space age magic to make this system work, so it takes time to warm up… Results should be ready for next week’s newsletter. Also, as we speed up turnarounds from races to results, you will find the updated results on the GDHL Fantasy page here. Good luck to all who submitted teams!

There it is, hopefully the only newsletter you receive from GDHL this week! Good luck to everyone racing this weekend, stay healthy and stay warm!

-Doug

QUICK CLARIFICATION

In yesterday’s newsletter there was one error, which may be somewhat critical. The date for the Race was stated incorrectly.

The Correction is:

Our first race is this Sunday, January 9th, Big John GS at 1 pm, with inspection opening around noon

Bib Pick Up Is:

This Saturday, January 8th, in the Big John Finish Hut, from Noon to 3 pm. Drop in when you can.

AND, DO NOT FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR:

Silent Auction Here: https://www.32auctions.com/gdhlcalcutta

Closes at 6 PM on Saturday evening

Fantasy GDHL Here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8FRPR7H

Closes at 9 AM Sunday Morning

More details for everything above can be found at GDHL.org

-Doug

Happy New Year GDHL'ers!

Your GDHL Committee are very excited to bring you a great 2022 race season! There is a lot to cover in this newsletter to kick off our very busy race season. For those of you who are prone to deleting this email after reading the first paragraph, please be patient and at least review the important topics, listed here:

Below you will find details on each of those topics, with specific headers. This is all an effort of saving you time while reading, if only we could help you save time on course on Sunday afternoon.

CALCUTTA

This year may be challenging, and it may be different, but it will not break the GDHL Committee, and it will not break our Racers! We so badly wanted to have an après ski event that brought everyone together after a long off season, but with the current regulations it just is not meant to be. The idea of running one virtually seemed exhausting, and we are all completely disinterested in yet another virtual meet up where you cannot hear any exchanges from other participants. Instead of the Calcutta, we have simplified everything, including Bib Pick up and the Auction.

BIB PICK UP

On Saturday, between noon and 3 PM all racers can come by the Finish Hut at the bottom of Big John to pick up their bibs. There are rumours of other pick-up items as well, but you will need to be there to find out what those items are. If you cannot make this time, bibs will be moved to the Race Office Sunday morning, and available for up.  

FIRST RACE – Sunday, January 9th 1 PM Start on Big John GS

Our first race is this weekend! We expect all racers will be shaking with anticipation to get back in the gates. This is how we start every GDHL season, providing us some normality. As we did two years ago, we will be racing without Downhill Suits, which is a pretty big blessing seeing as there is no where inside for us to hang out and re-dress after our races. Feel free to don a retro sweater to wear beneath your bib, or a fun outfit to keep the mood light in the start area.

RULES

We are all working through challenging times. With this in mind, the GDHL committee requests you adhere to all Club rules, protocols and courtesies this race season. Please be respectful of Coyotes at all times, remember, they are working, and their safety (that means feeling safe too), is paramount. If you choose not to wear a mask while skiing, please keep your distance from others.

The rest of the rules are pretty normal:

  • Please inspect every race – inspection usually opens 1 hr before race start

  • Please remember this is a fun race league, if you want to be a hero, go race InterClub

  • Whatever the Coyotes say goes, no exception.

TEAMS

The teams list for this year are on a PDF sheet shared here:

https://bit.ly/3eTJBdc

Click through to find your team/bib number and find out who else is starting around you.

SILENT AUCTION – OPEN TO ALL

Wow, do we have some great swag for our Silent Auction! Every year we receive amazing contributions from Squire John’s, Lange, Dynastar, and Pratte Ski Camps for us to auction off and raise funds for our league. We usually do this in the live auction, so sensibly we moved it all to a silent auction which is accessible here. Jump on and scroll through the items before 6 PM on Saturday, when it closes!

LINK: https://www.32auctions.com/gdhlcalcutta

FANTASY GDHL – OPEN TO ALL

Lastly… WE ARE BACK! Fantasy GDHL was such a hit last time around, we had to bring it back! The full rules are below, but keep in mind, you may enter as many teams as you like. The only requirement is that you submit a unique Fantasy Team name for each team you enter. Click here to sign your team up asap! We will close this off on Sunday morning at 9 am:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8FRPR7H

Entrance is $20 and the pool will be split between the winners and two runners up.

