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Welcome to the Far West Masters!
If you are a new visitor to our site, you may wish
to visit the Information pages to learn more About masters racing.
See the How To Join page for membership information
and applications. We are open to all and welcome new racers!
Masters ski racing is the premier adult ski racing series in the country.
We are governed by United States Ski Association (USSA),
the sanctioning body in the US for organized ski racing at all levels from juniors
up through international and Olympic competition.
Far West Masters organizes USSA masters competition in the
Far West division.
Our yearly schedule includes all disciplines (SL, GS, SG, and DH),
with races held mainly at ski areas in the central Sierras.
Racers from 21 to over 80 years old compete in ten-year age groups.
Top News Items
- Season Finale
The 2012 race season, which brought an unprecedented amount
of change to our race schedule, wrapped up with... schedule changes!
After one of the dryest seasons in decades, a much-needed late-season
storm brought several feet to most Sierra resorts and forced cancellation
of the planned speed events at Northstar. Anticipating the week's weather,
the order of the final weekend races at Squaw was swapped to provide
the best chance for getting the races off.
Despite lingering snow showers and overcast on top of a considerable
amount of new snow, Squaw's race crew successfully put on our final
races of the season. The turnout for Friday's SL was affected by travel
difficulties that hampered the travel plans of some competitors, but the
race came off and with clearing conditions into the weekend Saturday's GS
wrapped up our season races.
Saturday evening was our season banquet, a chance for everyone to relax
and socialize in a final gathering before we disperse to summer pursuits.
Season awards were presented to the top-3 finishers in each age class
and the top racers in the season overall standings were brought forward
to be presented with the yellow and blue "leader bibs" for next season.
The special awards were also presented, recognizing new racers
Carol Levine and Mihai Filimon in their first season
of competition in the Far West, while celebrating the accomplishments
of most-improved racers Annette Mirviss and Lance Laney.
Finally, the Teddy Cantanho "Spirit of Masters" award recognizing
a racer who exemplifies the joy and passion of masters ski racing
was awarded by acclamation to Gate de Mattei.
Pictures from our races and the banquet are being posted on our "Far West Masters"
facebook group - come by to visit, if you aren't a member yet join the group
and build the community area where we can share stories, pictures, and information.
[14-Apr-2012]
- Northstar SG's cancelled
Due to adverse course conditions; high winds, wind drifted snow,
a 12" layer that did not set up, and poor visibility, the jury has
cancelled today's Super G's. Checks mailed in will be torn, and
entries made via skiracereg.com will not be charged.
Thanks to Eric Whitaker and Northstar's race department for giving it a
valiant effort.
[12-Apr-2012 6:30am]
- Season Banquet Silent Auction
A fun part of our annual season banquet is the "silent auction" fundraiser
for our Far West Masters Scholarship Program which raises funds to benefit
Far West junior ski racers. Once again, we have a lot of great items to auction off,
and we sincerely thank all the generous sponsors and donors who have contributed.
The auction announcement provides details on items available for bidding.
If you'll be attending the banquet, check out the list and plan your bidding strategy!
For those who may be unable to attend, you can submit your bids to Eddie Mozen
and he'll place them for you at the banquet. (see announcement for contact details)
[11-Apr-2012]
- Still "go" for Northstar SG's
As of 1pm Wednesday, the Northstar Races are still a "go" for tomorrow.
Race director, Eric Whitaker, will be on the hill early, very early Thursday morning
and will update us of any changes.
He has also provided a race hotline phone number for any updates
that occur after he inspects the hill tomorrow: (530) 562-3232.
The schedule for tomorrow's races:
- 7:30 - registration checkin
- 9:00-9:45 - inspection
- 10:00 - SG #1
- 10:30 - slip/redress
- 10:30-11:00 - Inspection (only if needed)
- 11:15 - SG #2 (start time may be moved up if no re-inspection needed.)
Registration for racer checkin and ticket purchases will be in the main ticket office,
located on the southeast side of the Northstar Village.
PLEASE NOTE: there will be no day-of-race entries accepted.
[11-Apr-2012]
- Northstar DH cancelled; Squaw schedule changes
The Downhill scheduled for Wednesday at Northstar has been cancelled due to lack of racer signups.
We will try to have an extra Super G in its place.
("Try" being the operative word, as weather may be an issue.)
We are in daily contact working with the Northstar Race Department
and will let everyone know about updates as they occur.
We have decided to switch the Squaw Valley races scheduling in order to give us the
best chance of completing a GS and a Slalom race. The Slalom will now be held on Friday,
with the GS to be held on Saturday.
