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Season 2009
Season 2009 is fast approaching, programs are being put in place (will be online soon), Whistler Cup is being run as we speak. Good luck to all Australian competitors particularly the Hotham guys! Yes its Easter. The weather is getting cooler and the polo is on. Hope the Easter Bunny was nice and look forward to catching up soon!
MHRS 2008 CLUB DINNER
This year the Club Dinner, on Saturday August 2nd, will be held at Rundell's at Crystal Creek, and with the fresh new look and boutique service bestowed on the venue by the new owners, we know it will be a great night.
This year we would like the club members to help with the job of finding a small number of suitable Auction Items-every little bit helps, and what is a huge task for one person becomes insignificant if we all contribute, and will add to everyone's enjoyment on the night.
So we are in need of top notch prizes to raffle/sell, and we need commitments very soon.
We would be delighted to receive any donations from you, your business or your contacts that can be used on the night.
Please contact the committee with your donation idea, on admin@mhrs.org.au, or ring Sally Stubbs on 0408 544 741.
Whistlers Cup News 2008
The Australian Children’s Squad recently competed in the Whistler Cup at Whistler / Blackcomb on Canada’s beautiful west coast. The prestigious event (now in its 16th year) features the top 11 to 14 year old athletes from 16 countries including Austria, Italy, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Japan and Korea.
The event is top notch from the parade and opening ceremonies to the banquets and the race venues. It is amazing to watch the competitiveness, focus, determination and skill of these young athletes. I believe that every participant has left this event having learned a tremendous amount about themselves and the sport. They should all be proud of their accomplishments and will enter the off season with a great amount of determination, focus and motivation for next year.
Our ability to measure our developing talent against that of the world’s best at this level is critical; the Whistler Cup is a valuable benchmarking tool for our system.
The Australian squad for this event was comprised of 14 athletes (4 K1’s and 10K2’s) from the Mount Buller Race Club (MBRC), Mount Hotham Racing Squad (MHRS), Thredbo Ski Racing Club (TSRC), Perisher Winter Sports Club (PWSC) and Haylebury academy. This is the largest Australian squad ever fielded for this event; a testament to the work ethic and enthusiasm of the athletes as well as the commitment of the families.Link to Whistler Cup full article
MHRS AGM - Sunday 16th March 2008 - Geebung 11AM - Auburn Rd - Hawthorn
Mount Hotham Racing Squad Inc Annual General Meeting 2008 Will be held on Sunday 16th March 2008 at 11.00 am at Geebung Polo Club Auburn Rd, Hawthorn, To be followed by a General Meeting.Members are invited to stay for lunch in the bistro following the AGM.
Please find the attached meeting notification, agenda and nomination form.
Summer Camps
The Mount Hotham Racing Squad is pleased to announce the strategic partnership with International Racer for the delivery of northern winter training programs for the 2007.08 season and beyond. The camp represents a cooperative venture between the club and International Racer in which club athletes will have priority access to;
-North American training base in Sun Peaks, British Columbia
-Excellent logistical network and access throughout Canada and the US
-Excellent logistical network and access in Europe
-Global support network
-Practical distance learning opportunities at Sun PeaksFor further details please find the attached slides or contact Jeff at jeff@mhrs.org.au
Niseko Japan
Please find some information on Niseko Ski Resort on the North Island of Japan.
The Niseko Allure
It is little wonder Niseko has become Japan's most sought after snow sport holiday escape. The blend of accommodation, restaurants, culture and activities to suit all tastes, surrounded by breathtaking scenery, champagne powder snow, and high tech facilities attracts skiers and snowboarders from around the world.
Comprising of four main areas - Hanazono, Hirafu, Higashiyama and Annupuri - Niseko experiences more than 16 metres of powder snow from November until April as Siberian desert storm systems sweep across the Sea of Japan with amazing regularity.
A good site to look at is
http://www.harmonyresorts.com/As for accommodation, David Mills ex Hotham skier, instructor, patroller and local Harrietville resident is the owner of Kinoko Pension.
