Homologation

"Huh?" you ask. Homologation is FIS-speak for a process whereby one's ski race courses are accredited to meet certain standards of width, grade, height of climbs and so forth that ensure consistency, safety and basic fairness for racers that are competing for international FIS points. (Read more details in Nat Herz's article on the process over at Fasterskier).

So what does this have to do with Craftsbury? Well, to hold higher level races like Eastern Cups and other regional and national caliber races, one must have courses that are homologated and certified by the FIS. We are interested in hosting more of these sorts of races at the Center, so have been working at a number of levels to reach this goal. We have a lot of work to do, as the process has all sorts of administrative, bureaucratic, cartographic, forestry, and excavation elements to it.

But it's coming, and today on my ride to work, I came across the most physical manifestation of the process not far from the six corners. Around the corner on Lemon's Haunt Pat and Lucas were widening the trail to accommodate what will be the first major turn on the homologated course.

After a quick trip back to the office for the camera, I snapped some pics of the process that you can share below. Summers always mean lots of trail work, but the homologation work adds another dimension. Some of Craftsbury favorites are getting extra doses of attention this summer in preparation for a busy winter!