Now that I am back from Reno in one piece, it is about time I share a few snapshots from the ski portion of the Jimmy V Foundation charity event. As I mentioned in my last blog, the event combined a poker tournament with a downhill ski race where Antonio Esfandiari prevailed over Liv Boeree in the finals.

What I didn’t mention was some of the behind-the-scenes hilarity and drama that ensued with group’s visit to Mt. Rose. If you noticed in photos from the event, poor Matt Graham was sporting a sling on his left arm. Matt was part of a group that went out skiing and snowboarding the day before the race and he got into a bit of an accident that resulted in…a broken arm. Matt was really a trooper and took part in the charity poker tournament that very evening, finishing in 3rd, but he was down for the count come race time.

Same goes for Alec Torelli, who had to back out due to an ankle sprain. A couple other pros with minimal ski experience also elected to let someone else take to the hill in their stead because it was extremely windy outside and the conditions weren’t exactly great. The top of the hill had a ton of fresh powder, but it was almost too much and people practically had to wade through it rather than ski down it. The bottom of the hill was rock hard and icy.

Thankfully, we still had plenty of experienced ski bunnies on our hands who were ready to take to the slopes for some racing. Alex Outhred and McLean Karr were the presumed favorites going into the event since they had the most experience. Karr advanced far in the single elimination tournament, while, if I remember correctly, Outhred made an early exit.

The windy conditions resulted in this dedicated reporter spending most of her time watching the races from inside the comfort of the ski lodge armed with her camera and a cup of hot cocoa, but I did venture out for a little bit to snap some pics of the pros who donned their skis to raise awareness for a great cause: