Ski/wax recommendations for the Grand Mesa Skyway Shuffle on Saturday

SKYWAY, CO - The snow on the top of the Grand Mesa is deep enough for the groomers to continue to work fairly regularly leading up to Saturday's event. This means that the snow surface will be different than the more common hardpack found throughout much of the state due to low snow levels. For instance, the trails in Aspen are very firm right now due to shallow snow depth and an inability to groom and soften and freshen the surface.

The snow for the Skyway Shuffle should run more Colorado "normal" as well as typical of the Grand Mesa...cold. 

Ski recommendation: Your best "Standard Colorado Cold" setup will most likely be the best. Hard pack cambers have been working well around the state but I would be ready for more of a powder type snow for this one. There is substantial shade on the course and low temps the night before will still be well below the freezing mark. This could be a great ski testing day if you are into it, you may want to set up many skis with the same waxes to check things out.

Wax recommendation: Not much need for high flouros for this one, ski selection will be a bigger issue than the wax or the grind. LF or CH level wax should be sufficient, but the correct flex match up with the snow will probably pay off big time. If you see someone out there with super fast skis, it will probably be "great skis" rather than "hit the wax".  I would put 6 on the colder pair and 7 on the warmer option and if you only have one I would err on the colder side of things.

Kikkan wins 4th World Cup race with solid tactics and execution

Duesseldorf, GER - Anchorage, AK's Kikkan Randall picked up her 4th career World Cup win with a solid performance on a wet track in Duesseldorf, Germany on Saturday. Randall qualified in 10th and skied like she had a plan in the heats to advance to the final. Always dropping into a following position initially, Randall moved up as early as was comfortable and then pushed solidly from the halfway mark to the finish line.

The semi-finals and finals were marked by a strong battle between Randall and Canadian rival and friend Chandra Crawford. Looking to execute the same plan, the two sprint stars challenged each other for second position behind Russian Natalia Matveeva. Randall came out on top both times and in the championship final, secured the second spot coming into the finish. The last straight was fast, and Randall used a no-pole free skate flawlessly to "Bonnie Blair" past Matveeva to win for the 4th time in her career.

As a lifetime Nord, it's still quite unbelievable that I'm writing about Kikkan's 4th WC win, she really has become America's biggest ever super star in a sport that ranks as the toughest aerobic activity in the world. Way to go Kikkan, you continue to thrill us as fans and make as proud as compatriots!

Tandem wins for two G.O.A.T.s

Tandem wins for two of the greatest skiers of all time

Beaver Creek, CO- Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn laid down two of the finest downhill runs of all time within two hours of each other on Friday and added to their already sizeable legend along the way. Miller’s win on Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey course brought him all the way back to the top after several tumultuous seasons while Vonn’s 1.95 second victory at Lake Louise, Canada was nothing less than mind blowing.

Miller was all in when it came to his approach to the Birds of Prey downhill on Friday.

“Bode was committed to win this race.” said U.S. Ski Team Vice President Luke Bodensteiner, who witnessed the race in Beaver Creek. “He was nervous this morning and he said that the line he was going to try and ski was do or die.”

To say that this race was vintage Bode is an understatement. It was a new standard of excellence from the wise old veteran that is still oozing with talent and has the nerve to use it.

  

“It was an absolute risk filled run.” said Miller after the finish.

Yet the skiing flowed and at times looked effortless. For a skier that has made a career out of riding the ragged edge, Miller showed a maturity and panache we have rarely seen.  When he crossed the line Miller took a sizeable lead and gave a victorious fist pump of both relief and happiness.

“When I crossed the line I was 100% satisfied.” he said after the race.

Didier Cuche, last years World Cup champion in the Downhill was still to attack the Birds of Prey, as were several other contenders. Cuche could only manage 9^th after a couple of mistakes in the top half while Switzerland’s Beat Feuz and Austria’s Klaus Kroell, with the help of excellent skis, challenged Miller in the final third of the course and finished just behind the American star.

Meanwhile, in Lake Louise, Alberta, Vonn was making her own kind of history. Starting within two hours of Miller’s winning run, Vonn; stunned, embarrassed, blew away, dusted off, and took to school, the class of what was supposed to be the same league as her. It took an unbelievable run from bib #40, Tina Wierather from Lichtenstein, to keep the winning margin under two seconds.

Vonn’s main rival from last year, Maria Hoefl-Riesch struggled as did many other favorites. The course conditions were variable and high winds with intermittent sun led many to consider the race a “wax race”, where technicians and ski companies can spell the difference in the final results.

Even TV analyst and former Olympic Champion Picabo Street commented on the situation after Julia Mancuso, who started just in front of Vonn, took the lead at half-way and then faded to 16^th.

“It really does appear to be a bit of a wax race.” Street said after Mancuso’s finish.

Then Vonn charged out of the gate with a couple of powerful skates and settled into a winning run that was a clear cut above the rest. Her split times leapt away from the field and half way down, with over a second lead, Street was beside herself.

“This is embarrassing, embarrassing for the field. Riesch is going to be pissed.”

Vonn crushed the field, finishing over 2 seconds ahead of the next skier at the time and her final winning margin of 1.95 seconds is a career best.  Her run was strong and in control the entire time. Maybe it was a wax race and maybe it wasn’t, but when you’re as good as Vonn it rarely matters.

Bodensteiner talked about Vonn, arguably the greatest woman ski racer of all time, and discussed her current form.

“She is ultra-motivated this season. I think losing the World Cup by such a close margin allowed her to find even another gear. She is a totally determined woman right now and you can see for yourself the results.”

Beaver Creek will host several more races over the coming days and Bodensteiner didn’t hesitate to throw in a plug for Team USA fans.

“The team is super strong right now. We saw Vonn and Ligety win a GS earlier this season. It is really fun right now to be a part of this and it’s going to be a great week at Beaver Creek. You should come check it out!”

Mike Trecker is a freelance writer and can be reached at nordictrecker@gmail.com and followed on Twitter: @nordictrecker