Wow—along with some amazing new snow (it kept snowing yesterday in the mountains of Vermont), there are some hot skiing competitions happening here and abroad, as well.
As for the snow, Bolton Valley is reporting an overnight total of just over a foot, on top of the 6 inches from yesterday! Sugarbush is also reporting 17 inches in the last 48 hours. Yeow! I'm going to have to go out for a "business meeting" in the backcountry this afternoon.
Check this NOAA site for details on additional snowfall around Vermont, updated each morning around 10:30 or so:
www.erh.noaa.gov/btv/html/climatemaps/climatemaps.shtml
The famous Stowe Derby takes place this Sunday in Stowe, Vermont. More than 10 miles from near the top of Mt. Mansfield into the village. More than 3,000 feet of vertical drop. Up to 1,000 competitors. And you can use only one pair of skis.
The race dates back to 1945. Racers start at 9 and 10 a.m. and noon, depending on their race type. Here's the map of the course:
teammmsc.org/stowederby/stowederbyspecifics.html
Coming soon is the 2nd Annual Catamount Trail Backcountry Challenge Race and Tour on Sunday, March 1. The 16-kilometer event has a mass start at the Trapp Family Touring Center in Stowe and a finish at the Bolton Valley Nordic Center via the Catamount Trail. (The Bolton-to-Trapp trail.)
Participants will encounter a 2,300-foot vertical climb from Nebraska Notch Road to the highest elevation on the Catamount Trail before descending 1,300 vertical feet to the Bolton Valley Touring Center. Better eat your Wheaties.
FIS Skiing World Championships
The very first female world champion for ski jumping is...an American! How about that! Ski jumping is dominated by the Europeans—specifically the Scandinavians, so this is quite a feat.
Lindsey Van—not Vonn like the downhiller (isn't that weird?)—jumped 89m and 97.5m on the 100-m hill in the Czeck Republic, attaining a speed of 89 kil/hour. She hails from Park City, Utah. This is the first world championship held for women in this sport. It's about time, huh?
Earlier this week in Val d'Isere, the U.S. Ski Team's Jimmy Cochran of Vermont's famous Cochran family blazed to the fastest second run to finish tenth in slalom as the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships. And last Friday, Ted Ligety of Park City skied from ninth place to take the bronze at the World Championships giant slalom.
Lindsey Vonn—the 2008 World Cup overall and downhill champion—swept gold in super G and downhill at the World Championships earlier this month. Superstar Bode Miller of New Hampshire had his best showing in the downhill, taking 8th place. Hey, the guy can't win all the time.
Damn, we Americans are really starting to shine in skiing!
