Conditions

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Too Much Snow: Three Races Cancelled?!?

Good Afternoon MACC Racers,

This has been an unprecedented weekend inside of an already unusual season.

Due to the winter storm the started Thursday night and continued into Friday we were unable to race the Super G on Friday. There was too much snow to safely run the race.

As the snow continued to fall Friday and into Saturday, we had to make a very difficult decision regarding Saturday’s Slalom race. The large amount of snow we received was very dry, meaning the base of FIS and Superbowl is now soft, low moisture snow. While testing the snow, the course setters were leaving nearly 6-inch trenches in the snow and not reaching any hard pack. It would have taken a herculean effort from our course setters and course maintenance crew to slip and prepare the course. Even then, the soft snow would have likely caused large ruts to form making it unsafe for racing. The recommendation from the Acting Director of Course Setting was to slip after every single racer. Based on the reduced course maintenance crew this weekend the Director of Course Operations advised that we simply did have the manpower to make this happen. Providing a safe racing experience for our racers in MACC’s first priority. Consequently, the difficult decision was made to cancel the Saturday Slalom race. We know that it is unheard of to cancel two racers in row due to excess snow and poor conditions, but it was the safest decision for our racers.

Many of you have been asking if we are planning to run the Giant Slalom race on Sunday. It is traditional in MACC not to cancel races before race day. We try to do everything we can to get our races in. With the first weekend being canceled due to lack of snow, we especially know how important it is this year. After looking at the weather, we are expected to get even more snow overnight. I have consulted with the Acting Director of Course Setting and the Director of Course Operations and they have advised that we would need a miracle for the snow base on Suberbowl/FIS to set overnight. Since there is no moisture in the new snow, even with cold temperatures the chances of having the same soft, snow-covered hill in the morning is extremely high. Simply put, racing Giant Slalom on a soft surface is dangerous. Ski racing relies on hard surfaces for edge setting and control. When you get into soft snow, bad things can happen. This is why race courses on the world cup are injected with water and why we have to use “salt” on our courses when it is warm — to make the race surface harder.

With the safety of our racers as my only concern, I have decided to cancel the Giant Slalom race on Sunday 2/7/21. While we cannot add any additional days to our schedule, when the Board of Directors meets next, we will discuss all available options to see if we can make up any of the races we have missed.

I want to thank everyone for their support during this difficult season. We are doing everything we can to make this season a success.

Sincerely,
Alexandra Carrico
MACC President