Reminder that entries are due by Wednesday at 9:00 PM Pacific Time; no late entries
after the entry deadline will be accepted.
[09-Apr-2012 8pm]
- General Membership Meeting
Our General membership board meeting will be held Saturday at 2:00 PM in the Alpenglow Room in the Squaw Valley Village. T
his meeting is also the election meeting for the following positions and nominees:
- President
- - Mark Mirviss
- Treasurer
- - Dan Simmons
- Secretary
- - Sandy Hogan
- VP of Officials
- - Don Smith
Everyone is welcome to come and contribute comments and suggestions
to help the board members in planning for next season. Bring your ideas
on how to grow and improve our program and make it better for all of us!
[09-Apr-2012]
- Season Finals Update
We need signups, for the Northstar Downhill on Wednesday 4/11. We have 22 racers currently signed up and we need 30 racers to have the race.
Please sign up via skiracereg.com as soon as possible so that we can have our end of season Downhill race as planned (weather permitting).
If you mailed in your entries for the Sugar Bowl Races, we will put you on the start list for the Squaw Valley Races.
Sugar Bowl has torn up your checks (which were written to Sugar Bowl),
so you will need to pay for the Squaw Valley races at check in at Squaw Valley the morning of the race,
or contact president Mark Mirviss (email: president@farwestmasters.org) to make other payment arrangements.
PLEASE NOTE: Squaw's registration policy is that there will be no late registrations.
You will need to be registered for the Friday GS and Saturday SL races by the event entry deadline
of 9PM PT Wednesday 4/11 on SkiRaceReg.com or by close of business
on Wednesday if submitting printed entry by mail or in person to Squaw's Race Services office.
One correction to note: the price of the season banquet on Saturday evening is $40, not $38 as originally published.
[08-Apr-2012]
- Sugar Bowl Finals moved to Squaw
Due to a scheduling conflict at Sugar Bowl brought on by (guess what, weather!)
Sugar Bowl will hosting the J3 Far West Championship races the same weekend that was
scheduled for our season finals races (Fri-Sun 4/13-15).
Rather than trying to compete with the kids for hill space, course crews, etc.
we have decided to move our final GS/SL/dual races to Squaw Valley.
The race schedule along with the entry deadline of Wed. 4/11 will remain the same.
If you have already signed up using skiracereg.com, you do not need to change anything
except where you intend to be Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings;
if you will be unable to race at Squaw, simply un-register yourself on skiracereg.com
in the usual fashion before the entry deadline cutoff on Wednesday evening.
If you sent a hardcopy entry to Sugar Bowl and need to cancel your entry,
you will need to contact Sugar Bowl to have your entry and check torn up.
We expect to be able to obtain the print entries from Sugar Bowl and transfer them
to Squaw so that duplicate entries do not need to be submitted; if there are any problems
with transferring the entries we will let everyone know by email and on the web site.
If you have any questions please contact Far West president Mark Mirviss (email: president@farwestmasters.org).
[05-Apr-2012]
- Season Finals Schedule
The season finale speed events scheduled for Northstar in April are a go!
Race Director Eric Whitaker says that there is now plenty
of snow on the course to hold the races and that he has the grooming crew
pushing more snow onto the track in order to give us every possible chance
to have quality Downhill and Super G Races.
We planning on eliminating the Downhill training day (originally scheduled
for Tuesday) and one Downhill race in order to preserve the track in order
to have one good safe training run and one good safe race run. Northstar is
planning and ready to salt the courses if needed, but still feels it will be
best to have the races completed by 1:00 PM on both days.
The schedule for the speed events on Wed-Thu Apr. 11-12 is:
- Wednesday Apr. 11 - mandatory Downhill training run and DH race
- Thursday Apr. 12 - two SG races
The final tech events of the season will be held at Sugar Bowl
on Fri-Sat Apr. 13-14, with the season banquet on Saturday evening
and a finale fun-race dual SL on Sunday. The GS will be held on McTavish,
a very fun GS hill, and the SL and Sunday's dual will be on DVR.
Saturday evening's season finals banquet will be held at the Tahoe Biltmore
in Crystal Bay, on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Please RSVP to
Linda Crowell by Sunday Apr. 1 so we can
confirm the banquet arrangements.
Details and event information flyers are available (as always!)
on the Season Schedule page:
[25-Mar-2012]
- Squaw Bernard Cup
The annual Bernard Cup weekend races at Squaw Valley featured weather changes,
time changes, and the always-challenging Exhibition race hill. Despite the
season-long run of warm, dry weather and below-normal snowfall, Squaw's race crews
and grooming crews were able to prepare the Exhibition race hill and provide
the Far West Masters with a good racing surface. Artful course-setting
by Kurt Beldon and Pierre Jeangirard worked with the terrain and around the
thin areas to make good use of the hill.
