Pat's Peak Slalom

Pat's Peak was the destination for the penultimate Slalom of our season. We were fortunate to be able to have two courses set. Unfortunately, this didn't stop the course from turning into a bobsled run. With the Super Bowl on everyone's mind we pushed through the day efficiently. 

It was great weather at the Peak. Emily and Kia were able to stop for a moment to get an early morning photo with the Pat's Peak mascot. It was good luck for Kia who ended up taking a second in the race. The women's team had some tough breaks with several falls preventing them from having three solid finished. As they head into the final races at Wildcat, they will have the benefit of bringing Krista back from the Disabled List and going for broke as they seek to seal the deal on the path to Regionals. 

The men's team continued its moves forward as they worked hard to improve on past performances. We were proud to once again have five finishers, and Michael Cohen '11 posted a personal best in slalom. We are excited about the upcoming weekend at Wildcat, not only for the chance to finish the season with strong race results, but what is shaping up to be a great alumni event. On Sunday we will be holding the first annual Alumni Cup as we take to the treacherous Cheetah trail at Wildcat. Look forward to seeing you there!

Bears Shred Loon GS

We returned to the legendary trails of Rumrunner and Coolidge Street for one of the most rugged GS hills on the circuit. Many will remember the feeling of terror as the flats at the top give way to rugged terrain and ruts for the duration of the steeps. This weekend was the exception. Even after getting close to two feet of snow in the past couple of weeks, the hill held up exceptionally well. We were joined by Mallory Taub '08 who came to cheer on the team and help us out on the hill. Thanks Mallory.
The women started the weekend with a deficit, as Krista and Blaine were out due to injuries. They went in strong and worked hard as a team. Kia Mosenthal pulled out a win, taking the race by over a half second! Emily Simmons scored a top ten finish even after a harrowing near fall that had her headed towards the nets, only with a sharp atheltic move down the hill was she able to recover. Anna Bengston (above right) rounded out the team result with a 15th place finish. The women took 2nd overall.

The men put down four finishers for this race. Jeff Ernsting continued the upward arc of his skiing and had another personal best. We also saw personal best for Ken Ettinger and Alex Salter. It was a tough break for Rob Culliton as he lost a ski. 

We have cranked up his DINs accordingly, and we won't be seeing a lost ski unless he really needs to lose it. It did provide him some time for introspective free runs at Loon, however. 

After and epic day at Loon, we did the mandatory B-net roll up drill and made off for dinner in the state capital in Concord and to rest for the day ahead at Pat's Peak.

BANNER WEEKEND AT WATERVILLE

This weekend the team was back on top. On Saturday the women returned to #1 in the Slalom. The first time in over a year. The men's team pushed hard, finished and took down an 8th. A special thank you to the Mosenthals, Consiglios, and Simmons for their generous food contributions!

SLALOM The women took it back to first place where they belong. We had some serious results with Kia Mosenthal '12 (3rd place), Krista Consiglio '11 (5th), and Elisa Handbury '10 (7th) all scoring for the team. Well done. The men's team also fired it up with Rob Culliton '10 completing the first complete race of his season. The draught has ended for the men's team with incomplete finishes! Jeff Ernsting '11 posted the best Slalom points race of his career. This was certainly a morale builder for the whole team. Frustration has given way to some strong results. This was what we needed as we enter the second half of the 10 race season.

GS We took to the storied knolls of Waterville yet again, running a full length GS from the top of the World Cup Triple. Out of the starting gate almost everyone bit the bullet and glided into the steeps section with a lot of speed. The courses were fairly straightforward, stacking up in the first run right around the slalom start. Those who found the fall line after that were the most successful. Susan Kovar '09 (above left w/ Blaine Martin) had a personal best in the first run improving significantly from last week. Emily Simmons '12 took down a solid 12th! Krista Consiglio '11 was able to score for the team even with an injured back and we hope that week off will help her heal and prepare for next weekend at Loon and Pat's Peak. Blaine Martin '11 posted a solid first run and is looking to push it in the next few weeks as she seeks to push the envelope on her skiing. Captain Anna Bengtson '09 took back to the Waterville GS for the first time since her injury here last year and made a big leap on her road to recovery.

The men also posted strong results. Rob again finished both runs. It is his first year ski racing and we are proud of his hard work in taking on a challenging course. Mike Cohen '11 and Ken Ettinger '10 (right) both continue to work to bring their bodies down the hill towards a faster line. We are hoping that this week of training at Wachusett will be helpful for them! Alex Salter entered the second half of the season strong as he continues work on adapting that ski racer line down the course, something that is difficult for someone more used to ripping the pow at Jackson Hole.

FACEBOOK We are up on Facebook now, so please add "Brown Skiing" as a friend as an esier way to keep up to date on what is happening on the team and see our former (and infamous) alumni.

