Most Viewed Blog Posts
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Video: Major Snowmobile Couloi Video: Major Snowmobile Couloir Fail
- From: media-75233
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Major Snowmobile Couloir Fail
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 43076
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Video: Skier Survives Unbeliev Video: Skier Survives Unbelievable Fall
- From: media-75233
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Description:
Skiier Stefan Ager survives an incredible fall down backcountry cliffs on what seems to be a gorgeous bluebird day in the mountains.
See What Other People Are Saying About This Video In Our Forums
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 28500
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News: Jamie Pierre Dies in Uta News: Jamie Pierre Dies in Utah Avalanche
- From: johnclarydavies
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Description:
November 13, 2011
— John Clary Davies
Professional skier Jamie Pierre died today in an avalanche at Snowbird, Utah.
The 38-year-old triggered the avalanche at 2:30 p.m. while snowboarding in the South Chute in Gad Valley. The slide swept Pierre off a cliff, while his partner was uninjured. Pierre likely died from trauma, as the avalanche did not bury him. The ski area is closed and not conducting avalanche control until next weekend.
The Utah Avalanche Center reported the depth of the soft slab was 14 inches to 20 inches and ran 150-feet wide. According to the UAC site, neither Pierre nor his partner carried rescue gear or had formal avalanche training.
“Make no doubt that conditions are ripe for someone to get caught in an avalanche,” UAC forecaster Brett Kobernik said on the center's website. “The combination of higher density snow and gusty wind were the perfect combo for slab formation over our preexisting weak early season snow.”
The avalanche was not an isolated event. According to the UAC website, skiers reported 12 human triggered avalanches today. According to the UAC report, the terrain in South Chute is northwest facing and likely held rotten snow from October.
In 2006 Pierre set a record for the highest cliff jump — a 255-foot drop near Grand Targhee — for the TGR film Anomaly. Watch the footage in the above clip. Pierre filmed with TGR from 2000 to 2008. He also has appearances in films by Warren Miller Entertainment, Level 1 Productions, Matchstick Productions and Rage films.
The longtime Salt Lake skier had recently relocated to Big Sky, Montana, where he was going to be an ambassador for Moonlight Basin this season.
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 20260
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Video: Gigantic Avalanche Set Video: Gigantic Avalanche Set Off On Cheget Mountain, Russia
- From: media-75233
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Patrollers send off a charge on Cheget Mountain, Russia, creating a massive avalanche that reaches the valley floor and almost covers the audience that gathers to watch the huge face slide.
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 13841
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News: Tropical Storm Irene Col News: Tropical Storm Irene Collapses Killington Base Lodge
- From: media-75233
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Description:
August 29, 2011
Reports out of Vermont this morning show devastating flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. It appears the hardest hit areas are the southern and central parts of the state. Two photos have surfaced that show a collapsed base lodge at Killington Resort. President Obama has declared a federal emergency. Read below for a report from the Burlington Free Press.
Farther to the east, 100 people were stranded in Sugarloaf, Maine, when two bridges washed out on either side of the resort's access road. Luckily, resort guests and employees were able to exit the area on foot. Read the story here.
A Rutland Herald reader submitted this photo of a collapsed base lodge at Killington Resort in Vermont.
Another photo of the collapsed base lodge at Killington Resort.
Story from the Burlington Free Press:
Vermont is reeling this morning from what is becoming the state’s worst natural disaster since the epic flood of 1927. Two people, including a child, have died in the storm, hundreds of roads statewide are closed, and thousands of homes and businesses suffered power outages and serious damage from flooding associated with Tropical Storm Irene.
In Waitsfield, raging Mad River torrents picked up a one-story building on Bridge Street housing Birke Photography and pushed it about 25 feet against a larger, adjacent building.
Water tore holes in concrete foundations on other buildings on the street, and water rose to the doorknobs of businesses. The covered bridge on the street was blocked off by yellow caution tape, but residents gingerly walked across the span anyway.
Meghan Myrick and Caretia Fernandez set up a table at the intersection of Bridge and Main streets and signed up volunteers to help clean up wet, mud-slimed businesses.
From 9 to 10 a.m., the pair had signed up 30 people, most of whom went home briefly to retrieve gloves, shovels, rakes and trash bags to help with the cleanup. A man pedaled a bike along Vermont 100, holding the handlebars with one hand and cradling a Shop-Vac with the other, headed toward the damaged section of Waitsfield.