Here are the rules:

  • Pick 7 Skiers for your team

    • Pick 1 skier from each of the tables below by checking the box beside their name

  • Each skier is scored on the following criteria:

    • Starts: each run start is worth 1 point

    • Finishes: each run finished is worth 2 points

    • Categorical Podiums: Men’s/Women’s Overall and Men’s/Women’s Masters

      • 20 points for 1st

      • 10 points for 2nd

      • 5 points for 3rd

Finish to rank differential: scored per race completed with minimum score being 0

Standings will be updated weekly in the GDHL Weekly Newsletter and on the GDHL Website

Thank you for sticking through all that! We have a great season of ski racing ahead of us and are excited you are part of it!

See you on the slopes!

-Doug

Happy New Year's Eve

There is no better way to start a New Year than with great news. Hopefully, you will get lots of great news over the next days, and if you do not, well you always have this newsletter! As we enter into Covid Winter 2.0, everyone is aware that there is no perfect answer to this ongoing, everchanging situation, yet here we are, about to share with you our season plans. Are you excited yet?

Keep in mind, flexibility will be our word of the season! In past years, your flexibility was tested when you went head over heels down the Big John pitch during slalom training. This year, your flexibility and attitude will enable us to have an exceptional GDHL season full of racing and fun!

With the disclaimer out of the way, we can go onto the important details, of which there are a few to be shared today, and more to be shared in about a week’s time. You will find below information on the following: our first race (Hint: it is January 9th, GS on Big John), our Calcutta Celebrations, Registration, and a little roundup of some fun things to keep you occupied while you celebrate NYE responsibly.

SCHEDULE

We have our first race scheduled! Sunday, January 9th on Big John (Time TBD). For those in search of normality, this is the exact same race we have started our GDHL season since inception, or at least for as long as most of us can remember. We are back, baby! Maybe not all the way back to normal, but it will be nice to feel the rush of the start gate after so many months away.

There are some great races in the works for the balance of year, too. Right now, the GDHL Committee is working on Dual Slalom ideas and a night race, of course all of which will be confirmed soon. There will be an update to the race schedule next week, with more details, to set you up for the next few weeks. For those racers who are getting excited, make sure to read the next paragraph, as that addresses the Calcutta!

CALCUTTA

Everybody’s favorite Après AP (After Party) is BACK! Except this year, we are going virtual… but do not worry, we promise this will be less cringe-worthy than your firm’s virtual happy hours they forced you into every other Thursday at 5 pm.

The Club mandate is no in-person large gatherings, inside or out, so that means we must go online. There may be some challenges, but none greater that the challenges we will all face when we try to zip up our downhill suits for the first time this season.

In next week’s newsletter you will receive full details on the Virtual Calcutta, including: When/Where/Zoom Link, where and how to pick up your bibs, how you can bid on teams and items in the auctions, and who the sponsors are this season. We are excited to see you all on the call and know with your support we can make this Calcutta feel like the great event it usually is! For those of you who want to join us for the Calcutta, but have not signed up, make sure you read below!

REGISTRATION

If you have not signed up yet, you are in luck! With the recent set of mandates in place we have had to push back our entire schedule, which means registration close has been pushed back too. Hurry up though, it closes on Sunday, January 2nd and you do not want to be the one friend left out.

NYE ENTERTAINMENT

Last New Year’s Eve we were stuck at home, and this year… we may be stuck at home again. It is not fair, but for those of you trying to keep your distance for yours and your loved one’s safety, here is some entertainment for you:

Details on Craigleith’s own Katie Combaluzier, who came second in the Sit-Ski Slalom races a couple weeks back: https://alpinecanada.org/news/canadian-para-alpine-ski-team-rookies-net-two-additional-medals-before-holi

Have a great NYE, and stay safe!

-Doug

Did you Miss It?

Registration is Open Again!

