 Poster: A snowHead
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Thought we should have another thread for racekids.
My two are still in U10 and U12, like last year, but they are now the oldest year in their respective age groups.
Both doing dryland once a week and gymnastics once a week as part of programme. U12 will start skiing as soon as the snow turns up, U10 a little later.
Club aren't going to LL worldcup again this year, just the worldcup skiercross at nakiska
We are getting all set for the season with kit, equipment etc. Its an expensive time of year!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| gryphea wrote: |
| Its an expensive time of year! |
Don't we know it! Apart from the new boots, he's had new poles, new skis, and a new helmet in recent months. Not to mention the replacements for the shinguards and training shorts which he lost in Flaine, and the new gloves to replace the old ones which had just about disintegrated. And new catsuit as the old one was too small.
And now packing for training next week in France I find his goggles are dead ...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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RobW,
Realistically I work to keep us all in skiing!
U12 has new boots, two new skis (all bought at around 40% to 50% of retail on his 'sponsorship deal'. This turned out to be a bit expensive and next year we will go back to second hand! His sponsorship boots he got for $220, retail price $440 but we would never have paid anywhere near the retail! and last year paid 150 for new. Speedsuit, zip off short/training pants still fit. New jacket (club). Also got some new rock/all mountain/powder skis, but these were secondhand and $40 and we'll sell them on for that
U10 has new speedsuit and training pants/shorts thingeys (suit bought with birthday money). New second hand boots. New jacket (club). Skiing in brothers old skis. Rock/powder/all mountain from last year (secondhand anyway) still fit
Luckily no new goggles or helmets needed. Still to get new shinneys for U12 and new mitts for both as they wore last ones out (he fancies leki clip ons online from US, I fancy walmart's own). Still yet to do underwear/layers audit.
This is before any focus on the adults, we come a very poor second.........
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Working a casino for the ski club tonight. This is a uniquely Albertan phenomena whereby non-profits get to runa casino for 48 hrs and get a share of the profits, 10% of slot takes and 505 of table profits. it works out at about $70K per casino. I am chip running the 6pm to 3am shift. Nice.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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So first day on snow tomorrow for U12. Not much will be open, like one run, but coach is keen. I am slightly less keen
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A day at nakiska again today. Swiss, French and Canadian Teams training there
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Sat next to Andreas Romar (finland) on lift today. He seemed really nice and am looking forward to seeing him race next weekend at LL.
He said he really likes LL as, despite the small crowds, everyone cheers everyone on regardless of country and that it has a great atmosphere and its the only race where everyone stays in same hotel as everyone else. He said the European races are nothing like that, where basically if you aren't the home team no one wants to know.
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Quick heads up from Norway....
Harald is first year U14 now, and being born in late September one of the youngest. U14 is the first class with official national championships which will be a Hafjell in April.
Spent the autumn half term in Sölden - 6 days training on the Rettenbach glacier. Two days SL at Gålå two weeks ago, two and a half days of SL, GS and SG at Hemsedal last weekend - they all got cabin fever on Sunday as gales kept the lifts shut all day. Tomorrow we head for Gålå again for another two days of SL. Next weekend is the Christmas camp at Hemsedal = 4days with SG Monday and Tuesday, then hopefully our local hill will open in time for training over the Christmas period.
New boots for this year - H. was crushing the Lange 70's even though he hadn't strictly grown out of them. Found a pair of Dalbello Scorpion 90's on the cheap (NOK 700 = $115) and took a chance on them - with the booster straps in place and several days on them now they're apparently getting very comfortable. Skis are the 165 Head GS's from last season, and the 141 SL's I picked up after the end of the season. For SG a pair of Fischer 186's - I wasn't with him at Hemsedal last week, so I didn't get to see first hand, but apparently he was doing well on them once he'd got the feeling. Most of the other gear is carried over from last season, with the exception of 5cm longer poles all round. I was quite good at selling stuff this year so I made some space in the basement and some cash in the skiing fund.
Races start up right over the New Year, and with all the training days between now and then I have no idea how we're gonna make time for Christmas!!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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squawker,
Thanks for the update; really enjoy reading about H and his exploits in Norway. Wow to the SG skis. Here they don't do speed till way later, not quite sure what age but not until at least U16 and I think even FIS.