“Tons of people are willing to help,” Fernandez said. She and Myrick work at the True North Wilderness Program in Waitsfield, which gave its employees the day off Monday so they could help with flood relief.
Myrick said two of her favorite Waitsfield restaurants, the Green Cup and Mint, were damaged. “I love the Green Cup, and I love Mint. Both are amazing places to eat,” she said. She’d seen the damage first-hand at one of the eateries. “Green Cup isn’t doing well,” she said.
Word of even more intense damage trickled from isolated towns in southern Vermont. Large sections of Vermont 100 south of Wardsboro are washed away, leaving chasms of up to 30 feet deep, according to town residents. Several people lost their homes in Wardsboro, including the town clerk. Some homes were swept off their foundations and washed downstream, residents said.
The Vermont State Police in Brattleboro have confirmed a second death in the Wilmington area following devastating flooding there.
Sgt. Michael Roj said the death of a child was reported Monday morning. He did not have information about the identity or age of the child. The death is being investigated by the Wilmington Police Department with help from state police, Roj said.
Gov. Peter Shumlin, Sen. Patrick Leahy, and Adj. Gen. Michael Dubie will be traveling by helicopter today and reviewing storm damage. They will tour the following areas: Ludlow, Springfield, Brattleboro, Marlboro, Wilmington, Benngington, Manchester and Rutland
President Barack Obama has declared a federal emergency for Vermont.
The White House issued a statement that says the following:
"The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Vermont and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Irene beginning on August 26, 2011, and continuing."The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the State of Vermont.
"Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
"W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Craig A. Gilbert as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area."
A car floats down the Roaring Branch river in Bennington, Vt.
For the full story, click here.
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 12598
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Video: Ski BASE Jumping + A Cl Video: Ski BASE Jumping + A Class 5 Avalanche + A GoPro = #Winning
- From: TetonGravityResearch
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Description:
Matthias Giraud and Stefan Laude capture some of the most incredible content seen by GoPro as they hit the Alps like true heroes skiing the French backcountry while escaping a large avalanche on their tails!
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 11201
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Video: Ski BASE Jumping + A Cl Video: Ski BASE Jumping + A Class 5 Avalanche + A GoPro = #Winning
- From: TetonGravityResearch
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Description:
Matthias Giraud and Stefan Laude capture some of the most incredible content seen by GoPro as they hit the Alps like true heroes skiing the French backcountry while escaping a large avalanche on their tails!
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 11147
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Video: Ski BASE Jumping + A Cl Video: Ski BASE Jumping + A Class 5 Avalanche + A GoPro = #Winning
- From: TetonGravityResearch
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Description:
Matthias Giraud and Stefan Laude capture some of the most incredible content seen by GoPro as they hit the Alps like true heroes skiing the French backcountry while escaping a large avalanche on their tails!
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 11013
- Not yet rated
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TAHOE STORM RIDING!! TAHOE STORM RIDING!!
- From: TomBurt
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Description:
Here is the way to usher in a storm at Tahoe Nov. 20th. I went for a surf check at 8 am and was in the water by 9 am. Four other surfers joined me at this spot. It was good for Tahoe and I came as close as I ever have in getting a barrel in fresh water. When I was done I snapped a few pictures of Mike Vail who was still out. These were not the biggest sets of the day but the average wave.
At 1 pm it started snowing and this is what it looked like at 5 pm on my deck.
- Blog post
- 4 years ago
- Views: 10996
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CR Johnson dies in tragic ski CR Johnson dies in tragic ski accident
- From: media-75233
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Description:
26 year old pro skier CR Johnson has been tragically killed in a skiing accident at Squaw Valley Ski Resort in California today. CR was skiing the Light Towers in the Headwall area of Squaw. Squaw has been getting dumped on the last few days. Thought and Prayers to CR's Friends and Family. More info can be found in a post by Scott Gaffney in the TGR Forums
For Immediate Release
February 24, 2010
By John StifterSQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA—Charles Russell Johnson III, 26, died earlier today while skiing at Squaw Valley, CA, on the Light Towers run off the Headwall lift.
According to eyewitness J.T. Holmes, who was riding on the Headwall lift and saw the accident, Johnson was skiing the steep run (according to Squaw Valley’s ski report, the mountain received 12-14 inches) comprised of tight chutes and countless exposed rocks. He lost control, struck a rock and immediately appeared lifeless. Despite wearing a helmet, he suffered immense trauma to his head and neck. Once at the top of the lift, Holmes notified the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol. They instantly skied to the scene and performed resuscitation to no avail.
