Jozo Masters

In ski racing a Master racer is anyone who is 18 and older. In FIS, a Master racer must be 30 to participate in FIS Masters races. We have had Master racers into their 90’s in Canada (and on our Jozo team in fact). It’s a fabulous way to add interest and fun to your skiing after you have left the competitive kids racing programs or as a parent to continue excelling and challenging yourself amongst like minded skiers who love to have fun, and the odd beverage.

As a member of the JW Masters team your only commitment is to race a maximum of 5 races—usually on a Saturday—and always just a half day. The races are all held on the escarpment with the furthest race at Caledon every few years. At a minimum when on the team you will be expected to race in 2 of the 4 regular season races—which will qualify you for the 5th race which is the finals. For all of us, life can get in the way—vacations, work, kids, illness, injury—we get that. This is why there is only the need to participate in 2 of the 4 regular season races to qualify for the finals. Of course, if you end up not being able to do the 2-race minimum, then that’s fine also. That’s totally up to you.

NO! There is no need or requirement to wear a speed suit. That is entirely up to you. Most Masters do wear them—we are a ‘tad’ competitive, and the speed suit does give you a slight time advantage.

Again, NO! There are no equipment rules for the Interclub so your favourite pair of all-mountains will do just fine. Our courses are meant to be kind to racers, not challenge them. We have racers from 18 all the way to high 80’s so we have to keep the courses safe yet fun for all racers’ ages and abilities.

Of course! Many of the racers on our team had never raced before joining the JW Masters team. It’s all about what you want to get out of it, and your prior race experience isn’t a qualifying factor. It is good to be a good strong skier though—more for your peace of mind than a requirement.

There is mid-week training for Masters, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30-11:30. Tuesday is always GS and Thursday is always SL. You can sign up for the season or pay as you go. Again, there is no requirement to train, but it’s always a good idea to get some training in before you get into gates each season. How much or how little training you do is entirely up to you.

The cost is very reasonable. This year it was around $200 for the Race Only option. This includes all 5 races (more if more races are scheduled) on the Interclub schedule. It includes your lift tickets at the host hill, and it includes the après after the race. There is always a beer or glass of wine available for each racer, and usually some food as well.

The start list is selected based on your age. The older you are the earlier your number. Men and women both race the same course and are also started according to age—so it’s a mixed start. The results are tabulated in 5-year age categories for each gender, to make things fair. This means you don’t have to beat a 28-year-old fresh off the FIS circuit to get good points. You just have to beat people in your age category although this is easier said than done! We have 2 runs of the course, but the best time of the 2 runs is the time that counts towards the results. The course is therefore NOT reset or changed in any way after the 1st run or else the times can not be compared with other racers who have chosen not to do the 2nd run. On difficult race condition days, many chose not to do the 2nd run.

If you’d like more information or have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Wendy Fursey at wlfursey@gmail.com.