From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
The biathlon stadium at the Rendezvous Ski Trails, where 72 women and 134 men (including juniors) will start and finish Friday’s SuperTour skate sprint in West Yellowstone, Mont.
To jumpstart our U.S. SuperTour coverage in West Yellowstone, Mont, we’re leaving the predictions to you! The SuperTour opens Friday morning with men’s and women’s 1.3-kilometer sprint on a short-and-fast course at the Rendezvous Ski Trails.
Who do you think will win? Vote on the women’s and men’s polls with some of top seeds below.
As a refresher, last year’s freestyle sprint took place on the South Plateau in West Yellowstone. It was a point-to-point 1.6 k prologue, with a single round (as opposed to a qualifier followed by heats and a final), won by Sophie Caldwell (SMST2) and Ryan Scott (SSCV/Team HomeGrown). Last year’s prologue results: women | men
Sprint rounds are an entirely different ball game than prologues, and this year’s SuperTour field is full of skiers that will be gunning for some recognition (and most importantly, World Cup starts).
So weigh in below, and if your favorite isn’t an option, leave a (respectful) comment about who you’re rooting for.
Visually impaired skier Nancy Stevens (l) and her guide Tony Neaves race in the 1998 Nagano Paralympics. They are reunited in West Yellowstone, Mont., this week.
Note: The following has been corrected to reflect that Caitlin Gregg approached Nancy Stevens this week.
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — When Nancy Stevens moved to Summit County, Colo., 21 years ago, her guide dog kept bringing her to the door of the same shop. Blind since birth, Stevens, 52, finally went inside and discovered that the door entered a bike-store owned by Tony Neaves. Her dog knew something. Nancy needed some work done on her tandem bike, and she needed a strong able-bodied person to ride it with her. It turned out the Neaves could do both.
Stevens and Neaves at one of their many races leading up to Nagano. (Courtesy photo)
“Tony was great because he would call me and say ‘Hey, I’m free this evening do you want to go for a bike ride?’ ” Stevens said. “It was so nice because I didn’t have to coordinate it.”
Thus began a relationship that would continue into 1993 when Stevens came to West Yellowstone with Neaves as her guide to try out for the Lillehammer Paralympic Games. “We didn’t know what we were doing yet, and we didn’t quite make it that year,” Neaves said.
For the next four years, the duo raced in the U.S., Sweden and Norway, and by 1998 they had built their racing communication skills to the point where the duo went to Lake Placid where they won gold to qualify for the Winter Paralympics in Nagano, Japan.
They describe the moment as the race of a lifetime, where 4,000 people crowded around a 5-kilometer loop yelling Nancy’s name. It was so loud, she had trouble hearing Neaves’ commands on their electronic communications system.
Fast-forward to May 2013, when several U.S. Paralympics Biathlon coaches approached Stevens. Fifteen years after their last race, Neaves received an “out-of-the-blue” call from Stevens, announcing that she was coming out of “retirement” to compete in biathlon in West Yellowstone. By the way, would Tony be her guide? Neaves, who now lives in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley and operates the Como Ski Trails, three miles west of Darby, agreed, and the racers competed in the adaptive biathlon sprint in West Yellowstone on Wednesday.
The only woman in her class, Stevens won the 6 k race in 36:14 with 4-for-10 shooting. Disappointed with her first round, in which she missed four out of five, Stevens was pleased with hit three targets on the second stage. Overall, she was glad to be back.
The reunited Paralympic pair, Nancy Stevens and Tony Neaves at the finish line of the adaptive biathlon race at the 2013 West Yellowstone Festival on Wednesday.
On her first day in West this week, Stevens and Neaves were in the warming hut when 2010 Olympian Caitlin Gregg walked in. Another reunion was about to happen.
“Hey, weren’t you at Lake Placid in 1998 and aren’t you Nancy Stevens?” asked Gregg, who is racing in West Yellowstone this week. Gregg reminded Stevens that they had met in Lake Placid when Gregg (formerly Compton) was a 16 -year-old junior. Gregg said she would never forget Stevens, the Paralympian, taking the time talk to her give her encouragement to go for her Olympic dream.
“Really, that makes me feel so good that I could make that difference to her,” Stevens said.
Stevens hopes to compete at U.S. nationals in Soldier Hollow in January for a spot on the U.S. Paralympics team, but since she and Neaves live so far apart, she is having difficulty finding strong skiers willing to guide her in training.
“The key for blind skiers is finding a guide,” she said. “I can always find recreational skiers to ski with, but finding a guide to train with is the only thing holding me back right now.”
Interested skiers are encouraged to contact their local ski areas or adaptive sports programs to volunteer to be a guide for skiing or other outdoor sports.
A goal achieved: Paralympians Neaves and Stevens (second row, fourth and fifth from right). (Courtesy photo)A perk of being Paralympians, Nancy Stevens and Tony Neaves meet then-President Bill Clinton. (Courtesy photo)
Make your first tracks of the year Trails in West Yellowstone, Montana for the Yellowstone Ski Festival, November 26-30th, 2013. Each year thousands of skiers, from Olympic athletes to first timers, descend on our small mountain town for a week-long celebration of cross-country skiing. Perfectly groomed corduroy on the Rendezvous Ski Trails, featuring 35 kilometers of trails, new warming cabin, and an updated skiers map. Full information and registration is available at www.yellowstoneskifestival.com.
