MASTERS BEAT THE STORM AT WOLF
It was the last race before the Masters Nationals, and Wolf Mountain---and Mother Nature---put on quite a show. So did the Skinner brothers, in their 50's, who still managed to beat off all rivals except each other. Bob was top man in the GS, while Bill won the slalom. Ownership of the funky white leather "BB" belt, awarded each year to the "Best Brother" is still up in the air. Dana Leach was the women's GS winner, Donna Allen took the slalom.
Saturday's GS was held just ahead of a wild stormy burst of heavy snow and gropple in flat light and low visibility. Eden's Wolf Mountain, where the Austrian ski team secretly trained for the 2002 Olympics, showed that the race department still has that Olympic touch. An army of slippers kept the course smooth for every racer, despite warm temps that made the snow soft and wet.
TD Meri Stratton made the call to hold the second run at noon, rather than the normal 1:00 time, and it was a good call. By the time the last racer finished, hail-like gropple was pounding the course. It would have been impossible to race at 1:00, when it was dark and dumping.
Even Tom Reiner, the Dominator wax rep who had set up a table to prep skis for whoever wanted him to do it, folded up his box of wax and left.
Much schwag was given out at the awards party at the Wolf Creek reception center; including ski and boot bags, tee-shirts and Dominator wax. By the time it was over, six inches of soaking snow covered the ground.
The weather kept some racers from coming back for Sunday's slalom, and they missed out. It was a bluebird day with hard, fast snow. Bob Skinner, the ski team coach at Weber State, brought some of his racers to forerun, and the Masters crowded around the start to watch their line.
It was a good humored, relaxed race weekend, and the Intermountain Masters can't wait to return next year.