The GDHL season is almost upon us, and our calendar of events is quickly coming into focus. We have a great season ahead, and we are excited to have you along with us.

If you are currently on the outside looking in, without a spot on the GDHL roster for 2022, you are in luck! We have re-opened registration for the next 7 days (December 15-22). Make sure you do not miss this opportunity, as there will be no last-minute sign ups allowed this season.

Click through to the Craigleith website here to register on the club programs page.

Race Schedule:

This will soon be posted to the GDHL website, so stay tuned. Expect communication on the full schedule just after Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

-Doug

Pre-Season Info Dump

Good Morning Fellow GDHL’ers. Race season is nigh, and it is time for you to register! The registration cut off for this year is December 1st, so if you have not registered yet, get to it. With registration comes the excitement of the new ski season, which we have all been patiently awaiting. As you can imagine there are many moving targets for the GDHL committee to work through, but there is news worth sharing. The adult gate training details are out and available below, as well as some preliminary race scheduling. The social calendar is a work in progress, however the committee has committed to making sure that the fun this year happens in the gates and at the apres! And Canada only hosts one stop on the World Cup tour, Lake Louise, which is happening this weekend and next.

Registration:

We have a record number of registrants for this early in the season! With the deadline looming, (next Wednesday, December 1), make sure you get to it. We are specifically calling out those under the age of 35. In the past our group of youthful racers has been plentiful, and we expect nothing different this year. If you have any questions about registration, please email gdhl@gdhl.org.

Training:

This year we have a new Head Coach of Adult Race Training, Glenn Blaylock. Many of us have had the fortune of befriending Glenn as he has skied with us and against us in the gates, often beating us. Now he starts a new challenge of attempting to make you go faster. Just remember, if you ski better this year, it is credit to your offseason-conditioning but, if you ski worse, it is Glenn’s fault. All joking aside, we are very excited to have Glenn coaching us this season! The entire season adult Gate Training Schedule is available both on the Craigleith website and on the GDHL page under the training header. 

Race Schedule:

The race schedule will soon be broadcasted to all club programs, and the GDHL cannot circumvent (though the committee tried) the process of calendarizing the events. When we have the schedule locked in place, we will communicate it to all of you. We are *hoping* to host a race on Sunday, January 2nd, before the Calcutta event. This race would be a warm up to help everyone shake off the rust of taking an entire race season off, so if you are in Collingwood for New Years Eve weekend, make sure to mark your calendar for a fun way to start the race season!

Social Calendar:

Of all things that the GDHL committee is looking after, this has the most moving parts. We are working within the rules and regulations of Grey County, and recognize people have different comfort levels with social situations. With all of this in mind, we are aiming to host the Calcutta on January 8th. What the Calcutta looks like is to be determined.

Fantasy racing:

Two years ago we launched our inaugural year of the Fantasy GDHL Racing, where participants could buy into a pool to submit a fantasy team of racers for the chance at the grand prize. It was Paul Peterson, Trevor Jackson, and Anthony Ruffalo who finished in the 1,2,3 spots two years ago. We are excited to bring it back to you, for an awesome opportunity to follow along with the races, and win some money. Who knows, maybe your fantasy GDHL will take home top spot this year?

Lake Louise Races:

This coming weekend the events at Lake Louise begin. Starting Friday, the men will race the first of two downhill races, the second on Saturday, and then on Sunday is the Super G. The women’s schedule mirrors this, but begins next Friday, December 3rd. This is a great opportunity to watch ski racers at a normal time (not 5 am in the morning), and at a familiar mountain to many. Both races will be available through CBC.

That is all for now. It is information overload until the season starts, which we are all eagerly awaiting.

Keep your tips up,

-Doug

That Time of Year!

Mikaela Shiffrin has won again! The American super star skier won her 70th world cup race on October 23rd at the GS in Solden. What this means for you, is that it is time to sign up for the GDHL!

Don’t be left out of all the excitement of ski racing! Registration can be found on the main Craigleith site, under the “More” button and then the “Alpine Programs” option. The pricing details are below:

Early Bird - Before November 15th, 2021

  • $200 + $26 HST

  • Member Under 35: $79 + $10.27 HST

After November 15th, 2021

  • $240 + $31.20 HST

  • Member Under 35: $95 + $12.35 HST

There will be some exciting news shared about the Adult Gate training this year in newsletters to come, as well as details about the race season.