“C.R. possessed a perspective for the mountains and the sport of skiing that transcended skiers all around the world to new heights,” says 4FRNT Skis’ Matt Sterbenz, who sponsored Johnson and assisted him in the design of C.R.’s pro model ski, the CRJ. Shortly after the accident, Sterbenz spoke to Johnson’s father, Russ, and Holmes. “His creative vision and positive personality brought the best out of anyone he ever met. He will remain a huge influence on my life and the many others that were fortunate to know him.”
An infectious skier and personality, Johnson filmed for ski industry leaders Teton Gravity Research and MSP Films before starting his own ski film production company with best friend and ski star Tanner Hall. The Truckee, CA, native and resident was a U.S. Open Big Air champion and two-time Winter X Games medalist (2001 Big Air bronze and 2002 Slopestyle silver).
Johnson, a Truckee, CA, native and resident, suffered a traumatic brain injury in December 2005 when another skier landed on him while skiing inbounds at Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. He was induced in a coma for 10 days during his 34-day stay at the University of Utah hospital before returning home to his parents’ house in the Tahoe area.
“C.R. was much more than an athlete to Smith Optics,” says Gabe Schroder, Ski Promotions Manager of Smith Optics—one of the lone companies to continue a sponsorship of C.R. after his injury in 2005. “He was a friend, a brother, and an amazing person that we all believed in. We are deeply saddened by his passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family.”
Recently, C.R. was taking online college classes in design while evolving his star-studded ski career. Appearing in Poor Boyz Productions 2009 release Everyday Is A Saturday and filming for Level 1 Productions during the 2009-10 winter, C.R. placed third at the Red Bull Linecatcher event—a big mountain freestyle contest—in Vars, France, on January 13, 2010, in a field of some of the world’s best skiers.
C.R. Johnson is survived by his parents Loraine and Russ and his older sister Kahlil. And the entire ski community. - Blog post
- 3 years ago
- Views: 10504
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News: Travis Rice To Hold Supe News: Travis Rice To Hold Supernatural Event At Baldface
- From: johnclarydavies
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Description:
November 3, 2011
— John Clary Davies
With the consultation of Travis Rice, a nine-person crew of loggers, former professional riders and guides built mountain-bike style platforms 60-feet up in the trees at Baldface Lodge, British Columbia, this offseason. The jumps, however, are not meant for bicycles.
Between Feb. 2 and 9, 2012, Travis Rice, Red Bull and Baldface Lodge will host The Red Bull Supernatural, a one-day event similar to Quiksilver’s Natural Selection. The big mountain freestyle invitational will utilize manmade features on one of Baldface’s biggest runs.
“These manmade stunts are like mountain bike stunts on crazy elephant steroids,” said Jeff Pensiero, the owner of the British Columbia snowcat lodge. “It’s crazy. It’s like Mario Brothers or something. It’s out of control.”
The 2,200-foot north-facing run will feature about 100 jumps in the trees on a 50 to 55 degree slope. Riders will hit platforms 60 feet up in the trees in succession, like perfectly placed gigantic pillows. As the run transitions toward the bottom, contestants will hit three X-Games style jumps.
“The way winter is going to come in is just going to turn this into a massive pillow field,” said Pensiero. “Some are just ungodly large. All riders really want at the end of the day are steep landings. The jump is secondary. These really get them out of the slope so they’re dropping on to steepness. I think it’s going to be really interesting. I think there’s going to be some shit that people are going to hit that’s just way too big.”
A photo of some of the Supernatural hits at Baldface Lodge from Travis Rice's Instagram.
Pensiero said Rice wanted to create the event because outside of Natural Selection, there aren’t really competitions suited toward the type of riding he does.
“He wants to provide something that the lame Olympics aren’t doing right and the X Games aren’t doing right,” said Pensiero. “Snowboarding is about riding with your friends and pushing the limits.”
The invitational will include 20 of the world’s best snowboarders. The contest has the lodge for a week, and will select the day to hold the competition based on conditions.
Pensiero said Red Bull has invested heavily in the event. They’ll use devices to keep too much snow from building on the features to prevent their collapse. His only concern was that something that they can’t control, like an avalanche, could wipe out the stunts.
