Ain't over 'till it's over

The post-Stella skiing has been the some of the sweetest of the whole year.  The combination of fresh snow, comfortable temps, blue skis and longer days has everyone remembering why we love this sport so much.

So......let's have a event!

We are bringing back the famed Easter Scramble!  It is our signature Spring event and the weather hasn't giving us a chance to hold it since 2013.  And this year we are partnering with the great folks at BARKEATER CHOCOLATES and VERMONT PEANUT BUTTER to make this a near perfect combination for a day of nordic skiing.  Skiing. Chocolate. Peanut Butter.  You can't beat that combo with a stick.

The Event will begin Saturday, March 25th 11:00am. It will start with a 2.5K scramble for kids on an easy loop at the Ski Bowl.  At 11:30 we will hold a 5K mass start FISHSCALE ONLY race and finally at 12:30 we will hold a 10K mass start freestyle race for the skate skiers.  This is the most fun event you'll have on skis and is guaranteed to have the most interesting results sheet you've ever seen.  Time deductions abound and this could be your day to stand atop the podium..

Some deductions are:

-Deductions will be made for every Spring/Easter themed clothing item (ie. bonnets, "Sunday best", white gloves, Easter-bunny-themed-garb, you wear on your body subtract 10 seconds off your race time. “Easter themed items” will be determined by the event officials.   

-For every "Easter themed" stuff animal (accepted items are bunnies, ducklings, and lambs)  you ski with duct taped (or attached in some other way) to your body you will receive 10 seconds off your race time

-Anyone who competes in a full-body bunny suit (including head) will receive a 2 minute time deduction.

-For every dollar you donate to the HURT nordic junior race development fun you can subtract an equal number of seconds off your race time.  Donations must be made at registration prior to the start of the race.   

Online registration is open now which has more event details.  Please sign up online so we are prepared with enough prizes and eggs.  As we mentioned before, BARKEATER CHOCOLATES is partnering with us and they are offering a chocolate egg decorating activity for kids 6-12 and there wonderful shop is located only 1 mile from the Ski Bowl.  This is the perfect activity for you and the kids after skiing!  AND they are giving our ski community a great discount on attending!!!  Simply register here with Barkeater chocolates to attend and use the coupon code Easternordic2017.  Each session is for 6 kids but they will add more sessions if interest demands it.

Big prize packages await the winner of HOPPER'S CHALLENGE.  To win Hopper's Challenge you have to sign up for both the 5K fishscale race and the 10K skate.  Your combined time will be added together to get the fastest bunny of the day.  The mens and womens podium winners will get a big prize pack from Barkeater Chocolate and Vermont Peanut Butter Company as well as some other ski related prizes.  

This truly is the best event of Spring skiing in New York and you will leave smiling, full and tired from laughing.  Hope to see you there.

Photos from 2013 Easter Scramble...

What's an MVP?

The 2017 NYSSRA Club Championship Series wrapped this past weekend.  After a full season of club racing, once again the pressure was on for the championship relay on Sunday.  At first look it seemed HURT would run away with the points series... however, the clouds of doubt came quickly rolling in before the weekend when it looked like HURT might struggle in a big way to fill the race ranks.

Most of HURT juniors were making final preparations for their week of racing at Junior Nationals and important and reliable sections of the HURT masters men team found the weekend incompatible with...life. The HURT directresses were truly wondering if a HURT victory was in the cards.  And even the talking heads at HRT newsroom were wondering would HURT have an MVP for the weekend? Would someone unexpected glide in to save the day?

It made us all at the news desk ask...what truly is an MVP?

Would team Sweden call Stina Nilsson their MVP? She is currently the most reliable Swedish podium winner and shows up week in and week out of the world cup season.  

Or would the Swedish MVP be "big show" Kalla who shows up at World Championships just to grab the big hardware? hmmmmm.....

It is often not cut and dry.  It is very debatable.  A lot goes into being the most valuable player for a team.  (Unless of course you are Leigh Kentish who was clearly winner of this season’s Intersport De Grandi MVP Award. I mean, he smashed 828 runs which was a mere 72 off Jack Sing’s legendary record for the most runs in a home-and-away season in 1948-49! duh!)  So yeah. yeah.  Not always cut and dry.

In 2017 the MVP for HURT was as special and awesome as Jessie, Kikkan and Sofie in a world championship sprint final. And they looked just as good.  Thanks to Jan and Bernadette and Julie (who came rolling in style) on Sunday morning to race...what was temporarily in doubt was sewn up quickly.  Boom.  TEAM Championship. They may not have raced every weekend, but for sure these ladies were the MVP's all the way! 

Them's some relay socks!!

Obviously great work was done by everyone in HURT nation this season and we would be remiss to not mention the baller performance by young-guns Bryce Beyerbach and Aidan Rowley who rocked to the Men's win on Sunday. But without our ladies in the women's relay and in the mixed relay the door would have been open to let a season of work slip.  

The lesson is...show up to be an MVP. Show up a lot.  Show up a little.  But show up and look good doing it....

P.S. stay tuned in for the new Mt. Borah 2018 HURT Nordic suit and uniform redesign unveiled in April...you'll wanna getcha some for next season.