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Monthly Archive for December, 2008
For the past eight years the start of the ski season has kicked off with one of my unique pleasures. Humbly setting me back to my roots of ski racing, and all the while enhancing my respect for those that have perfected the art of glissading down ice at unfathomable speeds, the Birds of Prey World Cup is a spectacle that has to be seen in order to understand. Watching the world’s best ski racers tear down a mountain at speeds only imaginable through the use of motorized assistance, the race not only inspires me to wear a helmet, but also inspires me to respect the fearless gladiators of the sport.
The Birds of Prey takes place in Beaver Creek, CO and is the only American stop of the International World Cup Tour. Taking place at the start of December each year, the race not only signifies the start of the season, but also offers a glimpse into the actions of the true warriors of skiing. With the opportunity to get on the course and slip the track during the race, I can attest to the seriousness for the sport that TV cameras may not capture. The track is prepped for days before the race with thanks to many volunteers and the local Ski Club Vail. Much like washing your car will make it rain, planning a race in Beaver Creek will make it snow. Therefore, hours are spent removing snow and preparing the sheet of ice they call the track. Hundreds of man hours go into the icing down of the entire slope through the use of hydro injected water cannons, along with the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fencing and safety nets that are set in place and suspended along the length of the course. Banners and TV cameras line the course, sponsor and VIP tents fill the finish area, while bleachers stand proudly saluting the massive TV screen awaiting the brilliant athletic display from the world’s best skiers.
The atmosphere in the finish area is anxious with spectators, media, and race personnel from around the world. For two minutes at 70MPH, in a game of millimeters the athletes race at freeway speeds protected by a thin plastic shell on their heads and a spandex suit on their bodies. This event keeps you on your toes, if not because they are cold, but for the thrill of watching athletes battle gravity, pure focus, and milliseconds. However, the situation at the start is totally different. Athletes roam lethargically trying to shake their nerves while stretching and visualizing the race with TV cameras stuffed in their faces documenting their every move. Coaches meticulously prep and tend to their athlete’s skis like mothers giving their baby a first bath. As the beep of the starting timer ticks through the start list the tension builds towards each racers moment of glory when they step in the gate and see the finish between their tips 2000ft below.
With the icy conditions, slipping the course was difficult to slip, which made it hard to imagine racing down it at the fastest speed possible. The firm snow was not only difficult to turn on, but with my Big Mountain skis, which are slightly less then “race” ready, the task was more of a challenge then I expected. The ice was so firm that skates would have been more appropriate for the task. After seeing some of the crashes up close however, I could only imagine how relentless the ice had to be on the body. For those who crashed at high speeds, the icy surface offered no cushion for the fall and appeared as if their momentum did not slow until they hit a fence. Scary for most, thrilling for others, the race is more then an event but a way of life for many and provides a brief look at the European winter sport of choice. America’s misunderstanding of the sport is clear when you talk to those in the south about skiing, but the race in Beaver Creek can be inspiring even to those who have never put ski boots on before. No engines, just muscle and heart drive the racers to experience the same forces and similar consequences of a Nascar driver. Sounds incredible, but you have to see it to understand.
Ted Leighty, on his way to a 2nd in the GS.
At the end of the weekend one man came out victorious above the others, but furthermore over his own adversities. Aksel Lund Svindal won both the DH and SG after being evacuated from the same hill with major injuries just one year prior. His performance at Beaver Creek exemplifies the power and perseverance of the mind. In an athletic event or the tribulations of life, the mind is what carries the body and heart to do great things and Aksel proved it in Beaver Creek. He obviously set his sights and goals on returning to the world cup with vengeance, but dominating on the hill that almost took his leg was not only a comeuppance, but a feat of mental domination.
Needless to say the event went off without a hitch. The parties and events in the village put on buy Universal Sports and others were a great opportunity to meet some of the athletes and socialize with some of the coaches and crew. However, now that this experience has passed and the winter has officially begun, it is time to embark on winter activities of our own. The snow is falling and the temperature has dropped low enough that even some natives have run south of the boarder to escape the cold. That must mean it is time to start skiing.
