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Maine Sunday Telegram - SKIING

November/December 2004

 

 

 

 

“Reflections on Skiing”
December 26, 2004

At the risk of sounding ancient to my kids, skiing sure has changed since I was little.

When I was first learning to turn, racing was the cat’s meow (how is that for a dated expression?). If you weren’t on the ski team at Gunstock (my home slope), you were not worthy of breathing the high mountain air at the 2,300’ summit.

So every winter weekend, I swallowed my fear and put on a game face. Who am I kidding? I was a freckle-faced girl with red curls, petrified and praying for hale to cancel the whole icy match.

I have since learned that skiing is all about braving the elements, and that ski races rarely observe weather delays. Snow, sleet, rain, and fog all add to the excitement apparently. Racing is more about the preparation and the anticipation (or anxiety in my case), than the 60 seconds of fulfillment on the course. I never had blistering speed, and obviously never had the forethought to recognize that the real competition happened before the starting gate in my hat-covered ears (back in the day, helmets were for sissies).

My brothers, on the other hand, had that reckless pursuit of speed, and zero fear of injury. They had what is now celebrated as “Bode Miller style,” skiing on the edge, near disaster, but much faster and closer to victory. I was not willing to risk bone breaking (my brothers also demonstrated for me firsthand the downfalls of fall downs).

In lieu of injury, my humiliation came from finishing very safely behind the pack of razor-edged ravenous racers. I hung up my race bib at the ripe age of 10 and looked to ballet skiing (but not competitively) on a pretty pair of twin tipped Kastle freestyle skis.

I also remember lift lines when I was a kid. I am not talking about queuing up for the Barker quad and waiting a whole six minutes on a sunny Saturday. I recall long zigzagging wooden corrals filled with skiers at a complete stand still for 30-40 minutes. I can still picture the stretch pant-wearing grown-ups waiting their turn for the fixed grip snail-paced double. What I don’t remember is ever hearing any one complain. Skiing was extremely social, like a country club on snow. I think my mother looked forward to weekend chats in the line as much as carving her pretty turns on the precipice.

I recall mitten-ripping rope tows and the single chair - a most anti-social lift ride that thankfully was redesigned for capacity sake. The irony is that skiers and riders on today’s couch-sized quads often sit in strange silence instead of chatting with their simpatico snow-loving chair neighbors.

If lift lines and chair rides were long, so were skis a few decades back, longer the better (an expression I naively believed was a reference to your skiing ability). So I bought my first pair of 200-centimeters when I turned eighteen. I proudly carried those awkward boards, over 6-foot in length, on my 5-foot female frame like a cross of courage. I still wince at how they dug into my shoulders during the hike up to the ski school shack. Lugging them, it turns out, was not as hard as steering them through the monster moguls that formed that spring.

Apparently such long skis had a tendency to break more often. Or perhaps my big brothers were just genetically predisposed to snapping skis like twigs. Water bars and hand packed jumps were frequent culprits. Even with today’s terrain parks, pipes and metal rails, skis are better constructed with titanium and Kevlar and groomers buff our boulevards so skis do not split in half like they used to.

Do you remember safety straps, or am I further aging myself? These prevention devices of runaway skis were dreadful to fasten in the cold – which is the prevalent climate on ski days. You inevitably had to take off your gloves, and pick out any trace of snow from the clumsy clip. The strap cinched around your ski pants and made them bunch up unattractively. Good thing the ski brake was invented – my daughter would never leave the ski condo wearing that fashion faux pas.

At the time, my parents would never entertain a single skier complaint. They would instead launch into lengthy lectures about thong bindings and lace ups boots, which led to the inevitable monologue of how fortunate we were to ski on “modern equipment.” After three decades, I see their point. Predictably, I now sermon my kids when they whine about their edges not being sharp enough.

That is our duty as skiers, to reflect upon past ski moments and admire how our sport has evolved. We conquer crazy conditions, race down gut-wrenching courses, then regale in the few and far between perfect powder days. Our collective experiences on the slopes, past, present and future, are what bond us as a unique breed called skiers.

It has been said what we do not learn from our past we are doomed to repeat. I like my new 160-centimeter shaped skis and speedy quads that seat my family of four, and I never want to revert to safety straps, arm- wrenching rope tows, or lonely single chair rides.

Events: Shawnee Peak welcomes winter with the annual Ullr festival Dec. 28 with torchlight parade and fireworks. Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Black, Mt Abram and Shawnee Peak all have on-mountain festivities planned to ring in the New Year.

 

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"Maine mountains could use a makeover"

December 19, 2004

In this age of extreme makeovers, it seems anything can be altered. If you can dream it, some surgeon or interior decorator can deliver it. If only there was a ski area dream team, a gregarious group that could transform terrain, lavish new lifts, and make over Maine’s ski resorts with a wave of their magic ski poles.

Here are a few transformations, tucks, and trimmings to Maine’s ski slopes that could make for a good reality show, and even better skiing.

First stop on the makeover map is Sunday River, where the aforementioned dream team would replace the Spruce Peak triple with a high-speed quad, dropping the loading area down to the Sunrise condos so that it can be reached from the Barker Base area (a few hundred feet below the Barker Quad loading area). The unload station would be 50-feet higher, so skiers and riders would no longer to hike to reach the Aurora trail. This modification would ease the pressure on the Barker Quad, enhance east to west navigation, and make the River’s already efficient lift system even more ideal.

To avoid being frivolous, the removed triple would be shipped to Big Squaw to revitalize skiing to the summit, and replace the defunct 40-year-old double chair. Locals would cheer as the new (albeit recycled) three-seater chair reopens the Squaw Mountain summit.

Big Squaw also longs for a little entertainment for families staying at the on mountain hotel. The addition of an indoor pool, plus more snowmaking on a few key trails, would complete the up-do while not altering the ambiance of this retro ski scene.

Sugarloaf is a conundrum. While the resurrection of a base to summit gondola would be terrific, this wind-exposed lift would be problematic, as history proves. The 4,237-foot northerly mountain is not conducive to high profile lifts. A surface lift straight up the face would work, but who wants to ride a cold steep t-bar? (If you do, Saddleback has one.) Besides, a surface lift would dissect many of Sugarloaf’s premier front side trails. Clearly, the only “practical” option is an underground funicular.

This is a train you find at ski resorts in Europe (where money appears to be an afterthought). The funicular would climb the 2,000-foot vertical in a tunnel, and probably cost $25 - 50 million (it is only debt). Skiers would enter at the base; take a seat in the heated car, to be whisked to the summit in a mere five minutes.

At the summit, the old gondola building would be transformed into a spectacular window lined lodge serving gooey fondue and alpine fare. The Loaf could compensate the expense of fixing up the summit house by renting it out year round for weddings and conferences. Imagine all the dyed in the wool Loafers who would love to propose, get married or celebrate an anniversary at the top of their favorite ski mountain.

I suppose the environmentalists would take issue with the construction and excavation process on one of Maine’s most legendary peaks. We will let the dream team handle that sticky wicket.

Saddleback has a similar wind issue to Sugarloaf. While I am not a huge fan of the Kennebago T-bar to the upper end terrain – I have tremendous respect for the lift (perhaps it is called humility) and appreciate that this top lift is never closed due to wind. It also minimizes beginners and snowboarders at the top – a gauntlet to all but the most experienced riders.

A Saddleback gondola is impractical, so another funicular would work well here – perhaps the Loaf and Saddleback could get a two for one special from the European lift manufacturers.

On a more do-able scale, the Maine makeover mountain consultants could replace the lower mountain T-bar with a beginner quad, and market this niche to learning families. The lift would be located near an expanded Base Lodge with a half dozen tame trails. Wait, it looks like the dream team already made a stop at Saddleback. The Rangeley area’s new owner Bill Berry is clearly a member of the Maine ski area dream team for all the upgrades he is making to this high elevation ski resort.

At Shawnee Peak, both triples would be upgraded to high-speed quads. Next, a cast of costume characters would be introduced to jazz up the family atmosphere – taking a page from Disney and Smugglers’ Notch ski resort in Vermont. Smugglers’ has slow lifts – but they prosper all winter because of their family programs headed by Bill Bob Bear, Mogul Mouse and Snowflake the Snowman. Perhaps with such entertaining idols, Chet Homer could leave the current lifts, carry on his mission of reasonable ticket prices, and become the animated affordable ski area of Maine.

The dream team would need to sprinkle super-charged makeover pixie dust on Lost Valley to give this hill a little more vertical. While the magic dust is being distributed, the dream team could pile plenty of natural snow on Maine’s slopes from Eastern Camden Snow Bowl to the Western mountains, giving snowmakers much needed time off, and lowering the ski areas’ utility bills.

Finally, the Maine ski makeover team would blitz local schools with a generous gift of skiing. A booklet for all 5, 6 and 7th grade school children to ski free all over Maine would be just the ticket. Oh wait, Ski Maine and WinterKids beat the dream team to that one as well – they call it the Passport program, another winter wish granted.

