There is little time left before the Catamount Race on Feb 7th and we need volunteers. It is may be the biggest race of the season as Catamount attendance is so high.

Being able to have a home race really helps our kids as they will have the opportunity to train on the race hill and there is a large comfort factor. It is something our Tristate racers unfortunately have to live with out. Holding this race, as with all the races, is dependent on volunteers.

Right now I am drawing up the volunteer lists: We will need people to act as gatekeepers, run scoreboard, registration, take bibs and set up the awards. You do not have to have any experience. We will also provide written instructions to score keepers.

please contact me at peterchudy@mac.com

Peter Chudy
Head of Parents Association

We were sadden to hear about Bill Gilbert’s passing last week. He was a driving force in Catamount’s and the ski industries development. Bill came from that WWII generation of veteran’s that left an impact on the ski industry all over this country. Their legacy can be seen on every young racers smile at the finish line.

The Parents Association has made a donation to the STRIDE Adaptive Sports Foundation in Bill’s name.

Obituary for Mr William Gilbert

William “Bill” Gilbert, 89, formerly of South Egremont, died Monday evening at Berkshire Medical Center.

For many years he was president and general manager of Catamount Ski Area in South Egremont MA/Hillsdale NY, Bill started his career in the skiing industry in the early 1950s as a snowmaker and operator of Fahnstock Ski Area in Harriman, NY and Silvermine Ski Area at Bear Mountain, both New York State Park ski areas. In 1960 Bill and business partners Don Edwards and brother Sandy Gilbert designed and built Sterling Forest Ski Area in Tuxedo, NY. In 1967 he co-invented the first airless snow machine and started his company Snow Machines International (SMI) In addition to being a pioneer in the snowmaking industry, he was the east coast and European distributor of Tucker Snow Cats. He was recognized for his commitment and contribution to the skiing industry in when 2006 he received the Ski Areas of New York Hall of Fame Award, and in 2009 he was presented with the National Ski Area Association’s Sherman Adams Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was born in Brooklyn, NY on Dec. 30, 1926, the son of Morris and Florence Kirschman Goldberg. He served in the US Navy during WWII and earned a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Syracuse University in 1952.

He and his wife, Grace Cohan Gilbert, were married Sept. 9, 1951. Grace died Feb. 17, 2004.
Bill is survived by a daughter, Patti Serden and her husband Scott of Beverly Hills, CA; a son, Tom Gilbert and his wife Beverly of Lenox; and grandchildren Kelli and Heather Serden, both of Los Angeles, CA and Matthew Gilbert of Lenox. He is also survived by his longtime ski business partner and good friend Don Edwards.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be at Catamount Ski Area on Saturday April 16, 2016. In lieu of flowers, a donation in his memory may be made to STRIDE Adaptive Sports or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, both in care of the ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main Street, Lenox, MA 01240.

Butternut will have a two run GS race AND SkillsQuest (SQ) next weekend. They want all the kids to inspect in the morning and set times for SkillQuest, where older kids will do SQ events while younger kids are racing.

Parents please be ready for kids 10+ to participate in the SQ events after inspection, with younger kids going after their race run.

SkillQuest events will be 3 stations, Pole Jumping, Inside Skiing, and straight run to sideslip. Please see USSA website for more details.

They will not go over the skillsquest results or give out awards for the skillsquest portion until later in the season, probably at the Bousquet race.

Blandfold results are posted on the race team page

Mohawk is holding its U16 SL race on Saturday Feb 6th. As the program is smaller and other race groups are away they are asking for some help form parents that are attending. A key need is gate keepers. Please contact Peter Chudy at peterchudy@mac.com if you are willing to help.

We are ready for our first Interclub race. Please register in advance, as provided on yesterday’s post. This process is new this year. We have just posted a Parents Guide to Race Day on the web site on the info page. There will be a meeting at 11:30 this Saturday at the Taconic Lodge to discuss the race.

We will need volunteers for the Catamount Interclub Race for registration, gate keeping, score keeping, bib collection and awards. Holding a home race is dependent on volunteers. Please contact Peter Chudy at peterchudy@mac.com

Please keep in mind that there will be a statewide qualifier for the Piche Invitational at Wachusett Mt on Saturday, Feb 27, for U12 and U14 racers. Both Tri-State and Interclub will qualify racers to attend the race at Wachusett. This is the only way to qualify for Piche. Details are provide on the Web Site on the Info page.