Squaw Valley Ski Team Coach Wins Domestic Coach of the Year

[Olympic Valley, Calif.] May 17, 2012 – Squaw Valley is proud to announce that the resort’s Head Men’s FIS Coach, Konrad Rickenbach, has been awarded Alpine Domestic Coach of the year by the United States Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA).

In their press release announcing the 2012 award winners, the USSA wrote “Rickenbach has consistently produced some of the most well rounded athletes in the West has had many athletes nominated to the U.S. Ski Team. He uses his coaching to promote positive attributes in all aspects of young racers lives. A former U.S. Ski Team coach now working with the Squaw Valley club program, he is an example of what a good coach is – a mentor, a teacher and a friend.”

Rickenbach has a long and impressive track record of training highly successful ski racers from coaching the U.S. Ski Team to coaching Olympians Phil and Steve Mahre to their respective Gold and Silver medals in the 1984 Winter Olympic Games. Having lived in Squaw Valley on and off since the 1980s, Rickenbach started working with the Squaw Valley Ski Team in 2000 with the 12 and under athletes and became the Team’s Heads Men’s FIS Coach for the 2010 – 2011 season.

“Konrad’s deep appreciation and understanding of the mental aspects of ski racing is a huge part of the reason that so many of our athletes qualified for top level competitions this winter,” said Todd Kelly, Squaw Valley Ski Team’s program director. “Rickenbach is undeniably dedicated to the kids that he coaches, and we are truly fortunately to have him as part of our team.”

Squaw Valley Property Owner’s Association is a volunteer based organization that you can opt to become a member of.  If you are interested your annual

After a great weekend, many happy visitors hopped in their cars for the drive back down the hill.  Around 4:30pm the line of cars from Truckee was just about to the Squaw stoplight.  My sister and family tried to leave around 7pm and Highway 80 was closed.  A lot of folks were stuck up here for the night.  Speaking of being stuck, I was returning home around 8pm last night and could not make it to my house.  There were pile ups of cars on both access roads stuck, smashed into each other and in the ditches.  Crazy part was both pile ups included tow trucks who had been trying to help and joined in the mess.  I parked at a neighbors house and walked.

Then comes Monday, ahhhhh!  Headwall opened after a week of closure  (i think).  It was almost 2 feet in some places of light fluffy powder.  The skies were bright blue, the parking lot full, the lines managable, everyone smiling, it was a good morning.  What a little piece of paradise we have here in the Sierras.

And now for the ski report, it was about quality not quantity.  I only had a short window of time this morning and planned to get a few great runs.  As I got to the locker room, about 8:50am, KT and Red Dog were already loading and the Funitel line was longer than I have ever seen it.  First run I headed for the skier packed powder on Chute 75.  Nice and smooth, the snow was fabulous and the run empty.  Next to the Funitel as the line had returned to normal, which broght me up the mountain for Siberia and the Reverse Traverse.  Headwall had a late opening for the lif but the skiing was ready.  I skied Sun Bowl and then the Horse Trails.  The Sun Bowl was wind impacted but great after the first 10 turns, and Horse Trails was great.  In fact I enjoyed it so much I went for another round and could still find untracked turns.

The crowds kept pouring in and I headed home about 11am to start my work day.  I actually had a busy afternoon which included showing property.  It is going to be a busy weekend.

The first time I stopped in there and found Mike behind the counter was last summer. My daughter and I tasted so many amazing chocolates I could barely decide what to buy. I thought he was being so generous because I hadn’t seen him for awhile but that was not the case. Each time we have stopped into Tahoe City Chocolates he generously has us tasting all sorts of confections. One time he gave me something yummy and while explaining it and I said “aha”. He responded “no, that is not the A.H.A., this is the A.H.A.” and quickly cut me a piece of chocolate covered Apricot/Habenero/Almond (or I think it was almond). As I tasted that, out of my mouth came “oh my god that is so good”. Again Mike corrected me with “No, that was the AHA, here try the O.M.G.” If you are looking for a sweet treat in Tahoe City stop in and see Mike. He has hand-made chocolates, ice cream, assorted candies, espresso or coffee drinks. You are sure to leave with a smile and a satisfied sweet tooth.

P.S. One of the t-shirts he sells says something like…. Desserts is stressed spelled backwards. Ponder that one for a minute.

Roy Tuscany and Doug Stoup

Roy Tuscany: President and Co-Founder of the High Fives nonprofit organization spoke about High Fives and their involvement in The Push.  They have given $300,000 to athletes with life altering injuries from winter sports in just the 3 short years they’ve been in existence.  Originally Roy was supposed to be the adaptive athlete in The Push but he was so involved in getting High Fives going that he didn’t want to take time away from that to train.  I’m sure quite a few athletes are grateful for that decision.  What a well spoken and vibrant guy.

Director Steve Siig

Steve Siig: Director of The Push.  Based on the photos and video clips it is going to be an amazing and emotional movie.  Siig has been involved from the beginning and sounds really excited to tell the story.  The Push was a year in planning and training before the actual event.  I can’t wait to see the movie.

Tal Fletcher

Doug Stoup and Tal Fletcher: Guides to the South Pole.  These two men were the knowledge and know how to guide Grant Korgan to the South Pole one push at a time.  Each push moved Grant about 2 feet on his sit ski.  If he stopped moving for more than 30 seconds he would risk hypothermia.  He would wake each morning and push himself for 12 hours a day, non stop.  Doug and Tal guided, motivated, and even fed Grant along the way.

Steven Siig and Keoki Flagg

Keoki Flagg: Camera man extraordinaire.  Keoki talked while the slide show was playing giving the audience insight to the adventure.  He shared feelings about the peace, solitude and the human soul as he motivated himself through the adventure, continually looking for the best angle to capture the team as they pushed over the white frozen landscape.  He kept his batteries in his under layers so they had life when they came out in the cold.  The images he shared were stunning and so full.  ( Tom Day and Petter Nyquist, the other crew/camera men were not there to share that night).

Grant Korgan, an amazing person and athlete

Grant Korgan: Saving the best for last, the adaptive athlete who pushed himself to the SouthPole and actually got out of  the sit ski and walked the last 100 feet.  Grant is an amazing story teller, so comfortable and charismatic on stage.  He shared with us on so many levels getting the audience to both laugh and cry during his talk.  Not knowing Grant personally, it sounds like his life may have changed for the worse at first and then for the better when he injured his back in 2010 changing the course of his life.  It is to hard to summarize all the stories and emotions that were shared but I am sure the story will be well told by Steve Siig when the movie comes out.  We had a chance to briefly meet Grant at the end of the evening.  What a charming athlete.

To close, a few intersting tid bits shared by the team…

• it took two hours every morning to boil enough snow to make soup for the team for the day
• water, not kept in a thermos, froze solid in about 90 minutes
• the crew/camera men would pack up the tents in the mornings, catch up to the team, weave on and off the track as they captures photos, then hurry ahead to get the tents set up for when Grant, Tal and Doug arrived
• Grant’s toes were hooked to wires so he could monitor their temperature, the got to 23 degrees at one point halting the progress to immediately warm him up

Grant and his wife with my two kids.