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Greetings All,
The snow continues to accumulate south of the border. Snow reports suggest very favorable snow quantity at each of our four destinations this coming weekend. Forecasted low temperatures bode well for snow quality. Cloudy skies during the day with snow flurries in the evening are forecasted.
Our 17 Feb Social theme will be Fasching so join the HISC Krewe as we celebrate the Fasching season family-style. You bring the masks, we’ll provide the music and together we’ll produce mayhem. We’ll have prizes for the most creative and colorful masks and costumes.
We do have an important piece of business to accomplish at the social. We need to begin forming next year’s council. So with that in mind, Wednesday will be the first of two socials during which we will conduct nominations. The council will post two sheets of butcher paper. One will list the elected positions. Those interested in performing the duties of an elected official can self-nominate themselves by annotating their name next to the position title. Others may also nominate candidates with a candidate’s consent. The other butcher paper will list the appointed positions. This is a means for an individual to express interest to next year’s elected officials to serve on the council in a specific appointed position. Next year’s council will make the final selections.
The elected positions are: President, Trips Manager, Socials, Publicity, Membership, Treasurer, Secretary, and Boutique.
The appointed positions are: Trip Captain Manager, Trips Accounts, Webmaster, Publication Manager.
In addition to shaping next year’s event calendar, Council members receive the following perks:
- Two 100E vouchers that can be used to pay for any HISC event or merchandise.
- Authorization to sign-up for a trip prior to opening night. (Past Presidents receive this perk and free membership for life…think about running for President.)
Refunds/Reimbursements: The following individuals should see Doug Sims to receive Council approved refunds/reimbursements:
Steve or Jennifer Humphries, Dmitry Tsveton, Rose Marie Smith, Brian Hughes, Nina Staiano, Linnea Norby, and Fred Schultz.
Trips:
No new trip opening this social but space is still available for Engelberg (26-28 Feb), Lauterbrunnen (12-14 Mar), Flims-Laax (26-28 Mar) and Val Thorens (3-10 and 10-17 Apr).
Engelberg (TC: Mark Sarabia)
This trip has the shortest commute and the second lowest trip cost this year. We will stay a short 20 minute HISC bus commute from the slopes. Engelberg offers nice beginner and intermediate skiing and enjoyable off-piste opportunities. Additionally, this is the second best cross-country skiing destination of the year. Last year this turned out to be a particularly good family outing given its short travel distance, early Sunday return, and low cost.
Lauterbrunnen (TC: Mag McGinley)
Lauterbrunnen affords trip participants the opportunity to ski two adjacent areas – Kleine Scheidegg and Schilthorn - double the fun. We have not offered this ease of access to both areas in a number of years. The hotel is walking distance to the two cog trains that transport skiers to ski heaven. The oldest and longest ski course on the World Cup circuit, the Lauberhorn, and the 12 km, 2000 meter descent Inferno run can easily be skied in one weekend. Additionally, enjoy lunch at the Piz Gloria, the rotating restaurant at Schilthorn that is well-know to James Bond fans – “Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Finally, see where part of the movie "The Eiger Sanction" was filmed in the vicinity of Kleine Scheidegg. The high ski area elevation guarantees favorable ski conditions this time of year…should be snow sure long sunny days.
Flims-Laax (TC:Shash Chitnis)
This is the cheapest trip of the year yet a very good ski area with a hotel that is within walking distance of the gondola that transports skiers to beautiful skiing primarily above the tree line. So how did we make this trip so cheap? Well, we’re experimenting. This is HISC’s version of Ryannair – stripped down. Your trip cost does not include food and beverages on the bus and Saturday night dinner. This affords you an opportunity to experiment with eating out and deciding whether you wish to package your own treats for the bus ride or rely on food and beverages at the mid-route rest stop. Flims-Laxx has extensive (220 km) and varied slopes that are ideal for intermediates. The lift system moves skiers quickly. The area is considered a snowboard hot spot. The terrain parks are some of the best in Europe.
This week long vacation is a shared event with multiple U.S. ski clubs in Germany. Scherer Tours is our gracious host. Participants are picked-up at the Commissary Gate Park and Ride. Price varies based on the accommodation one chooses. This is a great outing to team up with other singles, couples or families to find the most cost efficient billeting arrangement. Val Thorens is the highest purpose built ski village in France’s Three Valley’s – the largest ski area in the world. Many of you may question the quality of skiing in mid-April. If my memory serves me correctly, other than glacier locations, Val Thorens is the last ski resort in Europe to close each year. People have returned from the trip raving about the great ski conditions. I’ve seen photos and video clips from trip participants attesting to the snow quality. John Schwartz of Scherer Tours will attend a social in the near future to provide you photo evidence of the quality of skiing at Val Thorens in April. This will be a great spring break outing.