“The thing is, nobody has ever built anything like this before,” said Pensiero.
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 10323
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Video: Naked Skier Poaches, Ov Video: Naked Skier Poaches, Overshoots Massive JOI Kicker
- From: media-75233
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Description:
Naked Skier Poaches, Overshoots Massive JOI Kicker
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 10120
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Video: The Grand Bizarre Trail Video: The Grand Bizarre Trailer By Poor Boyz Productions
- From: media-75233
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Description:
Step right up and get your tickets to the all-inclusive action thrill ride of the decade! Take your seat, grab your popcorn and witness the most daring skiers on the planet performing death-defying feats including Bobby Brown’s ground-breaking triple cork 1440 and Simon Dumont’s one of a kind cubed halfpipe. Nowhere have you seen anything more bizarre than this year’s Poor Boyz Productions release “The Grand Bizarre.”
Featuring: Bobby Brown, Simon Dumont, Sammy Carlson, Dane Tudor, LJ Strenio, Nick Martini, Bene Mayr, Charley Ager, Tim Durtschi, Riley Leboe, Leigh Powis, Josh Stack, Mike Henitiuk, Cam Riley, Clayton Vila, Oskari Raitanen, Matt Walker and friends.
Shot on Location in: Whistler, BC, Mica Creek, BC , Bralorne, BC, Helsinki, Finland, Keystone, CO, Breckenridge, CO, St. Anton, Austria, Minneapolis, MN, Helena, MT, Cooke City, MT, Calgary, AB, Canmore, AB, Spokane, WA, Pullman, WA, Squaw Valley, CA, Lake Tahoe, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Sun Valley, ID , Bend, OR, Mt. Bachelor, OR , Kelowna, BC, Kamloops, BC, Revelstoke, BC, Switzerland, Powder Mountain, UT, Alta, UT, Alaska
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 9950
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Video: How To Wax A Snowboard Video: How To Wax A Snowboard With Julia
- From: media-75233
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Description:
October 18, 2011
Every instructional video should be like this one. In fact, if someone made an entire website full of videos like the one above, they'd probably make a million dollars. ... Wait. ... It already exists. And it has a really great name. For more of these, visit eyehandy.com. Ingenious.
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 9139
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News: Waves Of Change - Jay Pe News: Waves Of Change - Jay Peak's $50 Million Expansion
- From: ryandunfee
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Description:
November 22, 2011
— Ryan Dunfee
Jay Peak has always held a mystical place in the East Coast ski scene. Literally as far north as you can get without crossing the Vermont border into Canada, Jay sits on the peak of a relatively short ridgeline that climbs out of the flat, empty, cold farmlands surrounding it. Alone, Jay is separated from the rest of the Green Mountains that wind their way along Route 100 from Mount Snow in the south all the way to Stowe.
Jay has more or less been the Mt. Baker of Eastern skiing — isolated in its Northeast Kingdom four hours from Boston and eight from New York City, with a solid stretch of nothing going for sixty miles all the way from the base of the infamous tram to downtown Burlington. Just like Baker, its snow totals and terrain are unheard of — wide-open glades found almost nowhere else in the Northeast that are pounded with over 400 inches of snow every winter, dwarfing the rest of the region’s 150-inch to 200-inch average. And just like Baker, if you’re not riding, there’s nothing to do. Up until last year, much of the resort’s nightlife revolved around the quirky ski bum lodges ten miles away in Montgomery, where skiers, riders, and snowmobilers reeling from cabin fever would pound drinks at the Snowshoe Lodge & Pub until they were kicked out, at which point they raged in the basement of Grandpa Grunt’s across the street until they passed out in their rooms with pink shag carpeting and full-length ceiling mirrors.
Now Jay is in the midst of a number of major projects that should take the edge off the apres scene, offer non-dirtbags beds with a decent thread count, keep the resort turning profits year-round, and give back to the community in the form of increased public recreation opportunities and local, full-time jobs.
Last season marked the opening of the Tram Haus, a more upscale 57-unit hotel with a new bar and a separate restaurant and this spring a new clubhouse opened for Jay’s championship golf course, a central part of Jay’s plan to attract more summer visitors.
More recently, a NHL-size ice rink opened in the Ice Haus. And this Black Friday, unheard of for most ski resorts, a full-size waterpark called the Pump House will open with a lazy river, a handful of waterslides including a Six Flags-style Aqualoop, and a surfable indoor wave attached to the 170-suite Hotel Jay and Conference.
