bfeller wrote:So that ski racing thing is a lot of fun.
It is fun, and after skiing the same old southeast mountains for 20 years now it adds an entire new aspect to skiing and planning some missions every month.. I have meet a lot of new people, you race against people of all ages,everyone has a good time, lots of cool prizes are given away, and discount lift tickets are also a bonus.. Racing will definitely will make you a better skier all around... You should come out and try it some weekend.
check out the:
Crescent Ski Council it has links to all of the local area ski clubs.
http://www.crescentskicouncil.org/
I joined the Palmetto Ski and Outing Club
http://www.psoc.org/
Message From PSOC about racing:
How can I get on the PSOC Race Team?
1.
The first step in becoming a racer is to join PSOC – only club members can race. You can join at any club meeting or by filling out the application in the Piper or on-line at
http://www.psoc.org (look in the How to Join/Renew section).
2.
The second step is to sign up for the race team. We will be taking sign-ups at the regular club meetings. For the returning racers, you only need to sign the waivers and pay the one-time racer fee. For new racers, you need to sign the waiver and qualify to race – you don’t pay the racer fee until you are qualified. You can also contact me at
[email protected] to get a registration form.
•
How do I qualify? There are several ways to qualify:
1.
There are Crescent Development Races during the season;
2.
Sign up and come to any of our regular races and race in Flight 22 (qualifier flight);
3.
Run a NASTAR course and get a handicap (Sugar Mountain hosts these every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting).
4.
If you have an established NASTAR handicap, you can use this to get a Crescent handicap.
5.
Once you get a Crescent handicap, you are ready to be a racer.
•
Some other Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What equipment do I need to race?
A. At a minimum, skiers need skis, boots, poles; snowboarders need boots and a board; everyone needs goggles and a helmet. If you don’t have your own equipment, you can rent everything except for the goggles from a local ski shop.
Q. What kind of racing do you do?
A. We run two types of races – on Saturdays we have a Slalom course and on Sundays we have a Giant Slalom course. You can sign up to race either or both days – just let the race director know one week before the race which you want to do.
Q. Where and when do you race?
A. The race schedule for the season is published in the Piper as well as in the racing section of the website. Typically, we race 5 weekends during the regular season in North Carolina (twice at Appalachian Mountain, once at Beech Mountain and twice at Sugar Mountain). At the end of the regular season, there is a 6th and final race (Crescent Cup) at Silver Creek (Snowshoe) West Virginia. In order to attend the final race, you must have raced at least two days during the regular season.
Q. Why would I want to race?
A. Racing makes you a better skier; it is fun; you get discounted lift tickets on race days; you form friendships with racers from all over the Southeast; it is fun; you have the course to yourself so don’t have to avoid a hundred skiers and boarders standing or falling in your way – and the list goes on. Oh yeah, did I mention it is fun?
Q. How serious are the racers?
A. Racing in Crescent is as serious as you want to make it. There are two Divisions and up to 10 Flights per Division. Based on your established handicap, you are placed in a Flight with 9 other people of equal handicaps. We have racers ranging in age from 6 years old to more than 60 years old – we don’t segregate the racers based on age or sex, but by handicap. So a 60-year-old man could be racing against a 6-year-old girl, and having his hat handed to him. Most people race for the fun of racing, but the upper Flight racers are much more serious, what with their speed suits and special waxes.
Q. Who are CSC and PSOC?
A. CSC is the Crescent Ski Council and is made up of over twenty ski clubs in the Southeast US. They have been around for more than 40 years, and have been racing for more than 35 years. PSOC is the Palmetto Ski and Outing Club; we are the Greenville/Anderson and surrounding South Carolina communities branch of the CSC. We meet at 7:30 pm the second Tuesday of every month – see the website or Piper for details on where the meeting is held.
Q. What is in it for me?
A. Other than the joy of skiing and the exhilaration of having a great run, one of the benefits of racing is the door prizes they give away at the awards ceremony at the end of each race day. In the past, there have been trips to Canada, Maine, Colorado, Montana, and many other ski areas, that have included things such as lift tickets, lift and lodging, and lift, lodging and airfare – these are just the things that I have personally won – there are many more than that. So not only is it fun to beat the other racers in your flight and get a gift certificate or pair of goggles for being in the top three of your flight, but the chance of winning a door prize is worthwhile.
So, whether you have never raced before or are a seasoned veteran who just moved here and didn’t know there was racing in the Southeast, consider joining us for a fun time. For the first timers, you will soon find that this is not as intimidating as it may look; for the veterans, you will enjoy it; everyone will have a great time.
Dan Hudson
PSOC Race Director
Cheers
