On the slopes with the Virginia Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team
Distinguishable from each other only by the wild hues of their helmets and goggles, skiers and snowboarders queue up on Big Acorn—one of Wintergreen Resort’s most difficult slopes. There is brief discussion among the group about sharpening skis and the quality of the snow—“Kind of salty,” says Cody Dyke (Engr ’09), a captain of the Virginia Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team. A moment later, Dyke plunges through the starting gate for a trial run of the course, set up for grand slalom training. “There goes the test dummy,” another team member jokes.
For members of the team, it is axiomatic that there’s more fun to be had at higher elevations. And since it is U.Va.’s most popular club sports team, it seems clear that more and more students have arrived at this realization.
Based at Wintergreen, their Nelson County training ground 45 minutes from Charlottesville, the team is open to all skill and ambition levels. Nonetheless, this is a group that relishes competitive racing. Seventy-five of its nearly 300 members race during the spring semester, hitting the road nearly every weekend.
A member of the women’s ski team competes at the U.S. Collegiate Snowsports Association’s mid-Atlantic regional championships.
They have no paid coaches and no fancy timing equipment. Instead, they rely on each other for pointers. This year, the men’s and women’s snowboard teams placed in the U.S. Collegiate Snowsports Association’s mid-Atlantic regional championships and competed in the nationals in early March, where the women’s team placed fourth overall and the men’s team came in seventh.
The club manages to raise enough money to pay racing expenses. That means more students get exposure to competition, despite the high costs of the sport. “I think that’s the best thing about our organization,” says president Christian Hoehner (Col ’09), who caught the racing bug in high school, competing for Massanutten Resort as part of the Southern Alpine Ski Association. “A lot of other schools either make their racers pay for their hotels, entry fees and lift tickets, or are tied to their universities in such a way that they lose control over when and where they can train.”
Skiers outnumber snowboarders in the club, and a friendly rivalry exists. One is either a committed skier or a diehard snowboarder; there are few “crossovers,” according to Meggie McArthur (Com ’09), the club’s vice president.
“It’s kind of a personality thing,” she says. “Skiers are straight-laced”— a comment that draws loud objections from skiers in the queue—while snowboarders tend to be laid back, she says. Though McArthur learned to ski when she was 3, she discovered snowboarding at 12 and has never gone back. “Skiing is a lot harder to learn,” she concedes. “With snowboarding, once you get it, it’s a lot easier to get better.”
As a skier, Hoehner finds the technical aspects of the sport as thrilling as its striking natural setting. While others might find it odd to train endlessly for an event that is over in 50 seconds, he explains the rush of racing this way: “There is nothing else but you, your equipment, the hill and a ton of gravity. And it’s simple. Do whatever the hell you have to to go as fast as you possibly can around every gate.”
Group hugs build camaraderie among skiers and snowboarders on the team.
The Good Old App: Now available for free download from the iTunes store
Comments
GO HOOS!!!!!!!
Glad to see the club is doing so well. I was a member of the team went to Nationals in '87, but the best times were those all night drives through North Carolina to make it to the starting gate. Cheers!
Glad to see that there are some serious skiers at UVA. Somehow or other, I have been able to make a career of being in the ski travel industry for the past 23 years.
Wow! Great! I wish I would have known about the club when I was at UVA. My son who is six just started skiing this year and loves it. Hopefully, he will attend UVA and join the team. Keep it up.
Recently attended to the regional meet @ Wintergreen to observe. A friend and I started the ski team @ Virginia in the late sixties and we won the Southeastern Championships at Beech Mtn. in a downhill that averaged 45 mphs...wearing blue jeans. Glad to see you all have come a long way and had many successes and lots of fun. Rick glad
Rip it up!!!
Captain of the '99 mens team - great times were had and glad to hear they are continuing! Ski Fast.
GO WOMEN'S DOWNHILL!! Get that pow :)
Women's captain in '97 & '98 -- women went to Nationals in Tahoe in '97. What a great experience. So glad to hear you're still going strong. Keep it up! Ski VAST (or is it VASST now?). Either way, couldn't be happier for you all.
Founder of UVA snowboarding, women's snowboard captain '00-'02; I was on the team back in the days when snowboarders had to fight to be allowed to take runs through the GS course! I am so happy to see the team thriving; it is wonderful to see how the VASST traditions have passed down from year to year. We have many great memories to share! Is there some way that all of the VASST alumni responding to this article could connect in cyberspace? Everyone be sure to join the VASST Facebook group; if you need more info, email me at alicevitiello@gmail.com. Ski and ride fast!
P.s. Just watched the video--great job at regionals, guys--and a huge shout out to the snowboard team!!! 1st place men's and women's overall, WOW!!!! You guys ROCK!!! :)
Mens Captain '00 - Good times were defintiely had. Too bad Magrans (Mens Captain '99)has lost a step on the slopes :) Ski Team was definitely instrumental in helping me foster a love of the mountains and persue a career in the ski industry.
As an original member in the late sixties, glad to see the continuation of the Club . I'm still racing at Tahoe every winter in the Far West Race Association. I'll have carry the colors by adding a UVA decal to my helmet. GO HOOS
Awesome! Brings back memories. I was the Treasurer in either 1989 or 1990 or both...do you still show the Bugs Bunny Film Festival as a big fundraiser?
