Club News
Update From Alaska 19 Sep 2003.
G'day from Girdwood
the NZ team have settled in and are preparing well for this weekends World mt champs in Girdwood Alaska.
We've taken over 3 of the 200 or so 'houses' squirrelled away amongst the forest that is girdwood. Its a bit of a weekend getaway sort of place ~40mins drive in your huge all american 4WD pickup from Anchorage.
Theres unsealed roads, one 'mercantile' shop, a few restaurants/coffee houses etc. In winter Girdwoods the prime ski town with 4 chair lifts and a gondola.
Bears are an occasional problem apparently and we've been warned of training alone but noones seen any yet, nor moose. There are however a lot of very large dogs..
The 5 days we've had here have been clear and sunny but winters coming and the days start at 0 deg and slowly climb to 15 deg (in the sun) in the arvo. Race day forecasts are cloudy and some wet but probably no snow.
The courses are looking tough, starting near town at ~100m asl they climb the mostly gravel ski trails, and 1 or 2 narrow grassy tracks. Fir trees on the lower slopes become alpine herbfields at the top at 700m asl, just below the Alyeska glacier.
The long steep up and flying downs will be a killer on the legs.
Carline MacDonald has arrived as an 11th hour replacement for an injured Moana Burt. Most teams will be here by now and the sizing up and psyching out begins.
Tomorrow the bid team put the case for 2005 Worlds in Wellington against a challenge from Keswick, England. By lunchtime Sat 20th (NZ time) there should be results on the vote.
Then we finally have the racing to deal to.
Details: (NZ time is 21 hours ahead- following start times in NZ time)
Jnr women 8:30am Sunday (Beresford, Cant, Hastie)
Jnr men 10:00am Sunday (Clareburt, Kravitz, McGaughran, Prosser)
Snr women 11:30am Sunday (Devoy, MacDonald, Moon, Wimmer)
Snr men 8:30am Monday (P McCrae, R McCrae, Meredith, Smith, Snowdon, Wakelin)
Results 1 to 2 hours later (?) not from me...
[Bid Papers] [World Trophy 2003] [Schedule of Events] [Email them Good Luck]
We've taken over 3 of the 200 or so 'houses' squirrelled away amongst the forest that is girdwood. Its a bit of a weekend getaway sort of place ~40mins drive in your huge all american 4WD pickup from Anchorage.
Theres unsealed roads, one 'mercantile' shop, a few restaurants/coffee houses etc. In winter Girdwoods the prime ski town with 4 chair lifts and a gondola.
Bears are an occasional problem apparently and we've been warned of training alone but noones seen any yet, nor moose. There are however a lot of very large dogs..
The 5 days we've had here have been clear and sunny but winters coming and the days start at 0 deg and slowly climb to 15 deg (in the sun) in the arvo. Race day forecasts are cloudy and some wet but probably no snow.
The courses are looking tough, starting near town at ~100m asl they climb the mostly gravel ski trails, and 1 or 2 narrow grassy tracks. Fir trees on the lower slopes become alpine herbfields at the top at 700m asl, just below the Alyeska glacier.
The long steep up and flying downs will be a killer on the legs.
Carline MacDonald has arrived as an 11th hour replacement for an injured Moana Burt. Most teams will be here by now and the sizing up and psyching out begins.
Tomorrow the bid team put the case for 2005 Worlds in Wellington against a challenge from Keswick, England. By lunchtime Sat 20th (NZ time) there should be results on the vote.
Then we finally have the racing to deal to.
Details: (NZ time is 21 hours ahead- following start times in NZ time)
Results 1 to 2 hours later (?) not from me...
[Bid Papers] [World Trophy 2003] [Schedule of Events] [Email them Good Luck]