Race DH with Mendes at RMM's Ski Cooper event

Rocky Mountain Masters, a leading provider of alpine ski racing competitions for adult racers, will be teaming with PC-Conferencing, Inc. to bring former U.S. Ski Team and World Cup downhiller Jonna Mendes to Ski Cooper near Leadville, Colorado. As the first ski area to host speed events on RMM’s 2007 schedule of events, Ski Cooper presents an ideal environment for experienced skiers to attempt the pinnacle of alpine ski racing — the downhill.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN MASTERS, a leading provider of alpine ski racing competitions for adult racers, will be teaming with PC-Conferencing, Inc. to bring former U.S. Ski Team and World Cup downhiller Jonna Mendes to Ski Cooper near Leadville, Colorado. As the first ski area to host speed events on RMM’s 2007 schedule of events, Ski Cooper presents an ideal environment for experienced skiers to attempt the pinnacle of alpine ski racing — the downhill.
    Mendes, a two-time Ski Racing magazine Junior of the Year, will share her wealth of experience in this sport with all participants and will help racers inspect the course and terrain to choose the ideal race line to follow. In addition, training runs will be videotaped and reviewed by the critical eye of the former World Cup competitor.  
    “We are delighted to have such a recognized figure as Jonna Mendes participate at Ski Cooper,” said Jim Roberts, president of RMM. “Her incredible knowledge will be shared with our members to help remove some of the mystery and fear typically associated with speed events. The hill at Ski Cooper is an ideal venue for first-time participants, because it is very gentle and safe, yet racers can reach speeds up to 60 mph.”
    “It made perfect sense to combine our efforts to bring Jonna to a masters ski racing event,” said Kevin Ward, president of PC-Conferencing. “We’re always looking for ways to increase exposure and to promote fundraising for junior athletes. Jonna benefited from these types of events while she was a junior racer growing up in Lake Tahoe, California, and this gives her a chance to give something back to the sport that she loves so much.”
    When asked if she was interested in racing the Ski Cooper masters downhill, Mendes jumped at the opportunity. “Racing downhill is one of the most exhilarating experiences there is and I’m very excited to race in
the Ski Cooper event. I am really looking forward to getting some new downhill racers out on the course.”
    Mendes won bronze in super G at the 2003 World Championships
    “Downhill can be an overwhelming sport, but once you’ve raced it, you are guaranteed to be hooked. I hope anyone who has ever thought about racing downhill will turn up for this event. The hill is safe and fun, and there could not be a better track to get some solid downhill experience on. It will be an opportunity for everyone, whether you have speed experience or not.”
    To participate in these events, or to find out more about RMM, go to www.rmmskiracing.org and navigate to the Race Registration tab. Members must be at least 18 years old to participate, and racers compete in age classes broken down to five-year increments. Ski Cooper is located on Tennessee Pass near Leadville, Colo., south of Vail.
    RMM’s charter is to host high-quality alpine ski racing experiences for its 300-plus members in all four alpine events (SL, GS, SG and DH). Twenty-four races are typically held during 10 separate weekends between mid-December and the end of March.
    PC-Conferencing (www.pc-conferencing.com ) is an audio and Web conferencing company that provides high-quality conferencing solutions.  PC provides first-class, affordable and easy-to-use conferencing services with personalized attention.