 

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"Shop the slopes and turn a great deal"

December 12, 2004

 

Skiers are conflicted during this busy holiday time, to ski or shop. While the snow is far from mid-winter depths and all your favorite trails are not yet open, there are some excellent December turns to be had.

Your lengthy pre-holiday to do list includes shopping, mailing greeting cards, cutting and decorating a tree. Nowhere on the perennial preparation list is the phrase “go skiing.” Still the temptation exists to skip the stores and head to the hills for some fresh winter air and soft snow.

What if there was a way to do both, a sort of on-mountain multi-tasking?

Skiers can get in some skiing, and stop at the ski shop for gifts of gear, or pick up gift certificates for lessons, lift tickets or lunches for friends and family on their list. Here are some double duty ideas.

Sunday River and Sugarloaf both sell ASC gift cards in $25 increment that can be used for lift tickets, lessons, lunch, even lodging. These gift cards can also be used at other ASC resorts, making it a present wrapped with flexibility.

For non-skiers on your list, try to convert them this holiday season. The River and the Loaf are both offering “bring a friend for a Learn To Ski / Ride clinic, get a free lift ticket” program. The lesson for a new skier or rider is $65, and you get a ticket to ski that same day for free, but you must pre-register.

Shawnee Peak is selling dining coupons; you can purchase a $30 booklet to give to brownbag friends as a special splurge.

The gift of an equipment tune says you care, especially for your dull ski buddies (dull edges – need sharpening, get it?). Joe Jones of Scarborough has a brand new tuning machine for skis, snowboards, even cross country skis.

John Winston, ski tuner at Joe Jones said, “With this new machine we can recreate the factory patterns on skis and snowboards. After a tune, skis will turn and glide like new again.” A fresh tune including edge sharpening and wax costs $25.

Nothing says you care like a new snowboard or skis under the tree. Visit the on-mountain shop, or your local ski outlet, for guidance on the latest gear. You may be surprised to find shaped ski prices have actually come downhill. Rossignol has a new ski and binding series with a price point of $400. At a recent on snow demo, ski shop representatives sampled these entry-level skis against the top of the line Bandits, and had trouble telling them apart.

Another big shift in equipment is gear for girls. Gone is the mentality of manufacturers to simply shrink it and make it pink for women. K-2 led the way four years ago designating a pro women’s research team, resulting in a fleet for females called the T:Nine series. As a fashion note, the graphics on these “chic sticks” are gorgeous with flowers, pastels and names like “Sweet Luv” and “First Luv.” Surely your sweetheart would be tickled with pretty new boards that carve like the pros.

You can give the gift of happy feet, since foot comfort is critical to a good day on the hill. You don’t have to buy new boots for everyone on your list, instead give your friends a treat for the sole. Sore Dawgs is a NH based company producing handmade foot beds. Steve Johnson, Vice President said, “Our Sore Dawgs are ideal for skiers and riders, and they cost $30, compared to an orthopedic insert that costs $300.”

SoreDawgs can go in any ski boot; you can even move them into other footwear, according to Johnson. The image foam molds to your feet within hours and the insoles provide shock absorption, arch support, stability, odor and moisture riddance - everything that a custom physician-made footbed does. Sore Dawgs are available at many Maine ski shops.

The New England Ski Museum is a whimsical source for themed t-shirts and ties, ornaments, ski films, books, and vintage posters, and your purchase benefits alpine history preservation. If a visit to the Museum at Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire is not on your itinerary, you will find the Museum’s intriguing collection online at SkiMuseum.org.

As for the rest of your holiday to do list, write your greeting cards during the commute to the slopes. It goes without saying this requires a car pool buddy to drive, ideally someone who drives like they ski, swerving around bumps and frost heaves but still arriving at the slopes for first chair.

Cut a fresh Maine spruce tree on your way home from the mountains (from a designated lot – no poaching) and strap it to the roof rack next to your boards.

The universal wish on every skier and riders’ list is snow. So do a snow dance, if nothing else it will put you in a giddy gift-giving mood and relieve any holiday stress. See you on the slopes.

Events: Shawnee Peak, which opened Dec. 11, will host carload Monday on Dec. 20 – arrive by 11 am and everyone in the car skis for $50 cash. Next weekend, Saddleback, Black, Camden, Lost Valley, Titcomb, and Mount Abram all plan to open for the season.