December Powder
Skiing tests the mind’s ability to react instantaneously to its immediate surroundings. Complacently hovering inches above the geological formations of Earth, separated merely by a pillow of granulated frozen water, it’s the most rewarding sensation experienced by minimal exertion. Unprecedented amounts of latent risk are simply no match for a skier’s motive. Performing acts of athletic brilliance while dancing symbiotically with gravity has the ability to relieve confounding societal affairs.
To explain this feeling entails more than just an understanding of sport. For example, anyone can explain how to hit a baseball and appear as if they understand the bat vs. ball conundrum. However, even when the best skiers explain the feeling of skiing a powder run, it may still come across as gibberish or uneducated chatter even to someone who understands “skier lingo.” The unfamiliarity comes from the difficulty of expressing a particular emotion or sensation amidst the multitude experienced throughout every run.
Skiing’s varying factors exponentially change and create something new and exciting for each participant day to day. Each adventure yields a different, new, and enlightening yet inexplicable set of emotions. Each turn contains a different feeling or end result based on many variables and the amount of effort exerted. Emotions, conditions, and physical ability can skew one’s experience thus making an explanation of “the best run ever” seem like an enigmatic puzzle to those whom did not experience it for themselves.
The successes of skiing correlate directly to the efforts prior to and during the particular performance. For instance, strength of the body will make each turn more enjoyable, and strength of the mind will bring you one step closer to allowing tacit assent to your inner desires. Every turn yields a mysterious reward or unique feeling, where the harder you try the more rewarding the experience can be. Skiing is an activity of freedom and personal desire, even granting the most contrite or reprobated individual an escape from reality while frolicking methodically with nature.
However, there is an obvious gap in the understanding of skiing between the quintessential “weekend warriors” and the professionals who have progressed the sport. The common skier’s timid approach prevents a total understanding of the possibilities, as fear and apprehension linger lucidly in their actions. Nonetheless, some have developed a precocious and intrepid ability to defy the physics that apply to the mere mortals that have yet to discover the loopholes in gravity. Skiers have taken the limits of a motorless sport to the boundaries of human capability.
Many can watch and assume competence, but a true understanding of skiing, at a level where the consequences are pungent and palpable, can only be experienced. Performing each trick or turn, knowing it could be your last, yet remaining confidant and resolute in your actions is a skill only acquired through experience. The feeling of glissading down a snow-covered mountain with the intent to fly is the most exhilarating and emotionally powerful experience.
Despite an unprecedented amount of eminent risk and consequences associated with a sport that gambles with the forces of nature, skiing has something to offer everyone at every level. No matter what your ability (even if you just get dressed up in ski gear to enjoy the après-ski scene), skiing is a sport with a community built on passion and personal vindication. There may be a gap between levels, and therefore, an understanding of the sport’s limits, however the community and atmosphere itself is the reason people ski and not to defy the laws of physics. The vibe of a ski town can be felt and experienced by people on many levels, as the experience goes above and beyond the skiing itself. Being outside with friends and family while challenging your physical abilities and playing with nature is the reason skiing compels people to bundle up and brave the elements. Skiing, while sometimes cumbersome and awkwardly uninviting, can encapsulate your mind in a euphoric sense of freedom and become a part of who you are.
As the 08-09 winter season starts, and the snow begins to mask the imperfections of Earth, I will be sharing some of my experiences with you. I hope to convey the true nature of the sport from a unique perspective. Some stories will touch upon a particular jump, turn, or experience, while some will portray the camaraderie shared among the sport’s participants. Either way, a community has been created around the sport of swooshing down snow, and I hope you can all experience some aspect of its brilliance and use my words as motivation to either go skiing or experience something new in the process of life.
(As seen on my Universal Sports Blog)
Take a ride to paradise
Live on One-piece, Live on!
Vail Early Season Powder
