Ski Cooper – As downhill courses go, the track here is pedestrian. No huge jumps, no precipitous dropoffs or teeth-rattling turns, none of the porcelain-hard ice the World Cup racers favor.
But that’s the beauty of it. Anybody with a reasonable amount of competence on skis and sufficient courage can find out what it feels like to ski at highway speeds.
“This course is so wonderful because it isn’t the most challenging,” former World Cup downhiller Jonna Mendes said last month while here to advise Rocky Mountain Masters racers on downhill tactics. “Hopefully more people will come out and race downhill because of that, realize it’s not as scary as they thought and it’s actually very exhilarating. It’s an incredible, incredible event.”
Kevin Ward of Silverthorne, a board member of the USSA’s Rocky Mountain Division, invited Mendes to spend a couple days with the recreational racers. While conceding the Ski Cooper course is flat and easy – it’s on a green slope – Ward was “petrified” the first time he raced downhill on it.
“I like GS, that’s my favorite event, but some of my masters friends coerced me into doing (downhill), so I did it,” Ward said. “I’ve been coming back three or four years now. It’s great.”
Rocky Mountain Masters puts on 24 races – six in each discipline – at various resorts through the winter. They had two downhills at Ski Cooper last month and two at Keystone last weekend, with two more scheduled this weekend at Buttermilk. The Rocky Mountain Division is the only one in the country that offers balanced schedules in all four disciplines.
“What we offer the community is an ability for your average adrenaline junkie or average speed freak who loves to go fast, you can exceed the legal posted speed limit on skis on a very tame hill,” said Jim Roberts, Rocky Mountain Masters president. “It’s all about getting that heart rate up and getting the adrenaline going, having fun.”
Mendes, a bronze medalist in super-G at the 2003 world championships, couldn’t have been more gracious or helpful.
“The key for you guys is to not follow the tracks,” Mendes said at one point during course inspection. “What happens is that one person will set the track, it won’t be great, and then every single person will follow that track. I’ve seen it happen over and over and over again. Normally the fastest person is the one who figures out that where the tracks are going is not necessarily the fastest.”
At one point she took off her skis and placed them on the snow to indicate the direction she thought they should have at a gate. She also gave them tips on technique.
“What most people don’t realize running downhill, because they’re used to running GS and they’re used to making shorter turns, you don’t have to finish a turn in downhill,” Mendes said. “In GS, you’re finishing every turn, but downhill you need to let it go as soon as you can. You need to be looking ahead, and as soon as you can flatten out your skis, you need to.”
Club member Jerry Sorensen, 60, began ski racing when he was 55. His goal at Ski Cooper was to achieve a maximum velocity matching his age.
A native Minnesotan who teaches part-time at the Vail Ski School, Sorensen played football and basketball in high school. Since then he has been into cycling, triathlons, marathons and cross country skiing.
“I found out that as I age, if I change what I do about every five years or so, my body is going to last longer, versus staying with one sport and wearing out joints,” Sorensen said. “That’s served me well.”
Some of the guys in his age group have been lifelong ski racers, but Sorensen loves the group.
“I like to compete and be around people who like to compete, and that’s what it is here,” Sorensen said. “Some people have real in-depth (ski) backgrounds, and other people are novices. I’m kind of in the middle. But everybody is real sharing. It’s a good camaraderie.”
You can find out more about Rocky Mountain Masters – and register online for a race – at www.rmmskiracing.org.
“Any accomplished skier can have very reasonable success on a hill like this,” said Roberts, who races on a pair of downhill skis previously used by U.S. Ski Team downhiller Bryon Friedman. “To win is going to take another level, but to participate, have fun, see what this is all about, one of the things we pride ourselves on is the freedom and the ease with which people can come into this.”