News: While not of Red Sox or Patriots status, Bode Miller is tearing up the World Cup circuit with 4 wins already this season including 2 Downhills, a Super G and GS. The CVA star is now one of only five skiers in history to win World Cup events in all five disciplines.

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“Scholarship connects fast track youth to CVA”
December 5, 2004

Dominic Cyr has had what he calls “the need for speed” since he first skied at age four. “I remember it took my Dad two hours to convince me that I had to turn, not just go straight down the hill.”

Cyr, a 14-year-old from Van Buren, grew up in Aroostook County with a passion for ski racing, he compete and won the Quebec race circuit. Cyr said, “When I learned that Bode Miller went to CVA (that’s “Carrabassett Valley Academy” for those not in the know), I really wanted to go there.”

Thanks to a new scholarship aimed at youth in Maine’s northernmost county, Cyr is living his dream. As a sophomore at CVA, he is in the alpine race program, and has already traveled to Austria for on-snow training.

Coach Jeff Hawksley said to Dominic Cyr. “Dom, now that you are a CVA student, you can ski as fast as you want, your mom and dad aren’t here, so no one is going to tell you to slow down or make more turns.”

Alan Cyr, Dom’s father, said, “Dom had wanted to go to CVA for years, but the finances were really hard for us. He knew he had to work really hard in school and ski really well, and he did that. Dom has such high goals, and he is so motivated in athletics and in academics, so we are grateful for this scholarship from the Alfonds.”

Renee Thibodeau, 2003 CVA graduate and valedictorian said, “Dominic is so lucky. He has great racing experience but now at CVA he will have even more amazing opportunities. I had the best times of my life there. CVA teaches you to perform under pressure, to be self-reliant, diligent, and independent. You learn to work hard, and play hard.”

Cyr was selected as the first recipient of the Alfond Scholarship, a $600,000 fund established this year. The scholarship will be granted to two Maine students annually, to attend the private Sugarloaf academy. CVA is a 22-year old school, and current tuition is over $30,000. Of the 110 students, approximately 35% are Mainers.

John Ritzo, headmaster at CVA said, “The Bill and Joan Alfond Scholarship Fund provides tuition to CVA for qualified students from Maine. The focus of the fund is to support student-athletes from communities in which the Maine Winter Sports Center has an immediate influence, with priority given to Aroostook County students.”

According to Ritzo, The Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to re-establish skiing as a lifestyle in Maine and to leverage that lifestyle while improving the economy and health in the State. MWSC now operates six Nordic and alpine facilities in the state.

“The Alfonds have ties with the Sugarloaf community, they saw how the two skiing organizations, CVA and Maine Winter Sports, complimented one another and through their tremendous generosity they conceived of a way to positively influence a greater number of Maine kids,” said Ritzo.

Bill Alfond said, “Our desire with this scholarship is to ensure that student athletes from around the state, and particularly from Aroostook County, are able to take advantage of all CVA has to offer. When I traveled to Fort Kent last winter to attend the Biathlon World Cup I was impressed with the positive influence that Maine Winter Sports clearly has on Northern Maine. I feel the same way about the positive influence CVA has on the Western Mountains of Maine and I knew there could be great benefits if the two organizations became closer.”

Owen Wells, President of the Portland-based Libra Foundation which has funded both organizations, said, “CVA and Maine Winter Sports Center set our State apart from others in the skiing industry because of the quality of their world-class programs and facilities. I applaud Bill and Joan for reaching out to the children of Aroostook County with this scholarship.”

The second 2004 Alfond scholarship was awarded to Matthew Baker from Caribou, who is attending CVA for his senior year and pursuing snowboarding. Baker said, “I had wanted to go to CVA two years ago, but it was not possible financially. I found out about this scholarship, and knew it was the only way I could compete at the level I desire and continue with my education.” Matt’s father is a paramedic firefighter, his mother worked at a factory that recently closed.

In a phone interview from training in Switzerland, Baker said, “CVA is so different than public school, I am used to a hard work load and balancing athletics, but here you have to push yourself really hard. The opportunities are great, but to excel you have to be very independent and motivated with your schoolwork and your training. My travel expenses to compete in Europe and out west this winter are over $7,000, so I am grateful for the tuition scholarship.”

Baker’s plans after his senior year at CVA include attending University of Maine at Farmington in the ski area management program, and making the 2010 Olympic boardercross team.

John Ritzo said, “The coaches and I are so impressed with Dominic and Matt in their first semester. They recognize how fortunate they are to be here at CVA on this scholarship. We talk about how you can tell Dom and Matt are from The County because of their tremendous work ethic.”

