On behalf of the Board of Directors, Operations Manager and coaches, MARA would like thank all of our athletes, parents and families who supported our MARA programs this season! Obviously we had our share of challenges this winter. Our season was derailed early on when our limited snow base melted and dry weather and warm temperatures persisted, effectively melting away the mountain’s ability to remain open and skiable. Then, in early February, the snow Gods graced us with an unexpected storm, dumping 19 inches of powder and allowing Mt. Ashland the opportunity to open the lifts once again!
MARA was also able to hold our first successful slalom and giant slalom race in 2 years! The Kaiser Cup was held on a beautiful weekend in late February and once again Mother Nature gave us a boost with an added 6 inches of powder gracing our mountain the day before the event! We faced an unexpected challenge during our second race day when the Windsor chairlift broke down and caused an unforeseen ripple effect of skiers having to cross our race course to get to the Ariel lift. But our trained Operations Manager, Ryan Rector, and skilled Race Committee rolled with the punches and adjusted the course as necessary so that we could continue to hold our race without interruptions by the traversing skiers. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and gave our athletes the opportunity to test their race skills and cheer each other on like a true team. Fun was had by all!
As the precipitation in the forecast thereafter was nearly non-existent, the amazing grooming crew at Mt. Ashland continued to work some serious magic that enabled the ski park to stay open long after most would have thrown in the towel. Eventually, however, the snow melted to a point where Mt. Ashland and MARA could no longer operate. On the afternoon of March 14th, Mt. A once again shut down ski and snow operations on the mountain.
MARA has greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work with an incredible group of athletes this season that displayed a tenacity and determination that, in itself, was deserving of a medal. We hope that you, our MARA athletes, continue to work on the skills developed with our coaches this winter, hit the slopes whenever and wherever you can, stay in shape in the off-season and never stop pushing yourselves to do better, and be better, both on the slopes and off. It was a pleasure seeing you all up on the mountain this year. Let’s do it all again next year!
Sincerely,
The MARA Board of Directors
