It's a Wrap!

Even though it was shortened, it still went by way too fast.  I hope everyone had a fantastic time at whatever meets you were able to make.  First, let's hear about the IASF meet at Kitzbuhel. 

From our A team Captain, John Eidman:

Greeting, Ski Racers!
The 2026 ski racing season is officially in the books, and what a way to close it out — at the IASF’s 65th World Airline Ski Championships (WASC) in the legendary ski racing mecca of Kitzbühel, Austria!
The competition was outstanding across every discipline: Slalom, Giant Slalom, short and long cross-country courses, and Snowboarding. According to the IASF, the event drew over 750 participants from 44 airlines. With the championships held in Europe this year, the field was especially deep and competitive, featuring several former World Cup and Europa Cup racers.
American Airlines fielded a strong mixed team of A and B racers, and every athlete stepped up to represent our airline with pride — not just in Alpine, but across all events. I’m incredibly proud of everyone’s effort, commitment, and positive energy. The camaraderie and enthusiasm within our group was outstanding (even if our American style of team spirit wasn’t always aligned with the Europeans ).
A special thank you goes to Emme White, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this experience special for the entire AA contingent. Her enthusiasm and constant smile made a real difference — thank you, Emme!
We also want to send healing thoughts and positive vibes to our perennial international powerhouse, Kent Johnson. It took broken ribs and a punctured lung sustained racing at Winter Park to keep him from joining us this year, and he was truly missed both on the course and off it. Get well soon, KJ — we look forward to having you back next season!
As your A-Team Captain, I’ll focus on the Alpine results. Before diving in, I’m pleased to report that American Airlines finished a very impressive 8th overall (Alpine + Snowboard + XC) out of 44 airlines. To achieve this, we had to field competitive teams in every discipline and get our full quota of racers across the finish line — and we were the only North American team to do so. That’s something to be proud of!
Our Alpine team mirrored that success, also finishing 8th overall in Alpine. 
Here are the individual results:
Women’s Slalom • Patty Jordan – 43rd  • Ellen Wardrop – 46th  • Ellen Garvey – 51stMen’s Slalom • John Eidmann – 19th  • Eric Kowalski – 44th  • Rick Wilson – 48th  • Chad Wright – 72ndWomen’s Giant Slalom • Ellen Wardrop – 46th  • Patty Jordan – 52nd  • Ellen Garvey – 58th  • Elana Basner – 59thMen’s Giant Slalom • John Eidmann – 19th  • Chad Wright – 53rd  • Eric Kowalski – 66th  • Rick Wilson – 82nd
On behalf of the whole team, thank you again for your hard work, fighting spirit, and great attitudes all season long. Enjoy the off-season, stay active, and recharge those legs!
I look forward to seeing everyone at Steamboat Ski Camp in December. Until then, have a safe, fun, and well-deserved summer.Cheers!
John Eidmann
A-Team Captain, American Airlines Ski & Snowboard Team
One last plug: If you’ve been enjoying skiing and have ever thought about giving ski racing a try, Steamboat Ski Camp is the perfect opportunity. Groups are divided by ability level, so there’s no need to feel intimidated. You’ll get excellent coaching, video analysis, early-season training tracks, a fun race, and plenty of team camaraderie. Come join the fun and take your skiing to the next level!

And from the International Meet Captain, Emme White:

Hi Team,

WOW… what a week at the 65th World Airline Ski Championships in Kitzbühel, Austria — it truly all came together! With over 700+ attendees, the energy all week was superb!

When we first arrived, snow conditions had us a little nervous, but the top of the mountain held up for our racers—and by the end of the week, we were treated to fresh powder! 

Despite some unexpected customs fees on our shipped swag, our team absolutely SHOWED UP for the welcome parade. Our loud cups were a total hit (huge thanks to Dennis Mellon for that idea and thank you from all of the racers for the Loud Cups) we easily had the best noisemakers out there—so much so that even Stephen from Delta wanted to buy some! We received tons of compliments on our swag all week long.

And let’s talk about theme night… Hands down, we understood the assignment.

Our One Hell of a Ride crew—Ricky Bobby and the Race Pit Girls—stole the show. Special shoutout to Fritz Moyer: “If you ain’t first, you’re last!”

Food table + fun race day = SUCCESS.

Snow falling on and off all day, great energy, and the tortilla chips with Rotel dip and Long Island Iced Teas were a huge hit 

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered to prep, set up, serve, break down, and clean up—you made it all happen, and it did not go unnoticed. 

And to top it all off—we pulled it together for the final banquet in our silver and champagne attire!

