Holiday Valley Freestyle Extravaganza Day 1: Slopestyle

By: Sean Crotty

After some crazy weather changes swept through WNY this week, ski areas had to do some shuffling to get their events off. 
Holiday Valley changed their venue, running the dual Slopestyle event Saturday. 



HoliMont FLITE Team had a VERY impressive showing on the other side of the mountain. 



Slopestyle 1: In female action, Lexi Crotty took first overall, with Alliy Hansen sharing a spot on the podium in 3rd place and Hayleigh Holland finishing 8th. 

In male action Griffen Hansen took the top spot in Slopestyle 1 sharing the podium with Lucas Goodin who nailed 3rd place.

Females:

Lexi Crotty 1st in age; 1st overall


Alliy Hansen 1st in age; 3rd overall


Hayleigh Holland 4th in age; 8th overall



Males:

Griffen Hansen 1st in age; 1st overall


Lucas Goodin 1st in age, 3rd overall


Parker Johnston 1st in age; 9th overall


Spencer Williams 3rd in age; 10th overall


Jared Smolinski 4th in age; 11th overall


Jake Wayland 6th in age; 13th overall


Sean Ryan 2nd in age; 14th overall


Ryan Henri 6th in age; 17th overall


Evan Dermott 1st in age; 18th overall


Brandon Crotty 7th in age; 27th overall 


Mitchell Wayland 12th in age, 30th overall



In Slopestyle 2, FLITE Team continued their excellent results with laying down some smokin' laps in the park. 



In the second session, Lexi Crotty and Griffen Hansen once again stormed the podium; with Lexi taking the top spot and Griffen taking second place.

Hayleigh Holland joined Lexi on the podium for her personal best run securing 3rd place. 



Females:


Lexi Crotty 1st in age; 1st overall


Hayleigh Holland 3rd in age; 3rd overall


Alliy Hansen 2nd in age; 6th overall



Males:


Griffen Hansen 1st in age; 2nd overall


Parker Johnston 1st in age; 5th overall


Lucas Goodin 1st in age; 6th overall


Spencer Williams 3rd in age; 9th overall


Jared Smolinski 4th in age; 11th overall


Sean Ryan 3rd in age; 12th overall


Ryan Henri 5th in age; 13th overall


Jake Wayland 4th in age; 14th overall


Evan Dermott 1st in age; 17th overall


Mitch Wayland 9th in age; 22nd overall


Brandon Crotty 5th in age; 23rd overall



Holiday Valley B meet at Holiday Valley on Sunday, February 3^rd

B Moguls

Females:

Elissa Cole 1st in age, 1st overall

Lexi Crotty 2nd in age, 3rd overall

Magdeline Vasatka 2nd in age, 4th overall Kenedy Cooper 3rd in age, 5th overall Marissa Vasatka 4th in age, 6th overall Alliy Hansen 4th in age, 12th overall Emma Hawkes 8th in age, 14th overall Hayleigh Holland 10th in age, 17th overall Samantha Morrell 11th in age, 22nd overall Riley Morrell 3rd in age, 25th overall

Males:

Griffen Hansen 1st in age, 7th overall

Lucas Goodin 5th in age, 8th overall

Parker Johnston 1st in age, 10th overall Jared Smolinski 6th in age, 11th overall Sean Ryan 2nd in age, 13th overall Reese Cooper 4th in age, 15th overall Ryan Henri 9th in age, 17th overall Travis Goodin 10th in age, 22nd overall Cameron Evans 5th in age, 23rd overall Nicholas O'Neill 19th In age, 36th overall Matthew Voelkl 4th in age, 46th overall Evan Dermott 5th in age, 48th overall

Moguls:

Females top 3

Elissa Cole took the overall top spot, with Lexi Crotty securing 3rd overall

Combined overall results from Saturday's Slopestyle Events and Sunday's Mogul event had Lexi Crotty taking top overall female and Griffen Hansen taking 2nd place overall.

Way to represent FLITE Team!

HoliMont Athletes Bring Their “A” Game on Sunday Feb. 3rd

If a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world, can it cause a hurricane in a different part of the world?  That theory does exist.  What we do know for sure though is that a rainstorm in Vermont can cause good fortune in Western New York.

A little over a week ago, Killington Resort was scheduled to hold a USSA “A” mogul competition but some unfortunate torrential rainfalls destroyed the mogul field and eventually, when the temperature dropped shortly thereafter, turned the slope into an unskiable sheet of ice.  The decision was made to cancel the competition.