While a waterpark would be a big move for any Intrawest resort, for Jay, a resort that’s been so quiet a new chairlift was considered a ‘major capital development,’ this is serious news. But despite the obvious instinct to eschew major developments at one of the East’s relatively ‘pure’ ski areas, the new construction seems set to benefit Jay Peak’s business, visitors, passholders and local jobseekers.
This huge set of projects was the vision of Jay’s CEO, Bill Stenger, who first took the helm back in 1985. Seeking a way to bring profitability to the resort outside of the normal seven-week high season, provide local jobs, and something to do for non-skiers as well as those who get shut down when the upper mountain closes for high winds, Stenger’s proposed plan seemed impossibly radical for Jay’s historically glacial development pace.
“When I first saw the plans, I didn’t believe them,” said “Huge” Mike Steeves, a Jay fixture who’s been making the five-hour drive from Rhode Island every weekend since 1993 to ride the legendary woods here. “Our last major change was a new chairlift; a project on that scale simply didn’t seem possible.”
Not to mention that the kind of money that funds a $50 million expansion hasn’t made its way to the Northeast Kingdom often. But while Stenger and co. were able to put up ten million of Jay’s own money, the resort ultimately found the majority of its funding through an international network of 450 investors sanctioned through the EB-5 Foreign Investment Program, a federal program where foreign investors who put in more than $500,000 and create at least 10 local jobs get residency status and an accelerated application for permanent citizenship.
Steve Wright, Jay’s vice president of marketing and sales, certainly anticipated some negative feedback from hardcore riders at the outset of the project, but he looked past it pretty quickly.
“I’ve said this all along: if all Jay Peak is is a collection of distressed lodging, lack of amenities and tree cutting, then we don’t really have much of a place to hang our hats,” Wright said. “The character of this place doesn’t have to change because we increased the comfort quotient of our pillows or added new places to eat.”
Steeves seems to back him up. Since the Tram Haus Lodge and the Tower Bar opened, “It’s been great. Before the bar was cramped in the basement. Now we have a big, airy space with five times the capacity that you can actually bring your kids into for lunch without having some drunk fall over on them.” Steeves notes he saw more passholders in the Tower Bar in its first year than he ever saw at any mountain lodges before.
Tim Fater, senior editor for Ski The East and a Jay passholder, supports the vision of Jay’s home-grown management team.
“If you told me five years ago all this would be happening at Jay, I’d probably tell you you're crazy,” Fater said. “But this development is happening and these aren't new faces hired to reshape the resort. These guys have been there for a long time and know the mountain, their brand and their customers better than anyone.”
And while Wright admits that building a tropical indoor water park at the base of one of the East’s coldest resorts was not the most environmentally sustainable move, he notes that they did invest $1 million into a repurposing and transfer system laid between the Ice Haus and the Pump House that will take waste refrigeration energy from the hockey rink and convert it into heating energy for the water park. The system is set to have an ROI of five years.
Steeves sees the local community as the biggest benefactor of the new developments. In the 1990s, unemployment in the Northeast Kingdom was high, and beyond a few hardcore skiers and riders, the locals didn’t support or interact much with the resort. Full-time work at Jay, even in the winter, was hard to come by, and traditionally 85 percent of the workforce was laid off at the end of the ski season. Steeves anecdotally noted “dozens” of local friends who only had part-time work or only their spouse with a full-time job in the ’90s, but now, with the focus on attracting more people to Jay Peak and for more of the year, he sees more couples where both people are on the payroll. By the end of the projects, Wright anticipates Jay’s workforce to grow to 800 employees. Not to mention a few side perks — the local high school hockey team, which used to play home games across the border in Canada, now calls the Ice Haus home.
Despite the changes, Fater still believes that the mountain’s unique terrain, soon to be expanded with additions of new intermediate and upper-intermediate glades along the West Bowl ridgeline, will continue to be the main attraction.
“Jay Peak has some of the most unique terrain in the east — the Face Chutes being a prime example — and the sidecountry and backcountry options are plenty,” Fater said. “They’ll always have that terrain, and as long as they continue getting nearly 400 inches of snow a year, that will be the mountain’s main draw, as it has always been.”
