Weekend # 4

Well, its hard to believe but December is almost over.  I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and looking forward to the new year - 2014.  For the competitors out there it's "go time."

The USASA season will finally kick-off with our Slopestyle Opener at Whiteface Mt. on Jan 5th.  By now you should be dialing in those tricks, planning your comp runs and taking advantage of your coaches by getting feedback and putting on the finishing touches.  Freeride will be meeting this weekend, of course, and next Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for those who don't have to go straight back to school after the holiday.

Special thanks to Jess and Josh Lynn, home for the holidays and helping out with the freestyle skiers, as well as Abe Studler, who's taking the time to ski with the group Friday and Saturday.  Abe is a former NYSEF'er who's got big plans in the mogul world.

Tonight is the NYSEF Holiday Party at the Harden household in Lake Placid.  You should have received an e-mail directly but if not just check the previous blog entry from JP for more info.  All proceeds go directly back to the programs.

Next Tuesday, New Year's Eve, is the NYSEF potluck lunch.  Sign up at the counter and indicate what you will bring or give Linda or Lynn a call at the desk to put your dish on the menu (946-7001).  We will be ending the program day at lunch but everyone is welcome to freeski/ride afterwards.

Have a great weekend - see you on the hill!

Mike K

Join us for a holiday party

This gathering is open to current NYSEF athletes, parents, family members, alumni, and staff.

Click on the invitation below to purchase tickets or email beatty@nysef.org to RSVP.

Happy Holidays everyone!

12.22.2013 Update

Hello parents and athletes,
I am writing to confirm that there will be no NYSEF ski program at Whiteface on Sunday 12/22/13 due to hazardous weather. Instead there will be indoor dryland training offered from 9am to 11am at Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY.

Also, the evening trampoline session on Sunday (12/22/13) will be canceled.

All athletes who are interested in attending the dryland training will be responsible for bringing a water bottle, work out cloths, and running shoes. The meeting location will be outside the front entrance by the flag pole in the turn around circle. In the picture below you can see the flag pole past the bell, and in front of the school building. Please be there between 8:45AM and 9:00AM

Weekend #3

Greetings from Copper Mt, CO!  I'm currently at the US Freeskiing & Snowboarding Grand Prix where I'm working as Chief of the Slopestyle course.  Although my position doesn't always allow me to watch a lot of full runs I have witnessed some amazing skiing and riding and met a ton of Olympic hopefuls and the biggest names in the sport - Nick Goepper, Bobby Brown,  Tom Wallisch, Shaun White, Ty Walker, Jamie Anderson, Torstein Horgmo, and many more. Coverage of the event is scheduled to air on NBC this weekend and I believe all finals are live streaming online via the USSA  Snowboarding and Freeskiing websites.

From what I hear the weather report  isn't looking great this weekend so plan accordingly.  As an FYI, the USASA Deck the Rails Railjam is still on the schedule for Saturday however if travel advisories go into effect it will be cancelled. Please check the Usasa Adirondack Series Facebook page for updates before you head out.

With Christmas week coming up I wanted to remind everyone that we will have training on Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday as well as the weekend, but if you can, please try to let your coaches know what days you plan to attend.  It will help us with staffing.

Lastly, if you did not receive an e-mail regarding our volunteer opportunities please let me know. I will be updating "VolunterSpot" and adding more future dates this coming week so you can plan on helping out with our many Freeride events.

Thanks, happy holidays, and see everyone soon!

Mike K

Weekend #2

Hello Everyone,

It's time for our first full weekend of NYSEF training and the mountain is in great shape.  This week Mountain Run opened, as well as Upper Parkway & Upper Thruway, and I can tell you the snow was incredible this morning when I did my quality control check.  We've got snow in the forecast and some really cold temps expected (overnight tonight into tomorrow especially) so make sure you are prepared with extra layers.  We've been hearing 8-12" Saturday afternoon through Sunday so everything will look well covered before the weekend is over.  Remember to obey the ropes and stay off closed terrain though.  It may look great but there are hidden dangers such as waterbars and rocks everywhere.  Even when on open terrain you should be careful and on the lookout for thin cover on the trails edge.

Parents should receive an e-mail from volunteer spot (volunteerspot.com) soon with a listing of some Freeride events you can sign up for to work off your work deposit.  At this point I have events listed through January and will be adding more future dates as soon as I can.  From the e-mail invite, go on to our group page and choose the event/date that works for you and you will see positions needed with details about start and end times and specifics of the job.  

I will be on the road starting Saturday afternoon - returning on the 23rd -  as I head to Copper Mt for the FIS World Cup HP & SS.  Our head coaches will be available if you have any questions or concerns but please feel free to contact me if you need anything.

Happy Holidays & enjoy the mid-winter conditions!

Mike

Mike Kirchner

NYSEF Freeride Director

USASA Executive Board

mikek@nysef.org

518.946.7001

Opening Weekend

Hello Freeride families:

We are excited to be starting the 13-14 season this coming weekend at Whiteface with lots of terrain and good snow conditions. Whiteface has been doing a great job getting trails open and ready for skiing and riding.  As of today we have Excelsior, Essex, Lower Northway, Connector, Lower Cloudspin, Broadway, Boreen, Upper & Lower Valley, Danny's Bridge, Brookside, and of course, Mixing Bowl.  The Danny's/Brookside Park has three jumps and a half dozen rails or more so there will be alot to play on.  Rumor has it Approach to Mountain Run may be ready for the weekend too.

Below are a few details for this weekend:

Saturday, December 7th: Athlete pass pick-up and annual staff meetings. Please come and pick-up passes and freeride on your own while the coaching staff participates in staff meetings and CPR/First Aid training.

Sunday, December 8th: First official day of Weekend Program - Those athletes registered for the Intro program, which is usually Saturday only, are encouraged to attend!  

All Freeride athletes should be geared up and ready to go at our meeting spot (uphill of the ramp) outside the NYSEF building at 8:30am.  We will have a brief introduction with coaches and go over a few rules and expectations, then it's time to shred!  

After the kids are on the hill, at approximately 9am, I will be holding a parent information session inside the NYSEF building on the main floor to discuss our program, athlete goals, competition opportunities, and answer any questions you might have.   I've attached a .pdf with our program information so you can hopefully take a look beforehand and also to have as a reference throughout the season.  You can also find the info via this link.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Mike Kirchner

Freeride Program Director