At that point a dedicated group of parents began exploring options on other locations to hold the event.   On Thursday, January 31^st, HoliMont decided that it would host the event and in approximately 48 hours, the Downspout slope, which previously only had mounds of manmade snow on it, was groomed out, bumped up, and turned into a mogul course worthy of a sanctioned competition.  

Forty-four freestyle participants came to HoliMont from neighboring Holiday Valley, Killington, Waterville Valley, Bristol, Gould, Hunter, Killington Mountain School, and Seven Springs.  Thanks to the hard work of the mountain crew, FLITE Team instructors, racing, and parent volunteers who worked far into the night to get the bumps ready for the competition, the meet was a tremendous success. 

In the first meet, Allison Benedict from Killington came in first in the Women’s Overall.  HoliMont’s own Maggie Ryan came in second and Georgia Wood from Killington Mountain School was third.

On the Men’s side, Robbie Andison from HoliMont took first place, showing off an impressive combination of aerial spins and speed through the bumps.  Abe Studler from Killington was second, and Trevor Wahl from Killington took third.

For the second Women’s meet of the day, Allison Benedict from Killington was first, Maggie Ryan from HoliMont took second, and Georgia Wood from Killington Mountain School took third place.

Once again, HoliMont’s Robbie Andison captured first place on the Men’s side.  Holiday Valley’s own Adam Zuckerman secured an impressive second place finish and Brian Kroetz from Bristol took third place.     

Sunday, January 27, 2013

A picture really is worth a thousand words.  The top of Sunset.

Keepin’ it safe in the parks at HoliMont

 

We are now in the tail end of National Ski Safety Awareness Week; a time where ski areas across the nation put that little bit of extra emphasis on making sure that their guests stay safe while on the slopes. 

Here at HoliMont, where safety is always of the utmost importance, Area Control Manager Justin Latimer and his staff have been diligent in their efforts to spread the good word of safety.  One of those areas of emphasis has been terrain park safety.

If you’ve spent any time watching the X-Games lately you know that the world of snowboarding and freestyle skiing is now reaching stratospheric levels.  These guys and girls make boosting off kickers, and out of the pipe, look like it’s no big deal.  Just watching their athletic endeavors is enough to get your adrenaline pumping.  Unfortunately for us mere mortals, these feats are accomplished by seasoned professionals who spend hours every day training in order to master their skills.  And even with all of their hard work and dedication, sometimes, bad luck sets in.

Sadly, just over a year ago, the freeskiing community lost a very beloved member due to a totally random accident.  Sarah Burke was seriously injured while training on the Park City Mountain Resort Eagle superpipe in Park City, Utah. This was the same pipe where snowboarder Kevin Pearce was seriously injured in 2009.  After nine days in a coma, Burke succumbed to her injuries on January 19, 2012. 

As fun as the snow sports that we all love are, the reality remains that there is an element of danger in skiing and snowboarding.  And while HoliMont does everything it can to ensure that its members and guests are as safe as possible, safety cannot be guaranteed.  With that said, HoliMont continues to pursue more ways to make the area safer.  A couple of seasons ago we implemented  “Smart Style” signage in the terrain parks.  Smart Style is a Terrain Park Safety initiative that was developed by the National Ski Area Association (NSAA) and Burton Snowboards.  The goal of the initiative is to continue the proper use and progression of terrain parks at resorts, while also delivering a clear, unified, concise, and effective message.

To further the educational aspect of Smart Style NSAA also teamed up with the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI).  Together they came up with a Get Smart consumer informative video.  The video encourages park users to abide by the four points of Smart Style:

1. Make a Plan
2. Look Before You Leap
3. Easy Style It
4. Respect Gets Respect. 

The video also highlights the concept of ATML, which is all about looking at a terrain park feature in four steps:

1. Approach
2. Take-Off
3. Maneuver
4. Landing   

For years HoliMont has mandated that terrain park users wear helmets but a few seasons ago the safety bar was raised another level.  The HoliMont Terrain Park Crew started offering a Smart Style training where people could watch a Smart Style video and then take a short test.  After passing the test, skiers/riders got a sticker to put on their pass.  That sticker signified they were familiar with Smart Style and knew the proper terrain park etiquette. 

“We’ve had a tremendous interest in our terrain park program, which as a result has really increased our safety awareness in the parks,” said Latimer.  “Statistically, our injuries have decreased ever since we implemented the program.”

