Watching good racers

Out of the half-dozen days I volunteer for the Park City racing department, my favorite one is being on duty the day the collegiate GS race takes place. This year I was a gate judge in the best portion of the race and was treated to the best event in alpine skiing all day long. The race course was set so it was very fast on both runs and with a hard man-made snow, chatter was part of the event and in the steep section it spoke volume about the athletes and their equipment.

Never in my life did I see so many pre-releases. The racers' bindings were either set far too loose or poorly adjusted, with most problems occurring with Look (yeah, the “27” version) and Marker. In steep sections like these, when chatter begins to form, it immediately works on destabilizing the racers and their disarray seems to amplify at each successive “rutty” turn. Same observation for the skis; Head and Fischer seemed to hold the best, but here again, the difference is a subtle combination between athlete's skills and ski tech expertise. A fun day!