The Olympics are just days away. Many get confused between the various race disciplines; specifically, the downhill, the Super Giant Slalom, the Giant Slalom, and the Slalom. With that in mind, below my farewell, I provide an explanation of each of the disciplines, compliments of Dave Ellis.
Look forward to seeing you on the slopes this weekend. Enjoy two weeks of great Olympic action.
Let is Snow…in the Alps…
Regards,
Al Rasper
HISC Prez
Downhill Skiing
The downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships.
The "downhill" discipline involves the highest speeds and therefore the greatest risks of all the alpine events. Racers on a typical international-level course will exceed speeds of 130 kilometers per hour and some courses, such as the famous Hahnenkamm course in Kitzbühel, Austria, speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour in certain sections are expected. Racers must have great strength, stamina, technical expertise and courage if they wish to compete in the downhill.
The Course
A typical downhill course begins at or near the top of the mountain on a piste that is closed off to the public and groomed specially for the race. Alternating red and blue gates are spaced great distances apart, but not out of sight from each other. The courses in the world's most famous ski areas are preset and predetermined and do not change much from year to year.
The course is designed to challenge the best skiers in a variety of tasks: skiing at high speeds over ice, through challenging turns, extreme steeps and on the flats. A good course will have all these elements in it, as well as some jumps intended to complicate matters and thrill both the racer and the onlooking crowds.
Equipment
Equipment for the downhill is a little bit different from the other alpine events. Skis are 30% longer than those used in the slalom, to provide added stability at high speed. Ski poles are bent so as to curve around the body as the racer stays in his "tuck position." Racers wear skin-tight suits to minimize aerodynamic drag, and helmets are mandatory for head protection. Minimum ski lengths are 215 cm for men and 210 cm for women.
Races
Downhill racers are allowed extensive preparation for the race, which includes daily course inspection and discussion with their coaches and teammates as well as several practice runs before the actual race. Racers do not make any unnecessary turns while on the course, and try to do everything they can to maintain the most aerodynamic position while negotiating turns and jumps.
Unlike slalom and giant slalom, where racers have two combined times, in the downhill, the race is a single "run." Times are typically between 1:50:00 seconds and 2:50:00 seconds for the most challenging courses. Tenths and hundreths of seconds count: World Cup races and Olympic medals have sometimes been decided by as little as two or three one-hundreths of a second.
Super Giant Slalom skiing
The Super Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as "Super G." Super G is considered a "speed" discipline like Downhill as opposed to "technical" disciplines like Giant Slalom and Slalom.
It involves skiing between widely spaced gates as in the Giant Slalom, but with fewer turns and over a much longer course with, consequently, longer times between gates. Unlike in Giant Slalom, Super-G skiers normally assume more of a "tuck" position similar to Downhill.
The discipline is relatively new and it was created in an effort to offset specialization in alpine skiing World Cup events caused by widely different technique and physical demands of technical and speed disciplines. It was first introduced in Crans-Montana in 1987.
Giant Slalom involves skiing between poles ("gates") spaced at a greater distance to each other than in Slalom but not as great as Super-G or Downhill.
Giant Slalom and Slalom make up the "technical events" in alpine ski racing. This category separates them from the "speed events" like Super-G and Downhill.
Differences between Giant Slalom and Slalom
Giant Slalom (GS) racers ski faster than Slalom racers because a GS course contains fewer gates separated by greater distances requiring significantly fewer turns, thus allowing racers to pick up much more momentum. GS gates themselves also differ from Slalom gates; in the Giant Slalom, gates are spaced in pairs with each pair consisting of two poles connected by a single fabric panel, whereas in the Slalom gates are single poles sans panels.
There are additional differences between the Slalom and Giant Slalom. In slalom, turns are much shorter (and thus much quicker) and so racers ski a narrower, more direct fall line. This narrower fall line holds Slalom racers in much closer proximity to the gates. As a result, a Slalom racer is likely to use a cross-blocking method to push gates out of the way in order to keep his center of gravity closer to the fall line during his run. In contrast, the fall line of a Giant Slalom run has much wider turns and thus is always less encumbered by gates. As a result, a GS racer will make much less contact with gates, and will do so using his inner shoulder rather than his outer pole.
Giant Slalom skis are longer and stiffer than Slalom skis, but not as long as Super-G and Downhill skis.