For those interested in watching Mikaela’s winning run at Solden, here it is:

Cheers,

-Doug Jarvis

The Arrow of Time is a Cruel Mistress

As days go by, and sunsets come earlier, there are signs all around that winter is nearing. Halloween is next weekend, and then we are in November. Before you know it, Christmas music will be playing, the snow will be on the ground and we will all be itching to get on the slopes to carve some turns.

All of this sounds great! There are few things sweeter than the first carved turns of the ski season, but the arrow of time will be there to remind you that it moves only in one direction. Embarking on a new ski season will surely remind us that we are older now than we were last ski season, and a lot older than we were two ski seasons ago. The athlete within us has recognized the benefit of espom salt baths, and rest days, yoga and stretching every morning. This is because, in fact none of us are getting any younger.

Even though your most youthful days may be behind you, it does not mean you cannot enjoy yourself now. As we approach the ski season, make sure you take time to plan some fun. A ski trip, some extra spending money to be used bar-side in the Base Lodge, or an easy option is to sign up with the GDHL! The Going Down Hill League is excited to offer programming to all individuals regardless of where you are on the continuum of the ski racing prowess. More on registration details below.

Lastly, if you are on the fence about coming back to the GDHL or signing up for your first season we understand. As stated above, the arrow of time is cruel, it slows us all down, makes us ache in the morning, and get a headache after one glass of wine, you are not alone. But please realize, that after all that we have all been through, the community and the competition might be exactly what we all need. So, in the words of the late, great, Warren Miller “If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do”.

Registration:

If the above advertisement did not persuade you to register for the GDHL then maybe the early bird discount will! You will find registration for the GDHL in the same location as all other alpine programs, on the Craigleith under the “Register Button”. All eager beavers can be rewarded with almost 17% savings for signing up before November 15th!

The pricing for skiing this year is as follows:

Early Bird - Before November 15th, 2021

  • $200 + $26 HST

  • Member Under 35: $79 + $10.27 HST

After November 15th, 2021

  • $240 + $31.20 HST

  • Member Under 35: $95 + $12.35 HST

Distractions

For those of you keeping a close eye on this newsletter, rest assured that during the season it will arrive weekly in your email at the regular, 5 am (ET) Thursday time.

Are you keen on catching up with your Warren Miller films? Great! We are lucky enough to be able to find anything we want to watch on the internet, and this 2005 edition of Warren Miller’s ski film legacy features the late Shane McConkey, the late Sarah Burke (Canadian from Barrie, Ontario), and Seth Morrison. Take a watch here:

If you grew up skiing in an era that promoted freestyle hair, over freestyle skis, or enjoying cigarettes on the chair lift was normal, take a look at this 1983 special, Snowonder! – Editors note, this is damn near brilliance and worth a watch regardless of your age.

Obviously watching these on your dinky laptop screen pales in comparison to the event and occasion of venturing downtown Toronto to the Hummingbird Centre for the Canadian debut of these films, but these movies are still loaded with entertainment value!

National Alpine Team

Before you go, the Canadian National Ski team was announced this week and the members below. These are the skiers that will compete in the regular world cup starts under the Alpine Canada banner, but there will be another list of athletes that qualify for the Olympic games happening at the beginning of February 2022. You may notice a name or two missing from this list, but that does not mean those athletes cannot participate for the Olympics representing the Maple Leaf

  • Ali Nullmeyer (Toronto, Ont./Georgian Peaks Ski Club) 

  • Amelia Smart (Invermere, B.C./Panorama Ski Club) 

  • Asher Jordan (North Vancouver, B.C./ Whistler Mountain Ski Club) 

  • Britt Richardson (Canmore, Alta/Calgary Alpine Racing Club)

  • Broderick Thompson (Whistler, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club) 

  • Brodie Seger (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club) 

  • Cameron Alexander (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club) 