Further information can be found at
http://www.kinokoniseko.com/ for bookings please email bookings@kinokoniseko.comAustralian National Championships - Thredbo 2007
Australian Masters Titles 2007 - Mt Hotham - Entry Form
Please find the attached entry form.
Victorian Championships - Hotham July
It was a sea of Black and Gold at the Victorian Championships held at Mt Hotham on the weekend of the 28 and 29 of July. Hotham athletes faired very well, with special mention to Lizzy Stubbs, Luke Laidlaw and Christian Geiger, just to name a few.
A big thank you goes to Scott Sanderson and his staff for the effort to ensure the events success in very trying conditions.
Please find the results below.
Victorian Alpine Committee - Junior Development and Best to Best Camps - Hotham July 2007
Hotham recently played host to two Victorian High Performance training camps; the inaugural ‘Victorian B2B High Performance Camp’ for 1993 & 1994 born athletes was run concurrently with the annual ‘Victorian Junior Development Squad High Performance Camp’. Challenging weather didn’t put a damper on the enthusiasm and work ethic of this talented and focused group of athletes. Thank you to all athletes and coaches for their efforts in making these camps successful. Camps of this nature represent an excellent opportunity to get the best athletes and coaches together in a cooperative, competitive and development oriented training environment.
The July camp was run as a lead up to the Victorian Junior / Senior titles at Hotham held on July 28th and 29th. A 2nd series of camps will be run in September; the September camps will be focused on the development of core skills for speed (tucking, jumping, gliding etc…) Complete details to follow in early August.
Heat 1 Victorian Children's Championships - Falls Creek Results
Good weekend for Hotham athletes, well done!
Heat 1 Victorian Children's Championships - Falls Creek
Please find attached the Race Entry and Notification for the Victorian Children's Championships – GS, 1st Heat 21st – 22nd of July at Falls Creek.
VICTORIAN JUNIOR & SENIOR & MASTER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007
Entry form for VIC Junior, Senior & Master Championships 2007.
Saturday, 28 July –Giant Slalom Sunday, 29 July –Slalom
International "drop in" Athletes - Southern Winters
As you are aware MHRS has a history of overseas athletes training with the squad in the southern winter. This adds value to all athletes in the squad as it brings an international flavour to the club, and exposes MHRS athletes to different skills and ability levels.
In the past this was a very loose relationship. Overseas athletes would arrive unexpectedly, without prior planning or warning, and as a committee we believed that the most was not obtained from this relationship.
The committee would like to make you aware of the clubs position on visiting athletes.
“Any athlete (or person on their behalf) making a request to train with the club on this basis must make a formal application to the club stating why they should be considered and when they will be training and for how long. This application is to be sent to info@mhrs.org.auTo ensure that we get the correct standard of athlete (includes skill, age, sex, availability of space in age group etc) all visiting athletes must receive approval from the committee and program director prior to commencing training with the club.
If approved, visiting athletes will be charged the day rate for the appropriate squad group for the time these athletes are in training with the squad and any travel or event expenses. Membership fee, levies etc, are waived for approved visiting international athletes.”
The race club would like to encourage any visiting overseas athletes to make an application as outlined above.
Committee MHRS 2007MHRS Annual Dinner and Life Membership Awards
Crystal Creek Resort, Big Muster Drive, Dinner Plain
When: Saturday July 14th, 2007
6.30pm for 7.00pm
Dress: Smart casual
Tickets: $80.00 p.p
Bookings essential -limited tickets available!
A three course Dinner, including Welcome Champagne or Beer,
Entertainment by" Big Al"- 9pm-1am
Come and dance the night away, and help bring on more Snow!
(Entry is by Ticket only-this is a closed venue night for the duration of the Dinner)
The MHRS Annual Dinner is sponsored by Gapsted Wines
Gapsted Wines
The alpine influence is attributed to the altitude, cool alpine breezes, high rainfall and snow run off in spring providing abundant clear, fresh water. The water is naturally the coolest, clearest and cleanest with natural rivers, lakes and springs in abundance. These attributes combined with the cool nights contribute to unique climatic conditions of the King and Alpine Valleys.
