 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hmm, well I can see you have left yourself a legalistic get-out. Perhaps I unconsciously took the remark more personally due to the previous one about "a Snowball's chance in hell".
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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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hello amigos
me again; dont worry snowball i am gunning for pg beret, that is my gold medal; PG i am yet to meet you on the slopes. to all snowheads found myself my first taster race in courchevel 1850 on the 5TH of feb. i got wind of a memorial race, no pressure to earn pionts, this will show me where i stand at the moment.
today was my third day of training on gs gates. i had the opportunity of joining a couple of guys timing for their euro speed test. i am proud to say i came
2 seconds behind the fastest of the 2 guys who were being timed.
i know it is a long way off world cup time but it gave me a new injection of life cause i have been a bit low not having my coach and not getting the opportunity to train gates regularly. but i have faith that God will see me through and enable me make the 120 points.
currently i am doing all i can to get enough funds to pay my coach to come out. so if any snowhead knows of some rich mavrick who might wish to sponsor a rare snowleopard whom many say does not stand a chance; please let me know.
thanks guys for keeping the tyhread alive; the website is still being worked on and the guy building it will soon have some very interesting stuff for all snowheads
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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snowleopard, best of luck in the race on the 5th! We're all wishing you the best!! Let us know how you get on, make sure you post your results here no matter how you get on. 
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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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Yes, best of luck in the GUS Cup (Courchevel GP) on Feb 5th....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Same from me.
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Good luck snowleopard.
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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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snowleopard, any races yet? Couldn't see you in the results for the weekend's competitions around Courchevel...
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 ......The following piece by Neil McQuoid of Racer-Ready Magazine - (details of the bi-monthly publication on www.snowracers.net)
I'm sure all snowHeads and snowRacers wish him better luck next time out..
| Quote: |
AFRICAN OLYMPIC ROUTE STARTS IN MERIBEL
Aiming to be the Jamaican bobsleigh team of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, the first professional skier from Ghana, chose the Natives Workers Challenge in Meribel to make his competitive debut.
Nkrumah-Acheampong took up the sport only two years ago when he got a job as a receptionist at the indoor skiing centre in Milton Keynes. He has based himself in Meribel for this winter and the Natives Giant Slalom was his first outing ‘contre la montre’.
It was the third year in a row that the Olympic Stade in Meribel had hosted the race, and competitors were blessed with clear blue skies on a fresh January day. As well as the best of season workers in the Three Valleys and Ghanian Olympic hopefuls, workers from as far away as Chamonix competed in the opening leg of the Natives Workers Challenge Race Series (www.natives.co.uk/race).
Over a hundred competitors took part in the individual Giant Slalom in the morning, and for Nkrumah-Acheampong, it was a first opportunity to see his name emblazoned on the main scoreboard, where gods such as Alain Baxter, Chemmy Alcott and Finlay Mickel have gone before. Unfortunately due to a limit on the number of characters available on the screen, strict informality ruled for race number 114, named solely as ‘Kwame’.
As with all Natives Workers Challenge events, although the emphasis was on inclusivity, with many novice racers taking the chance to experience the thrill of racing for the first time, the standard at the top was very high, with a number of ex-national team skiers from the home countries.
Unfortunately Kwame’s debut resulted in a DNF (‘Did not Finish’), but undeterred his multinational team entered the afternoon’s team Parallel Slalom races.
Over twenty ski and board teams took part, and the crowds who braved the freezing cold conditions were not disappointed – with the racing at an awesomely high standard and as packed with tumbles and turnarounds as only a truly head-to-head sport can be.
With such a high standard, the Ghanian’s team did not make the latter stages, although Kwame told Natives afterwards that the day had been great experience. A committed Christian, he added: "Only one person stops you reaching the top and that's yourself."
In the boarding competition, the Dick’s Tea Bar squad, Ski Dicks, more comfortably confirmed victory by conquering every team in their round robin group.