Saturday was sunny and warm (50's?!) - sunscreen was definitely in order!
Although the warm temperatures and fierce sunlight rapidly softened up
the morning run's firm surface, the courses held up reasonably well.
The younger guys had a bumpy ride, despite continuing efforts of the experienced
Squaw course crew and assistance from other racers with course slipping, and
their good spirits were an inspiration.
After 3 runs on Saturday, the between-runs break of GS #2 was higlighted
by a great afternoon social, with good food and some great raffle prizes.
Guest star Norma Lausmann drew the grand prize winner - a pair of new
Rossignal race skis for next season - and racing couple Donn and Barbara Bryant
went home with the marital challenge of deciding whose ticket won the skis.
Sunday dawned with strong winds and light snowfall, as the front edge
of a what's shaping up to be a week-long series of much needed late season
storms arrived over the Sierra crest. The first run of the day went off
after a short delay to permit all competitors to do a final slip of the race
hill to provide safe runout and slide zones on the hill. It was a bumpy ride
for most and a day for rising to the challenge of making tactical
decisions to accomodate the conditions. With the crew preparing
for the start of the third race of the weekend, rising winds, intermittent
visibility problems, and difficulties slipping the track into a safe racing
surface led the jury to reluctantly cancel the remaining two runs.
After two challenging GS races in varying conditions, the 2012 Bernard Cup
winners truly earned the honor with some great skiing. Carol Levine (W08),
newly transferred to the Tahoe area from Rocky Mountain, and long-time
Far West ace Dave Garner (M09) set a standard for all of us of good skiing
and gracious competitiveness.
[11-Mar-2012]
- Squaw changed to GS
The races for next weekend at Squaw Valley have been changed to all GS races.
The changed event schedule will be three giant slalom races over two days ,
instead of two slalom races and a giant slalom race as originally planned.
If you have already registered for the two slalom races and wish to race the two GS races
instead, no changes will be needed on your part - your entries will be used for the GS races.
If you do not wish to compete in the changed Saturday GS or cannot make both days
to be able to compete in GS #2, which will consist of the 3rd run on Saturday afternoon
and the 1st run on Sunday morning, please cancel your entries in the usual fashion
(simply unregister on SkiRaceReg.com if you entered online, otherwise
contact the Squaw Race Department - contact details provided on the
Season Schedule page).
[02-Mar-2012]
- Mt. Rose McKinney Cup
The weekend weather turned colder and breezy for the Mt. Rose McKinney Cup.
The Lower Lake View SL run provided a challenging SL venue, with a variety
of terrain and firm snow conditions. The 2012 McKinney Cup, awarded
to the man and woman with the fastest total time for the weekend races,
was won by Carol Levine (W08), in an outstanding debut weekend with
the Far West Masters, and Ara Papazian (M4), topping the men's standings
both days with clean powerful skiing.
[27-Feb-2012]
- Heavenly Viva Italia
The 2012 Viva Italia SL races at Heavenly, rescheduled from
the original weekend after New Year's, was held on a beautiful,
warm sunny day. Competitors enjoyed classic views of the south shore
of Lake Tahoe, hanging out comfortably all day in race suits
and plenty of sunscreen, while racing 2 SL races on the outstanding
racing surface of the World Cup run.
John Gianotti, Mr. Viva Italia himself, put together another great
post-race party. Hungry racers were treated to plenty of food
and a lot of great raffle prizes.
The annual Viva Italia trophy is awarded to the
top man and women in the overall standings, using an age-adjusted
handicap formula. The 2012 women's trophy went to newcomer Carol Levine,
recently moved from Rocky to north Tahoe, whose return to racing
proved to be a successful debut in the Far West.
The men's trophy went to John Mukavitz, with a display of powerful
SL skiing as he continues his return to racing after a devastating
knee injury that took years to recover form. Congratulations
to both winners!
[25-Feb-2012]
- Heavenly/Mt. Rose Updates
Race director Buck reports from Heavenly, site of next Friday's Viva Italia SL double-header:
"The hill is in fantastic condition, we've been running a lot of events throughout the week and it
hasn't even made a dent. Plenty of snow to set, so pass the word on and we look forward to hosting
the Masters."
Heavenly always puts on a great race for us and John Gianotti's Viva Italia
post-race party is not be missed!
McKinney Cup race director Rees Palermo met with the Mt. Rose organizers on Saturday and the decision is
that there is not enough coverage for the planned GS race on the Slide side on Sunday.
So we'll be racing SL both days next weekend at Mt. Rose - venue will be Lower Lake View,
registration and continental breakfast at the
Mt. Rose base lodge. (There will be no racing this weekend on the Slide side)
Details and event information flyers are available (as always!)
on the Season Schedule page:
[19-Feb-2012]
- Conrado SG's
Under a beautiful blue Sierra sky, the 2012 Rick Conrado SG's
were held at Mammoth on a lovely Friday that would have brought a
huge smile to our friend Rick's face. Rescheduled from the original
date in January, we were blessed with 2+ feet of new snow at the beginning
of the week and spectacular weather on race day - clear, sunny, warm,
very little wind. The planned start was moved down to allow the
hard-working Mammoth race crews to provide the best possible conditions
on the race track and while the snow was soft all three courses
held up well.
It was a great day of fun SG racing and a day to enjoy being with friends
on a lovely day in the mountains.
[18-Feb-2012]
- Harold Wescott
Sad news from Rocky - Harold Wescott passed away this weekend
while at Ski Cooper to compete in the weekend Rocky DH races.
Initial indications are that he may have suffered a heart attack.
Harold was a fierce competitor and well known to many, as he resided
in a number of different divisions over the years, including a period
here in Far West before he moved on to the Rockies.
A familiar face on the race hill and the podium, Harold was a great
character. He will be missed.
[12-Feb-2012]
- Northstar GS
Racing resumed in the Far West last weekend with a GS race on Saturday at Northstar.
Originally planned as a 3-race weekend, schedule adjustments had to be made to
accommodate the still-limited terrain available for racing as our dry pattern
continues after a welcome series of storms in late January.
Sasha Glushenko is again sharing his race photos with us - follow the link
below to check out his pictures from the Northstar GS posted on his
picaso photo site.
Complete results are posted on the Race Results page
along with the updated Season Standings rankings for 2012.
[13-Feb-2012]
- February Schedule Updates
Due to the lack of snow at Northstar, we are cancelling one day of
racing. We will race on Saturday, February 11th, (probably 2 races) but we
will *not* race on Sunday, February 12th.
As announced last week, the Mamnmoth SG event is being rescheduled
as a one-day event with 3 SG races on Fri. Feb. 17.
We must have the minimum fifty registrations by
Fri. February 10th in order to be able to hold this event.
The reschedule of the Heavenly Viva Italia SL races has been confirmed for
Friday Feb. 24, the day before the Mt. Rose McKinney Cup
race weekend.
[02-Feb-2012]
- Web Site Improvements
Online Member Lookup is back! You can now check your Far West
membership status and related race registration information (bib, age class, license status)
using the Member Lookup feature.
Updates are reflected immediately when membership VP Marcie Pettigrew
processes membership applications and renewals.
We've also added a new Links page to collect useful links
related to masters ski racing. Links to some of our favorite
weather forecast and blog sites are included.
[01-Feb-2012]
- Jeff Gray in Ski Racing
Be sure to check out Bill McCollum's Masters column in the latest
issue of Ski Racing. Always a featured stop for regular fans,
this one is of special interest to us here in the Far West
with new racer Jeff Gray featured as one of the competitors
profiled.
Jeff describes his background and his path to the race hills this season.
(He's not kidding about hopping straight into a training course
as his first run in years - eyewitnesses confirm he looked pretty good after his layoff, too!)
Great stuff, and we're thrilled to have Jeff and other new racers joining
us this season. The more people we get out to play with us, the more fun for all!
Props to Hamish Butler for helping Jeff find his way to our races.
We should all think which of our skiing friends might enjoy the challenge
and camaraderie of masters
and encourage them to try racing with
Far West Masters. Bring a friend!
[31-Jan-2012]
- FIS Criterium
The FIS international masters World Criterium is being held March 26-31
at Mammoth Mountain.
The Criterium is a premier event of the 2012 international masters competition season
and a major event that is expected to draw top competitors from around the world.
FIS international masters competitions are open to racers 30 years or older by Dec. 31, 2011.
In addition to your USSA alpine masters license, you'll need to purchase
a FIS Masters license from USSA - this is only $30, print out the application
and mail to USSA by the Feb. 25 entry deadline.
There are no special equipment rules other than a minimum length requirement
for SG skis - 185 cm for men, 180 cm for women. (In past years FIS masters equipment rules have been
different than USSA masters rules, but this is no longer a concern.)
American racers who have competed in international masters events
report that it's a great experience and they have made friends from
around the world.
This is a unique opportunity to sample international competition
on our home slopes of the Far West and Mammoth has a well-earned reputation for putting
on outstanding events, so give some thought to this event if you aren't
already signed up!
