Wonderful trip — easy as two words. This trip for me was a bucket list item. I had the chance to race against Marco Sullivan, a trained Olympic racer. But the trip turned out to be much more rewarding. The views on Interstate 88 through New York and along Route 23 were awe inspiring. I drove up and back in snow, admiring the scenery and stopping along the way for photos. The best part was four days of media blackout. Everyone I met was so nice and proved I was in the land of opportunity. A few of us did have some time to take play runs, but we had to conserve our energy for four races over three days.

Windham, New York has a small-town atmosphere with plenty of restaurants and many other venues available for visitors. Mondays through Thursdays are a bit less crowded, with crowds arriving on weekends and holidays. The best bet is a two-day stayover with two days of skiing midweek. I stayed three nights at the Windham Inn one mile from the resort. A shuttle bus is available, and a good bet, as parking on weekends can be limited. Food in the evening was from the Rock’n Mexicana Cantina and Grill, located on site at the Windham Inn.

Windham Resort is 285 acres spread across two mountain peaks, with 54 trails and a 1,600-foot vertical. East peak is mostly black and double black with one 2-mile-long green run. To get there, two lift rides are required, with a high-speed quad to the top. West side has many double blacks from the top, a few blues, and a green, providing all levels of skiers the opportunity to ski from the top. A 6-pack high speed quad gets you to the top fast. A quad and a double also take you to the top. Six terrain parks should keep a person busy.

A six-pack lift seen from halfway down the west peak. Photo provided by Ed Fowler.

Lance and Brian with east peak in the background. Photo provided by Ed Fowler.

During the 3 days I was there, the surface varied from machine made to 4 inches of fresh snow on Sunday, providing for groomers to powder and everything in between. The base was hard packed and nice for racing.

We practiced and raced NASTAR on Friday. NASTAR held the Eastern Regional Races over the weekend.

On Saturday, the Eastern Regional Championship races were held in the morning, while the Eastern Race of Champions was held in the afternoon. A friend and family team race was held on Sunday.

Racing on Saturday. Photo provided by Ed Fowler.

The team, from left: Jeff, Jeff, Lance, Jerry, Al, Ed, Marco (Pro), Brian, Patrick, and Tom. Photo provided by Ed Fowler.

Our team came in First Place in the Friends Silver/Bronze Division. Thanks to NASTAR, Bill Madsen, Marco Sullivan, and the Windham race staff for an exciting weekend of racing.