The Smart Style test program is voluntary.  However, HoliMont is looking to make it mandatory in the near future.  So when you visit HoliMont this year take the test and get your Smart Style on.  You’ll be glad you did…and so will the other people in the terrain park.   

Hot Tips for Cold Days

  By Dan Balkin

HoliMont Snowsports School

One can only approach Mother Nature with awe and reverence.  That said, I’m writing this article to lay down a challenge.  Please, Mother Nature, let it get really cold for string of days in January so that the ground will freeze and our heroic snowmaking and grooming crews (who often work while we sleep) can finish what they started.  I have never feuded with Mother Nature, so I’m hoping that she will heed my request.  When it does get really cold, here are a few tips and tricks that I have learned while whiling away the greater part of my lost youth at ski areas.

Rule #1 – While skiing, warm feet always trump hot legs

* Wait until you are about to ski to put on your ski socks.  Your feet will start to perspire if you have your ski boots on        indoors (eating breakfast etc.) or if you are walking or driving to the ski area.  That perspiration can contribute to cold feet while skiing.  If your feet are more prone to sweating while skiing, it is an excellent idea to switch to a new pair of socks at lunch.

* Buy real ski socks – the thinner the better.  Almost all good skiers ski in thin ski socks.  Thicker socks and ski boots are bad combination as they tend to bunch up a create pressure points on the feet.  Given that your ski boots fit correctly, thinner socks wont pinch the arteries at the top of your feet that keep warm blood flowing through your lower extremities.

* Like all technology, boot heaters have continued to improve.  If you are perennially plagued by cold feet – boot heaters are invaluable.

* Have some means to dry your ski boot liners.  If you put the boots away wet, and the next day is cold – that moisture will create cold feet sooner than you can say “ It is ok to sprinkle a wee drop of water into single malt scotch because it opens up flavors that were not evident by drinking the whiskey straight up.”  Well maybe you would actually have to say that twice – but you get the idea.  I use a ski boot specific portable fan that I can insert in both boots at night. Taking your liners out at night is another option – but that is often a cumbersome process and it creates a lot of wear and tear on your liners if you do it all the time.

* Don’t ever put your ski boots in front of a fire.  The last time that I was multi-tasking by sprinkling water into a glass and gazing affectionately at my ski boots I had an epiphany:  Ski boots are made out of plastic!!!  Plastic gets weird when it is overheated.  Ski boots that morph into new shapes through overheating tend to be uncomfortable.  This is    especially true if one of the great boot fitters in town has grinded, punched, or otherwise adjusted your ski boot so that you can ski in blissful comfort – overheating your boots can undo their expert modifications.

* Don’t stow your ski boots in the trunk on the drive to the ski area.  The warmer and drier your boots are when you put them on – the longer you will ski in comfort on a cold day.

* A product called the “Dryguy Ski Bootglove” also works great on cold days.  It is a neoprene “bootglove” that effortlessly attaches over your ski boots.  It really helps to hold the heat within your boots. 

Rule #2 – Don’t ever let Vladimir Putin get mad at you.  None of these tips work in Siberia.

Why Cake Doesn’t Matter

By Dan Balkin

Holimont Snowsports School

Many years ago when I was about twelve years old I was happily gobbling down a donut at a greasy spoon when a middle aged guy walked by and said “Enjoy that now, for you won’t be able to do that your entire life and get away with it.”  He was, of course, talking about the ability to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, without gaining weight.

Alas, those days have disappeared along with my original Rock Em Sock Em Robots game and 207cm straight skis.  So what does this have to do with skiing?  Everything.  In middle age and beyond, excess food finds a way of clinging to the human body.  Surprisingly, however, it does not greatly impede the ability to be a top-notch recreational skier.   Why?  Skiing is essentially a sport of active legs and a stable upper body.  While you need a balanced and stable upper body to ski well, the muscles that turn your skis are almost entirely in your legs.

Consider this fact:  65% of the average person’s weight is concentrated in the upper body, 35% in the lower body.

No fearless scientist has yet calculated if this is still true after we gorge ourselves on holiday treats in December – but I digress.  This is the mantra of the good skier:  “You ski with your legs, you balance with your upper body.”  In essence, that mantra is saying that you use your legs to turn your skis and your upper body to adjust your balance.  If it is not 100% true, it is essentially true and captures the spirit in which most recreational skiers should approach the sport.

