The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We’re changing focus from skiing around gates to skiing around rocks”
Up until Monday, it’s been a bit desperate for the Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) big mountain squads to get any kind of steep skiing in. As a result, the focus has been on technique with some park and halfpipe training thrown in.
Furthermore, head coach of the big mountain telemark team Mark Robbins has also looked to other ideas to keep his athletes competition-ready.
The result was a trip for Robbins and two of his skiers, Conrad Truettner and Asher Coady, to Vail last weekend to compete in the United States Telemark Ski Association Sprint Classic on Saturday, January 14.
“The lack of snow impelled us to open our options,” explains Robbins. “Look for any opportunities to get out there and find other ways to connect with other youth telemark programs.”
The event was put on by the Vail Mountain School and drew junior telemark athletes from programs in Carbondale, Steamboat and Vail.
The sprint classic is similar to a giant slalom alpine ski race with some elements that make it uniquely telemark. There are gates that athletes must ski around but each gate has a judge to make sure skiers are holding a telemark stance as they pass by. In addition, a jump is thrown into the course. Skiers must go a certain distance off the jump and land in a telemark stance. Then, about two-thirds down the course, there’s the reipeløkke (rap-a-loosh-a) or “rap” for short. The rap takes skiers on a 360-degree banked turn before they head back downhill to finish with more gates as well as some uphill climbing to the finish line.
“All told, there’s about 50 yards of work in the flats before you actually finish,” explains Robbins.
Truettner competed in the 12 to 14-year-old age group and his need for speed caused some trouble as he blew by several gates and was disqualified on both of his runs.
“He learned a lot about the rules of running gates,” says Robbins. “He said he was going too fast and didn’t want to slow down. Speed was his priority.”
Fifteen-year-old Coady had a tough field racing in the 15 to 18-year-old age group against 27 other athletes. Nevertheless, Coady’s focus and technique carried him to the podium and a second-place finish.
“The top of the course was really icy and a lot of guys were going for it and skidding out,” says Robbins. “He just kept it smooth. He was really relaxed and focused on good skiing. This is the start of what could be a great year for him.”
Robbins hopes to get his athletes on some steeper terrain now with the new snow as they prepare for a big mountain competition in Grand Targhee, Wyoming in February.
“We’re changing focus from skiing around gates to skiing around rocks,” says Robbins.
