Did You Qualify for the NASTAR Championships?

Did you qualify for the NASTAR Championships this year? If you were at a resort that offers the NASTAR pay race course, and you forked over a few bucks to run the course and get a time and maybe a platinum, gold, silver or bronze medal, you may have qualified.

The annual Championships are the largest ski race on the planet, with more than a thousand racers participating. If you raced NASTAR at any one of the participating 100-plus resorts across the country, and you were in the top three in your age and gender category by the February cut-off date, you qualified to compete.

This year, the event will be held at Winter Park, Colo., on March 25-28. Resorts usually sign a multi-year contract to host the Nationals; this will be Winter Park's first year. The resort is about an hour west of the Denver airport.

To find out if you made it, go here. Scroll down until you see this prompt: "To view a complete list of qualifiers in the Alpine discipline from a participating Nature Valley NASTAR resort select the resort name from the drop-down lists below."

Select whether you raced as a skier, snowboarder or telemarker, then choose any resort where you raced NASTAR. If you qualified, your name will be on the list. There are people as far away as Australia and Europe who visit a U.S. resort on vacation, qualify for the race, then come back to compete.

The entry fee is, quite honestly, is staggeringly overpriced: $199 -- and it doesn't include your (discounted) lift ticket. Racers get a swag bag that usually consists of a backpack, maybe a water bottle, lip balm and some ski/snowboard wax. It doesn't sound like you get much from NASTAR for your two Benjamins, but it's actually not about the race. Your entry fee gives you access to Race World. You'll meet hundreds and hundreds of people who enjoy racing on skis or snowboards, you'll make dozens of new friends. Yes, the competition is important, but there's an exciting and happy atmosphere that can't be found anywhere else. It's like the Olympics for the rest of us.

The Championships are also a chance to meet some Olympic heroes. Among the ski stars you'll get to meet and spend time with are Phil Mahre, A.J. Kitt, Doug Lewis, and current Olympians just back from Vancouver: Kaylin Richardson, Jimmy Cochran and Steven Nyman. Some will hang out at the start of your race, and you can ask them for tips.

There's a two-run race on each of the two days, and a welcome party with snacks the first night. If you win your age/gender category, you get to compete a third day in the "Race of Champions." The ROC determines the NASTAR National Champion, but the winner isn't necessarily the fastest skier or snowboarder. It's all about your handicap -- a number based on your age, gender and previous race results. An intermediate 5-year-old has as much chance of winning the ROC as an expert 20-year-old. The whole experience -- that's what makes it worth the entry fee.

Mystalynn Lee, the Communications Manager at Winter Park, says there will be six different race courses for racers of varying abilities (so that the Bronzes won't be racing with the Platinums). She points out that the snow is terrific, and the resort also has seven terrain parks and a halfpipe.

If you're not in shape to win, Todd Ossian of the Winter Park Competition Center has some last-minute tips to get your body ready. He says, "Our elevation is relatively high, and four of the race courses are on top of the mountain at a little over 10,000 feet, so spend time in the gym doing cardio for the altitude. I wouldn't recommend lifting heavier weights this close to a competition, it's more about cardio at this point. Ride a bike as much as you can."

The deadline to register is the evening of Wednesday, March 17. Find out more by searching "NASTAR National Championships." If you qualified, see you at the races!