Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap: Birkie Story

How do you rate a "good" Birkie? This is a most difficult question that has no definitive answer. But now that I've got 10 Birkies under my belt, I thought I'd put my thoughts down in writing to see if I could come up with some ideas. First of all it is always a matter of perspective. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have finished 10 Birkies without any equipment failure, with only minor sickness and without any serious falls or injuries. I also am so thankful for all the friends that I have met through skiing and for the Birkie weekend extravaganza party atmosphere that brings us all back together year after year. But when faced with the idea of rating each year's Birkie, some are definitely better than others.

I've now had 4 out of 10 really good Birkies. My first and second year Birkie's were thrills of a lifetime. Skiing out of the 3rd wave for my first Birkie with my good friend Adam, we pretended we were giddy Norwegians (Bjorn and Leif) as we weaved around skiers the entire course. I even remember doing a spread eagle on the snowmobilers' hill! Then in my second Birkie I remember skiing with my friend Eric Strack. I had been working on my technique all season and was quite frustrated with myself at my slow progress. But on Birkie morning everything seemed to click. I skied very conservatively with Erik to the high point and then let it rip. I felt like I was skiing out of my mind fast without getting tired, so every hill I went harder and harder! Being welcomed home to my dorm with a sign titled "Congratulations Birkie Dave #77!" was the cap to a fantastic weekend.

My third Birkie was my first Birkie Birthday. I skied pretty well, but didn't have the excitement or intensity as my first two years so I'd rate it a Birkie blah. My fourth year was my first Birkie botch job. My ski buddies and I thought we had some top secret wax job when we mixed Ski-Go 242(in case it was warm) with Swix Purple (in case it was not warm) and then put a layer Maxiglide speed powder on top. My body was in prime shape and my skis felt fast. As I crested the high point I thought everything was ready for another fantastic race! But then when my skis hit the warmer snow on the south facing descents I nearly face planted. Skiers streamed by me on both sides while I V1 skated down the hills. No matter how hard I jump skated up the hills people continued to pass me all the way to the finish. My next three Birkies were plagued by "dead legs" and more bad wax jobs. Each year all I could say is, there's always next year, and at least I still had fun.

That brings us to the Birkie Blizzard just two years ago. I was having a great ski season, with strong races every weekend. We got to the race start with only five minutes to spare after being stuck in traffic. The adrenaline rush hit me and I went out too hard from the start. When my friend Niles caught up with me, I was about ready to bag the race. Then Niles said, come on we've got to stick with Antonina (the women's leader who was passing me). "Why not try?", I thought, as I picked up the pace. After that, every hill was an opportunity to jump skate and we kept catching people all the way to the finish! With brutal conditions, a start that was too fast, I had changed my attitude and come back to ski the race of my life. The Birkie blahs were broken!

This year's frustrating lack of snow and cancelled races had me pretty convinced that I would not be ready for a good Birkie. To top it off my wife and I both got sick the Monday before the race. We decided to start conservatively and hope our bodies held up from there. After 10km into the race I was feeling cautiously optimistic. My skis were fast with Fast Wax Green, and my legs were feeling great. By 20km I was skiing behind my teammate John Munger at the front of a large pack and we were talking about pushing the pace when we got to 00. At 00 I picked up a fresh bottle of Enervit and some Enervit gels from Alex (my hero). Wow, I was feeling great! After 30km I remember noticing the warm sun streaming through the trees and the beautiful open fast track ahead of us. What a spectacular day! With positive thoughts in mind, strong legs and arms, and fast skis under foot, I finished the race with a smile on my face! Another great Birkie!

So what's the difference between the Birkie blahs and the Birkie greats? A positive attitude during the race seems to be the key for me. Skiing with a friend also seems to help motivate me to excel. Sometimes a not so good race is a result of something that is of our control- a bad wax job or a body that just doesn't want to go. So if you had a great Birkie, count yourself blessed and if not, oh well, there's always next year.