The Kristi Leskinen Monster Homecoming Invitational 2009

I'm not exactly letting the cat out of the bag since we have been working on this for weeks now but I finally have some details to share for the Kristi Leskinen Monster Homecoming Invitational being held at Seven Springs March 13th-15th, 2009.

We at Willi's are excited to be part of this world class event as it is a chance to showcase our region to some of today's top female names in ski and snowboard slopestyle.

Kristi Leskinen, a pioneer in women's freeskiing conceived of this one-of-a-kind event to raise the profile of women in skiing and snowboarding. To date this is the only All Girl, Ski and Snowboard, Slopestyle Event and Rail Jam.

The event is actually 3 days worth of on and off the slope fun, complete with a professional, cash prize slopestyle event, interactive opportunities for the fans and an amateur rail jam.

As fun as it all will be it would never have come together with out the enthusiastic support of Seven Springs Park Manager Joel Rerko and the commitment Seven Springs has made to the project. The excitement is building and more details will be posted as we nail the schedule down but for now here is a list of the confirmed competitors.

Skiers
Kaya Turski
Sarah Burke
Keri Herman
Meg Olenik
Athena Bronson
Jess Cumming
Jen Hudak
Rosalind Groenewoud
Grete Eliassen
Ashley Battersby
Angeli VanLaanen

Snowboarders
Kimmi Fasani
Chanelle Sladics
Leanne Pelosi
Silvia Mittermueller
Raewyn Reid
Bev Vuilleumier
Hana Beaman
Tara Dakides
Alexis Waite
Megan Ginter
Izzy Lalive

This will be a really great event – come out and watch the girls compete on Saturday March 14th, get autographs and join them for the Ride-With-A-Pro for those 16 years old and under on Sunday March 15th.

See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin

This Is Why I Do What I Do

Today was supposed to be my catch up day. I've been feeling so behind in every aspect of my home and work life that I figured I'd send the kids out to ski, husband to mind Willi's and I would lock myself away and work.

In my defense it is a blue-bird day here and the slopes were calling - no singing my name. The last ounce of my concentration slipped away and I gave into it. I rushed down to the slopes to get a few runs in instead of eating lunch and was immediately rewarded by an Anna sighting. She rushed into my arms, gave me a big hug and then took off back to her WPRC ski team mates. It was then that I knew I'd made the right decision.

It was beautiful out on the hill - Greg even came with me for a few runs and now I'm back at 'work' doing what I love to do. I honestly believe my heading out to the slopes was not a work avoidance technique but the vital mental floss I needed to remind me of why I do what I do.

See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin

Mid Season Maintenance

If you are having the season I have had it is time to take a quick look at your gear. The season here at Seven Springs started in early November so I've already had to do some work on my gear.

The basic rule of thumb for your skis and snowboards is to edge and wax them every 10 days on the hill. A stone grind will touch up the bases, take out small nicks and scratches and re-texture the material for a better glide. For deeper cuts P-tex or a base weld may be necessary. A ceramic cup grind, if available in your area, is a great way to treat your gear right - it polishes and hardens the edges back to factory condition and is the best way to get the most performance out of your equipment.

Mid season is also a good time to have your bindings looked over just to make sure everything is working properly.

For your apparel I am hopeful that you wash your socks, thermals, fleece and neck gaiter on a regular basis but your outerwear could use some attention too.

Many people avoid laundering their outerwear for fear of damaging it. With rare exceptions ski and snowboard performance outerwear is not only easy to launder but will perform better for it as well. The reason for this is that the process will redistribute and re-loft the garments insulation making it warmer. It will improve the breathability of the garment by removing dirt and oils that clog the pores in the fabric and it will bring the waterproofing sprays and coatings back to the surface re-establishing the DWR (Durable Water Resistance) component of the garments weather protection.

Keep in mind that it is best to launder performance wear in suds that are specifically designed for the task. Follow directions on the label and it is helpful to add a tennis ball to the drier to bring the original softness, drapability and loft back to the garment.

See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin

Willi's Salomon Jib Academy Rocks Seven Springs

Seven Springs was jumping with activity this weekend but it was the Salomon Jib Academy that finally blew the doors off.

Riders and coaches from the Salomon Team swooped down to coach over 70 10-16 year olds all day on Saturday, February 7th, 2009. The kids learned slope style tricks and jumps then wowed the crowd with an amazing competition to determine who would win the big trip to live like a rock star with the big dawgs at Mammoth Mountain for a week in May.

Since there are only 3 Jib Academy events in the USA the Seven Springs kick off event drew kids from as far as Colorado, Michigan and North Carolina. As to be expected it was the local crew that made up the bulk of the kids and the WPRC Freestyle team showed up in force and now will be a force to be reckoned with at their next comp at Seven Springs on March 7th and 8th. After competing in Rails and Air it was local hero Noah Killen who took home the big prize but there isn't a kid who came that didn't leave with a great memory and a few new tricks up their sleeve.

It was an incredible day for everyone involved. The amazing thing was how easily the kids, pros and coaches mixed. There was a lot of camaraderie and on the slopes it appeared as if they were all just a bunch of friends doing what they love to do.

Of course none of this could happen without the team effort of Salomon, Willi's and Seven Springs - Special kudos goes out to the park crew for creating the most amazing park on the East Coast bar none.

There are tons of pix and videos to be seen so check them out at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Willisski/TheSalomonJibAcademy200902?feat=email#
http://www.7springs.com/page/category.detail/nav/5348/Community.html





So until next time - See ya on the slopes!

Kjerstin