We haven't shown that since I've been here, but we did a screening of the new TGR film Under the Influence as a fundraiser. If you're an alum and want to stay connected head over to our new website http://www.skiuva.org/ and click on the alumni tab
As a parent, I enjoyed watching UVA races. My son, Ian Buxton, failed to mention that his Colorado license plates still say "SKI UVA".
Secretary & Women's Ski Captain '05-'07WOOOO!!! Great Job team!! I miss you all! Keep rippin' it up! xoxox
President '02, Mens Ski Captain '03 - I'm so impressed by how much this team has progressed tremendously into a top notch competitor since I left UVA. My best friends and memories are from ski team. Ski racers are the fastest skiers on the mountain!
Men's captain 1992-1995. Some of my best friends to this day were on VAST. I miss the days of beer die, Goldschlager, and drinking to Nationals. That team definitely changed my life. Glad to see it is going strong. I agree that former members might be a good resource for the current team. BTW, my Colorado plates were SKIVAST.
Women’s Captain ‘00—It's great to read about how the team is thriving. I'm moving back to C'ville this year and looking forward to seeing the team out there training at Wintergreen!
Ski Team 85 (SEAS 78, Darden 85) 300 members? Unbelievable! In 1985 Uel Gardner JR and I skiied for the first Varsity team . His Dad was the GM at Wintergreen when they built the resort in 79-82. I was a ski patrol there from 79-81. When I came back to Grad school Uel had started the club then gained "varsity" status for the "club". I think we were the first 2 varsity ski team emebers that scored "points" for UVA in the SE conference races. We had something like 10 guys and no women. Uel Gardner was awesome. He placed 12th in the NATIONAL FINALS, and 2nd in the SE conference ( overall) . I was something like 8th or 9th in the SE. Between the 2 of us we got a 3rd place ( SE region) for the UVA ski team. Some of our younger teammates scored enough points to help us beat out the Hokies , Georgetown, NC State, and others . Appalachian State was first with 5 of the top 10 skiiers in the conference. I ran into a guy last month in Park City at the Western US Masters championship. He skiied for Madison in 86 and he knew Uel Gardner JR. I guess after I left, he and Uel were the top 2 skiiers in the region in 86 and 87. What a small world! In 80-85 I also started and ran the UVA soccer club. We had something like 500 members and 28 teams of men and women. That was the biggest club and I NEVER thought that the ski club would be bigger . Whodahunkit? GO HOOs!
No Coaches? Huh. I am glad to be a part of this team's endeavours, whatever my capacity.
As a former coach ('04-'06), it's great to see the team still competing at the highest level! Keep up the good work hoos!
...and Will, didn't you see yourself in the clip? Thanks for all you do for the team!
Great to see the team is still thriving. I was on it from '94-'98 and had great times, including multipe trips to nationals (not that my time ever counted, but others were great!. It's great to see some names from those days in these comments. Ski and board fast!
This has been fantastic to get to read all these comments and feel a connection back to the VASST that was before me. I started ski racing in the Southern Alpine Race Association at Massanutten ski resort with my good buddy and current captain Cody Dyke. We both came to UVa in '05 fired up and ready to ski race with VASST. Since then I have seen this club more than double in size and have learned to really love my fellow racers (even the snowboarders). When I graduate in two months I'm going to really miss VASST...but I will always be skiing.
Oh and please send us an email at vasstalumni@gmail.com to let us know you are out there and get in touch with other VASST alum. We really want to learn about the history of our club!
I don't remember whether we had any official Club status at the time, but I was on the "Ski Team" in 1971 and 72, and we had a lot of fun. We never got to any big competitions, but it was the best way for a college student in Va get out on the mountains and practice.
a fellow fiji wahoo & captain of the uva soccer team, mark s. wooley, lives in warren, vt., races & teaches skiing @ sugarbush. i am a mere "knuckle dragger" & condo dweller on the mountain. if vasst plans on any northern excursions this winter, please let us know. kudos to the mens' & womens' ski & snowboard teams. wahoo-wah.
2002-2003 VP. It's always been exciting to follow the team after graduating and the success is just wonderful! The ski team is my favorite memory of UVA and the source of countless hilarious stories. As a Uguide I always loved sharing such moments on my tours. Fortunately for VAST, one prospective (Drew W) decided the ski team was UVA's selling point and later became Men's Team Captain. Glad to see the team thriving! Best wishes for 2009-2010. VAST is FAST!!!
Mens Captain 98'. It is great to read all these comments, especially from those I skied with in 94'-98'. Its clear we all made some of our best friends and memories with VAST; and won some races along the way! I look forward to watching the team again this year at Wintergreen (I have been coaching there ever since VAST). Steve Matthews COL 98'
I was involved with the team 83-87 with the likes of Ntare Mwine, Jane Randolph, Jim Lowe and Mike Falletti. Since my dad ran the ski area at Wintergreen, I was drafted to be captain, coach and logistical guy. We did pretty well, women's team made nationals a couple times, I think I might have made first page at nationals once and we had WAY TOO MUCH FUN! That lead to a career in ski coaching that lasted for 15 years including the opportunity to coach with the US and British teams and to work on the World Cup for Rossignol. Great experience, but the best part was the friendships I forged. I'd love to hear from anyone from back in the day. Go HOOS! If I can ever help out I'd be happy to do that too!
Leave a Comment