This past weekend saw skiing of epic proportions led by some of HURT’s finest. The J2 triple threat of Brian Halligan, Adam Luban, and Austin Huneck spearheaded HURT’s invasion of New Hampshire for the Eastern J2 Championships AND Invitational, with waxing support coming from HURT master wax tech and klisterer extraordinaire Heidi Underwood. Not to be outdone, E. Luban and T. Huneck took advantage of their time in New Hampshire to do the Ski to the Clouds, otherwise known as THE RACE UP MOUNT WASHINGTON!!!
The adventure began with a brilliant strategic move by The Director. He sent his charges, under the care of his disciple, trip director Rob Hinsdill, over Lake Champlain on by ferry. You may remember that Peru Nordic also traveled Champlain by ferry during their Craftsbury escapades. By riding the ferry HURT liberated the Greater Lake Champlain Metropolitan area of the dark specter of heavy metal and destruction that had befell its citizens for these many weeks.
Racing began on Friday the 5th with a 5k freestyle for the J2s. Theirs was a loaded, top-heavy field; complete with teams from Idaho, Washington, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Quebec. Austin, Brian, and Adam took advantage of a fast and hilly course with several treacherous curves to place 1st, 2nd, and 4th for New York. Huneck took 29th place overall on the day.
Saturday dawned with tricky waxing conditions and two looming classic races. After extensive testing of their combined 271 pairs of Fischer Carbon Lites, the HURT boys made the wax recommendation to New York’s expert service men and woman. Using a still to be revealed klister mix, A. Huneck cruised to a 19th place overall and another top New York finish. Halligan and Luban finished 51st and 66th, exposing a bit of classic weakness. Though The Director could not be reached for comment, he was reported to have said “TOO MUCH…#&@$ BIATHLON!”
The Director’s brilliance really showed during Saturday’s afternoon sprint. In a stunning, yet insightful move, h directed the tech team to apply griptape down the entire skis of the juniors, thus ensuring they would not ski too well and raise alarm in New England about New York’s nordic prowess. This move was done with an eye to the future, as The Director is reportedly planning to build a covert HURT training center deep in the White Mountains of NH, and wants his team to be completely under the radar. The Director also told the boys to ski as a team, which they accomplished beautifully. Halligan led a HURT crew separated by only 8 seconds, taking 78th place. Huneck and Luban followed, taking the coveted aluminum and cubic zirconium medals of 87th and 94th place.
While the younger crew was racing, the elder Huneck and Luban scouted out Mt. Washington from a large hill near the J2s’ venue. When asked to comment, all Luban could muster was “Wow.”
Sunday was saw racing by both the young and the old(er.) Halligan and Huneck led New York’s A relay team to a solid 12th place. A. Luban threw down the fastest New York time of the day, clocking a blazing 5:10.4 in the 2k skate, earning in 13th place in his leg. Meanwhile, the big boys were skiing up Mount Washington. In a field headlined by Torino Olympian (and coach of the HURT J2s) Justin Freeman and Jacked Up Old Man, E. Luban and T. Huneck, finished 4th and 6th in the 50-59 age group.
Though Hurt TV does not have a license to film in New Hampshire, it has subcontracted with a local company to bring you some picture and video of these races. Look for it on the blog soon, but be patient, because it is a long drive between here and NH. HURT would also like to extend a special thank you to all the coaches and parents that made the J2 trip possible.
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