Event:
Dec. 10-11 Sugarloaf will host on-snow demos, so you can sample the latest equipment direct from the manufacturers’ vans.

 

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"Maine ski filmmaker Greg Stump achieves fame"

November 28, 2004

 

“License to Thrill,” “Dr Strange Glove,” and “Blizzard of AAHHHHS” are a few of the titles. Sounds like a spoof on legendary films, but these are actual big screen ski productions in their own right.

These are three of 11 ski films by Maine’s own Greg Stump. A sense of humor is clearly one of Stump’s gifts, but his talents run deeper than witty play on words, bigger than snow-drifted cornices to launch off.

Last month, Greg Stump was inducted into Maine’s Ski Hall of Fame, in its second year of recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport. Stump was honored as a champion freestyle skier and as a prolific ski movie producer who has brought daredevil skiing and spine-tingling mountain scenes to the masses.

Dave Irons, chairman of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame said, “Greg Stump introduced extreme skiing on film, showing skiing beyond the boundaries of ski areas. His use of the latest music for soundtracks appealed to a new, younger set of skiers and non-skiers alike.”

Stump’s skiing career snowballed from his start at Pleasant Mountain, now Shawnee Peak. He won his first freestyle competition at Sugarloaf at age nine.

“I remember at age 10 wondering what I was going to be,” said Stump. “I knew then that I wanted to make a life of skiing. My time at Pleasant was such a confidence builder. I took so much pride in being part of the freestyle team. We had a great coach, Bruce Cole. There were 60 or 70 of us, many of whom went on to national championships, like the Rand brothers, Peter Young and Frank Howell.”

In 1979, Stump was awarded the overall Junior National Freestyle title and two years later won the first ever International Freestyle Championship with his unique ballet moves on snow. His siblings, Kim and Geoff Stump, were also winning titles in the 1970’s. Greg’s father, Walter Stump said, “I overheard people talking about the Stump kids at Sugarloaf, saying that they always win, and their Dad owns the ski area.”

Greg’s skiing talent caught the attention of Ski Magazine’s editor; Doug Pfeifer invited him to perform at ski shows. “I would demonstrate ballet moves, 720’s on a revolving carpet at the Boston Ski Show,” said Stump. That traveling show led to an introduction to filmmaker Dick Barrymore, an opportunity he admits he pursued eagerly. “I really wanted to be in his films, so I sold him on me, I have always been pretty good at that.”

Stump’s first ski film appearance was ironically Barrymore’s last, “Vagabond Skier” filmed in Sun Valley and New Zealand. Stump went on to appear in Warren Miller movies. “Through that process, I saw it was just a guy with a rucksack and an 18-millimeter camera. I knew I could put better music to the footage, I had been a disc jockey at WBLM,” Stump said.

Stump released his first ski movie in 1985. “Time Waits for Snowman” featured rock music, snowboarders and extreme skiing footage. Stump went on a 100-college tour to promote his creation, much the way Warren Miller had for decades personally narrating his films at ski clubs around the country.

Stump admits that Miller provided inspiration and support in his early days. Stump said, “I love Warren, he’s like the preacher of skiing.”

Stump’s 1988 “Blizzard of AAHHHH’s” starred skiing icons Glenn Plake and Scot Schmidt. This popular film introduced these hot shots skiing super steep chutes and jumping cliffs. Stump said, “The word extreme was not used until Blizzard. In fairness, I stole it from the French who were doing some radical skiing on new terrain.”

To say Stump pushed the envelope is cliché. By using edgy camera angles, rock music, and vivid footage of daring skiing by Plake and Schmidt in Alaska, Europe, and Siberia, Stump created a new genre of ski flicks which has since been mimicked.

Of Stump’s eleven feature ski movies, he says “P-Tex, Lies and Ducktape” is probably his happiest movie, which opened at Portland’s State Theatre in 1994.

Stump now resides in Maui, with a home in Whistler, B.C. His latest projects include a documentary on Willie Nelson, producing music videos and commercials like Picabo Street’s Chapstick ads.

Greg Stump said, “I am terribly flattered to be inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame. It is such an honor to be included with other hall of fame members like Russ Haggett who used to caution me not to go too high off the jumps. I love the State of Maine, it is where I learned to ski. I like to think there is a Maine ambiance in all of my work.”

Pick up a copy of Greg Stump’s ski flicks, perhaps “Groove Requiem in the Key of Ski” or “The Good, the Rad and the Gnarly” to see the famous Maine filmmaker in action.