We have Head GS 151 and SL 136 for the U12 ; he's a little smallish. He also has the rock/all mountain skis that we picked up for $40. U10 has rossie multievent race skis and some second hand all mountain/rock
Our season started a few weeks ago now with skiing at Nakiska and Sunshine; no gates yet until Christmas camp. U12 has 3 provincial races, as last year- Jasper, Red Deer (river valley skiing albertan style) and Norquay. New this year he has western series skier cross events at Sunshine and LL; these seem to be time trials (phew) and not head to heads. He seems to be hoping to make the finals which is a separate event and I think national; I think he may be a little over ambitious but we will see! His coach once again has a you tube channel of the kids skiing and is very keen.
U10 has very few races as two have been cancelled and we aren't allowed outside our designated 'zone'. So looks like she'll be racing only at Sunshine and Lake Louise. She has a new coach, who was U12 assistant coach, so we know her quite well.
Last week we were at Ll for downhill. Saw the big Norwegian and he signed the kids helmets!
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Wow, those two weeks went quickly. Sadly, here in the Oslo basin winter seems to have deserted us. The snow we had has pretty much rained away, temperatures are mild and the hills that managed to open a White Ribbon of Death haven't gotten any further. At Kolsåsbakken we have a decent strip down the middle of the hill, and the kiddies slope is open, but not enough space for gate sets or to open up for general training. A week of seriously cold weather would do a power of good, or else a really heavy snow storm - but neither are predicted during the Christmas period
On the other hand, we've had two great weekends of training away from home. Gålå was chilly and we had fresh snow Sunday morning which was nice - the session before lunch was more of an SL obstacle course than a race set, with flat jumps, crouching under and around poles and various other challenges thrown in. Two days of SL, all very conveniently organized in a ski-in/ski-out arrangement. Driving the big trailer with gates, skis, bags etc. behind my Volvo (4hrs each way) was a bit scary - someone had to do it and I had the car for the job, if not the experience. It all went very well.
This weekend past was the annual Christmas camp, this year in Hemsedal. 140 people, both racers, parents and coaches stuffed into 4 big, fancy cabins for 2 days. Then about 20 racers and a few adults stayed on in one of the cabins for an extra two days of speed training. There was surprisingly little natural snow in Hemsedal, so the GS courses at the weekend were scarped down to solid ice in no time. Its all good training, but I think they were all a bit sick of the ice and very exhausted after 2 days.
The next 2 days were better. There was some fresh overnight snow, and a fair bit of wind too, so conditions weren't perfect for SG, but they got in loads of runs and really built up their confidence on the long skis at high speeds. Top speed, measured with GPS goggles was 111 kph for one of the strongest and heaviest boys, whereas Jeppe, a physical lightweight clocked 108 kph. That should put Harald just below 110 too. They were running a long slope in a straight line, in a tuck, on flat skis, stripped to their speed suits - I'll readily admit I was a bit nervous watching, but thankfully no mishaps or even scares with any of the kids. Their grins just got wider and wider as they got the feel of it.
Now its time to backpedal just a little - to ski locally just because we fancy it, and enjoy the festive break. Doesn't look like there'll be much organized training until we get more snow.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks for update squawker, SG - scarey! "Camp' sounds great fun.
We are into regularish training weekends at Nakiska, although tomorrow is a freeski day at sunshine for both U12 and U10. Nakiska has been mainly technical drills and technical free ski although u12 has just started with some GS gates with courses mainly focussed on getting the correct line by having brushes for correct line and a panel where the gate would be. U12 has also done goal setting activities and has to produce a 60 second video/advert for his goals by Jan. His 3 goals are: no A framing, to take a better line in the gates and a behavioral goal. His coach is keen as ever and once again has a You tube Channel where he posts loads of videos and they get one on one video analysis sessions with coaches every so often. We have also had a PAC meeting (parent, Athlete/Coach) in place of report cards. U12 have started one night a week at COP . U10 starts COP in Jan. Our u12 is still keen as ever and very focussed. Our U10 is definitely more in it for the social side! I think there are 13 kids in u12 and 2 coaches and there are around the same in U10 with two coaches. U10 is 9 girls, 4 boys! They both have a Christmas camp (really just day trips 27th-29th Dec) with an additional Sunshine day for u12. Taken in two world cups (mens DH at LL and Skier cross at Nakiska)
We have had some rough weather, last weekend was 35 degrees warmer than the weekend before on the drive there! U10 cancelled on the cold day, U12 somehow went out and no-one died of hypothermia or got frostbite. That was the only day I didn't ski!
