SISE CUP 2003 FALL NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the New England Masters fall newsletter. My goal is to try to provide you with places to eat, stay, sleep or any other info that might make your Masters races more enjoyable.
2004 SCHEDULE Jan. 3-4 Killington GS/SL Jan. 10-11 Ragged Mtn. SL/GS Jan. 17 Middlebury GS Jan. 18 Suicide Six SL Jan. 24 Bromley SL Jan. 25 Stratton GS Jan 30 Cranmore GS Jan. 31 Cranmore SL Feb. 1 Wildcat SL Feb. 7 Mt. Sunapee GS Feb. 8 Gunstock SL Feb. 21 Cannon Mtn. SL Feb. 22 Loon Mtn. GS Feb. 27-29 Sugarbush SG/GS/SL Mar. 6-7 Sunday River SL/GS Mar. 12-14 Mt. Snow SG/GS/SL
There is a new venue on the list, Ragged Mountain, and we don’t have much information on the local area, so anyone knowing that area, its restaurants, inns, motels etc. please log on to www.nemasters.org and share your knowledge.
I’m sure everyone has heard about “new ski lengths”. There’s good news in that masters don’t have to adhere to the new ski length rules. The only time we might have to toe the line is if you attend the FIS international races at Panorama, Canada. The competition guide says that ski length rules will apply in Europe, but I’m not sure about Canada. Baltex Eastern Masters Cup-- Mt. Tremblant, Quebec For those intrepid ski racing hounds wanting to experience some early season competition, Baltex will be sponsoring a master’s GS and Slalom at Mt. Tremblant on Dec. 5th &6th, 2003. They sponsored these races at Tremblant last year and everything from the race organization to the apres ski party (always a priority) went off beautifully. I highly recommend this fun filled weekend to any Masters looking for a piece of winter paradise. There are plenty of options for lodging both at Tremblant and in the nearby village of St. Jovite. My wife and I stayed a very economical motel just outside of St. Jovite on rt. 117 called Motel sur la Colline. Rates per room were a mere $60 CAN including a continental breakfast. This lovely place with charming owners was only 10 minutes from Mt.Tremblant. St. Jovite offers you some wonderful shops and restaurants and the light snow falling in the village last year made for a picture perfect landscape. For a list of lodging options in St. Jovite, log on to www.st-jovite.com. This site will link you to restaurants in town also as well as to Mt. Tremblant. For those without computer access, here’s few names and #s: Motel sur la Colline, 800 359-6279 Motel Normandie, 819 425-3597 Motel de St. Jovite, 819-425-2761 The restaurants in this area will surely please any palate, as Tremblant village offers a variety of food from crepes to haute French cuisine. Two restaurants in St. Jovite which deserve mention are Restaurant l’Escalope (great salad bar) and Chez Roger (truly elegant French cuisine). It would be great if the U.S. could have a strong showing at this event so keep it in mind. Everything, from the abundant snow making and challenging race courses to the charming villages of Mt. Tremblant and St. Jovite will make you want to come back soon. Check it out! There’s a web site up and running at www.masters.qc.ca where you can find registration forms and lodging discounts. For those of you who can’t get to the web site, here’s some info: By mail: ( personal checks and cash only) Registration fee: 50,00 $ (45,00 us) one day / 90,00 $ (85,00 us) two days * Card holders – 25,00 $ Lift tickets: 30,00 per day Payable to: The Masters Group 812 Chemin de la croix Sainte-Adèle, Québec Canada J8B 2S1 Entry dead line : December 2, 2003 No reimbursement will be made after December 5, 2002 Morning registration : 55,00 $ (50,00 us) one day / 95,00 $ (90,00 us) two days Also you can tie that in with a Michel Pratte Master’s racing camp the same week, go to www.pratteski.com for all the details. Poutine Revisited If you do go to Tremblant, then you have to try Poutine! Here are some excerpts from the Canadian magazine, SKIER on "Poutine: Anatomy of a Menace": A coast-to-coast conspiracy of french fries, cheese curds and gravy is out to steal your health ----this dog’s breakfast is junk food supreme a la Quebecoise. It looks dodgy, is messy to ingest, clogs digestive tracts and arteries more efficiently than fondue, and is absolutely delicious, according to connoisseurs. Available in la belle province for decades, poutine has recently spread across the country