The skiing competition went to best of three final and could have been either teams’ race right up until the final second, with Dani and Her Merry Men, led by Dani Bosher, eventually pulling victory from the slavering jaws of the second placed Special Needs, led by Tim Fawke.
The prize-giving at Jack’s Bar on the same evening saw the winning workers rewarded with brand new skis courtesy of Freeride.fr, gear from Fat Face, Sun Helmets, Redeye Beanies, and summer holidays from Skiworld.
The best were also rewarded with trophies and medals, while every single novice who entered was given a prize, just for having the guts to enter.
Next up for the Natives.co.uk team is the Big Air Competition in St Anton on 03 March and then the final stage of this winters Worker’s Challenge Series: the Skiercross and Boardercross Comp in Val d’Isere on 30 March.
At this stage it is not known if there will be any African entrants, but as always for a Natives event, everyone is welcome to join in.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Update - the snow leopard has been racing in Asia - Iran to be precise. Then back to France. Current FIS results here. 6 points scoring races so far but a long way off the target 120 for Olympic qualification. Good luck to him.
The web site is now a bit better but not up-dated since he was having trouble getting to Iran in February.
http://www.ghanaskiteam.com/
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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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Had a chat with Kwame in Meribel this morning, where he was racing in the British Champs GS. Afraid his FIS points total won't improve today! He finished, but struggled down what was a pretty challenging course in a rather dire state (the snow, not Kwame).... 
Points not on the FIS site yet but he'll be lucky to get into the 400s today.
Still, for a 30 year old who hadn't started skiing until recently, and only on snow this season, he's a remarkable guy, motivated, determined...
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Time to start marinading the beret, PG ????
FIS Website now up to date. 428 points now.
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You know it makes sense.
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kuwait_ian, a long, long way from 428 points down to 120 points. Noel Baxter won the GS in 2'20.20" (total time 2 runs). To earn 120 points in that race you had to finish ca. 2'34", ie within, 14 seconds and 10% of Noel's time. Kwame was 45% slower than Noel, ie he skied at almost half Noel's speed.
I know the bad conditions exaggerated the difference a little, but that is an enormous deficit to make up. And it's a real battle to whittle those points down a fraction when you reach a certain level...
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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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PG, aw, show good faith and eat ya beret anyway! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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tomski01, the local patisserie does a good line in chocolate berets
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| PG wrote: |
| Kwame was 45% slower than Noel, ie he skied at almost half Noel's speed. |
If "slower" refers to timings rather than speeds, Kwame skied at 69% of Noel's speed.
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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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laundryman, maths was never my strong point, but the calculator doesn't usually let me down! Quite right, 68 point something.
The Scotsman did a lengthy interview of Kwame on Thursday after the GS. (The bit about FIS points was my contribution - think he summed it up rather well!)
The journalist was delighted to discover a Scottish interest... Kwame was born in Glasgow. Not that he remembers much about it - the article says he was there for just under a year, but for all Kwame remembered, it could have been as little as a week.
| Quote: |
"It’s an experiment," he says, "to see if someone my age [he turned 30 in December], who took up skiing on real snow a year ago, can do what it’s taken these guys years. But I need points so badly. I entered a race this weekend [yesterday and today] in Auron, but I don’t know how to get there.
"That would be a perfectly easy race for me to go and get my 140 points. if I could get them I would be singing," he grins. And as it happens, assistance was at hand. Kwame found someone travelling to the race, and able to give him a lift. Perhaps this will be the weekend that the Olympic dream is realised.
But what if it isn’t? "No, I’ll make it to the Olympics," he responds. "There’s not an ‘if.’"
He is grinning again, but such self-assurance has done his cause no harm. He lists an impressive array of sponsors. They include easyJet, who provide free flights, the Meribel Tourist Office and the resort, which grants free access to the slopes; and all his clothing and equipment, including six pairs of skis, is supplied by Head, Scott and Bloc. "I also get a bit of money from Barometer, the nicest pub here in Meribel," he says earnestly. "But I really, really need more sponsorship."
