i ski for tommy.

Melanoma research backed at VMS

Mark Cicchiello — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:17:45 +0000

isft. is proud to announce the allocation of funds towards two exciting research projects with the Victorian Melanoma Service.

Research is a key weapon in the fight against melanoma. We already know that in Australia melanoma kills more young people aged 20-34 than any other cancer, more than 11000 cases are diagnosed in as every year and that it led to 1279 deaths in 2007. However, if identified at an early stage there is an excellent chance of cure (around 87%).

The difficulty comes detecting the disease at an early stage. We know that melanomas often present as moles that have changed in appearance. However there is a group of very aggressive melanomas that spread much more quickly and cause more deaths. One project will look at finding differences in appearance between these aggressive melanomas and regular melanomas so that the aggressive ones can be detected earlier.

The other project will look at patients who are found to have more than one melanoma at their initial presentation.

isft. Has also contributed a further 3 dermoscopes to the Victorian Melanoma Service.

These research projects are funded exclusively by isft. to a combined value of $50 000 and represent an exciting step in helping the fight against the the disease which took Tommy’s life. We would like to sincerely thank all of you who have supported isft. over the past 2.5 years and in particular Nuttelex.

Watch this space for more information and see you at the 2012 Gala!

A DL3 Dermlite as used by doctors at the VMS

isft. management

2012 kicks on…Interschool’s here we come…

Mark Cicchiello — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 09:51:29 +0000

In 2012, isft. are official sponsors of the 2012 Victorian Interschools Snow Sports Championships.

The idea:

There is no greater way for isft. to honour Tom’s achievement as a past Interschool’s Champion than by supporting the new generation of up and comers. The crew at VIC Interschool’s will kick off proceeding…we’ll supply the stickers, sunscreen and stoke.

http://vic.interschools.org.au/home

The background:

The School SnowSports Development Foundation is an independent, non-profit, incorporated body, affiliated with Ski and Snowboard Australia to develop junior skiing and snowboarding and to ensure all school children have the opportunity to participate in snow sports. The School SnowSports Development Foundation are the event managers of the Subaru Victorian Interschools SnowSports Championships, the largest skiing/snowboarding event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.

Each year this events attracts over 5500 entries. Other events and programs that the SSDF conducts are the Subaru Australian Interschools SnowSports Championships, Interschools Grand Prix Championships, Alpine Accreditation Program and many more. These events are conducted at the three major Victorian resorts, Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham. The School SnowSports Development Foundation also conducts a number of programs designed to enable children from all backgrounds the opportunity to experience snowsports of some type.

Team isft.Tough Mudder 2012

Mark Cicchiello — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:10:58 +0000

A grueling 3 hour test for the slightly manic few.

14 of isft.‘s finest will test their mettle against the worst Philip Island has to throw at them over the weekend at Victoria’s first Tough Mudder event. On the agenda for the boys is a British Special Forces’ designed 20km course of mud, fire, ice-water and electricity.

They are:

Adam Athorne

Oliver Scott

Charles Clemons

Steve Jones

Ben Stone

Nick Stacpoole

David Miller

Roshan Ghadamian

Nick Payne

George Gatenby

Scott Birrell

Nick Connellan

Jarryd Williams

Bryan Taylor

“Tough Mudder is not your average lame-ass mud run or spirit-crushing ‘endurance’ road race. It’s Ironman meets Burning Man, and it is coming to a location near you. Our 10-12 mile obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Forget finish times. Simply completing a Tough Mudder is a badge of honor.”

Good luck gents…

2012 kicks off with a big show of support from the ladies of the Riversdale Golf Club

Mark Cicchiello — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 06:12:49 +0000

isft. are proud to announce a very positive start to 2012 having received a donation of $4,200 from the ladies of the Riversdale Golf Club, St John’s Wood. Through three separate fund-raising initiates in late 2011, the club went about independently raising funds for both isft. and Alzheimer’s Australia.

The very generous offering was recently accepted at a lunch held at the club house in the beautiful surrounds of one of Melbourne’s oldest, most established golfing institutes. Close to 90 ladies members went about showing their support for what they described as a “charity driven by young people for Victorians of all ages”. isft. would like to anonymously thank a very special family for going about directing the initiative.

Thanks to the help of the Riversdale Golf Club, isft. have now collectively raised over $60,000 for The Alfred’s Victorian Melanoma Service.

We thank everybody for their wonderful support in 2011 and welcome you to 2012…stay tuned.

The Powder Bible – a book by Richard Ross

babeltech — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:21:34 +0000

The northern winter has officially begun, with snow on the hills and tracks to be made. If you’re thinking about heading O.S. to the snow sometime soon and you’re hankering for some of that elusive powder in the US, Europe or Japan, can we suggest you check out the POWDER BIBLE ?

As far as finding secret powder stashes go this book is the ‘holy grail’ and guarantees success in your quest for some soft untracked powder snow.

Using insider knowledge, the PowderBible can help anyone tailor their ski or snowboarding trip to maximise the possibility of finding powder. The book states the best way to find these untracked gems with a minimum of fuss and contains a comprehensive guide to 36 hand-picked ski resorts in the USA, Europe and
Japan.

Added, are links to weather guides, avalanche sites, ski forums, independent ski authorities as well as mountain resort guides, equipment tips and safety issues.

The book is written by long-term Mt Buller skier and Ski Coach, Richard Ross who says that “to a skier, powder is everything, but so many decisions about where to ski are poorly researched – many people rely on word-of-mouth or resort marketing to decide on where they are going to ski. It’s sometimes akin to the roll of the dice. I aim to lessen the risk considerably by giving the everyday skier some tools to increase their odds of making a winning decision.”

When it comes to finding powder Richard thinks that luck has nothing to do with it. He says his fail-safe formula is the only “luck” you need.

Richard is a long term supporter of isft. with connections to us through Mt Buller, MBRC and Trinity College. He has kindly offered to donate 30% of the book proceeds to isft when ordered here online or through the POWDER BIBLE website using this code.

So if you, or a friend are thinking of heading north, check out the Powder Bible site here….