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NASTAR and the "Must Do" Turn (Courtesy of skiinghistory.org)

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Some of you may have heard of the amateur race league, NASTAR. Here's a nice letter from the founder to his younger self. Some good points...
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fskiinghistory%2Fposts%2F2077639152252402

NASTAR AND THE MUST-DO TURN: A Letter from John Fry to John Fry Smile

This letter is in response to an article by octogenarian John Fry in the January-February 2018 issue of Skiing History, recalling the origins of NASTAR, the National Standard Ski Race, 50 years ago. At age 37, Fry wrote a 1967 editorial "Scoreless Sport” in SKI Magazine, comparing a typical recreational skier to someone playing golf without keeping score. Or a tennis player lobbing the ball back and forth without so much as a love-15.

As with many things we did when younger, I’d like to retroactively correct myself. Skiing, in fact, is a sport superior to golf or tennis precisely because you can enjoy it without having to keep score. Recreational skiers don’t need a chronometer to experience the accomplishment and pleasure of cruising blinding-white corduroy where the mountain meets the sky. A tennis court doesn’t afford the rush of descending a mountain as fast as a flying bird. You can’t measure the joy of a glorious turn in deep sparkling powder snow. And, unlike tennis and golf, a whole family can ski together.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising that tennis and golf have recently been experiencing a severe decline in participation, while skiing has held its own against the time-consuming onslaught of video games, I-Phonage, Facebook and Twitter.

That said, part of the original vision I had for NASTAR was to introduce more skiers to gates so that they gain the ability to execute a turn at an exact point. It’s more challenging than the simple freedom of turning where the terrain looks favorable or rhythm dictates. A gated race course dictates where you must turn. Being forced to enter a gate precisely generates the skill needed to make a must-do turn to avoid a tree or another skier. Collision avoidance should be a top priority at ski areas today, which is why more of them and their schools should be offering NASTAR.

John Fry
Katonah, NY
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Agree. How can you have a competition to see who had the most fun on the way down the hill?
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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?
under a new name wrote:
John Fry
Katonah, NY

Two of our closest friends live in Katonah, and we've stayed there several times. Wonder if he is a neighbour of our friends? Isn't NASTAR based on the French Flèche system?
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
I was at Snowmass once on a powder day that co-incided with NASTAR National championships. To my mind there was nothing sadder than seeing seriously old guys in lycra passing up the chance of a powder day to wait in line for a 30 sec gate run for a result no-one but themselves would care about. I suspect however they probably saw things differently having maybe worked multiple seasons through their retirement to qualify for such an event.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@rob@rar, no idea, I'm afraid.

@Dave of the Marmottes, some powdery Inferno week's resonate Shocked Shocked
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@Dave of the Marmottes, some people love gates.
Some people love powder.

clearly you are from the latter, but why so patronising of the first?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Some people love both. Some people have the time to enjoy both.

I like the letter. It resonates with me.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
rungsp wrote:
@Dave of the Marmottes, some people love gates.
Some people love powder.

clearly you are from the latter, but why so patronising of the first?


I'm not patronising anyone. They made their choice clearly for something they enjoyed I just was saying it wouldn't be my choice if I had limited skiing days left on earth potentially. ( I mean I obviously I have limited pow days left in me now and it wouldn't be may choice)
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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.
As it happens I took a day trip to a resort in Utah last week. I rented some gear and off I went. After a few runs I noticed a GS course being set up. It was a NASTAR race! So I signed up and got a silver medal. Not bad for rear entry boots and a pair of beat up rental skis and wearing ordinary skiing clothes..

But the best thing was I got chatting to the other racers. Immediately I went from being "Billy no mates" to having a group of friends. We skied together afterwards and they showed me some nice spots and then we had a coffee.

For me NASTAR made what was already a good day into a really great day.

I race in other formats and I cherish the cameraderie and sportsmanship of doing competitive sport at an amateur level. Compare that with the old saying "no friends on a powder day".
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@hyperkub, I still have my 3 golds and 1 silver proudly displayed from some 17 years ago Shocked Shocked
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@hyperkub, sweet
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