TOP 5 FRIDAYS: NOVEMBER 1, 2019
#1: FIS World Cup Ski Racing, Week 1 Recap:
What, you were expecting to see someone else? Yeah, us too. Regardless, meet Alice Robinson, a name you’ll likely hear more of moving forward. Image by Agence Zoom, Discovered via Alice Robinson on Facebook
Well, it feels safe to say that the first Women’s FIS World Cup race of the 2019-2020 season didn’t play out quite how anyone expected. While it was never exactly a foregone conclusion that Mikaela Shiffrin would win the race, very few would’ve ever predicted that a 17 year old from New Zealand named Alice Robinson would edge Shiffrin’s time by 0.06 seconds to win her first ever FIS World Cup. Coming in third in that race, was Tess Worley, another highly decorated FIS athlete who claims 3 world championships. In other words, it’s safe to say that Robinson’s win last weekend wasn’t a fluke- she’s a legitimate contender who we’ll have to be watching more closely as the season progresses. As for Shiffrin’s reaction to the unexpected finish? In classic Shiffrin fashion, she totally embraced the moment. After learning that Robinson mentioned Shiffrin as one of her idols, Shiffrin mentioned that he first World Cup victory happened in similar fashion, as she topped her idol Tina Maze in Are, Sweden. But, Shiffrin’s excitement for Robinson is unlikely to derail her season. In addition to her support, Shiffrin also said, “in a way, it’s motivation, nobody wants to be in second place, everybody wants to win!” Perhaps this race will prove to be a needed boost to propel Shiffrin into another historic season. Time will tell.
On the men’s side of things, last week’s race was equally newsworthy. As you’ll likely recall, we’ve mentioned that the field is a bit more open this season as reigning champion Marcel Hirscher announced his retirement over the summer. That, combined with modestly improving results from the U.S. Team last season have put an air of uncertainty mixed with excitement surrounding expectations for the upcoming season. Last weekend’s race suggests that the American team may find an uptick in success this year as it managed to place three athletes into the top 11, as Ryan Cochran-Siegle took 11th place, while Ted Ligety nabbed 5th, and Tommy Ford took home 4th, missing the podium by just 0.07 seconds. While the men’s team just barely missed the podium in this season’s opening event, the fact that they packed 3 athletes into the top 11, and 2 into the top 5 suggests serious promise for the season ahead. To learn more about the women’s results, click here. To check out a recap of the men’s race, click here. Finally, to review the schedule ahead, click here.
#2: Rise of the Machines:
One of many new analytic devices being introduced to skiing, the Snow Cookie utilizes three sensors to provide real time feedback of your ski experience. Image: SnowCookieSports.com
Technology is everywhere these days, so it makes sense that skiing wouldn’t be an exception. From heated products and wearables to digital goggle displays, there’s a lot out there. I used to use a ski tracking app on my phone, and although I didn’t use it to its fullest extent, I thought it was fun the way it was, especially the speedometer. I’m not convinced as to the accuracy of it (I bought a radar gun last year, it works really well), since it’s tied into GPS and it didn’t seem to take pitch into account when calculating speed. Other than that, I’m a pretty low-tech skier. My personal life aside, there’s a lot of companies out there working on products that use technology to actually help you ski. From pressure analysis inserts in your boots to literal robotic exoskeletons, the world of ski technology is a vast and interesting place. I think a lot of PSIA folks and the like will really get a kick out of these “digital instructors” that record and analyze parts of your skiing such as edge angle and G-Forces. When you start looking at the data and using it to its fullest, you’re probably going to improve. These sites and products are different from your run-of-the-mill heated socks or the latest ski damping device, they’re actually using technology to see some gains in your skiing technique. The robotic leg braces are crazy!
Roam Robotics Ski Exoskeleton
Carv Analytics Device
Snow Cookie Analytics Device
Rossignol Piq Analytics Device
#3: Who Wants to Own a Ski Area?
A bird's eye-view of Plymouth Notch Ski Area, which is currently on the market. Image: Plymouth Notch on Facebook
There are some ski areas out there for sale if you’re a buyer. What, you don’t already own a ski area? Has it always been a dream of yours? The one that caught my eye was the 7.5 million dollar price tag for the Plymouth Notch Ski Are just south of Killington. You get a chairlift, 28 trails, 1100 vertical feet, a sweet base lodge, and all the necessary snowmaking and grooming equipment. There’s a master plan in place for housing developments, so it’s already sounding like a great investment. It used to operate as a private ski club with a membership, but those days have come and gone. Located conveniently in between Killington and Okemo, it’s close to the picturesque town of Woodstock as well. We think that owning a ski area would be a pretty sweet little project. What would you do with your own ski area?
#4: Snoctober? Snow-tober? How about Snow-tember?
So far so good for Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where signs of winter are becoming more consistent. Image: Jackson Hole Resort on Facebook
Early season Colorado, Montana, and Canadian snowfalls have exceeded expectations thus far. We’ve seen some great early totals and some nice little ski clips. It certainly is enough to pique some interest across ski country. We’ve seen some great footage from Breckenridge, as it seems like a lot of these western ski areas are picking up right where they left off from last spring. Great Falls, Montana saw almost ten inches of snow on September 29th, leading to an early start for snowmobilers, skiers, and other winter enthusiasts. Jackson Hole was reporting temperatures in the below-zero range with windchills in the minus-20's. From late September to November 1, the Rocky Mountain range has been hammered with mid-winter conditions, leading to an unbelievable amount of stoke and some high expectations for the rest of the season. Here in Vermont, it’s been a typically grey and soggy October, just in case anyone was wondering.