The cool ripening conditions prevent high levels of transpiration thus allowing grapes to retain natural acids, sugars and esters creating intense, lifted fruit flavours.
The soft morning sunlight, essential for photosynthesis, is the most effective in producing the intense fruit characters. By shielding the grapes from the afternoon sun, using specifically developed canopy management systems, the protection of delicate fruit flavours is assured.Please find the attached invite with payment options.
Welcome Drinks - 2007
Mount Hotham Racing Squad 2007
are pleased to Invite You To:"
WELCOME DRINKS"WHERE
: " "Moloney's at Dinner Plain", Big Muster Drive, Dinner Plain.WHEN
: Saturday June 30th, 2007 5.00pm-7.00pmOfficial "Welcome" Address at 5.30pm
Come and enjoy a welcome drink and pizza snacks with staff, members and families.
Please RSVP to slstubbs@bigpond.net.au and admin@mhrs.org.au for catering purposes.
The welcome drinks are sponsored by MDC and Heineken.
The Murray Darling Collection
The Murray Darling Collection (MDC) is an innovative winegrowing project exploring the cutting edge propagation and vinification of wine grape varieties and clones new to the Australian viticultural scene.
The MDC was instigated by owners Bruce and Jenni Chalmers, proprietors of Chalmers Nurseries and Paiko vineyards, and Sandro Mosele, one of Australia’s most respected winemakers. Together they set out to cultivate and vinify these new varieties and clones, some of which had previously not been made in Australia, others already with a face in the market. With the Chalmers’ extensive viticultural knowledge and experience and Mosele’s insightful winemaking skills the MDC philosophy was formed.
For over six years the Chalmers, through their nursery business, have been working on this groundbreaking project to import as many as 70 different clones and varieties of wine grapes into Australia from around the world. The primary focus is on Italian varieties with others from Spain, Argentina, the USA and South Africa. Italian oenologist and viticultural expert Alberto Antonini has advised the project on the selection of many varieties. They are selected on their potential suitability to Australian winegrowing conditions and sometimes on the basis of superior clonal selection.
Following harvest, the grapes are delivered to winemaker Sandro Mosele at Kooyong Winery on the Mornington Peninsula. Each parcel is fermented separately in order to study the progress of plantings and viticultural regimes. Sandro’s winemaking aims to reveal the inherent character of each parcel and adheres to a philosophy of minimal intervention. Natural yeasts are used and there is little use of new oak in any of the wines. Varietal character takes centre stage and winemaking is subtly integrated into each finished wine.Heineken
The Heineken family entered the beer business in 1864, when Gerard Adriaan Heineken
bought a brewery in the heart of Amsterdam. Over the past 140 years, three generations of
the Heineken family have built and expanded the brand and the company in Europe and
around the world.Please find the attached invite.
Presidents Welcome 2007
On behalf of the 2007 Committee it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the upcoming season.
We are looking forward to a great season and fingers crossed for some great snow. Though 2006 proved that the training can be just as effective on minimal snow, a credit to Jeff and his coaching team, it would be great to see Hotham with the cover and terrain that make us all “Hothamites” for the winter months.
Please join me welcoming Jane Thompson to the executive committee as Treasurer, and also please welcome to the rest of the MHRS committee, which in essence is basically unchanged from the previous year.
Mount Hotham Racing Squad (MHRS) and Mount Hotham Ski Company (MHSC) are continuing to strengthen the already strong ties. MHRS would like to thank the support of the MHSC for the support in 2006 allowing us to run the programs in poor conditions. A special mention goes out to Scott Sanderson and Len Dobell for their assistance in this.
The “Strategic Agreement” between MHRS and MHSC has been reviewed and agreed upon for 2007 and provides us with more certainty with respect to hill space, coaches and sponsorship monies from the lift company. As part of the agreement MHRS is required to provide innovative and affordable programs as well as provide members to help officiate at races.
We will once again be offering generous incentives for early bird enrolments and we encourage you all to take advantage of this by making your payment in full prior to the April 30th deadline.
Please read this information booklet carefully so that you fully understand what programs we are offering this year.