While Fater anticipates that the new developments will help bring in new crowds during key holidays and compel some new people to come visit for the first time, he still believes the resort’s remoteness will keep flooded liftlines like those at Stowe and Killington at bay.
As Tim puts it, “A resort mailing arrived on my doorstep this fall that said: ‘Everybody’s welcome at Jay Peak.’ Thankfully, not everyone comes.”
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 8200
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Jones Snowboards Launches New Jones Snowboards Launches New Website
- From: media-75233
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Description:
Squaw Valley, CA (March 22, 2010) – JonesSnowboards.com offers snowboarders a first look at the much anticipated, debut snowboard line created by snowboarding icon, Jeremy Jones. With the website’s launch, Jones Snowboards is adding another dimension to the brand’s open dialogue with retailers and consumers as the snowboard line goes into full production for Winter 2010 release.
“We’re having a very exciting year between the launch of Jones Snowboards, the building of the team and filming for Deeper,” says Jones. “Jonessnowboards.com will keep riders involved in all the action while we await the first shipment of boards this fall.”
Packed with descriptions, technical diagrams, and Jeremy's own design notes, product information takes center stage at Jonessnowboards.com allowing riders a unique opportunity to learn about the performance technologies and design philosophies that shaped each of the four boards in the 10/11 Jones line-up. Features such as Mellow Magne-traction, Directional Rocker and Cam-Rock are all explained in Jeremy's words along with his commentary on why certain board models benefit from the chosen design features.
Riders hungry for more info are only a couple clicks from an answer at Jonessnowboards.com as the forum allows the curious freerider to ask Jeremy direct questions. Trip reports from the team riders will also offer a firsthand perspective of how conditions and terrain affect the team's quiver choice. Exclusive photos and videos will bring the boards to life as Jeremy and the team shred on the 'Flagship' freeride gun one day and backcountry jib on the 'Mountain Twin' freestyle deck the next.
There will be no shortage of exciting news to share at Jones Snowboards, as the team has been freeriding around the world this winter. Jeremy, Forrest Shearer and Jonaven Moore have been out splitboard testing on the Jones' 'Solution' while filming for the September release of Deeper. After a productive month in the Sierras and Tetons, the crew heads north to Canada and Alaska to lay tracks in the big mountains this spring.
Having taken third at the Freeride World Tour stop in Squaw Valley, Ryland Bell will take on some of the world's best freeriders at the Nissan Xtreme by Swatch in Verbier, Switzerland in late March. Ralph Backstrom just finished his contest season winning second place overall in the North Face Masters series. Both Ralph and Ryland are riding the Jones 'Flagship' in contests this season. Follow the team blog, to keep up with the team's latest adventures in the mountains.
Expect worldwide distribution starting this September for winter 2010/11. Learn more about Jones Snowboards at JonesSnowboards.com.
- Blog post
- 3 years ago
- Views: 7839
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US Ski Team Member Lindsey Von US Ski Team Member Lindsey Vonn takes second at the Levi World Cup in Finland
- From: media-75233
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Description:
Story and photos: US Ski Team
LEVI, Finland (Nov. 14) – It didn't take long for double World Champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) to find her way back to the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup podium as the two-time overall winner finished second to friend and reigning World Cup slalom champion Maria Riesch of Germany Saturday.
Lindsey Vonn crushes the slope in Levi to finish second. (Photo by Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
"I really love Levi, this hill reminds me so much of racing back in Buck Hill," said Vonn, who finished 3rd in the World Cup slalom standings last season in addition to capturing World Cup titles in downhill and super G. "It would have been nice to get the win again, but I had a big mistake at the bottom and Maria had a really good run so it's tough to say if I would have beat her without that mistake."
Near the bottom of the course Vonn boot-topped a gate and was nearly knocked off course, yet made a stunning recovery and maintained her composure to finish a mere .08 behind Riesch.
"Lindsey hasn't missed a beat, she's pretty incredible," said U.S. Ski Team women's technical Head Coach Trevor Wagner. "But the win was there for sure. She was nuking the second run and just had a number of tiny mistakes that added up. Still what she's doing right now in slalom is awesome."
Universal Sports will broadcast the race at 10 a.m. ET on its 24-hour TV network and on-demand streaming is available later Saturday at www.UniversalSports.com.
It was her second consecutive trip to the Levi podium after notching her first World Cup slalom victory on the Levi Black course just one year ago. Finnish favorite and Soelden giant slalom winner Tanja Poutianen rounded out the top three.
