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Date Posted: Sunday, January 23, 02:23:52pm
Author: JG
Subject: Bump or Bust -- Register Citizen, Jan 23, 2011

Skiers ‘Bump or Bust’ at Ski Sundown Saturday (with video)
Sunday, January 23, 2011

By CHRIS RUELI

NEW HARTFORD — Mogul skiers travelled from near and far to participate in Ski Sundown’s mid-season Bump or Bust competition on Saturday.

The competition was a precursor to a much larger competition held in March, the MogulProShop.com Bump Competition. Both are sponsored by Suburban Sports of Berlin, an outdoor sporting gear store that now carries a full line of mogul driven skis.

An engaged, yet still very competitive couple from New Jersey came to New Hartford and won first place in both of their age groups. Amanda Blanchard, 23, and Joe Forgione, 34, of Matawan, N.J. came to Ski Sundown with great confidence. Blanchard won the mogul competition at Ski Sundown last March where she took home $1,000 in cash, new skis, a piece of a Ski Sundown snow gun and other ski gear. Suburban Sports provided the cash winnings and ski companies from all around gave away all types of gear. This year, Forgione won a ski helmet and a Thule ski rack. “I like the ski rack because we were just talking about buying one,” Forgione said. “It worked out.” The couple says it was definitely worth the trip and they will be here for the March competition and again next year. “They do a good job here,” Forgione said.

Bob Guzzi, a friend of Blanchard and Forgione, travelled to Ski Sundown from Dalton, Penn. specifically for the mogul competition; the same reason the couple made the trip. Guzzi, 43, who has been skiing for 23 years, thought that the mogul course that was set up on Exhibition was well built. Guzzi is not as competitive as his two friends and said he does it to try new ski mountains and keep the sport alive. Guzzi, a general contractor, could not make it to the competition with his friends the last couple of years. “I was finally able to make it up here this year,” Guzzi said.

The mogul skiers who were slicing through did not get into their perfect figure on their own. Jarrod Moss, the Terrain Features Manager, was the one in charge of getting the field of bumps in shape. He also hosted the competition on the microphone from the top of the run. “Some people, like the ones here from out of state, just go around looking for bumps,” Moss said.

Not everyone in the competition traveled a far distance to get to the mountain, though. Graham Clarkson, 13, of West Simsbury, is a regular at the ski area and has been in the bump competition for the past two years. He focuses his skiing generally on free-style, but he isn’t one to shy away from a bump competition. Clarkson showed his free-style capability when he threw a 360-degree rotation in the midst of his run. “Last year I got second place and the person who beat me is not here,” Clarkson said. “I plan on getting as far as I can.”

“Mad River” Jack, a bump skier who traveled from Albany, N.Y., said the owner of Ski Sundown’s presence at the bridge just before the exit asking people who were leaving, “How was it?” is what sold him. “This place is phenomenal. They understand variety; there is something for everybody here. Something for the kids, with the jumps, there’s bumps, groomers,” said the mogul fanatic.

Moguls may be a terrain feature that some skier and snowboarders overlook, but they are a rare find in Connecticut, according to Tyler Scheibenpflug, an employee of Suburban Sports. “No one else in Connecticut does moguls or mogul competitions. You have to go up north to find this type of skiing,” Scheibenpflug said. “It’s just nice to have that in our own back yard.” Competitions like this give the ski area good exposure, according to Scheibenpflug. “We feel that this event is progressive towards the sport of skiing in Connecticut,” Scheibenpflug explained.

The competition, which was $5 to enter and had approximately 30 participants, was judged on three main categories; technique, air and speed. There was a preliminary round where skiers were judged and then seeded based on their performance. Skiers then went head-to-head in the second round and in the finals.

Bob Switzgable, the owner and general manager of Ski Sundown, felt that the competition was a success. “We had a bunch of guys from out of state that showed up for the competition. It gave us some good exposure and it was a good event.”

Skiers are encouraged to test their limits in the next mogul competition at Ski Sundown, which will be held March 19. That competition is a bit more advance, though. It will be held on Gunbarrel, an advance trail, and will be a grueling top to bottom mogul run.

“It’s the largest bump course that we’re aware of,” said Moss.

____
Article includes video and comments. See link:

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/01/23/news/doc4d3b9c5f8c288724232932.txt?viewmode=fullstory

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