like a cardiac plague (think bad sci-fi movie) given the ingredients, poutine could be the greatest health hazard since Celine Dion. Blainville, Quebec (exit 25 on the way to Tremblant), offers a selection of 15 types, including the Italian Rapee pie, smoked meat, meatballs, all-dressed and pepperoni. (editor’s note--- I can’t wait!) Back here, south of the border the season opens at Killington ATOMIC GIVEAWAY AT KILLINGTON Win a pair of Atomics at the Killington season opener! To be eligible for the drawing just finish both runs both days. If you want to stay on the mountain, get your reservation in early for “The Mountain Sports Inn”, owned & run by masters racer Bob Sardelli. 802-422-3315 If you’re coming up to Killington from US 89, Route 4 can be brutal on Friday and Sunday nights. Many locals bypass Exit 1 in Vermont and get off at exit 3 and take 107 and 100 south to Killington. It’s 5 miles longer but can be 10 to 15 minutes faster. If you do come that way, you might want to stay at The Swiss Farm Inn, just north of Pittsfield. Great food and people flock for miles around for their breakfast. 802-746-8341 If motels are your thing, then you might want to stay at the “Clear River Inn & Tavern” just south of Pittsfield, 1-800-7467916. Hidden behind is the “Clear River Tavern”, a great informal hang out with really good food. Try their garlic pizza. Both of these places make good “In Between Places”, for the Middlebury-Suicide races. Speaking of Suicide 6, there will be a 50/50/ type raffle. The winner of the raffle is the person whose second run time is the closest to his or her pre-run estimated time. Bill McCollom will be there to take your bets. The other 50% goes to the ski club. For those of you who take the traditional trail of route 4 through Woodstock, the best coffee is in the Woodstock Farmer’s Market, just west of the village. Master’s camp at Killington Nadine Price is running a camp at Killington January 12 through 16, SL & GS, Video. Contact her for more info by email or phone: (802) 746-8850 or cell (978) 502-3706 Bromley -Stratton: If you’ve never stayed at Johnny Seesaw’s you’re in for a real treat. Over 100 years ago, this used to be a dance hall, where lumber jacks would hang out on Saturday night. People would come on any mode of transportation available to get together and dance. It’s rumored they did more than just dance. It’s located about 1/4 mile east of Bromley on Route 11. (1-800-424-CSAW) A good place that’s easy on the wallet is Christos, in the center of Manchester. In the summer, my kids have swim meets there, and they DEMAND that after the meet, we stop at Christos for pizza and pasta. It’s one of the few things we agree on! Schedule Update Cranmore Mountain will host a GS on Jan 30 replacing the cancelled Attitash race. This will be the first leg of the Gibson Trophy which will combine with the next days slalom to determine the winners.
Our Sponsors Artech, Atomic, Buchika's Ski and Bike, Denby, Florian Tools, Swix and new for this year, Chinook Boot Drying Systems. Also more great merchandise in our after race drawings from HausfrauFoto.com. George Merrill from ARTECH has become a team distributor for Swix waxes. If you work with a team you can get a better deal from Artech now. Also, with snow and Christmas coming you probably want to get your orders in early. Web-site @ www.artechski.com Phone: 603-632-9152 (5 to 10 PM) or artech@endor. com
Personals From our executive director, Gary Colwell: I would like to thank everyone for the many cards and calls I received both before and after my heart bypass operation. They were most welcome and appreciated. I'm doing well and looking forward to getting back in the gates. Gary P.S. a reminder that many have not sent in their $25.
Streak to End Class 11's George Caner, who has raced every New England Masters race for the last five years, regrets that his streak will end and his ski racing career will be on hold for a few months as he recovers from a successful laminectomy.
New Addition Former Sise Cup winner and NEMS Board member Chris Johnson and wife Ingrid welcome Nicolas Foster, 7 lbs 12 oz., born October 22.
Finally, A MESSAGE FROM EVERY RACE SECRETARY OUT THERE! Please, separate checks for each entry, a separate check for each racer in each event entered helps immensely. Steve Foley, 812 Rustic Dr. Killington, Vt. 05751 |