I also remind everyone about our “Early Bird Season Pass Offer”, I would encourage all of you to purchase your passes from us.
I look forward to seeing you at Mt Hotham during the 2007 season.
Sincerely
Mark Laidlaw
President
FASSTT Programs Dates
Please find timetable of the training dates for the FASSTT Program. This is a great initiative by Jeff and the coaching staff to ensure that you will get the best out of your on snow skiing training. Any questions on the program please email Jeff via jeff@mhrs.org.auFASSTT Dates Link
Programs and Applications 2007
MHRS welcomes you to the 2007 season and is delighted to present the "2007 Seasons Programs" to you.
Please refer to "Join" on the left hand menu. This details all the programs for the 2007 season, and has all the application forms that can be downloaded.
Please read the Information Booklet first before completing your forms. Please note that only Members will be eligible to participate in training programs (other than freestyle, free ride, school holiday and inter-schools programs). Early Bird program prices finish on the 30th April so please ensure that the forms are sent in early.
The Race Squad is once again offering an early bird season pass. The offer is great value and the money that is earned goes straight back into the club to provide for new equipment and facilities aimed at bringing you the best ski race club in Australia. Again early bird seasons passes finish on the 30th April.
Japan Niseko - March 2007
Been lucky enough to spend the month of March in Niseko Japan, with a number of present and past Hotham Identities. Scott Sanderson (Mr Hotham Events), Colin Hackworth (Former Mr Hotham) and David Mills (ex Hotham instructor and local from Harrietville) are here waving the flag.
The skiing to date has been nothing short of brilliant, and have had a number of memorable days to say the least. The mountain is plenty "big enough" and the snow is of the type I presume you would get in heaven.
If you ever get the chance to come over, I say make it happen. Should you require accommodation in Niseko David Mills can assist. He can be contacted on bookings@kinokoniseko.com
The following can be best described as a typical day in the office! I hope your days are as good :-)
Dave Reeves
FIS Masters Racing Chile - September 2007
Chile in September 2007 the FIS Master’s races will be there. The dates are from Monday 17 September 2007 to Friday 21 September 2007. GET ON BOARD!
Last year, the races were held in:
La Parva (CHI) SAC GS - CHI Championships
Valle Nevado (CHI) SAC SG - BRA Championships
Valle Nevado (CHI) FMC GS - CHI Championships
Valle Nevado (CHI) FMC SL - BRA Championships
An excellent level of racing was achieved with various Masters World Champions participating. More than half (56%) of the racers came from foreign countries which meant a growing international interest in the South American FIS Masters Events. There was no charge for the lift passes for all events and for the first time organizers charged US$15..00 per race for entries, so the costs for the competition are quite low.
Start planning the flights now. Be in Santiago a day or so before the event to make sure that you are truly acclimatised to the time zone before the races.
It would be great to put together an team from Australia to go to these races, so if you are interested, please let us know. mastersracing@mhrs.org.auNZ Update 20th Sept - By Raphael Bekhor - Head FIS Coachm
Despite the absence of snow in Australia, the season continues for some MHRS athletes over here in snowy New Zealand.
Six Hotham FIS athletes made the trip over to Whakapapa, a ski resort on an active volcano, for the finals of the Australia-New Zealand Continental Cup. The resort itself has impressive vertical and stunning views. It is, however, without accommodation, as such we are staying a 20 minute drive away, at the quaint National Park Village.
Four races for each gender were planned; however the best laid plans of the race organisers have so far been thwarted by temperamental weather, amongst other issues. So far, despite a series of postponements, 3 races have been run.
Monday saw the successful staging of the women’s slalom, and the cancellation of the men’s due to timing problems. On an excellent surface of hard snow, Hotham athletes performed reasonably well. They were, however, saving their better performances for Tuesday.
The second women’s slalom took place under beautifully sunny skies for the first run, and an impenetrable white-out for the second. All athletes made points, with the star performers being Elizabeth Stubbs in 9th place and Emily Bakyew in 10th place.