[30-Jan-2012]
- Mammoth SG's Rescheduled
We have rescheduled the Mammoth Super-G races to a one-day fun-filled three-race event
on Friday, February 17, at Mammoth Mountain.
That's three races on the Friday before Presidents Day Weekend.
We didn't want to take away from the Northstar races the weekend before
or from the Heavenly and Mt. Rose races the weekend after, so we purposely made this a one-day event.
*** We need at least fifty entries to put on the race ***
We need a minimum of at least 50 competitors in order to hold this event,
as putting on a safe speed event requires a significant commitment from the organizer
for course preparation and hill space.
Please sign up on SkiRaceReg.com or mail your entry to Mammoth Mountain Race Department.
We must have the minimum fifty registrations by Fri. February 10th
in order to be able to hold this event.
Thursday training:
Mammoth Race Department will provide open SG training on Thursday from 11-2 for all
competitors. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this generous offer - having
a chance to do speed training will increase your enjoyment of Friday's racing,
as well as making it a safer event by allowing all competitors an opportunity
to ski the race hill at speed.
[29-Jan-2012]
- January Wrapup
We're nearly to the midpoint of the 2012 race season and winter has finally arrived!
While the cancellation of our races last weekend at Mammoth is disappointing,
the multiple feet of snow that's fallen at all the Sierra ski areas is
most welcome. Everyone can finally break out the powder boards, and those
good new race skis gathering dust in the back of your closets waiting for
conditions to improve.
The February race schedule opens with the Western Region championships
at Big Sky MT on Feb. 2-5. Big Sky has great race venues and has been reporting
excellent conditions even before the storms of the past week, so this
should be a great event. Consider taking a mid-season trip to the northern
Rockies, it should be a lot of fun.
The Far West division schedule resumes the following weekend
with 3 GS's at Northstar on Feb. 11-12. We'll have 3 runs each day,
with the middle race split across Sat/Sun.
This year's Far West division Gala fundraiser is being held in Squaw Valley
on Saturday Feb. 11, during our Northstar GS weekend.
In addition to be a fundraiser to support Far West junior athletes,
this event is a lot of fun according to past attendees.
This year's event has a Mardi Gras theme, with Cajun and Zydeco music
completing dinner, live and silent auctions.
[23-Jan-2012]
- Mammoth GS's Cancelled
The GS races scheduled at Mammoth Mountain this weekend (replacing the originally
scheduled SG races) have been canceled due to significant snowfall and high
winds as the first strong series of winter storms this season has been
hitting the Sierras since Thursday night (with one more coming in tonight
and tomorrow).
Mammoth and all Tahoe area resorts are reporting multiple feet of snow.
With the early part of the storm series coming in fairly warm, this snowfall
should provide a great base layer for the colder storms arriving today.
The winter of 2012 has finally begun!
[22-Jan-2012]
- Mammoth SG's changed to GS
The decision has been made by Far West Masters and Mammoth Race Dept.
to change the SG's scheduled on Jan. 20-22 to 3 GS races on Jan. 21-22.
There is no way we can safely run a speed event right now - the
coverage on the SG course World Cup run is solely man-made and there's just
not enough to set a speed course and safety fencing. Weather forecasts are for
continued dry and warm through this week; the longer range forecast models
into next week are still inconclusive, but even with possible
"pattern change" that would allow the storm track to shift into
the Sierras we have no reasonable prospect for conditions to change
significantly enough to make a speed event feasible.
So the decision to change from SG to GS is being made now to allow
competitors to adjust their plans.
Mammoth will be offering open GS training on Fri. Jan. 20,
so competitors who have had limited training opportunities at their home areas
will have an opportunity to get on the race hill for training.
Event schedule details will be available later this week.
The plan is to have 3 race runs (1-1/2 races) each on Sat and Sun Jan. 21-22.
[10-Jan-2012]
- Mammoth GS's
January's race schedule opened the new year with adjustments necessitated by the
extremely dry, warm weather on the west coast this year. The Heavenly Valley Viva Italia
SL races are being rescheduled for later in the season and the Sierra at Tahoe races
were moved to Mammoth Mountain, whose Race Department stepped up to accommodate our
event along with junior races moved from Northstar in an already- busy weekend.
With snow cover limited to man-made, the Mammoth snow-making and grooming crews
did an amazing job when the temperatures finally got cold enough to make snow again.
Although we raced on a short course from a lower start, the racing conditions on
Andy's Double Gold turned out to be excellent - firm, consistent, and grippy.
So for all competitors who made it to Mammoth this weekend, we had great weather
and two days of very good GS racing.
