AZ Race Team - Pat's Peak 1/7/2008

[roark]

Met up with tree_skier and skibum9995 who gave me some crap for my "4:30" arrival (at about 5:15). Ga2ski, riverc0il, and others arrived shortly thereafter. We were on the slopes around 5:30 or so - we hit the soft MG PP on cyclone and duster before waiting to sign up. Ga2ski and I both had close calls letting the skis run with novices around... always a fine line - I got distracted watching skibum carve some nice tracks while letting the skis run and nearly collided with some poor soul - sorry!

Race was on FIS. Course was freshly groomed but the temps were warm and some pretty good ruts remained. We slipped it a couple times trying to fill in the gaps but conditions were less than optimal. We all ran in the first 10 pairs - probably a mistake.. 20 something might have been better... Course was the typical Pat's setup - tougher/turnier than usual Nastar but not unreasonable. By the 2nd run the racers had built up some new ruts. What's up with Zach getting so many runs? Nice guy but I'd like a 2nd and 3rd shot at it too...:roll:

Bob was missed, this course would have been perfect for those short sticks. Tie-dye was mentioned, among other things. Points would have been good too.:wink: Charlie also. The bar just wasn't the same without you two. The team has undergone quite a transformation - 2 yrs ago I was the youngest, now I'm middle of the pack. No more handicap help for us.

results:

team 2nd overall, .072 pts out of 1st.

individual results:
3rd tree_skier
7th ga2ski (but thanks to the tele handicap he was the biggest point contributor for us - 2nd overall in points... who is this Vladimir guy?)
16th skibum9995
19th roark - yay handicap!
20 riverc0il
I'm too lazy to look up ga2ski's coworkers.

Looking at the points compared to the 1st place team tree_skier and ga2ski are carrying the team - both are in the upper echelon - I placed 3rd for the team but my 5.8 pts are a big drop from tree_skiers' 8.85... I'll have to put some time in the gates this weekend. :lol:

All in all a pretty solid start for the team.

We hit Hurricane 3x before retiring to the bar - April bumps in January - this trail really adds so much to Pat's night experience.

Results were painfully slow to be published. Much popcorn was consumed. skibum9995 nabbed a hat from the beer guy. We had some expensive beers, then went home.

It was good to meet c0il and ga2skis friends and great to get out on a weeknight, looking forward to the rest of the season.

 

[Vortex]

I posted it in the other thread. You are amazing roark. Top 20. You are no longer the most impoved. You are there. Tree_skier still doing well in the Senior division. Ga2ski just keeps getting faster. He dusted the crowd in the MDVC race at SR and has brought the points again for you guys. Great job. Misssed it last nigth and thought about you guys. Did not get home probably till after you guys were done with your runs.

Riv looks like he will be a solid point getter.

 

[tree_skier]

It was a good night. We did think we saw Bob in the video, a slow short person who crashed, but it just looked like him. Roark has made great improvements over the last 2 years. It would be nice to see zach just take 1 run, his first he was right behind me and we were only hundreth's apart, then after 4 or 5 more runs he got it up to .5.

It took far too long to get the results and the beer is even more expensive then Mount Snow.

If Bob didn't lose all his speed, was it last in the mdvc? then perhaps he would have helped us but it seems he is getting slower and slower.

 

[skibum9995]

We didn't miss 1st by much. The team that beat us is all old guys so they have an advantage.

 

[hammer]

Congrats on the results...wish I could have signed up, would have been a good way to force a weekly ski night. :???:

Where were the best bump lines on Hurricane? I still have to get my butt down that trail (hopefully not literally)...

 

[riverc0il]

The team that beat us is all old guys so they have an advantage.

Indeed. Us younger guys without the handicap advantage all finished pretty close 3-5 on the team. If we all step up even just a little bit, the combined effect could easily be enough to challenge the older guy dynamic of the frosty mugs.

 

[riverc0il]

Where were the best bump lines on Hurricane? I still have to get my butt down that trail (hopefully not literally)...

I enjoyed skiers right top to bottom the best. Final pitch was pretty steep with only two or three large odd sized bumps on that side but you could always slide over to skier's right for the final pitch to maximize good lines.

 

[skibum9995]

Indeed. Us younger guys without the handicap advantage all finished pretty close 3-5 on the team. If we all step up even just a little bit, the combined effect could easily be enough to challenge the older guy dynamic of the frosty mugs.

It's definitely doable. If my math is right we only needed 0.36 more team points out of our top 5 to take 1st. We can do that.