If Bob Beattie were still with us he’d get a smile reading this thread. The same issues led him to create Nastar as a means to introduce all ages to the joys of ski racing, and lead them towards race programs. Of course , at that time, the academy system was not as dominant as it is today, the push was to strengthen the ski town clubs in places like Steamboat, Aspen, Stowe, North Conway , etc. Before the current arms race, young skiers like Buddy Werner or Billy Kidd grew up in towns with easy acces, and were the products of strong local clubs.
Today the landscape is much different, both here and in Europe. But the fundamentals remain the same: more time on snow as a youngster is critical to long term success. When you drive through Austria and see T Bars on slopes rising from the back of a small town high school or recreational park, you realize quickly how we here in the US are at a geographic and cultural disadvantage.
To make up for that, money buys time on snow, here and abroad, thus this topic will continue for a loooong time….