NORTH CONWAY, New Hampshire ??” Cranmore Mountain Resort will host The Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race and celebration of ski history March 11, 12 and 13. The Meister Cup is unlike any ski race in history. It combines the best of skiing today with the warm nostalgia of yesterday and honors some of ski history’s most enduring figures, many of whom are expected to take part in this memorable event. The weekend honors the founding father of ski instruction, Austrian Skimeister Hannes Schneider, who brought his world-renowned skills to North Conway and Mount Cranmore in 1939. Through his unique Arlberg teaching techniques, Schneider introduced skiing to millions of people around the globe.

“Participation in the Meister Cup Race is fun and assists a great cause – The New England Ski Museum,” says Executive Director Jeff Leich. “Located in Franconia, NH, The New England Ski Museum is an educational archive of skiing history with colorful exhibits, an extensive library, and numerous film preservation projects. Best of all, admission is free of charge to the public.”

The Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race takes place on a course made up of well-spaced gates set on an intermediate slope. Participants may use alpine or telemark skis, a snowboard, or adaptive equipment to race two runs through the course. Total team time will be calculated by adding each team member’s best of two timed runs. The names of the winning team and the fastest male and female finishers will be engraved on the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup permanent trophy, which is displayed at the Ski Museum. A number of special awards will be presented including: the Carroll Reed Cup for the fastest snowsports industry team; the Tenth Mountain Division trophy for the winning veteran or active-duty mountain soldier team; Junior Team awards for teams consisting of five skiers age 13 and under; commemorative cups for the fastest male and female snowboarder, telemark skier and adaptive skier.

Registration for a team of five is $375 or racers may register individually for $75. The registration fee includes a welcome reception with food and entertainment Friday night; an all-day, all-mountain lift ticket on race day; continental breakfast and lunch on race day; a commemorative gift bag; an exclusive 2005 Meister Cup pin; entry to Awards Ceremony and Apr??s Ski Bratwurst Bash.

To add to the pageantry of the weekend, vintage skiwear is strongly encouraged. Racers and non-racers are invited to don vintage skiwear for the event: woolies from the 1940s, those red, white and blue windshirts and flowered warm-ups from the 1970s, even that neon parka that was so stylish in the late 1980s.

The New England Ski Museum is a non-profit, membership-supported museum dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting elements from the broad spectrum of ski history for the purpose of research, education, and entertainment. The Museum houses the most extensive collection of historical ski equipment, clothing, film, photographs, literature, and artwork in the East. Since opening its doors in 1982, tens of thousands of visitors have toured the exhibits, enjoyed historic ski films in the facility’s theatre and discovered unique gifts in the Museum Shop. Located at the base of Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch, NH, the Ski Museum is a popular stopping place for skiers and travelers throughout the year.

For more information about the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race, or to register a team, please call 800-639-4181 or visit www.skimuseum.org. For more information about Cranmore Mountain Resort, please call 1-800-SUN N SKI (786-6754) or visit www.cranmore.com.