  • Cassidy Gray (Panorama, B.C./Team Panorama Ski Club)

  • Erik Read (Canmore, Alta./Banff Alpine Racers) 

  • Erin Mielzynski (Collingwood, Ont./Georgian Peaks Ski Club) 

  • Jack (James) Crawford (Toronto, Ont./Georgian Peaks Ski Club & Whistler Mountain Ski Club) 

  • Jeffrey Read (Canmore, Alta./Banff Alpine Racers) 

  • Kyle Alexander (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club) 

  • Laurence St-Germain (St. Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que./Club de ski Mont-Ste-Anne) 

  • Liam Wallace (Calgary, Alta./Sunshine Alpine Racers)

  • Marie-Michèle Gagnon (Lac-Etchemin, Que./Mont Orignal) 

  • Riley Seger (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club) 

  • Roni Remme (Collingwood, Ont./Alpine Ski Club) 

  • Sam Mulligan (Vancouver, B.C. /Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club) 

  • Trevor Philp (Calgary, Alta./Banff Alpine Racers) 

  • Valérie Grenier (Mont-Tremblant, Que./Club de ski Mont-Tremblant) 

That is all for now. There may not be another newsletter before the early bird registration discount expires, so make sure you sign up ASAP. Enjoy the content and be safe. The entire GDHL committee is excited to see you this winter!

-Doug Jarvis

Hopefully You Did Not Forget About Us

Good Morning GDHL’ers and happy back to school week! Summer is pretty well over, and that means many things, most important of which is planning your skiing for the upcoming winter. With luck, the GDHL, just like Craigleith will be back to full capacity this season. In an effort to get you thinking about snowy hills and carving tight turns, you will find some great distractions below, as well as our call for volunteers. Beyond this newsletter, there will be  communications from the GDHL before Christmas, as we launch registration, and keep you focused on your off season training.

Call for Committee Members:

The GDHL Committee is looking for new committee members! Yes, our dynamic, charismatic leader Marlene Jackson, has stepped down as the Chair. We thank her for her exceptional, dedicated service over many years! With this change, there will be some shuffling of roles this season, and there will be some other roles available. If you want to make a difference in our ski league, please send an email to gdhl@gdhl.org . Don’t make us come looking for you!

Distractions:

The GDHL newsletter would be disappointing if there were not a few distractions to keep you from working too hard at your day job. Here are a couple items worth your attention:

The World Pro Ski Tour (WPST) was re-ignited in 2017 with the goal to create fun, engaging, large scale carnival style races. With some of the best FIS skiers joining the WPST, the races (which are all dual slalom) are fun to watch. Here is a video documenting what the WPST is all about with some great coverage that includes Craigleith’s Phil Brown.

And here is a video documenting the entire race weekend, with interviews and more.

Are you getting bored with your offseason workout? Well, let Ragnhild Mowinckel introduce some new training tactics for you. Click through to the Ski Racing Media story on the Norwegian World Cup Skier’s newest routines:

That is all for now. The Committee is excited to have you all back in gates this year and we look forward to seeing you at the Club.

-Doug Jarvis

Unauthorized Blog Post

Since current management doesn’t seem to have changed the locks on the GDHL website, I have succumbed to old habits and offer this summary of the inaugural Craigleith Cup Race for adults in 2021. As the COVID protocols that were graciously explained onsite by Steve Milgram precluded loitering, assembling, congregating or otherwise remaining stationary in the vicinity of the finish line, I have nothing to work with but the results and my imagination.

Sunday found an impeccably firm and smooth surface on the Big John GS course. The skies were not cloudy all afternoon. Sadly our race was at 0930, but at least it was calm, not precipitating and a pleasant temperature. One fears that we won’t see a similar surface for a while, given the weather forecast predicts moving from double-digits below freezing on Sunday night to double-digits above within a couple of days.

About 30 adults took to the start, including some whose tardiness in registering was identified only by their out of order virtual bib numbers in the results, actual bibs being a victim of COVID protocol. As competitors were given arrival time slots for the start, only the early starters caught a glimpse of Bebe Zoricic preparing to forerun in a vintage national team skin suit. As starts were assigned by age group, older competitors got closer to the front than they normally are in GDHL, and perhaps were encouraged to think of prolonging their racing careers by the pristine course conditions. It’s likely to be some time before Jeff Sutherland gets bib 7 in GDHL!

