Masters of a Good Time

For a first time experience, I entered the Austrian Masters race. Not as a competitive threat to any of the others but as a social event to spend time with several friends who came to town for the race.

A sunny day, very firm snow and a beautifully prepared course made for a great time. We had one run each on two different courses. Women got on the course first then the men, all divided into age categories of 5-year intervals. The oldest got the best of the course while the youngest got the ruts.

The middle of a considerably long race course

Jackie on her first run

The sign of a real racer - Georgina with a big smile on her face heading for silver in her age group

Tim took gold in his age group

The day ended with an evening meal, presentation of prizes and a large screen showing of a video made of the first run. Awards were based on the combined time of the two runs. Combined times ranged from just over 1 minute 26 seconds for the fastest to over 2 and a half minutes. This is an event I recommend every skier try at least once in their lifetime. With approximately 140 competitors, sponsors, coaches, race crew and others the Kosciusko Room was filled to capacity. How did I go? Let it be said that I completed both courses without falling or missing a gate. I was happy with my first attempt at such an event but a racer I’ll never be.