Here we are on the 1st of November, we have a covering of snow on the mountains and the new season is only weeks away. As you know we start the season with a training camp in Mammoth from December 1st to 4th followed by the season opener, two GS races on Dec 5th and 6th. To help kick the season off we have decided to hold a party on Friday evening at the Mammoth Brewing Company at 18 Lake Mary Road.

The U.S. Ski Team donates race suits to the Far West Masters Scholarship Program. These are new suits that were never used by the team and retail for about $1,700. The program raises money by selling them for $500 to Masters racers and to athletes who are not in the scholarship program. Sponsored scholarship athletes pay $100, so they have “a little ski in the game.”

Mammoth Mountain is hosting the camp Tuesday through Friday, December 1–4, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day. All four days focus on GS training.

Immediately following the camp is the Masters Opener, the annual kickoff for Far West Masters Racing, with two GS races at Mammoth on December 5–6.

Dear Far West Masters Association,

First and foremost, thank you again for your tremendous support over the years, and especially for the college grant. It truly means a great deal to me. I recently completed my first year at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, along with my first season ski racing out East (and I survived the winter!).

You may wonder why I am writing the update rather than Rees. As some of you may know Rees had an unexpected medical setback shortly after the end of last season, but he is making good progress now. As a result of this Rees decided to step down from his role as Division Chair of Far West Masters. We held a special board meeting in July where Rees nominated me as his interim successor as Division Chair and the board voted to confirm my appointment. Please join us in thanking Rees for his many contributions to Far West Masters as Division Chair and in so many other ways over the years. Rees will continue on the board as immediate past Division Chair and Ray Tulloch will step down from that role as Rees succeeds him. A big thanks to Ray for his many contributions also. I would like to thank Rees and the rest of the board for their confidence in me to succeed Rees. According to the bylaws the role of Division Chair will be up for election by a vote of all members in March next year.

As we enter the "meaty" portion of the Far West Masters ski season, so enters Mother Nature as well. We are grateful for the impending snow, but timing is everything as is said.

The 2026 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Masters National Championships will be held March 22–28, 2026, at Mammoth Mountain, CA — right here in the Far West division. This is a full week of racing, socializing, and celebrating everything that makes Masters racing great.

For the full event schedule, news, and updates, visit the [U.S. Ski & Snowboard Masters events page](https://www.usskiandsnowboard.org/masters/masters-events-schedules#NAT). A more detailed schedule will be released closer to the event. Once the event has started, refer to nightly racer emails and WhatsApp updates for the latest schedule details.

Register: [AdminSkiRacing](https://masters.adminskiracing.com/2026nationals)

Late fee deadline: Sunday, March 8, 2026 — registrations after that date are subject to a $20 late fee per race.