Jeff comfortably led the over-60 age group at 39.48 (fourth overall, ignoring the callow youth who started after their elders), followed by Rob Bruce, Chris Fregren and James Mathers, who were closely grouped in the vicinity of 43.7. A similar pattern appeared in the over-50 group, as Patrick Pedlar, Richard Usher-Jones and Jerry Patten were all not far from 41.9 but were comfortably beaten by Greg Cavers at 36.6. Greg seems to have been training, as his time stood first overall, bettering Taylor Simms Brown’s 37.55, in what might be viewed as a mild upset based on past years’ Interclub results. Greg may have taken equal pleasure in fending off the march of time for the moment at least, as his son Dax finished in 37.75 as part of the U19 field that followed.

The women’s field was not deep and punters would not have secured favourable odds backing Megan Ryley. Megan didn’t disappoint, finishing third overall in 38.74. Stats geeks may wish to compare the time difference between Megan and her husband with the time Donovan Bailey used to need to run 100 metres :)

We can hope that this marks a return to successful racing for Megan, which has long been anticipated, as witness this excerpt from the GDHL news of 7 December 2013:

Mere Rumor-Mongering

Those who have studied the GDHL information page on our website may remember the "questionnaire" that included choices like "I raced with Steve Podborski or Kate Ryley at Craigleith. I was faster, but then ..." and "I am Steve Podborski or Kate Ryley." Seems that we might have someone to (almost) answer "yes" to these questions. When I restored my connections after my flight back from Sun Peaks, I found an email from Megan Ryley asking about GDHL. Her answers would be "I am Kate Ryley's older sister" and (maybe) "I was faster then and I still am." To turn back the annals of FIS history, on 27 February 2003, there were men's and women's downhill races held at Mont Ste. Anne. I don't know whether they used the same course, but from comparing the winners' times they might well have. Greg Cavers, our defending GDHL individual champion, had a FIS licence that year. His time in the men's race was 1:16.01. Since then, he has fathered three children, helped teach them to ski and managed to reclaim the GDHL title that I suspect he won that year. He is also, let's say, not looking forward to age 40. Megan's time in the women's race was 1:14.78. Since then, she has had podium finishes in Nor-Am races, been an NCAA All-American and represented Canada at the FIS World Championships. She is also still in good with those who don't trust anyone over 30. Meg wasn't very specific about her interest in GDHL, but she would be a bit of a challenge for the rankings committee don't you think?

So Paul doesn’t feel singled out, it would be fair to mention that Megan had a halting GDHL debut in 2016, the first race of which inexplicably resulted in her finishing behind her sister Kate by a Usain Bolt 100 metre time. I feel certain the ranking committee will place greater emphasis on recent results!

Full results for the race are found on the Club’s website, the “Archive” section of “Results” at gdhl.org or by clicking here. In the COVID haze, I’ve forgotten when the next race is. I believe it’s SL in the next weekend or two, but goodness knows it may change.

Stay well and keep others well!

James Mathers

Urgent Season Update – GDHL & Adult Racing 2021

We have some great news to share with you; there will be adult ski racing this season at Craigleith! We hope you are excited about the opportunity to get into gates and experience the rush of skiing down a racecourse!

The GDHL committee is stepping aside to run the racing league this year. The Adult Race League will be run by the race office, and you will need to reach out directly to sign up. More details on the race league below.

*IMPORTANT* Even though many of you have already signed up with the GDHL, you will need to sign up with the race office.

Here comes the urgent part, sign up deadline is TODAY! Saturday, February 20, is cut off, so take a minute and do what needs to be done to get your name on the race list. The details on the race league are below, so read along if you want more details.

GDHL Logo.jpg

One last item before getting into the 2021 race league details. The GDHL committee is committed to bringing excellent on hill experiences to all participants, and we are excited to do so in the 2022 season. We are humbled by our opportunity to participate in the Craigleith community and offer fun and excitement to all of you. We will miss hosting you this season, but we are so excited to have you back with us next season!

