Don’t Rain on the NASTAR Parade

By Published On: April 5th, 2018Comments Off on Don’t Rain on the NASTAR Parade

Picture this. It’s March.

Scratch that, it’s the end of March, and it’s been a bit of a bumpy season. By bumpy, I mean ski hills across the east coast saw way more snow than the west coast in the early season, unless you were in Wyoming or Montana. Then, the east had some 70 degree days and next thing you know, it was dumping powder again. Meanwhile, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows was coming off of a record-breaking winter, and enter the 2017-18 season where things weren’t looking nearly as stellar. Until March that is.

Winter storm warning headlines flashed across the news stands and Facebook feeds, and next thing we knew, eight feet of fresh snow hit the Sierras right before NASTAR Nationals, but it didn’t stop there. As nearly 1,000 participants flew and drove in to Squaw Valley from across the nation, there was another projected eight feet of snow in the forecast. To say that’s what was delivered would be a big ‘ole lie.

Image credit: Camera Dave

Instead, the weather created some of the most challenging conditions ski racers could fathom: rain, sleet, snow, wind, closed lifts. You name it, we saw it, but this isn’t a story about the weather. This is a story about how the heart of ski racing lies within each NASTAR racer. I could almost conclude with that sentence. It holds that much weight.

Now picture this. The 40-mile-per-hour wind is blowing the rain sideways as you try to load the only lift open at Squaw Valley to head up to take your slalom run (yes, the Squaw Valley race crew kept a lift running just for NASTAR) and no matter where you look, every racer is beaming with a big grin. There was hardly an ounce of disgust, anger or disappointment in the faces of every soaked to the bone and wind-stricken NASTAR racer.

“I’m still smiling about my week at NASTAR Nationals,” said NASTAR pacesetter Claire Brown. “What an inspiring community and hands down the most passionate people on skis! It was great to meet so many young ripping girls and show them that we can hang with boys. Also, what a cool experience to ski alongside a legendary pacesetting crew.”

And to take a step back, the positivity spread from the racers, to the pacesetters, to the race crew, to the vendors who battled the wind to keep their booths in tack, and on to the NASTAR and U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff. It might have been challenging, but not a single race was missed and the sun even came out for the last couple days of individual race events, capping the Nationals with a nice cherry on top.

National Pacesetters battled each other all week. U.S. Ski Team Alumni and Olympians Daron Rahlves and Marco Sullivan went head to head setting the pace, while A.J. Kitt, Bill Hudson and Claire Brown took turns laying down tracks for every discipline and age group. Nate Holland, fresh off of taking home gold at the Men’s Snowboard Cross at World Cup Finals in March, set the pace for the snowboard races. The competitive spirit will forever be in these guys’ blood and they did not hold back.

“NASTAR is a key event just like the programs for skiing around the U.S. do, it introduces racing to people who wouldn’t really have the opportunity with their ski clubs,” said Rahlves. “It’s funny, I’ve talked to Ted [Ligety] about it for years. It’s how we started at our local resorts. It’s a fun way to match up and to see the U.S. Ski Team run the program and get national athletes and former athletes like myself to go around and do some pacesetting, it gets people really fired up.”

Image credit: Camera Dave

It’s hard to express just how dedicated NASTAR athletes are, and maybe you’ve heard it all before, but hear me out. To genuinely see these racers in the thick of all of the elements standing in speed suits, making laps to the top of the course, and never once giving up their drive to have fun with their family and friends, compete and make the best of the week, was out of this world.

When the sun came out on Saturday and Sunday, the band played music from the village stage that could be heard half way up the Red Dog and Exhibition lifts. I want to say spirits lifted, but the spirits were hardly down to begin with. The only difference? The speed suits were dry and the gloves didn’t need to be wrung out.

Image credit: Camera Dave

When all other venues had to shut down, move around race days and push back competition, Squaw Valley matched the dedication of the NASTAR racers and pulled through with a hard-to-forget week.

To view NASTAR National results, visit the NASTAR site here.

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About the Author: Megan Ganim

Megan Ganim hails from Ashland, Ore., where she grew up racing the PNSA circuit before continuing to race USCSA at the University of Oregon. As team captain for two years, she also pursued a degree in public relations and fled to the mountains any chance she had. She currently resides in Oregon and serves as an Editorial/Sales Associate for Ski Racing Media.