On the first weekend in April, 18 Après racers competed at the Far West Championships at Heavenly at Tahoe. The Far West races are the final races of the year, pitting racers from leagues in the seven western states against each other.
Some of the people came up early for the Pacesetter Trials or for free skiing on Friday. Randy McBeath participated in the Pacesetter Trials, joining Jim Sanchez and Randy Salzman as bonafide Open League Pacesetters. Randy McBeath and Jim spent a grueling day running three slalom and two giant slalom races on the World Cup run. Having Pacesetters will provide good exposure for these three individuals and for Après.
Unfortunately, Marie Barberi took a nasty fall at Sierra at Tahoe on Tuesday, and she sustained some fractures in her upper arm bone. That ended her chances for additional postseason glory at Far West.
Saturday morning the Slalom races were held on World Cup, a short icy run on the front face of the California side. There was plenty of snow on the race course, but it was a real adventure just getting to the courses. The choices were to ski down the face of East Bowl (treacherous to skiers) or take the long sparsely covered route on Roundabout (hazardous to skis) or hike up some distance. Many of us violated one of Après Rules of Skiing, walking up hill to get to our races.
On Saturday Après had a great showing, with 15 of our 18 racers scoring in the top three in their
classes. Only one Après racer failed to finish their race; yours truly. How embarrassing! Highlights
from the Slalom included first place finishes by Austin Parlette, Jesse Tibbetts, Sean Powers,
Laura Bryan and David Dippon. Yes, Sean finally scored a first place finish, in the biggest race
of the year. Paul Vlasveld earned the only Après Strike on Saturday while finishing second in his class.
Saturday night 250 racers and families and friends gathered at the Horizon Resort and Casino for the awards banquet. There was a steady stream of Après racers heading to the podium to pick up plaques. There was a very nice buffet dinner, followed by a smattering of dancing. Most of the racers headed off early to set their clocks ahead one hour and to get a good night’s sleep.
Sunday morning we headed back to the California Lodge, and to Giant Slalom races on World Cup. Again it was tough getting to the top of the upper race courses, but the choices were more limited because the Roundabout trail was impassable with dirt and rocks everywhere. Once again we were forced to violate a club rule to carry the honor of Après.
Only 16 Après racers competed on Sunday, but we still scored eleven top three finishes. Snowboarder
extraordinaire Randy Salzman redeemed himself by crushing his opposition on Sunday. Jesse Tibbetts
and David Dippon each scored first place sweeping both days. Renee St Germaine and Paul Vlasveld
each improved to take first place in their classes on Sunday. Anne Chartier was shocked to find
out that she won her class. Laura Bryan finished second in her class by a mere seven-hundredths
of a second.
The final results were not announced, but I don’t think that there is any question that Open League had way more points than any other League. We may have to wait until the Far West Convention in June to hear the final standings for the year. Results now available.
There were some hugs, and some tearful goodbyes as we bid a fond farewell to our friends and our competition, as the ski race season is now over for the year. In general it was a very good year, with a lot of fun, a few tears, and some great times. Many of the Après racers made significant improvements this year, and some of us were having “rebuilding years”. We lost a few friends to injuries, but we strengthened old friendships and made new friends. I am sad to see the season end, and I look forward to another great year next year, but it is time to start enjoying the summer sports and activities.