The IASF started it all way back in 1960 with just Air France and Swissair competing in a ski carnival race in Artic Valley, Alaska. They kept coming back to Artic Valley. Eventually growing and moving to Mt. Alyeska. Then on to Mt. Hood, OR. In 1977, the International Airlines Ski Federation became a non-profit and the first World Airlines Ski Championships took place in Les Diablerets, Switzerland.
The booming U.S. airline industry of the 1970’s and early 80’s produced nearly as many Airline Ski Clubs as there were airlines. The North American Airlines Ski Federation came into existence much in the same way as the IASF. It was out of necessity that a governing body be formed to coordinate the masses of Airline Skiing enthusiasts. In 1983, the 501(c)(3) NAASF Foundation was formed to provide financial grants to promising young racers.
I’ve presented you with this brief history of NAASF and IASF to show you that racing has been the catalyst that has brought us together then, and continues to bring us together now. It’s not hyperbole when I say…ad infinitum, “our Airline Ski Week competitions are the reason we get to enjoy these wonderful experiences on snow covered mountains all over the world.”
What are the competitions?
Skiers and riders of every skill level are welcomed to attend our Ski Weeks. And, by no coincidence, skiers and riders of every skill level are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the competitions.
Skiers have slalom and giant slalom, in women’s and men’s groups. They are further grouped into a “B” category for the novice and beginners. And an “A” category for the more advanced skiers.
Snowboarders are easy… women’s and men’s categories…pretty much the same course as the B racers.
Participation trophy?
Winners get individual and Team bragging rights. Podium winners might receive some sort of monetary or novelty award in the forms of gift cards or souvenir prizes. All Ski Clubs are chasing the end of season trophies. If you weren’t aware, we have one of those trophies. Our Snowboard Team brought home the Shredder’s Cup at the end of last season.
The Bob Power’s Cup is the points total of all A racers. Delta won that last season. We were over 500 points behind in fourth place.
The Chuck Wagner Cup is an individual award for the top men’s A racer. Kevin Vaughan made one appearance last season at Big Sky. That got him tied for 15th in the final points tally.
The NAASF Cup is the everything cup. It’s all racers, skiers, boarders, women’s, men’s A, B, slalom, and giant slalom. Delta, American then United were the top three. We grabbed fourth again.
Our Shredder’s Cup victory was by the narrowest of margins, just 26 points ahead of Delta. I’ll admit that it felt good to be the spoiler to Delta’s repeating their hat trick of season ending trophy grabs.
You should know that we won the Shredder’s Cup with only one first place finish. Of course, we had several other top 5 finishes, along with some top 10 and top 20. Our strategy was simple…show up, finish the race, repeat at the next event.
How do we win?
I believe that we can duplicate that strategy this coming season and get our paws on some of the other trophies. To do this, we need to be consistent. We need to have full teams at each event to get all the points possible. Leaving points on the table is a sure-fire way to come in at a distant 4th place.
How can I help?
I’m so glad that you’ve finally asked me this. Give it a try…commit to competing in at least one race at each Ski Week you attend. You might find that you enjoy the adreniline rush. I personally enjoy all of the camaraderie among the competitors. You can try to achieve a new personal best…try getting a better time than that one person from that other Airline…Most importantly, you’ll have fun doing it!
Have I talked you into competing? I hope so. Feel free to send me any questions.
Also, if you made it this far into my email. Thank you!! And, I promise to buy a drink for all racers this season at each NAASF Ski Week!
Thanks for reading!
Woody