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
"It’s an experiment," he says, "to see if someone my age [he turned 30 in December], who took up skiing on real snow a year ago, can do what it’s taken these guys years. |
He's not goting to make many friends with that sort of remark. I can imagine the press may have egged him in on but he needs to be a bit more careful what he says.
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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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He certainly looks very fit... but whittling down the FIS points is something you can't do on strength alone. In theory if it took Alps-born skiers "years", it would take a thirty year old a while longer, if it's possible at all.
Don't know if he made it to Auron (in the southern French Alps not far from Nice) but yesterday's Super G was cancelled, although the women's GS took place. The men's race is today.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| PG wrote: |
He certainly looks very fit... but whittling down the FIS points is something you can't do on strength alone. In theory if it took Alps-born skiers "years", it would take a thirty year old a while longer, if it's possible at all.
Don't know if he made it to Auron (in the southern French Alps not far from Nice) but yesterday's Super G was cancelled, although the women's GS took place. The men's race is today. |
I did some sums as well with his points, as far as I can see there's BASI 2's with Eurotests who are quicker. Some of those guys fast tracked through and didn't start sking until later (and even later) in life. Just another context to view this in ....
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ise, reminds me of the fuss about the Eurotest a while back on the forum. What was the standard of the Eurotest - within 18% of zero FIS points? I reckon that's (roughly) equivalent to 170 FIS points, so Kwame's a way to go yet to reach Eurotest standard.
Olympic qualification being 120 points, ie within 10% of zero FIS points, the bar is considerably higher than the (Eurotest) GS speed test result required to become a BASI 1.
Kwame did get to Auron - but it looks as though he fell, then picked himself up to carry on in his first run. The second run is a better yardstick to measure his performance - but he was still nearly 40% slower than the winner, and perhaps 45% off zero FIS.
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.html?sector=AL&raceid=33144
Back on the subject of the alleged difficulty of the Eurotest - I watched a 12 year old open a GS race in which a good World Cup GS racer was taking part early in the season, on an icy, technical course. The boy's time as forerunner was equivalent to 165 points, ie Eurotest standard. I can think of a number of boys - and girls - of that age, and who are at or close to the 170 points standard, in France. Assuming course conditions as above. A lot more who would be if they weighed a bit more than 35 kgs!
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PG, 18% for men and 22% for women.
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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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PG, not trying to be pedantic but we never seemed to get a definitive answer on whether Olympic qualification is 120 or 140 points? I know you asked the same question some time back. You are now saying it's 120. Are you sure?
From the Scotsman article
| Quote: |
| The points Kwame scores depends on his proximity to the winner, and who the winner is. He needs 140 points but this has thus far proved an elusive target. |
His own web site also says it's 140. But other stuff elsewhere has stated 120. Can we get this nailed once and for all? Thanks in advance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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PG, Thanks for clearing it up. Simple when you know the answer. And the deadline for achieving the points from that article is 30st Jan 2006. So Kwame either has to find the cash to compete in Southern Hemisphere events during our summer or he's got to be really quick off the mark next European season.
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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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Almost 30 secs or 20 places away from his target on that one. But at least the 2 runs were more consistent times. He has tended to be extremely slow on the 1st run. Thanks PG
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You know it makes sense.
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kuwait_ian, I make it about 18 seconds off 140 points standard on each run, about 36 secs in all. To get down to 140 point level means a 27% improvement - the sort of thing that usually takes racers several seasons to accomplish, even training right through the winter.
Even when you manage it - you have to do it twice - it's the average of the best two results that is taken into account when points are calculated as the season progresses.
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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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I'll accept your 'rifmetic, PG I was just eyeball comparing Kwame's result with the guy who got 140 - which is not the correct way to do it, I know. Looks like his first race was something of a fluke and since then he's been around the 400 mark with a couple of 600s. So he's really got to make great strides to achieve repeatable 140s.
Did you get the opinions of any of his competitors on his chances of meeting the target when you were in Meribel ??