Thank you to all of our race participants. Because of you, we had enough athletes qualify and finish strong that we placed in the Top 8 out of 35+ teams for the Overall Team Award—representing American Airlines as the only U.S. team in that group. 

Huge shout out to Ellen Garvey for helping us qualify by racing alpine and Nordic back-to-back, and to Elana Basner, Jesse Fisher and Pat Wysor for stepping up to race in their first WASC event!

I couldn’t be more proud of this team. The energy, teamwork, creativity, and support you all brought made this week truly unforgettable.

One hell of a ride, indeed. ❤️

Emme White

From Jim Hershey on the Nordic Races:

The Nordic Sprint had an unusual start, with each seeded competitor going off every 20 seconds. The course started straight up a long, steep hill, followed by rolling terrain, and finished with a long downhill sprint to complete the loop. Let’s just say… full Condor Moons were sighted on the downhill portion (IYKYK!)

The Nordic Endurance race was a mass start on the same loop, with competitors completing it four times—for a total of 8K.

Both Sprint and Endurance were raced in Classic style this year.

Huge shoutout to our AA team—all men and women completed the course! 

Nordic is… really fun! (And anyone who tells you that is lying )

Looking ahead—Nordic is one of the most festive events at WASC. The Europeans show up in full force to support their teams, the course runs right by the bar, and there’s an MC providing nonstop commentary on the “race.” It’s an incredible spectator experience and a seriously challenging event for competitors!

From Hollie for Snowboard: 

What a great way to end a short season.
Kitzbühel was an amazing mountain. The snow conditions up top were firm and held well for the races considering a mediocre snow year.

Our snowboard team came in with their boards blazing. We started off the week with the first completion of team points in our division. Patrick W. had his first international race with two solid runs and first timer Jesse came in never having raced before and completed both runs. It was awesome to see them come in charging.

Patrice L. and I put up a great fight for the top spots. In her second international meet Patrice walked away with her first podium finish in fifth place. She also inspired me to get back in the saddle and not give up. I had a pretty bad crash while fighting for the number two spot and still walked away happy with fourth overall. That made both of us two of only three US racers to podium.

I would like to give a special thanks to Dean and Toma who have been on the team for over twenty years. Toma always comes through to support the team in any way she can with her hot fashion on the mountain and her willingness to always race to make sure we finish. Dean supported the snowboard team all day by bringing coats to the bottom and cheering us on. Thank you Dean for being there for Toma and the team.

Thank you to everyone who helped out with a fun race and to Tiziana for setting up dinner once again at Stinglwirts. Also a special thank you to our one and only Emme who really stepped up and made it all happen. She worked incredibly hard making sure every single detail was covered.

With an eighth place finish and being the only US team to place I would say we came out as rock stars once again.
Next year's lineup is at some great mountains with another boarder cross in the works for Big White which is very exciting.

Have some fun in the sun and we will see you when it snows again.

Love,
SB Capt.
Hollie L 

We now need to nominate someone for the "Tuck" Spirit of American Award. This is an annual award given to a member who has demonstrated "above and beyond" dedication to the club.  All current members are eligible, with the exception of past recipients. Please submit your nomination to Greg Gilger at: treasurer@aaskisnowboard.com. Once the nominees have been submitted, voting will be announced and completed online. The award is a “Tuck hat” and the recipient’s name engraved on the Spirit of American plaque. If you check the website under Club Information, there is a link to the awards and past recipients.

In addition to the Tuck Award, there is now an opening for anyone interested in the Vice President's position at NAASF.  This is a great opportunity for someone from our club to have an influence on the future of NAASF.  If anyone is interested, please contact any team officers, and we will select who we think will have the greatest possibility of being elected at the NAASF Summer Meeting. 

This will be my last newsletter as your president. It was an honor to be nominated and chosen. I want to sincerely thank all our team captains and  officers for the enormous help they have been in keeping our club flying high.  Eric Jensen will now be taking the controls. The AA Ski and Snowboard Club is in great hands!  "You have the jet" Eric...

Scott

Roger, I've got the Con!

Thank you Scott for your outstanding leadership and a great season. I personally had a great time and I'm sure everyone else did as well.

Fantastic effort by Emme and all the Kitzbühlers! Thank you!

Please, please, please send your "TUCK" Spirit of American Award nominations to our Treasurer!

It's late spring, and I've bought next season's Ikon Pass. Got a great late season deal on new GS skis. And Mammoth Mountain is still going strong.  Endless winter anyone?

Finally -- Be on the lookout for a all-member Zoom call/meeting coming up this summer!

Eric