Complete results are posted on the Race Results page
along with the updated Season Standings rankings for 2012.
[08-Jan-2012]
- Mammoth GS Schedule
As announced just before the holidays, our Jan. 7-8 races have been moved
from Sierra at Tahoe to Mammoth Mountain. The Fri. Jan. 6 SL races at Heavenly
are being rescheduled for later this season. With the extremly dry, warm conditions
throughout the Sierras this season, Mammoth is one of the few areas with the
ability to host racing at this time and we greatly appreciate their willingness
to host our races.
***Please note start times and inspection periods.
Mammoth stepped up and was willing to add our races to an already-busy weekend,
so our “usual” race-day schedule is being adjusted to accommodate the slots
when we can have hill space and race crews for our events.
We will be racing on Andy’s Double Gold (ADG) both days, which has the best coverage.
Inspection time will be shortened to a half-hour, but with easy access from
Broadway Express (chair 1) there will be plenty of time for all competitors
to have an adequate inspection – just be sure to plan your race day to be there
promptly and make good use of the available inspection period.
Details and daily schedule are provided in the race announcement flyers.
On Saturday, we will have inspection at 12:30-1 with a 1:15 start; racer checkin
will be at the Race Department in the Slopeside building (just west of the Main Lodge
and Broadway Express loading area).
Sunday's race will be at 9:30, with inspection from 8:45-9:15; checkin will
be in Roma's Room (3rd floor Main Lodge, east end).
Open Training on Friday!
Mammoth Mountain Race Department is offering free GS training
on Friday from 10:30 to 12:00 on ADG (our race hill for Saturday and Sunday).
Please thank Pierre, Tom and all involved with the Mammoth Mountain Race
Department for providing this opportunity to all competitors!
[03-Jan-2012; updated Wed 1/4]
- Heavenly SL's postponed
With no break yet in the warm, dry weather pattern that has persisted in the Sierras
throughout the early part of this season, we've agreed with the organizers at Heavenly
that the Viva Italia SL races scheduled for Fri. Jan. 6 will be postponed until later
in the season.
Tentatively we hope to reschedule on Fri. Feb. 24, the day before
the Mt. Rose race weekend, which will allow for geographic proximity to make
a great 3-day race weekend with the Viva Italia and McKinney Cup trophy races.
The rescheduled date will be confirmed during the first week of January.
[30-Dec-2011]
- Schedule updates for Jan. 6-8
Heavenly still has hope that they will be able to host the Viva Italia
Slaloms on Friday, January 6. But, should they not have enough snow, we
have tentatively scheduled a back-up date of February 24, which is the
Friday before the Mount Rose races. We should know Heavenly's status by
Wednesday Dec. 28th.
The races scheduled for Sierra at Tahoe on January 7 and 8 have been moved
to Mammoth Mountain. Unfortunately, due to lack of available terrain,
Sierra at Tahoe is unable to accommodate any racing at this time. We
searched for a substitute location in the Tahoe area,
but we weren't able to find a race hill open. The Mammoth
Mountain Race Department graciously offered to host the races, and we gladly
accepted. We will have a GS race on Saturday afternoon and a GS race the
following Sunday morning.
Due to the dismal snow conditions in the west, this is the only game in town
right now! I know that there will be a strong showing of attendance from
the racers south of Tahoe. We would love to see an equal amount of racers
from the Tahoe area and other parts of the Far West Masters come to Mammoth
and support this race. The next scheduled event is not until January
20th-22nd. Losing the GS races at Sierra at Tahoe and not trying to come
up with another venue was way too long for us not to race. Remember, we are
in the business of putting on races and we are doing everything possible to
keep that promise to our members.
Once again, please come down to Mammoth and support our organization. This
should be great event!
[Mark Mirviss, President]
[24-Dec-2011]
- Regionals, Nationals, FIS Criterium
Registration is now open for the regional, national, and international championship events of the 2012 season.
The Western Region championships will be held February 2-5 at Big Sky, MT.
The regional championships are a 4-discipline SC/SG/GS/SL event, with super-combined included in the combined scoring
for the overall regional class champion awards. The SG race also counts in the
2012 National Speed Series.
The National Championships will be held Mar 19- 23 at Park City, UT.
The nationals will include 4 events, with a Super-Combined (SC) race along
with the 3-event SG/GS/SL races for the combined age class champions scoring.
The national DH championships will be held at Ski Cooper, CO on the weekend of March 10-11. T
he national championship DH and SG races are the final events in the
2012 National Speed Series.
A special highlight of the 2012 competition will be the FIS Masters World Criterium,
hosted in North America this season at Mammoth Mountain, CA on March 26-31.
