Spectacular fare in ski-ing’s Grand Slam

Press, 8 September 1982, Page 32

Spectacular fare in ski-ing’s Grand Slam

TIM DUNBAR

Powder ski-ing competitors in the ambitious Spalding Grand Slam contest recently completed in the Wanaka region probably felt they had never had it so good. Way up on Black Peak in the Harris Mountains, they were served a banquet by chefs in full regalia during a break in the powder eights competition.

The Harris Mountains powder eights was the second event of the grand slam which, over a period of nine days, also took in crosscountry ski-ing, giant slalom racing, freestyle, and ski jumping. ’ Mr Robin Judkins, the irrepressible Wanaka ski-ing entrepreneur who organised the Spalding Grand Siam, detailed the sumptuous menu for the banquet. “It consisted of three hot meat dishes, two cold meat dishes, two soups, coffee, tea, wine and dessert ... all served on Black Peak at nearly-2000m,” he chortled. The . powder eights were held on a clear still day with 15cm of new powder on the 2371 m Black Peak. All 58 competitors were helicopter

dropped on the mountain from the Treble Cone helipad and ski-ing in pairs, executed perfect figure eights over two judged runs of 380 vertical metres.

After the two judged runs, the top four pairs skied off in a head-to-head contest and the. winners were Gunther Raedler and Diane Culver from the Coronet Peak ski school. Diane Culver, a former Canadian women's ski team member and world cup racer, is the coach of the Southern Districts . Ski Association's race teams this winter. New Zealand's Geoff Hunt (Queenstown) and Hamish Cochran (Christchurch) finished third ahead of the much-vaunted Japanese team, wnich was outclassed.

Mr Judkins said that the powder eights had ended in spectacular fashion. “All 58 competitors and 20 officials and film crew free-skied the entire mountain in a massed start Hell, that was a knockout — one long line stretched out across the summit.”

The contest drew together New Zealand’s best powder skiers together with those from Europe, the United

States, and Japan. “It clearly showed that New Zealanders could ski powder with the best in the world," said Mr Judkins.

Over all, the premier Spalding Grand Slam, which offered rewards, totalling $22,500 in prize money, air travel, ski-ing, and equipment, had been a tremendous success and 90 per cent of the competitors (including the Japanese) had promised to come back next year. The sponsor, Spalding, together with the Mount Cardrona skifield, and Harris Mountains heli ski-ing were all keen for a repeat. Mr Judkins said that he was surprised by the number of people who did all five disciplines and how good the standard was, in each of those disciplines. One of the more spectatororiented events was the ski jumping (gelande) at Treble Cone which attracted a crowd of 300.

Helping out in the building of the jump was Whitney Thurlow, a distance jumper

froin Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he holds the gelande title. Thurlow apparently regularly jumps 60m and has his own jumping platform in his back yard.

“Twenty-two guys tried the jump and it went very well considering the circumstances,” said Mr Judkins. “There was inadequate terrain for a long distance jump and a lack of hard compactibie snow.”

He added: “For a gelande, you need a steep short run-in with a floated (level) jump and a steep run-out with a smooth, hard stopping area.” The longest jump of the day was managed by Geoff Hunt who leapt nearly 30m after the competition proper. But the winning jump of 26.14 m, using the limited inrun, was achieved in a remarkable effort by the New Zealand A ski team member, Derek Brown (Queenstown). Brown, a big fellow sometimes known as “The Tank”, was probably helped by his weight as he'shaded Thurlow

in his first attempt at a gelande. The 29-year-old American, a cross-country ski-ing instructor at Jackson Hole, said afterwards: “I don’t mind being outjumped, but by a rugby player. . .” in a reference to Brown’s build. Thurlow still managed to finish first over-all in the Treble Cone triathlon (giant slalom, the gelade, and the moguls contest) to pick up a trophy, $5OO, and a pair of Spalding competition skis, a useful acquisition seeing he only possesses cross-country skis.

The giant slalom, run on a 30-gate course Thurlow described as typically New Zealand — “lumpy, bumpy, and full of rocks, but she’ll be right” — was won by the former national ski champion and double Winter Olympic representative, Stuart Blakely, ahead of two other New Zealanders, Bill Lonsdale and Warwick Brown.

Geoff Hunt won the moguls contest from Cochran to take out the over-all grand slam. Both skiers showed great expertise on the bumps. The event was run while it was snowing, but the weather cleared in the later stages. Wanaka’s Trevor Streat, who entered on the day, won the award for the “best wipe-out.” A week earlier, Hunt, not known for his cross-country ability) had also won the Cardrona Cup after a 7km race. Both the Cardrona and Arcadia Basins were used for the race which involved a series of uphill and downhill sections testing the strength and endurance of all 19 competitors as well as their cross-country ability.