Hochebirge Challenge Cup Slalom at Cannon Mountain, Saturday, February 23, 2002
By Bob Butler

Driving in the morning, I could see the Old Man high up, and felt a little of the White Mountains as Nature. Cannon, with some scraggy white birch and firm, steep slopes, is so old New England. It would seem that Cannon skiers should, as the old Dartmouth song goes, have the granite of New Hampshire in their muscles and their brains.

There is perhaps more getting in close touch with each other in the lodge than at some of the other races. Then, we ride what I noticed is named the Zoomer Chairlift, which I might suggest better describes a New England Master riding it than its rate of ascent. Although, the time passed quickly while I was riding with Sue Maynes and Marty Rodgers.

There were 155 on the start list, making for good competition, and the slalom courses were challenging. If you would please, as I describe them, try to reski them in your mind's eye (you won't fall). The first run course was 3 gates, a hairpin, 4 gates, a flush, 6 gates, a delay, 4 gates, a hairpin, 8 gates, a flush and 3 gates to the finish. It was a bit of a thing to get over and through the red gate to the left before the finish. We watched the forerunners with their speed doing it. The second run course was 5 gates, a hairpin, 9 gates, a flush, 4 gates, a delay,1 gate, a hairpin, 8 gates and the finish. One gate is not a whole lot between a delay and a hairpin. And, when the sun was on the second run course, I could see a polished surface perhaps 12 feet long and a foot and a half wide by the gate that I happened to be observing.

Among the women, I saw Tracy Boulter looking strong and agile. I noted that Susan Jefferson looked good in the first run, was a fraction of a second faster than Lisa Densmore, and then DQed in the second run. Jessie McAleer was the fastest woman in the first run and Carolyn Beckedorff in the second run. Jessie McAleer was first overall, then Lisa Densmore, Susanna Whitcher, Carolyn Beckedorff, Tracy Boulter, Patti Lane, Barbara Brumbaugh, Margaret Vaughn, Meg Nutter and Cindy Berlack, in that order.

I watched some of the men from halfway down and saw Jim Harding flying, David Lamb using his legs and knees, Pat McNamara so fast it was hard to follow, Sean Florian very fast, Jody Lozeau very powerful and Eric Price strong like an Austrian. The top men in order were Pat McNamara, Jim Harding, Chris Johnson, Tip Kimball, Eric Price, Jody Lozeau, Peter Middleton, David Wolff, Sean Florian and John Pierce. Among the senior men, I thought that Al Sevigny and Hans Bauermeister outdid themselves, putting together two good runs.

I would conjecture that it's a good feeling winning your Class for the first time this year, and Bob Tengdin, Jody Lozeau, Eric Price and Jennifer Calder did it at Cannon.

Cannon is the Hochebirge Challenge Cup, and the Hochebirge Ski Club entertained us at their house in Franconia. The house struck me as spacious and comfortable, and it is far away from others at the end of a nonpublic road, a place you feel you would like to stay. The Club goes back to the early 1930s, and the members told me that it is the oldest ski club in existence and the Hochebirge is the oldest continuous team race. I was told that the name means high mountain. There were pictures of members from years ago, and by one them it said that the member was heard yelling to himself in the middle of the Inferno race, Damn it, Sherburne, point 'em downhill. Something I might try to do more of myself .The awards were preceded by wine, beer, cheese and crackers and were followed by lasagna, salad and cookies, then living room conversation, and, if you happen to be a Hochebirge member reading this, let me say thank you.

This year I am told that we had about 20 teams entered with four skiers per team. This year the winners were as follows, Class 11 and 12: Super Comets - George Caner, Woody Jones and Dick Wood; Class 9 and 10: Comet Lions - Larry Voelker, Duffy Dodge, Bob Tendgin and George MacNeil; Class 7 and 8: Sharks - Bob McGrath, Larry Young, David Britton and Klaus Haas; Class 5 and 6: Comet Speedsters - Don Andrews, Mark George, Dana Billings and Peter Dumont; Class 3 and 4: Wildcat - Dave Lamb, Chris Johnson, Pat McNamara and Jim Harding; Class 1 and 2 - Straddlers - Mark Sorel, John Pierce, Bill Whitcher and Steve Oulette; and the fastest women's team: Margaret Vaughn, Patti Lane, Susanna Whitcher and Meg Nutter.