Third Annual Keystone Nationals

The third Annual Keystone Nationals was sunny, cool and competitive. Racers showed up from seven different ski councils from around the country, including Arizona, Florida, West Pennsylvania, Crescent, Florida, Sierra and BAC. Some participants showed up a few days early and ran gates in the race clinic Keystone put on, while others skied at some of the other Vail Resorts including Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Vail.

Everybody had fun in the Qualifier Giant Slalom race on Friday, getting warmed up for the real races on Saturday and Sunday. All racers took two runs on the GS course, which determined which class they would race in on Saturday. The racers were put in one of eleven skill classes based on their handicaps, in which was determined by their times on the courses.

The largest class was the 4 Men’s class, which was very competitive all weekend. In the GS on Saturday, Charles Bockhorn from Flatlands cruised to victory and was promptly bumped up to 3 Men with a strike. On Sunday, Jaan Vehik from Arizona dominated the 4 Men group in Slalom with his quick crisp turns and took first by seven seconds.

In the women’s classes, Barbara Bryant from Sierra Council skied the GS with precision and speed to be the fastest woman on the hill and in the 2 Women’s Class. The second fastest woman was Barbara McCabe also from Sierra Council, as she sped down the hill to win the 3 Women’s class. Both women live and train in Truckee, CA and are both members of the Cabernet Ski Club.

In the Slalom on Sunday, Debi Phelps pulled off an upset and streaked to victory with the fastest woman’s time, and also took first in the 4 Women’s Class with her solid quick turns.

The fastest overall man was David White from Flatlands in the Qualifier GS and the GS on Saturday. David’s GS runs were quick, smooth and impressive, as David was by far the fastest GS racer on every run. Finishing second in both the GS and Slalom was Craig Faitel from Bay Area Council. Craig’s runs were also exciting to watch as he pushed hard on every course to be the most consistent competitor in both disciplines. Craig also had the fastest run of the day in the Slalom; however the combined time overall winner in the Slalom was Bob Ellis also of Bay Area Council.

The dedication of these racers was tested on Saturday during the GS when the temperature at race time was a teeth chattering -17 degrees farenheit. Needless to say, only a few brave souls stripped down to their speed suits on this incredibly cold day.

One night Keystone Resort put together a nice Apres-Ski Party, and everybody had a great time. At the Awards Banquet on Sunday night, Coors donated a keg of beer for the event, Vail Resorts donated a nice ski jacket that Robin Colleen won in the raffle, and several other people won several other donated items including premium googles from Habervision. Distinctive wooden plaques with descriptive gold plates were handed out to all the winners in all the classes for both races. Smiles and fun were in full abundance all night long, as stories of pain and glory were being told around the room.

Bay Area Council won the Keystone Council Cup for a second time, with Sierra Council and Flatlands close behind. The Milwaukee Council won the first year of the event.

The next Keystone Nationals will be held December 10-13, 2008 at Keystone Resort. Be a part of the only national recreational ski championship, which is supported by the National Ski Council Federation. We are actively looking for more Councils and individuals to participate and compete for the Keystone Cup. For more information or to view the results, please go to the following websites, www.keystonenationals.com or www.fwra.com.

Ski With Pride, Let It Ride, Watch All Sides
First With Safety Awareness

This Web Site was updated on October 18, 2008.  webmaster