Defining upper and lower body:  In layman’s ski terms, the lower body is everything from the ball joints in your hip sockets and below.  The upper body consists of our hips and everything above the hips (torso, shoulders, arms and head). If you stand up and simultaneously twist your feet to the left and right WITHOUT moving your hips and shoulders you can immediately feel the difference between the upper and lower body – the lower body rotates and the upper body remains stable.

The Problem:    Many recreational skiers use their upper bodies (hips and shoulders) to help turn their skis.  In other words, many people twist their hips and shoulders to the left to help make their skis turn left.  But if you are turning your skis to the left by rotating your hips and shoulders to the left, your skis will most likely be overpowered and the tails of your skis will skid sideways.  This also creates issues with your balance, because you are then turning your upper body uphill.  The last time I checked, we always turn downhill when we ski, so an upper body that is rotated uphill is in a very poor position to start a new ski turn.

The Solution:  Think about twisting (turning, rotating, steering) BOTH your legs to the left to turn left.  As was

mentioned earlier, practice this maneuver by keeping your hips and shoulders stable and facing straight ahead while turning both feet to the left and then both feet to the right.  This works especially well on any safe flat spot at the ski area while standing in your ski boots.  If you can turn both your feet (again, with your skis off)) without turning your hips and shoulders, you will create a shallow “bow-tie” looking impression in the snow under your ski boots.  If you can transfer that sensation into your ski turns, you are correctly using your lower body to turn your skis.  To be honest, you really need a lesson from an experienced coach or instructor to fully understand what I am trying to describe.  But if you think about turning your legs – instead of twisting your hips and shoulders – to get your skis to turn, you are grasping the essential concept.   

Some historical perspective:  (French Royal Minister on the eve of the French Revolution)  “Madame Queen, just as you instructed, the butter-churning peasants are all turning their legs, not their hips or shoulders, to make ski turns in the French Alps.”    Queen Marie Antoinette’s cheeky reply:  Just as I suspected, they can gain weight and still ski well if they turn using their legs instead of their upper bodies - LET THEM EAT CAKE.”

While it may be true that you can’t have your cake and eat it too - you can have your cake and good skiing too.

Isn’t life grand?

Wrapping up the 15th Annual SkiScape

Last Sunday, the 6^th of January, the organizers from Kids Escaping Drugs came down to HoliMont to host the 15^th Annual SkiScape event.  SkiScape has become a time-honored tradition at HoliMont.  Every year around the beginning of the New Year, Kids Escaping Drugs partners up with HoliMont in order to raise funds for the development of its facilities and the continuation of its programs in Western New York.

Kids Escaping Drugs is an organization that is unique to this area.  In many places, kids who are in need of drug and/or alcohol treatment are placed in facilities with adults.  The Kids Escaping Drugs Campus consists of three buildings that house up to 62 chemically dependent youths ages 12 to 20. Renaissance House is a 30-bed intensive treatment facility for boys, Stepping Stones is a 16-bed girls’ residence, which combines both inpatient and continuum of care programs and the Promise House is a 16-bed continuum of care residence for boys.

“Obviously this organization (Kids Escaping Drugs) works on a daily basis dealing with some very serious issues,” said Dash Hegeman, HoliMont Marketing Director.  “HoliMont is happy to be able to add some on-snow fun to the fundraising process.  This season we had a solid turnout and unlike last seasons event it really looked like it was winter outside, which is always a good thing this time of year.”

With every chairlift open over the weekend, the Kids Escaping Drugs crowd had access to 35 trails and some exceptional conditions on the slopes. 

Each season, one of the main attractions is the Annual Firefighter Ski Race.  Firefighter crews from all over the state traveled to HoliMont to compete for bragging rights and a pretty impressive trophy.  This year the North Boston team, led by HoliMont Safety Patroller Sean Crotty, just missed out on the 1^st place trophy when a team from Palenville, NY edged them out.  The North Boston Women’s team took 3^rd place.  As always it was an exciting and very entertaining race to watch.

“Every year the firefighters who attend this event look forward to being able to ride the lifts and spend time with the young people who come out for Kids Escaping Drugs,” said Crotty.  “It gives them time to connect with young people who they might not otherwise be able to spend time with on an average day.  Plus, it connects two great traditions that they are all passionate about; firefighting and skiing.”

Back in the Main Chalet the Silent Auction featured some fantastic items that ended up collecting a lot of bids (at the time this article went to print, the fundraising total for the day was not available).  There were donated items from both the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, dining packages, golf and spa packages, products from local ski shops and much more.