I have been dragging my feet on posting this as pictures of me in my skin suit are kind of embarrasing. But Heather made me. We left Friday afternoon for a 10 hour drive to Whitefish, skied the race on Saturday, and then dashed home on Sunday; crazy, but we had fun. I haven't been back to Big Mtn (now Whitefish Mtn Resort) since I was a kid so it was cool to go back. The mtn has changed a little, and the Kalispell-Whitefish area has really grown.
The race itself was a learning experience to say the least, it was my first pro or non recreational class race. I have done a few rec races and have done fairly well but always have been curious how much faster I could go with light gear. The main difference between rec and pro class is the vertical covered; a rec race is typically around 2k elevation gain & loss, pro class races can be anywhere from 4k to 9k. This race covered 4800 feet and had variable snow conditions and temps. At the starting line there were present 3 Canadian National Team members including the fastest guy in North America, the US national champ, and a few other fast looking spandex-clad folks.
The race started as they all do in a full sprint for a 100' or so with everyone trying to establish position and/or test the speed of others. The fast guys (about 6) began to quickly build a gap, as I stuck with a chase group of three, including #9 female in the world last year (very fast). The first guy made it to the top in 28 min, I was around 34. I felt good like I could increase my pace, but after the first descent and the first transition up I had a skin blowout, and then another and another. Eventually, I just gave up and boot-packed the last three laps. Instead of keeping pace with the three and finishing possibly top five, I finished 30 min back and in 8th.
Oh well, the goal for me in racing is to have fun and I did have fun. I learned a lot so hopefully my next race will be more successful. Heather, meanwhile, skied powder for a good portion of the day, and watched me at a couple points during the race.
The Start
Run!
Well into the pain cave
First up to down transition
Finished finally
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