incoming incomingJanuary 10, 2013
Thinking about doing Vertfest this year? It's coming up sooner than you think - January 19th is the innaugural Vertfest at Bend, OR and February 16th is the date for the Monika Johnson Memorial at Alpental, WA. If you want to be a contender, now's the time to start practicing. Rando racing is a little like cycling; the top guys always tell you they're "out of shape" and "just trying to hang with the bunch" but in reality they're training their butts off for these events for weeks or months beforehand.
Now you've got a mini-series of five night rando races held at Summit Central Ski Area on more or less consecutive Friday nights at 7:00 PM to test your fitness and uphill/downhill skiing skills. The series, not surprisingly, is the brainchild of Brandon Kern, Seth Davis, and Lowell Skoog, who also happen to be perennial Vertfest top finishers (Seth won last year). This event is being held with the cooperation of the Summit-at-Snoqualmie, but they ask that participants be inconspicuous and that no uphill travel or lengthy traversing take place in lighted areas used by the general public - in other words, stick to the shadows while skinning and try to be as stealthy as you can. Jibbing on your race skis is permitted only if wearing Spandex.
For more information on the series, check out Brandon's website, http://snoqualmiepassskimo.blogspot.com/
Lowell's course starts at the base of the Central Express lift and winds around the perimeter of the ski area - ascents are marked in red, descents in blue
January 2, 2013
May you avoid cliffs, fiscal and otherwise, and find rays of hope in the New Year!
January 2: Kevin Kruises on Kendall
Stuart Ryan takes a break from mounting skis to bust some crust . . .
Previous Incoming Pages:
China: Wandering in the Middle Kingdom
"Incoming" covers developments that have personal interest to me (ie. gear I might consider acquiring, or events I feel may impact the sport of skiing) - it is by no means meant to be a comprehensive enumeration of gear or events in the ski world at large. Feel free to contact me via the randosaigai.com link below with news or images that may be of interest . . .
© 2014 Gregory C. Louie