Waterville Valley, Wow!

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

Waterville Valley Resort hosted the US Freestyle Championships that concluded with the dual moguls champions being crowned on March 17th. The next day, Monday morning, I met a couple of friends to ski at Waterville. While we rode the lift up Green Peak we had a good view of the bumps, the mogul course, on Lower Bobby’s Run.
The mogul course looked impressive with its big uniform bumps and big jumps that competitors had to launch themselves into twists and flips before bouncing back into the bumps.
Waterville Valley is considered the birthplace of Freestyle Skiing when way back in 1969 it was the first to create an organized freestyle skiing program.The following year it hosted the very first Freestyle National Championships. Wow.
We were eager to hit the trails. An inch of snow had fallen and with the grooming produced a nice turning surface of loose granular snow.
White Caps, Upper Sel’s and Tommy’s World Cup were only open for ski racers. These were the trails that the US Alpine Championships would be held later in the week. Two National Championships back to back. Wow.
Being a weekend morning it wasn’t crowded and all the other trails were open. Tippecanoe and Tyler were super groomed and made for fun skiing.
On Green Peak the lift is a fix grip and is slow only in comparison to the high-speed quad. Green Peak is fun and is a wonderful addition to the resort. Clean Shaven, a new black diamond rated trail that opened this season and Governor’s Run, had terrific snow conditions.
We decided they were our favorite runs of the day. Views of Mount Osceola are grand from these trails.
I had to dash to get to work for the afternoon and said so long to my friends at noon. In the lodge while I was taking off my boots Ted, a friend and also the Chief of Race for the upcoming US Alpine Championships, asked me if I had signed up to volunteer. I hadn’t. He said I better.
So I did.

On the following Monday I parked my car in the volunteer lot at 5:55am. I carried my skis and boots up to the lodge. I signed in and was handed my volunteer credentials that were placed in an armband that I would wear over my jacket. I ran down to the cafeteria and got in line to get a yummy egg sandwich, a hot cup of coffee and a lunch bag. The lodge was full of volunteers eating and gearing up to get ready for the Women’s Giant Slalom Championship.
It was a joy to watch the sunrise over Mount Tripyramid from the top of the ski slopes but there was much work to be done. So many volunteers and coaches working together. So many parts and pieces had to put into place before the start of the race. All the safety netting had to be put into place that morning and airbags were secured in front of lift towers and snowmaking equipment. Safety is taken seriously.
While the fences were going up, bundles of red and blue gates were brought up the lift and then balanced on the shoulders of volunteers who skied them down to the course setter.

I followed behind and I put the panels on the gates–the flags between the poles. I had to slide the gate up through a slot and then stretch an elastic piece over the top and adjust the height of the panel. I had to take off my glove off to grab the tabs. I had to ignore that my hand was cold.
I confess I was nervous. I have never worked an alpine race of this caliber. I knew everything needed to be done correctly. It was amazing to watch the course come together and to be right in the middle of it. One of the last things was US Ski Team workers setting up the start with sponsors’ banners and a inflatable start house.
Next thing I knew I was in line with the other slip crew members inside the fence just below the start. Gatekeepers, course maintenance workers and even the ski patrol and more coaches and officials were all in place before the first forerunner headed down the course.
Beep, beep, beep, dooo (that is the electronic sound of the countdown) and one after another, about every minute a racer kicked and poled out of the start. The strength and speed of these elite women racers was a sight to behold. I’ve seen some these top women compete on TV in World Cup races.
I could only see them while I was in line to do my job on the slip crew and while on the lift to get back up the mountain. I never stood with the crowd to cheer at the finish but I had to ski through cheering fans as I made my way back to the lift. We were sent out in pairs between racers to slide and snowplow the loose snow off the race course. The loose snow is removed so a racer will not get tangled up and to give each skier a good fair course. We also had to be careful not to get in the line of sight or in the way of the next racer.

I was thankful that I teamed up with Russ, he’s a race coach from Ragged Mountain and I followed him slipping the course. He had good timing, kept me out of danger and it was fun to be on the championship GS race course.
After the first run the course is torn down and a new course is set. I put the panels on the gates again. Then we had a short break to run into the lodge. I ate the other half of my sandwich, I ate my first half while riding the chairlift. In the ladies room a couple of racers thanked me for volunteering.
The second run seemed to go by quickly, think because the weather was nice, and then the race was over. I had no idea who had won. We were organized to take down the course and to roll up fencing where the groomers would have to cross the trail later that night. It took less time to take down all the pieces and parts.

When we were done there were no more spectators and there were no racers, everyone was gone. The scene reminded me of the morning except volunteers were taking off their gear and instead of waking up we were weary from the day’s work. Some volunteers had been working races for weeks straight. Most would be returning the next morning for the men’s GS.
On my way out I saw Ted and he thanked me for volunteering. It was an exciting day and I will likely volunteer again.
The following weekend Waterville Valley Resort is hosting the US Junior National Alpine Championships. Wow! Spring skiing is the best.
Have Fun!

Click below to read the entire publication online now…