The Yellowstone Ski Festival will again offer a diverse schedule of events, with ski clinics, races, on-snow gear demos, evening activities and the USSA SuperTour opener, beginning with the Freestyle Sprints on Friday, November 29. The 10/15 kilometer freestyle distance race will be held on Saturday. One to five day Nordic ski clinics with classic and skate specific options, as well as multi-day combination clinics, will be offered.
A half day adaptive ski clinic & a half day adaptive biathlon clinic with the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Coaching staff is also offered on Tuesday, November 26th, 2013. This clinics are free of charge and equipment will be provided. Pre-registration is required.
Adaptive Nordic Biathlon Clinic (9:00 – 11:00 AM) Meet at the Holiday Inn Adaptive Nordic skiers – come learn to shoot with U.S. Paralympic Biathlon Coaching staff with precision air rifles for standing & sitting classes, or via Audio electronic rifle for those visually impaired skiers. Learn to shoot, then challenge.
yourself to shoot with a heart rate to simulate Biathlon competition
Adaptive Cross Country Skiing Clinic (1:00 – 3:00 PM) Meet at the Holiday Inn: Adaptive Nordic skiers are encouraged to join U.S. Paralympic Nordic Coaching staff for cross country skiing instruction during the West Yellowstone Ski Festival in all three classes: sitting, standing, and visually impaired. Learn classic & freestyle skiing techniques, along with downhill and turning techniques. Some Sit-ski equipment can be made available with advance notice. Meet at the Holiday Inn.
The Rendezvous Ski Trail System, home to the Festival, features perfectly groomed The biathlon range will be featured with a “Try Biathlon Day” on Tuesday Nov. 26, 2013 and Biathlon Sprint held the following day Wednesday November 27, 2013.
The “On Snow Nordic Gear Demo” program allows skiers into the On-Snow Gear Demo area where they can test drive the latest and greatest in skis, boots, bindings, poles and wax. Look for Atomic, Fast Wax, Fischer, Madshus, Rossignol, Salomon, Swix and more. The On-Snow Demo Area will be open from 8:30am to 3:00pm Wednesday through Saturday.
Look for representatives just past the trailhead building at the corner of the In&Out Trail and Purple Haze. There will be a group of booths and tents set up here and all of the newest equipment will be on display. Any November trail pass to the Rendezvous Ski Trails includes access to the On-Snow Demo area.
Following a long day of skiing the expertly groomed trails, join your friends for the inaugural aprèsski events held at the On-Snow Demo area on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Hot and cold beverages will be provided, as well as a bonfire to keep skiers warm and sledding for the kids.
The Yellowstone Ski Festival is also about families and helping kids learn to cross country ski in a safe, and fun, learning environment. Lone Mountain Ranch and the Yellowstone Ski Festival are partnering for two days of kids ski clinics. Clinics will be offered for two different age groups: grades K-2nd and grades 3-6th. Pre-registration is required.
There will be morning and afternoon sessions on Friday, November 29th, and Saturday, November 30th, 2013. Clinics are being scheduled so parents can also attend the adult clinics. The drop-off time for kids will be 15-30 minutes before the adult clinics begin.
West Yellowstone offers a full range of lodging options for the Festival from cabins to full service hotels. All properties are located within walking distance to the Rendezvous Ski Trails and a number offer wax rooms for their guests.
The Holiday Inn and Conference Center is the Yellowstone Ski Festival headquarters. It is also the headquarters for the Indoor Expo where you can visit with company representatives, fine tune your technique at a wax clinic, and enjoy the variety of presentations, lectures, and films.
Bring the whole family; there are lots of options for kids. The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center has scheduled daily activities and family-friendly evening presentations,including the Backcountry Film Festival, a Birds of Prey exhibit featuring live raptors, a hands-on lecture from the National Park Service, and a good, old-fashioned S’mores party. Let the Yellowstone Ski Festival become a new family Thanksgiving tradition.
Think snow(!) and make plans now to attend the 2013Yellowstone Ski Festival. For more information, clinic registration, or to find out about early trail pass discounts, visit www.yellowstoneskifestival.com.
![Hundreds of skiers took to the Rendezvous Ski Trails on Tuesday in West Yellowstone, Mont.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/IMG_0325.jpg")
![Visually impaired skier Nancy Stevens and her guide Tony Neaves race in the 1998 Nangano Paralympics. They are reunited at West Yellowstone this week.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/favorite-pics-1-2036.jpg")
![Stevens and Neaves at one of their many races leading up to Nagano. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/favorite-pics-1-2038.jpg")
![The reunited Paralympic pair, Nancy Stevens and Tony Neaves at the finish line of the adaptive biathlon race at the 2013 West Yellowstone Festival on Wednesday.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/CIMG0433.jpg")
![A goal achieved, Paralympians Neaves and Stevens 2nd row 4th and 5th from right. (Courtesy photo)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/favorite-pics-1-2035.jpg")
![A perk of being Paralympians, Nancy Stevens and Tony Neaves Meet President Bill Clinton](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/11/favorite-pics-1-2037.jpg")
![Good times at the Yellowstone Ski Festival](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/10/YSF_fun.jpg")