I have skied a lot as husband has had DIY to do. So I feel quite good about that ( on both counts). Have new skis too for on piste and they are working well! Conditions have been so so this winter so far; fine for the racers, a little bit icy for me!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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stewart woodward,
Thanks for update. Do you mean that these races are sort of handicapped? That's interesting!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Hi everyone
So, our season is progressing. Club weekend last weekend in Fernie, which was great apart from very wet on the Saturday. Lakes of water being pumped in pedestrian area at bottom.
Race season starts next weekend with U12 in Jasper, so we'll see how things are stacked for our U12. He does two single run KK events on the sat two single run GS on sunday. Jaspers about a 4 hr drive (sometimes a lot worse) and so that's one I definitely leave to the dads. Then a weekend at LL doing skier cross for U12, then the following weekend U10 race at sunshine (this looks a much improved race weekend this year, last year was just one day, two run event where both run times counted, this year its two separate days of events each day is best of two run times). So a busy few weekends. Training at nakiska for U10 whilst U12 is away.
U12 coach keen as ever, U10 coach is U12 Assistant coach last year and seems to be doing a decent job of it. U12 still ridiculously keen; U10 keen but loves the social side, there is a huge posse of girls.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Been away for a while.... because we've been skiing. The seeding races have started for the Norwegian U14 championships in April, so busy, busy, busy. The first seeding race was a GS on Saturday... skied out near the end of the first run and H. was very frustrated. But after watching Aksel grab the lead over Bode at Kitzbühel during our lunch break (didn't hear that Reichelt had beaten them both until afterwards) ..... he went out for the 2nd run and completed it with a thoroughly decent, if not spectacular time.
You have to attend at least one seeding race in two of the three disciplines (SL, GS and SG) to qualify for the championships. The points and seeding system is a bit complicated, so I won't bore you with that.
Sunday was the regional SL championship. 5th place!!! and some of his best competition skiing ever. Only beaten by one other 2001 boy and three very good 2000 racers. Let's say that we were both extremely pleased with that. SL has been his best discipline for some time now and at last it all came together for two solid runs. A huge motivational boost for Harald, as was watching Henrik Kristoffersen win under the floodlights of Schladming last night - its not long since Henrik was training and racing on our hill and now he's beating Hirscher et. al. Henrik isn't from our club, but has spent many, many hours at Kolsåsbakken. Lotte Sejersted on the other hand is one of ours 
No training today. Tomorrow is GS, Friday after school an SG session before the hill opens. Same again at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Rest on Sunday (there's a local race, but I think we'll quietly ignore that). GS on Monday and Tuesday evening, GS seeding race on Wednesday. Possibly an SL session on Thursday. Then off to Ål on Friday for SG training on Saturday and SG seeding race on Sunday. And breathe......
But the weekend after that again is the start of the winter break = 6 days skiing at Hafjell with friends, just hitting jumps and trails and having fun with not a coach in sight!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oski's season so far - started with a 3 week Tour de France - a week training (mostly slalom because the main training slope was closed and they had to hike part of the way up to get to the alternative so lightest skis won!) then on to Les Arcs for a mix of racing and training with a bit of free skiing thrown in too. Good result in slalom, mixed in GS (one crash, other runs got progressively better - no surprise as he'd only trained GS for half a day before the first race). "Interesting" conditions - night races on slopes which hadn't been re-pisted so rather more lumps and bumps than might usually be expected! And even more lumps and bumps in the combi race which was on an area which hadn't been pisted at all (he did win that one though)! Then over to Les Houches for the Anglo Scottish races. After earlier concerns about the amount of snow led them to change the piste the races were held on, by the time the races started there was if anything too much fresh soft snow and some of the ruts ended up huge. Again he did better in slalom than GS - best of the 2001's in one of the runs, but the last GS ended with a trip to Chamonix hospital and a few weeks off - oops. He's been back to dry slope training with no reaction though, so next stop Scotland, and then Bormio for the English Champs.
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FAQ
All of the boys managed 1 level higher than last season 
