BARTLETT, New Hampshire ??” Monday, April 3rd Atomic Ski hosted the first-ever Joe Jones Atomic Ski Bash – a private ski day at Attitash in Bartlett, New Hampshire. Headlining the Joe Jones Atomic Ski Bash on behalf of Atomic was Olympian Bode Miller, who was on hand to sign autographs, ski, and to set the official NASTAR pace-of-the-day.

Bode sets the pace for the NASTAR course and set the tone for the day at Attitash. The air was filled was high energy, good spirits, intense competition and overall elation as guests soaked up the sun, enjoyed fantastic Spring skiing and most of all the opportunity to hear a few pointers from Bode.

Joe Jones reserved the mountain, offering free tickets to the first 1,500 guests who registered in advance or giving the option to purchase a lift ticket for $20 on the day of the event with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Eastern Slope Ski Club (ESSC). Guests were happy to pay the fee as well as purchasing Bode t-shirts and glasses raising over $1300 for the ESSC, a local non-profit organization that promotes winter sports, particularly skiing, in the Eastern Slopes Region of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. A free pasta lunch was provided by Barilla to the first 500 guests.

Atomic was on hand giving attendees a chance to try the latest skis and snowboards from Atomic, as well as providing four pair of 06/07 Atomic skis to race winners and one lucky raffle winner.

The biggest excitement of the day was the arrival of Bode Miller. Miller arrived around 10:00 AM and within just a few minutes headed to the chairlift and joined three ecstatic local race team kids to the Summit for his first run down Illusion where the racecourse was set for the day. Miller’s run of 35.31 seconds was the official NASTAR pace-of-the-day. Nearly 200 racers took their run testing their speed skills against one of the world’s fastest skiers. Scott Berube placed first in the 14+ division with a time of 36.91 seconds just a touch over a second behind Bode. In the 1-7 age division Michael Miller placed first running the course in 48.80 seconds and in the 8-13 age division Garrett Quimby had the best time at 38.92 seconds. The youngest racer of the day Leland Broadhurst, age three, completed the racecourse in 1:15 seconds after a tough spill on the next to last gate. Leland started skiing at the age of two at Attitash.

After forty-five minutes of graciously signing autographs for fans, Miller asked if he could take a few minutes to address everyone and respond to any questions that the children and adults may have. All but a few of the 1,500 present, circled around to hear Bode respond on the microphone. Following the half an hour QandA he then returned to signing autographs, chatting, and mixing with the crowd for another hour and a half. He signed everything from skis, glasses, hats, ski suits and rugs absolutely thrilling all those in attendance.

Excerpts from Bode’s Q&A.

Q: How has your experience been here today at Attitash?

Bode: “It is great to see the big group of kids with a ton of enthusiasm – it is fun to get out and do these types of events – it is for Atomic but it is also fun as long as I keep it balanced between the things that I have to do and the things that I like to do – like being with the kids.”

Q: Do you have to go to an academy?

Bode: “…The top racers in the world come from everywhere, completely different support systems -from tiny resorts to the biggest most expensive. The most important thing is commitment; you don’t find out how competitive you are often times until you are in your twenties. Being committed and sticking with it is the most positive thing. The process of discovering your ability is incredibly valuable.”

Q: Do you get nervous?

Bode: “Definitely – I was at the Olympics – you now how many people are watching, you want to do your best and you don’t want to let people down. Being nervous is not a new feeling for me. One of the most important things about being a competitor is to know how to control your nerves and to know how it affects what you did. If you clam up and fall out of the gate you aren’t going to get very far. If you can learn how to use that nervousness and to get excited and motivate yourself to do the right stuff – you can get the best performance out of yourself.”

Q: Do you ever get mad and want to quit?

Bode: “Sure but you want to get passed it. Sometimes there are some circumstances that cause you to be more emotionally committed to certain races. It helps that if before that race you don’t only fantasize about how great it is going to be if you win and ride off into the sunset, but you also have to prepare yourself in case you don’t have the best run – or at least come to grips with the fact that a loss may not be your fault or that you may not have had your best race. This may help you deal with that a little better especially if you know you went in with the right attitude and did the best you can.”

Q: Do you ever get an opportunity to ski for fun?

Bode: “What do you think racing the World Cup is for me? That is why I race World Cup – I don’t do it for money, to be on TV or to impress my sponsors. If I am not doing it for fun I will do something else for fun – I am pretty creative with ways to get by…if I am not doing it for fun then I am not doing them.”

Located throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, Joe Jones is one of the leading New England retailers offering year-round service in skis, snowboards, bikes, boats, outerwear and more.

Headquartered in Amherst, NH, Atomic is the dominant ski manufacturer on the World Cup Circuit, winning the men’s alpine overall title since 1995. Atomic continues to dictate the direction of modern ski manufacturing with ground breaking technical innovations and state-of-the-art constructions. Atomic remains committed to the goal of providing all types and levels of skiers the opportunity to improve their performance with products designed to enhance the skiing experience.

To learn more about Atomic, visit www.atomicsnow.com.