The Criterium is a premier event of the 2012 international masters competition season
and a major event that is expected to draw top competitors from around the world.
Online registration is now open for all major events.
[22-Dec-2011]
- Warren Hellman
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of
Warren Hellman. When I first started skiing Masters and training a Squaw
Valley, I met Warren and his wife Chris. They both trained and raced with
us. Soon after, I met their Daughter, Tricia Gibbs, who was a former U.S.
Ski Team member and also competed with us.
Warren's passion for life was exhibited in his passion for sport. He played
NCAA water polo while a student at Cal Berkley, he ran ultra marathons, and
of course competed in skiing. Warren's love of sport drove him to co-found
the Stratton Mountain School in 1972, a skiing academy that stressed
academics as much or more than just success on the slopes. One of his
primary reasons for the founding of the highly successful school was to
enable his children to be highly educated while at the same time, become
highly competitive skiers. Not to rest on his laurels, Warren repeated the
process by founding the Sugar Bowl Academy for the benefit of all young
skiers including his grandchildren.
Warren will always be remembered for his philanthropy and for this; a street
in Golden Gate Park was recently re-named in his honor. Warren said, "What
does move me is the philanthropic stuff," he told Forbes magazine in 2006.
"Giving really does move me. Part of it is selfish. It's fun to be
appreciated. But the other part is that good things really are growing."
Warren died last Sunday at the age of 77 from leukemia. The family has asked
that, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the San Francisco Free
Clinic (founded by Warren, and now run by Tricia), the Bay Citizen and the
San Francisco School Alliance. The family also requests a donation of blood
or platelets to a local blood bank.
[Mark Mirviss - Far West Masters president]
Warren's passing was widely noted, reflecting his influence and passion
in business, sports, and culture
[21-Dec-2011]
- Mammoth Race Photos
Expert race photographer Susan Morning was out shooting our opening races at Mammoth on Dec. 3-4.
If you didn't have a chance to stop by Mammoth Photos in the Main Lodge, you can check out
the race photos online at Mammoth Memories photos -
select Race for the Location and the date of Dec. 3 or Dec. 4 to see the race photos.
[20-Dec-2011]
- Mammoth Season Opener
The 2012 Far West Masters season opened this weekend with 3 days of SL racing
at Mammoth Mountain. The original schedule of 2 SL's on Friday and 3 GS's on the
weekend was modified due to limited early season coverage to 3 SL races.
The preceding week featured some excellent SL training for those able to attend
the Mammoth Masters training camp. Sidelined Mammoth Masters head coach
Pierre Jeangirard worked on 1 ski all week due to an early season calf injury,
but even with limited mobility his leadership and coaching tips in video analysis
were an asset. Unfortunately several athletes were lost for the weekend races
due to training injuries - Marcie Pettigrew, Marietta Frinnell, Randall Sussek,
and Bob Davis - best wishes for rapid recovery to all!
After a strong cold front blasted through the West Coast on Thursday,
with 100+ mph winds in the Sierras and Southern California producing widespread
power outages and downed trees, our race season opened on Friday with brisk but
clear weather and excellent firm racing conditions on the Andy's Double Gold (ADG)
race hill. The action continued on Saturday with a brisk NE wind producing single-digit
morning temps that challenged the racers with another day of firm conditions.
The Saturday post-race party at Giovanni's pizza provided us with a warm welcome
and plenty of food to go with the apres-race socializing.
Wrapping up on Sunday, the temperatures moderated to a more typical Sierra range
and we finished the weekend with a spectacular scenic day of clear blue skies
and calm winds.
The weekend standings were topped by #1 bib holders Matt Savage and Deb Lewis,
who backed up their 2011 overall rankings with strong skiing to open the 2012 campaign.
Complete results are posted on the Race Results page
along with the initial Season Standings rankings for 2012.
[04-Dec-2011]
- Training Camps & Programs
With a surprise winter storm rolling in bringing 1-2 feet of snow in higher elevations of the Sierras
the first week of October, it's definitely time to be planning your on-hill training program for the coming season!
The Training information page has been updated with the information
we currently have available on preseason camps and masters training programs offered in the 2011-2012 season.
Mammoth will once again be offering a 5-day masters training camp the week following Thanksgiving, leading
into the opening race weekend on Dec. 2-4. This will be a 5-day program, kicking off with a Sunday afternoon
session and 4 days Mon-Thu with 4 hours training daily. Sign up for the full week or participate on a daily basis
as your schedule permits; this is a great way to ramp up for the 2012 Far West Masters race season.
