Month: March 2018

Paul Rechberger, National Slalom Champion

Earlier this month, the Castleton’s men’s and women’s alpine ski teams competed in the USCSA National Championships at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York . The women’s team finished third place overall, after finishing second in the slalom and third in the giant slalom. The men achieved a four-way tie for first place overall, and were just .04 seconds away from a first place finish in the slalom. Congratulations to Li Aunes (Sweden), Linn Ljungemo (Sweden), Oskar Eriksson (Sweden), Jan Klindic (Croatia), Paul Rechberger (Austria), and Anton Smith (Sweden)!

Castleton’s Women’s Alpine Team

Castleton’s Men’s Alpine Team (left side)

Emily and Monica

By Qin (Emily) Wang, Castleton student from China

I want to share with you some of my recent events. Last weekend I with Monica and a friend went skiing in Pico. This was my first time skiing. I took an introductory course, but I still don’t quite know how to slow down and stop. I couldn’t control the acceleration and it was really terrible! Then the coach kept saying “make your pie” but I couldn’t think and only shouted “I have no pie!!!” And I have to say that the fall is really very painful?

(Editor’s note:  Ski instructors will often use the term, “pie”, to describe a snowplow, which helps to control a skier’s speed. The stance looks similar to a piece of pie, with tips together and tails apart. This term was unfortunately lost in translation for Emily!)

Learning to Ski at Pico Mountain

The Snow Tubing Group at Killington Mountain Resort

Winter in Vermont has offered us a bit of everything this year–a deep freeze (“The Arctic Bomb”), serious snowstorms, a January thaw, and rain! February 10th was one of those rainy days.  However, that did not discourage a small but spirited group of international students to keep their plans to try snow tubing at Killington Resort. Pictured above, this all-female group from China, Germany and Japan, were soaked through when it was over.  But the smiles captured here show the rain did not dampen their moods!

After the first run

One-Two-Three!

Back up the hill