Downhill disaster at Winter Park Colorado

I’m poised, standing in the gates at Winter Park Colorado rocking forwards, sliding backwards.

Below me as I look down the mountain slope are nine sets of slalom poles and a finish line.

Beside me is Handsome Rob. The enemy.

The starter counts down. Three, two, one.

We push off through the electronic gates towards the first turn.  Handsome Rob has the jump on me, but not by much.  He increases his lead by turn two and is further in front by turn three.

It’s now or never.  I let the skis run.  Only trouble is they run out of control. I know I am in trouble when I see that my feet are way out in front of the rest of my body.  I crash to the snow, bum first.  My left ski yanks itself from the bindings, my shoulder smacks into the snow, quickly followed by my head.

Today is the first time I have worn a helmet.  Someone, or something, must be looking after me. I slide off the track but not before there’s another sharp pain down my left side.

By the time I regain my focus and look down from my crumpled heap, Handsome Rob has passed the finish line, arms raised in triumph. Although my vision is blurry I swear he is doing a victory gig.

Nastar is the poor man’s Olympics

Welcome to Nastar, the largest recreational ski and snowboard race program in the world. Developed by Ski Magazine in 1968, Nastar (National Standard Race) is a handicap system that allows racers of all ages and ability to compare results to other competitors across America.

Most ski fields have a section of the mountain set up for Nastar. We didn’t register to be part of the program, but instead paid $5 to have eight runs down the track.

The aim is to go faster each time and improve your skills. It is addictive, especially if you have a competitive spirit.

It is also the closest most of us will get to the Winter Olympics.

Ironically our race was at Winter Park, home of the national Nastar championships this year and next year.

Winter Park is the closest major ski resort to Denver International Airport, which depending on traffic is about a 90-minute drive. This, and the fact that it is an affordable resort, makes it popular with Australians heading to Colorado.

It’s a bumpy track

Winter Park is perhaps most famous for its bump runs, but don’t worry if that’s not your thing as there are plenty of skiing options.

You will find the best bumps at Mary Jane, on the mountain’s southern peak.  Now there are bumps and there’s bumps. You could easily disappear in some of the troughs out here. It might be a killer on your knees, but at the end of the day there is a sense of triumph just getting down the slope.

Winter Park opens for business in November and the season lasts until April.  The first two weeks of February, just before President’s Day, is a good time to visit as the mountain is a little quieter.  I sometimes found myself alone on trails and rarely had to wait in lift lines. I was king of the mountain.

Spoilt for choice

Snow is never an issue here and with 143 trails and 1521 hectares of skiable area you are spoilt for choice. Winter Park itself caters for all levels of skier with 28 percent of the mountain available to green run skiers and 21 percent rated intermediate. The rest, I left to the experts.

The City and County of Denver opened Winter Park in 1940.  Since Ski Company Intrawest took it over in 2002, more than $50 million has been spent on mountain and village improvements.

A lot of work has been done to create a village atmosphere with the opening of dining options like Lime, the Cheeky Monk and Doc’s.  From an accommodation aspect Fraser Crossing is a good option for families, and couples. All you do is grab the shuttle to the shops, stock the shelves , and use the fully-equipped kitchens.

The day after my fall from grace I was in desperate need of some TLC so headed out to the upmarket Devil’s Thumb Ranch.

The ranch, about 20 minutes from Winter Park, runs shuttles daily to the ski field and is an option if you don’t want to stay on the mountain.  Devil’s Thumb is known for its food, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing.  The best thing about though, is the spa.  The design is stunning and it was just wanted I needed to ease some of the bumps and bruises.