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Poster: A snowHead
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Never accept my 'rifmetic, as laundryman pointed out in the Chemmy thread... especially when calculations are done before 9am! No, I didn't ask anyone racing there - apart from an ex-racer who didn't hold out much hope given the deadlines involved. To give you an idea of the standard, top 12/13 years boys and girls at Les Arcs would be doing the Auron runs in about 1 minute 9 or 10 seconds, and as you can see in the results, some 15/16 year olds were scraping under 140 points, so t's not an impossible target. but technique is key! At the moment that's where Kwame needs to make a lot of progress.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kwame's back in Courchevel, and raced in the Belgian Nationals GS there on Tuesday.
Some good points to be picked up - you can tell by the number of racers who significantly improved their ratings in this race (click on the individual racers to see their seasons' records in the different disciplines).
Kwame seems to have made a big mistake in the first run, the second was much better.
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.html?sector=AL&raceid=29898
I wonder if he's in the Les Arcs race today, taking place at the moment... very soft snow, so anyone from bib 40 down will be struggling.
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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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hello guys i am back after a long spell of no communicating
wanted badly to inform you guys that i have got the 140 points not yet but will definately. i have been having bad luck or just not concentrated hard enough during my first runs so i have had to hike up the piste after falling to carry on the race
most would say abandon the race but i have a policy of not giving up and also it gives me more experience the more i race.
lets see after the initial spell of point reduction i reached what i might term as a speed barrier, not being able to go sub 200 points. i have had to dig deep and i believe i will soon have a break through as i was for the first time about 2 seconds of the racer in front of me and about 15 secs of the race winner in the second leg in the courchevel belgian race. for me it proves that though i have not had enough in terms of race experience, with sheer raw energy and not all the technical grace of your alpine born racer i will make it. my race technique has inproved somewhat and i am carving my turns more explosively to gain seconds on race leaders.
hold on going to read some of the comments made while i have been away
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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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heh pg are you there check out the fis website my points are down to 285 youre going to have to begin seasoning that beret fast hahahaah
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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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guys guys
i just enjoy reading the discussions on this forum, i am going to do my best to ask the guy who doies our website to add a link to the snoheads website
i have laughed today really hard when i read the bit where pg is being cornered to eat his beret in good faith.
guys leave pg alone he is a nice guy, maybe a bit more ribbing and then a break
yup my techn,ique is not the best, cause i know i scrub of loads of speed in trying to make the demanding turns in some of the hard sections of cources i have been on but i am getting there and it will come when i least expect it or anyone does, i am trusting in God to make it happen, cause he has endowed me with what it takes to become good at ski racing. i have grown to really enjoy gs though i have taken some serious spills in the past 5 weeks, swollen bit and bobs no major breaks so i will keep pushing./
please keep the thread alive, and definately i will be sending out a special invitation to those who have contributed to this thread for the qualification party
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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by the way if i manage to score something like 100 points or below i dont have to do it twice as 20 percent of the score will be added unto the score and not the average of my best 2 results, it is always complicated with the points system hmmmm 
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i am going for a cit race in val thorens, do not think i might improve my points significantly, but the scottish and belgian races in courchevel and val htorens should do the trick
dont worry pg i will never hold a good man to bet of eating a beret, i think the guys on the forum will find something not as gastronomically dangerous as eating a beret for you hahahahahaahahahaha 
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Good to hear from you Snowleopard...
Keep trying - its all a learning experience! and yes we do want you to get good enough so PG eats his beret!
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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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snowleopard, Hi there Kwame, did you make it to the GS in Les Arcs today? Haven"t seen the results yet...
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hi pg
once again my problem of transportation did not allow me
i would have wished to but i am stuck in meribel and can only do races that come to me
will talk later got to go to bed 
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FAQ
Plus snowleopard's far more likely to do the GS than the out and out speed disciplines. And unless he gets one of a small number of non-alpine nation direct entries, it would be an incredible performance for him to go much under 200 FIS points, let alone the compulsory 120 now applied by FIS in order to qualify to take part. So I still reckon my beret's pretty safe 
