The Three Toughest Obstacles of the 2010 US Nationals

Lake Placid has Russian Hill, Soldier Hollow has Hermod’s, the Birkie has the Powerline accent yet in Alaska, everything is bigger and while the courses at Kincaid will be challenging, selective and fair, the obstacles will come in larger, more foreboding packages.  Here are three of the potentially toughest obstacles facing competitors and coaches at the National Championships next month.

1. A Volcano.  That’s right, the stuff of bad comedies may threaten the quality of the event.  The photo above is a review in case you missed it last March during distance nationals.

2. Airline Security. “Seriously, Ma’am, there’s only 1 pair of alpine skis in this bag that weighs 85 lbs.”

3. The weather. Weather was a bit warm last week, though current conditions are solid.  The snow base was a little bit thin, so race organizers shoveled a lot of snow on to the course.  The forecast for now is 25 degrees and stable with snow in the forecast. Which means it will rain, then move into deep freeze before settling back into rain again.  Think East Coast conditions (with variable Volcano)