"What you need is high edge angle coming into the knoll over the slalom start. Set up early and then let 'em run" (left)

Races at Sunapee, Slalom Training

It's been a few days since we've been able to update the blog. Two full days of races at Sunapee and some training at Wildcat have left everyone (including myself) pretty drained. With some fresh snow this weekend and sunny skies, we are looking forward to a spectacular second week of training.

Thursday we were able to simulate race conditions with two runs of GS on a timed course. Everyone stripped for both runs and we went into strong and prepared to race.

On Friday we had our first race of the season. It was the first part of a back-to-back GS series. Our women took huge setbacks with Kia Mosenthal out with an injured shoulder and Krista Consiglio out with the flu. Rob Cuillton '10.5, Alex Salter '12, and Susan Kovar '09 were all racing for the first time at this race and made the most of it. Rob had an heroic second run with two hikes, including a full length hike only two gates in right by our gatekeeping section. It was one of those moments that reminded all of those present why college racing is so much fun - as he passed through the gate after his hike all the athletes and coaches were cheering him on. Jeff Ernsting also posted a solid race with the best points result of his career. A special thanks to Debbie Consiglio who brought some phenomenal pizza and other food for the team! We look forward to meeting all the parents throughout the course of the season.

On Saturday we had our second GS race. Once again we were at Sunapee, and the rolling knolls that we have come to love made for two solid course sets. A timing glitch meant lots of waiting around before the second run, but our women's team was able to hold strong and post a stronger results than the day before. The field for the women is especially tight this year, with only a few seconds difference between the top team and seventh. It will make for a difficult and exciting year for our women as they work towards making regionals. Freshmen screamer Emily Simmons recorded excellent times and a top five finish as she put it down the hill both runs. Well done Emily. 3/5 of the Men's team lost skis. We have turned up the DINs and are looking forward to finishing all five this coming weekend. While the team did not do well, Mike Cohen's times were enough to win against Ken Ettinger in the friendly head-to-head match up known as the Chicken Finger Classic.

Sunday was a rest day that allowed for some local adventuring in the snow, lots of down time, and plenty of time to tune up the slalom skis.

On Monday we moved into slalom and this is where we will spend most of this week. We continued training with Boston College which has allowed for multiple course sets and even longer courses. Those new to racing found slalom skis even easier to feel the carve, now it is just a matter of hoping that they don't get distracted by the lure of hammering gates in the course. Kia Mostenthal and Krista Consiglio are back from their weekend recoveries. We are looking forward to a great week before it gets cold on Thursday. We look forward to seeing many of you at Cranmore on Friday and Saturday.

Pictures to follow!

Ripping the Pow

Another day at Wildcat brought six inches of snow to the hill. We were able to get timing in on second run today and the coaches were able to reset during lunch and get everything ready for the athletes.

A deep hole underneath at hard left footed blue gate in the morning provided plenty of interesting transitions and falls. The ruts were deep all day and visibility poor, but our athletes persevered. The new studded tires on our van made the return drive home especially easy.

Elisa Handbury '10 was out bright and early to help set the course and was in high spirits. Kia Mosenthal '12 was the only Brown athlete to strip down and had some excellent runs despite a sore shoulder. Newcomer Jen Therrien '11 impressed everyone on the hill with her first day in gates. Anna Bengtson '09 was back in the gates as she recovers from last year's knee injury. We are all excited for the race on Friday and the many alumni who have responded to join us at the event on Feb 7th.

Windy Weather at Wildcat

We've returned this year to Wildcat Mountain in the shadows of Mt. Washington. With our condensed season this year we are moving quickly into the gates.

On Sunday we went freeskiing around the Mountain and tried to regain our balance. For many athletes it was their first time skiing this year, and for some their first time skiing with a race team ever. We continued on in our bold tradition of welcoming all to the team and there has been much progress since our first day.

On Monday we braved 60 MPH winds and pelting ice blowing up the hill to make it through a rough day. The quad was shut down, but the triple cranked us up as we trained on Cheetah. There was plenty of time for free runs on the harrowing "Wild Kitten" Trail and Blaine Martin '11 and Kia Mosenthal '12 continued their drill progressions as they push towards the top of the podium this weekend. Miraculously, the wind did not mean cold weather, but it did make effective training difficult. We braved through it, as we only have a few days left until our first race.

Today was another excellent day of training with the Boston College Ski Team. We had a reprieve from the wind, by the ice prevailed on treacherous Bobcat. Edges were tested along with spirits as we stripped down to GS suits for timed runs. Ms. Krista Consiglio '11 took the most enthusiastic award for her four runs in her bright pink GS suit while Mr. Jeffrey Ernsting '11 skiied remarkably well, posting likely the best run of his entire life. Many skiers were taken out by the mid course ice mogul/aerial jump. We fixed the problem and finished up with our best day of training yet! We are finishing up the day with some video analysis.

Three days until our first race at Sunapee, hope to see you there!