We will continue to use this channel to distribute news and race recaps of the adult race league that is hosted by the club, so stay tuned! Good luck in the gates this year!

Race League Details:

Adult Craigleith Cup Spring Series

New for this season due to the shortened nature we are not running a GDHL series however we are excited to offer a few race start options for our keen adult racers. Our plan is to run Giant Slalom and Slalom race starting in a couple weeks that would give everyone a couple race starts this spring. There will be more details on dates and how to sign up for these events next week! The Friday training and Saturday gate training options will help you prepare and get some extra mileage for this series.

ADULT GATE TRAINING - February 27 - April 4

  • Saturday  9:30 – 11:30 **NEW TIME**

  • $295.00 + HST

This Program is designed for adult racers of all levels, who wish to gain some mileage in the gates and prepare themselves for our Adult Race Series. The focus of the training will be both technical and tactical with an emphasis on tactics for the more experienced racers. Giant Slalom and Slalom environments will be set. Protective equipment is recommended for Slalom. A closed ear helmet is mandatory for both events. Multiple environments within training sessions will be set in order to allow proper individual skill development.

Please Note: for safety & quality reasons, we have restricted the number of participants to 25 for this season.

 Friday Training

Friday’s beginning February 26, 2021. The program will run a morning session beginning at 10 a.m. and an afternoon session at 1 p.m.  You may  purchase a full day or a 2 hour half day session. Focus will be on gate training and technical skill development through training and drill courses. Training will be conducted by top level Coaches. Helmets are mandatory when training gates.  ATTENDANCE MUST BE CONFIRMED BY WEDNESDAY PRIOR - NO DAY OF REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

  • Full Day Cost (4 hour session):

  • $95.00 + HST

  • 2 Hours Session:

  • $75.00 + HST

Enjoy the snow!

-Doug Jarvis

A Quiet New Year's Eve for the GDHL

Happy New Year GDHL’ers and fellow readers! With New Year’s Eve upon us, we may look forward to better days ahead, days of health, prosperity, and family gatherings. With this positive outlook we all hope to be skiing too.

Right now however, with the lock down implemented, and with the number of COVID cases rising, it seems a sure bet that we will not be skiing until at least the last weekend in January. Your GDHL committee is hopeful we can operate some races this year, but everyone must be realistic and recognize that we may still be months away from getting back on the hill.

Closed.jpeg

With that in mind we have some information we would like to share with you:

Ongoing Communications

Your GDHL committee has been working hard, including lots of communication with the Club. The second we have news to share, we will. As always, you can rely on this newsletter to be the main source of communications regarding all GDHL matters.

Billing

We will not be billing any accounts at this time. The plan was to do billing once we got on the hill, and that may still happen. Optimistically if was can run some races in the back half of the season, you can expect billing.  It will to be directly representative of how many (or how few) races we can host. Also, you can be sure there will be no surprises when it comes to the billing. We will communicate all details far ahead of time to ensure everyone is informed.

2021 Racing Season

It has been mentioned above a couple times already, but it bears repeating; we hope to race this year! We are optimistic that if the club opens, and there is snow on the hills, we will race.

As far as updates go, expect some more information as we approach the end of this initial four-week province wide lock down.

Happy New Year to all! Enjoy your hiking, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, skating, and all other outdoor activities. Stay safe, follow the guidelines and we look forward to seeing you on the hill soon!

-Doug Jarvis

The GDHL Update

The title is a slight misnomer, as we do not have any specific updates to share. Right now, we know our race season will not begin for at least four weeks. Between now and next Thursday, your GDHL committee will be working hard to brainstorm, consult, and evaluate options and assess risks. We hope to have a new season-plan to you by next Thursday in this newsletter.

We appreciate everyone’s patience. We are all upset to have our season postponed but we also understand that sacrifices are needed for the greater good, health and safety of our community.

We hope to see you on the ski hill soon! Happy Holidays to everyone!

-Doug Jarvis

Sunrise+at+Craig.jpg