Lindsey Vonn celebrates taking second during the World Cup Women's Slalom in Levi, Finland. (Photo by Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
"This gives me awesome confidence going into the Aspen Winternational in a few weeks," said Vonn, who finished 4th in the Aspen slalom last season. "My slalom skis are feeling really good and until you race you don't really have a measure for how you're doing against the other girls so I'm pretty happy to be on the podium.
"I'm headed back to Vail now too get in some more slalom and GS training before Aspen. It's so cool t have that slope as a resource and I know the whole team has been and will be using it to prepare for the Colorado races. It's really evident after today that the training I was able to get in Vail was really valuable."
Hailey Duke (Boise, ID) and Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN) added to the strong U.S. Ski Team showing in biting 15 degree cold finishing 21st and 23rd respectively. Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) nearly joined the American points party after finishing 16th in the opening leg before being disqualified for missing the sixth gate.
"The U.S. Ski Team is skiing so well," added Vonn. I'm so proud of what Kaylin, Hailey and Sarah did today and Resi and Sterling have been working so hard. This is a really strong technical team and I think we're going to show that in Aspen."
At just over 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Levi is dark much of the day with a small window of light falling between the 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. locally making a lighted second run an absolute necessity. Yet the lights reflection off the frozen air particles created for tricky visibility.
"Sarah would have been in there too, but she blew right by that gate on the top," added Wagner. "We looked at the tape a couple of times and she definitely missed it, but through the entire midsection of the course, she had some of the best skiing out there."
The results backed up Wagner's thoughts that the Team has been training very well and is poised to make a surge in SL and GS. Duke had been in contention much of last season in slalom scoring points in five races, including a career best 8th in Semmering, Austria, but it was Richardson's first World Cup technical points since the 2007 Aspen Winternational.
"Hailey did a great job. She was skiing with a sore ankle and battled through that really well and we saw great skiing out of Kaylin. It's never easy to rally into the flip from that far back in the start order and both she and Sarah did it."
Schleper and Richardson started the race wearing bibs 58 and 70. Stiegler, who turned 24 today, missed the top 30 after the first run along with Sterling Grant (Amery, WI). It was only the second World Cup race for Stiegler since a Dec. 2007 injury.
"The skiing is there for Resi. She's been training well and knows she's capable of a lot better, but this is only her second World Cup in two years. It's a progression," Wagner said.
The Team now flies immediately to Colorado for a training block prior to the Aspen Winternational set for Thanksgiving Weekend in Aspen, CO. The annual Rocky Mountain stop is the only women's World Cup race in America for the Vancouver Bound U.S. Ski Team prior to the February Olympics.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
2009 AUDI FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP
Levi, Finland – Nov. 14, 2009
Women's Slalom
1. Maria Riesch, Germany, 1.48.71
2. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 1:48.79
3. Tanja Poutianen, Finland, 1:49.87
4. Susanne Riesch, Germany, 1:50.04
5. Michaela Kirchgasser, Austria, 1:50.32
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21. Hailey Duke, Boise, ID, 1:52.30
23. Kaylin Richardson, Edina, MN, 1:52.31
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Did not qualify for a second run
Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, WY; Sterling Grant, Amery, WI
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Disqualified
Sarah Schleper, Vail, CO
# # #
For complete results:
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.html?sector=AL&raceid=59012
Lindsey Vonn celebrates in the finish after finishing second in Levi. (Photo by Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images) - Blog post
- 4 years ago
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Jackson Hole Gaper Day: Mounta Jackson Hole Gaper Day: Mountain Dew and Cigarettes, a film by Mikey Van Beuren
- From: media-75233
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Description:
Ronnie, Donnie and the gang got together for their annual extreme ski trip. This year the crew packed their bags and left the icy Jersey Shore with a final destination of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort... They got more powdah then most Joeys would know what to do with, it was up to their earlobes on some runs. But they stayed true to their roots and slayed wicked powdah lines, cause lets face it - nobody can dominate big mountains like these guys.
By Mikey Van Beuren, TGR Intern/Joey who hails from the Jersey Shore.
- Blog post
- 3 years ago
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News: Alaska's Manitoba Mounta News: Alaska's Manitoba Mountain Begins To Take Shape
- From: ryandunfee
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Description:
A look at the front side of Manitoba Mountain on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Someday, three surface lifts will take you to the top.
