Here's the Latest in NASTAR
10.20.2019 | Nastar Editor
We’re back, NASTAR fans! Believe it or not, it’s time to dust off your ski and snowboard boots, dig up the bags that you store all of your winter gear in and start taking count of the items you need before the first snowfall hits. The staff at NASTAR have been pedal to the medal, working through the summer, to make sure this 2019-20 season is unforgettable for all participants. This year, we have a number of new resorts adding NASTAR courses to their home hills, we’re introducing a new dual head-to-head handicapped racing option inspired by FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, World Alpine Championships and Olympic Winter Games dual racing. We’re so ecstatic to be hosting NASTAR Nationals at Aspen-Snowmass in March 2020 because for the first time the event will coincide with the U.S. Alpine Tech Championships (keep scrolling for some dates to mark your calendar!). And if you’re getting the ski racing bug already, make sure you have the NBC Sports Gold’s “Snow Pass” that gives you access to live and on-demand domestic and international competitions of seven Olympic winter sports from October 2019 through March 2020.
Introducing Dual Handicapped Racing
With the inclusion of dual-panel giant slalom racing in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, World Alpine Championships and Olympic Winter Games, introducing fans and athletes to this exciting head-to-head format of ski racing is a top goal for NASTAR and U.S. Ski & Snowboard. It’s truly a perfect fit with the NASTAR racing format. Oh, and did we mention there is prize money to be won in the dual head-to-head races at each Regional and National Championship? Yes!
Mark Your Calendars
Midwest Regional Championships will be held at Crystal Mountain, Mich., scheduled for February 29 - March 1, 2020, and the winners will be awarded prize money for the first time in NASTAR regional championships history. The dual head-to-head handicapped race will be a single-elimination event with the final four racers in the men's and women’s races splitting a share of the $5,000 cash purse.
The NASTAR Regional Pacesetting Trials will be held before the season gets into full swing as pacesetters from more than 100 resorts and clubs earn their pacesetting handicaps and set the Par Time for RCS at their home resorts. Keep an eye on our newsletter, website and social media channels for updates and a schedule of dates.
2019-20 New NASTAR Resorts
We want to give a warm welcome to the following resorts for joining the NASTAR family this season. If you’re near one of these resorts, we hope to see you out on the hill. We will also be announcing more resorts throughout the next few months as they join in on the world’s largest grassroots racing program in the nation.
- Beech Mountain Resort, North Carolina
- Cockaigne Resort, New York
- Hoodoo Ski Area, Oregon
- Snowbasin, Utah
- Vertical Challenge
For a full list of all participating NASTAR resorts, check out our website, here. If you don’t see your home hill on the list and you want to change that, speak with the staff and put them in touch with our team at NASTAR. For more information on how to get in touch and the next steps, visit our website, here.
How To Watch Ski Racing on TV, and Online
NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product, has the exclusive rights to all FIS events held in Austria, and will stream the first FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup races of the 2019-20 season from Sölden, Austria, on “Snow Pass” on Oct. 26-27, where Mikaela Shiffrin is expected to make her season debut. NBC Sports’ 2019-20 “Snow Pass” schedule includes alpine events in Killington, Vt. (Nov. 30 – Dec. 1), Beaver Creek, Co. (Dec. 6-8), and the famed Hahnenkamm downhill race from Kitzbühel, Austria on January 24. Check out the full Snow Pass schedule at NBCSports.com.
Check out the full TV Schedule for each of these events (specifically Soelden, since it’s at the end of this month!) by going to U.S. Ski and Snowboard’s site, here. There are no commercials for all Sports Gold Snow Pass members!