Once again sunlight ricocheted blindingly off Zamboni-like surfaces of ice and, as the New England snow-drought deepened, Masters¹ racers reached deeper into their wax kits and psychological baggage in order to put three degree bevels on their edges and their minds. The Pat¹s Peak slalom might more aptly have been designated ³Survival Saturday² as racers ³sludded² their way to fame and infamy. On the men¹s side Ron Gifford (Class 3), often a bridesmaid but never a bride, finally broke through the barrier and, metaphorically mixed, brought home the bacon for his first slalom win ever.
For the women, Susannah Phillips (Class 1), a recent arrival on the circuit and daughter of reportedly Caribbean-vacationing Chuck, put two together for her first victory.
Other notable survivors among the men were Duffy Dodge (Class 10) who finally got untracked for a fast time, David Britton (Class 8) who sent arch-rivals McGrath and Schemmel packing with their tails between their legs and Counselor Peardon Donaghy (Class 7) who reinvented himself as a slalom-meister on this day of reckoning. The lithe and youthful Hans Schemmel (Class 1), first run leader, blinked lightly in the second to make way for Gifford¹s triumph over adversity and his fellow man.
As usual Anne Nordhoy (Class 7) in her version of the Philadelphia Story induced paroxysms of anxiety and self-doubt, not to mention incidents of self-loathing, among the later classes of degenerating males. Margaret Vaughn and Nadine Price (Class 4) continued in their epic confrontation to duke it out with the former taking both the win and another foolishly wagered dollar from this writer.
Sunday¹s Giant Slalom at the Dartmouth Skiway, run under brooding skies portending rain or worse, brought out of semi-retirement former U. S. Skiteamer Troy Watts (Class 2) only to reveal a considerable gulf between the man and the boys. Winning the event by an inconceivable chasm of three seconds, Watts laid the lumber to Chris Johnson (Class 3), Doug Tucker (Class 4) and Bill Withington (Class 1), his nearest rivals. Tucker, reportedly held together by a combination of orthopaedic braces and ³Vermont chrome² (a.k.a. Duct Tape) skied with his customary relaxed grace and fluidity. Among the older group Bob Wigglesworth (Class 7) put down a notable pair of runs for a man of his age and delicate sensibility while McGrath (Class 8), still smarting from the previous days humiliation and vigorously committed to the principle that it is better to get even than mad, sent David Britton in a madding dash for the Massachusett¹s border and further psychiatric counseling.
Outstanding results among the women were achieved by Wendy Hill (Class 9), Joan Barthold (Class 4) and Lisa Feinberg Densmore (Class 3) who carried the day and hosted the award¹s ritual with an engaging mixture of charm, pride and humility.
One of the more notable features of this event was the return to action of several recent absentees including the redoubtable tandem of Peter (Class 6) and Debbie (Class 5) Carter and legendary demolition-downhiller Bill Farrell (Class 5), making his racing debut after a thirteen year hiatus. It is unclear, as of this writing, whether these years had been spent working, riding bicycles or in bed. Stay tuned.