Two of our strongest programs, the Mammoth Masters Team and the Squaw Valley Masters program, are back
this season offering full-season training programs. Other long-established and popular masters
training programs are offered at Northstar, Mt. Rose, Alpine Meadows, and Sugar Bowl.
Racers in southern California should check out the Big Bear Masters, who train at Snow Summit.
Many of the season training programs have early signup deadlines approaching soon,
so if you're interested contact the organizers and get your signup in before prices go up!
The Squaw Masters program early-pricing ends this coming weekend Sat. Oct. 15,
while the Mammoth Masters early-registration pricing ends Oct. 31.
Don't hesitate to ask your fellow masters races about any of these training programs - we're all happy to share information
and tips about our home areas and training programs and to help new racers find their way to a program that fits their needs.
Check out our Far West Masters page on Facebook to post questions and share opinions.
[11-Oct-2011]
- Fall Newsletter & Membership Package
The Fall issue of the Forerunner newsletter is in the mail this week.
All members who have joined within the past few seasons will receive a copy.
Click the link below to view online; previous issues of the Forerunner
are available on the Newsletters page.
The fall issue also includes the Far West Masters membership package, with information
on the 2012 program and membership application for new and renewing members.
Please get your Far West Masters membership in to Membership chair Marcie Pettigrew
by Oct. 31 so she has time to process everyone's application
and ensure that our membership records and bib assignments are up-to-date for the
coming season.
Reminder: don't forget your USSA masters competition license! Renewals will be charged a $25 late fee after Oct. 15,
so get your license renewal in to USSA if you haven't already! You can print and mail USSA license form, or
use USSA's online member service to renew online.
[06-Oct-2011]
- Preliminary 2012 Schedule
The preliminary 2011-2012 race schedule is now available.
Mike Braun has stepped in for his first season as our Far West race scheduler
and has been working hard to put together an attractive schedule since spring.
This season's schedule features over 20 races on our division race series calendar,
along with a very special event at the end of March with Mammoth Mountain
hosting the FIS International Masters world criterium (the season finals).
As always, we've tried to put together a race schedule which provides a variety of
disciplines at the best possible venues. We're continuing to schedule 3-races-in-2-days
events where feasible, to provide maximum racing opportunity for your weekend
investment of time, money, and travelling.
The season will open with our traditional stop at Mammoth in early December, where
early-season snowmaking and great support from the organizing area has always provided us
with a solid opening event. Recognizing the December and the holidays are
a busy period for many with year-end ad family commitments, the schedule resumes
in January with a 3-day weekend on the South Shore of Tahoe, starting with the classic
Viva Italia SL races at Heavenly on Friday and moving over to Sierra at Tahoe
for the weekend. Our next event is a 3-day SG event at Mammoth, which has
become a favorite for many and will be the opening event of the 2012 National
Speed Series.
The Western Region Champships are being hosted this season in Intermountain
Division on Feb. 2-5 at Big Sky, MT, which has fantastic race hills.
February continues with a GS weekend at Northstar and the McKinney Cup
at Mt. Rose. In an action-packed March, Squaw Valley hosts the Bernard Cup and the
USSA Masters National Championships will be at Park City UT on Mar. 19-23,
before finishing with the International Masters Criterium at Mammoth Mountain CA
on Mar. 27-31.
The Far West season wraps up in April with the season finals moving back
to the North Shore of Tahoe. The finals carnival opens with DH/SG races
at Northstar and continues with a return to Sugar Bowl for the final GS/SL
races of the 2012 season and our traditional year-end season banquet.
[29-Jul-2011]
- Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship
Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship -
Jeff Wattenmaker was an avid Masters racer who supported the Masters Scholarship Program and its ideals.
Prior to his recent passing, he generously arranged to donate funds to expand the Masters Scholarship Program
and to thereby make available funding for a University education to members of the Program.
The Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship to be used towards college expenses.
This scholarship will be given out yearly to a member of the Far West Masters Scholarship Program.
The Far West Masters Scholarship Program is pleased to announce the winners of the Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship for 2011.
Scholarships are awarded based on a combination of (and in order of importance) citizenship, exemplary work ethic,
academic scholarship, financial need, and alpine ski race results. This year's winners are :
- Sal Monforte (North Tahoe High School)
- Brian Tidd (North Tahoe High School)
- James Clifford (Sugar Bowl Academy/Middlebury College)
- Amie Lonza (Mammoth High School)
You can read their scholarship applications on the
Scholarship Program News page -
it's well worth a few minutes to learn about some great kids who are successfully
combining accomplishments in both ski racing and their education.
The application form for junior athletes who wish to apply for a 2011-2012 season
scholarship is now available. Applications are due September 15, 2011
[09-Jul-2011]
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