October 10, 2011
— Ryan Dunfee
This fall the Mountain Rider’s Alliance, a burgeoning group dedicated to "creating sustainable mountain playgrounds," takes its first step to develop the Manitoba Mountain Ski Area Restoration Project in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The MRA is set to submit an application for Phase I — a Nordic center — with the hopes of opening for the 2012-13 season.
Manitoba's Project Manger Dave Scanlan said downhill skiing operations won't begin for another two to three years, but if and when they do, three surface lifts will access 10,000 acres of high-angle terrain, with face after face of Chugach-style spines running 270 degrees from the ridge along Surface Lift III (3,700 feet) up to the Block Chutes Headwall and Silvertip Mountain (5,020 feet). Think Silverton Mountain with heli-quality AK terrain, accessible for about $40 a day. The fact that Chugach Powder Guides sought out an exploratory permit for an area an hour and a half skin from Manitoba validates the potential of the terrain here.
Manitoba Mountain's side country.
Jamie Schectman, co-founder of the Mountain Rider’s Alliance, says that today's equipment technology has steepened the learning curve for aspiring freeriders. Skier and snowboarders have advanced and ski areas should advance, too.
"We haven't had ski area development to keep up with the fact that there's a lot more people getting after it,” Schectman said.
Aside from Silverton, the Schlasmans lift at Bridger Bowl and the new Polar Chair at Fernie, Schectman sees that there hasn't been a significant amount of resort expansion into high-angle terrain in North America.
Check out Manitoba Mountain's backside.
MRA is currently brainstorming how this new area would run operationally, but talks have revolved around everything from a Silverton-style guiding operation to a waiver-based backcountry access system, or requiring attendance at backcountry awareness seminars held at the ski area before accessing the goods out the gates.
MRA is also entertaining the development of an avalanche safety and guide training center, perhaps in conjunction with one of the local schools, something Schectman notes is largely absent in North America, compared with the opportunities available in Europe.
While the MRA says they will only develop infrastructure and grow the operation in line with the demand they see — they'd be happy with 150 to 200 riders on a Saturday the first few years — two cards play in their favor.
The three planned surface lifts access a low-angle, open meadow perfect for beginners and families, which also receives sun during the darkest months of the year. MRA is intent on making this area accessible to the 325,000 people that live within a 2 1/2 hour drive from Manitoba by offering them an affordable and down-home skiing experience.
This is a closer look at the "Juneau Headwall" backcountry access area.
Second, none of the meadow is entrained by the high-angle avalanche terrain sitting outside the boundaries of the mountain, which will keep the operational burden low by negating the need for a large snow-safety program to protect in-bounds terrain.
Scanlan, a long-time Hope, Alaska, resident has spent 10 years planning ski areas in Alaska and originally became involved in the project when a neighbor in nearby Cooper Landing, 30 minutes from Manitoba, approached him to help develop winter tourism in the area, specifically related to skiing.
After meeting with state and U.S. Forest Service representatives, it was recommended the MRA begin by building and running a Nordic center on the state land at the base of the proposed ski area before they expand into downhill skiing operations.
The state land encompasses the lower 500 vertical feet of land at the base of Manitoba Mountain, which is the site of an old ski area that last operated in 1960.
With a summer tourist boom juxtaposed against a largely shuttered wintertime tourism industry, Scanlan sees an opportunity to better the local population’s year-round employment prospects while also serving the community’s recreation wishes.
While no lift-assisted shredding will go down for several years, you can be sure plenty of people in both the Lower 48 and in Alaska will be watching closely to see how MRA's inspirational vision of a new kind of ski area develops.
For more, visit www.skimanitobamountain.com and www.mountainridersalliance.com.
The view from the top of Manitoba Mountain, looking toward the "Block Chutes."
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
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Video: Avalanche On Tahoe Pass Video: Avalanche On Tahoe Pass Collides With Car
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Description:
Avalanches are scary things but imagine if you’re driving in a whiteout and you suddenly get side-swiped by one! Shot about 4 days ago, these guys were filming themselves driving through the whiteout when the car in front manages to take the full force of a small avalanche. Don’t let the phrase ’small’ put you off, it’s still an avalanche! The driver had his window open so the car filled with snow and got pushed with some force! Luckily all passengers climbed out of the car unhurt but it’s still pretty scary!
-Skiunion.MPORA.com
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 7166
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