Two men’s races were planned for Tuesday, however only one took place, with the second one cancelled due to bad visibility. With the promise of a second chance, many Hotham racers pushed the boundaries in the first race, with Fenn, Geiger and McLeod all crashing out. After a tentative first run, Will Cushen laid down a decent second run. All were disappointed with the eventual postponement of the second race. We will keep you posted with results when they arrive!Canada Camp - Dec 2006 - Jan 2007
Please find information on both the 20 and 40 day camps planned for Canada in Dec / Jan later this year. The file is a bit over 2 MEG in size.
Women's National Championship - GS Thredbo 14th Aug 2006
Today at Thredbo we saw the first race of the only FIS series to be run in Australia for 2006. Due to a general lack of snow across Australia, these races were very nearly cancelled, however due to the efforts a host of volunteers including many of the male athletes, coaches and parents, the Women’s GS was able to be run on an decent if icy surface. Kudos to course setter Simon Egger from Austria, who set a good, challenging course by torchlight.
Due to a lack of snow and general constraints on hill space, the race commenced early in the morning, and continued at a rapid pace, with inspection occurring under cover of darkness at 6:15, and the final gates off the hill by 8:20.
Katya Crema of Australia won the race, followed by Sophie Mellilo of France and Tomi Crewes, again of Australia. The Australian women in general performed strongly, with 6 of the top 10 positions in what was a very international field.
Hotham racers performed well despite today being their first run for the season down a full length course on a decent pitch. Elizabeth Stubbs (“Stubbsy”) had a fantastic debut FIS race, coming in 8th place with 124 points. Her team-mate Lydia Turnbull also performed strongly, with a 12th place finish and took 30 points off her previous best. Kim Wood and Olivia Bakyew also performed well, meaning that all four Hotham athletes successfully completed the challenging course.
The race series continues throughout the week, with the Men’s Giant Slalom tomorrow. We will keep you posted with results!Hotham Snowboard Titles 2006 Snowboard Cross
The link to Race Line July 2006. An awesome flyer developed by Jeff and proudly brought to you by our key sponsors. Please take time to read this valuable information.
Life Members and Auction Night - Summary
Hi,
I would like to thank everyone who attended our very special auction evening on Saturday where we inducted Peter Crawford, Larry Horne, Alan Dann (posthumously), Tom Fraser and Henry Busetti into the club as life members.
One only had to see the emotions on the evening to realise the significance that was placed upon the recognition that these people received from the club for the services that they had performed. I would once again like to congratulate them on receiving this award.
We had what was described as the "best ever" turnout for the evening and had over 150 people who came to the High Plains Lodge and had a great evening with wonderful food, plenty of fun and chat and a very lively auction hosted by Lachie Castran. We had a very successful auction which will help us upgrade the facilities and equipment at the club.
Special thanks go to Sally Stubbs and Jenny O'Donnell for organising such a fantastic night. They spent a huge amount of time getting items for the auction, organising buses from Hotham to Dinner Plain, getting a great place to host our function and so much more - congratulations on a fantastic effort.
Once again, on behalf of the committee I would like to thank everyone who attended and I look forward to seeing you throughout the season.
Thanks again,
Mark Laidlaw
MHRS Equipment Overview 2006 Updated 14th June 2006
Working Bees - Get your Levy Back
There are two planned working bees before the season kicks off. The dates for these are 6-7 May and the 13-14 of May. Depending on how much is achieved during the weekend of the 6-7 will decide if a working bee is required. Please contact info@mhrs.org.au if you can attend. Its a way to get your levy back before the season starts!
Important Contact Details for 2006 Races - Link
Please find the attached link that details some options for accommodation for NON Hotham races for 2006. It is advisable to book early.
Please find the attached link to the HSA 2006 Muster. Should any one be attending the Muster and be happy to hand out MHRS Information, please contact us at info@mhrs.org.au
Fab Photos
The MHRS Committee on behalf of the members would like to thank the effort Colleen went to in providing some of the fantastic images for the site.
Updated Website - Easter 2006
During Easter 2006, the existing Team Hotham website was updated. Please find the 2006 program and season passes forms in the Join Section of the website.
