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Chickering-Ayers, Paaso, Bell, Chickering-Ayers, Paaso, Bell, And Rozies Win FWT In Kirkwood
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
3 Americans and 1 Frenchie take the top spots at the fourth stop of the FWT, TGR's Ryland Bell posts the highest score of the day.
By Greg Fitzsimmons
“Variable” was the word of the day at the fourth stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face at Kirkwood. Variable snow conditions underfoot made the challenging Cirque venue — the permanently closed terrain at Kirkwood — heavier than normal. There were a lot of high-speed crashes and tooth-rattling backslaps during the only stateside comp of the season. In the end, the winners of the male and female ski and snowboard fields displayed solid fundamentals en route to earning their titles.
Mad River Glen’s Lars Chickering-Ayers took home the win in the men’s ski field, showing total control in the difficult conditions. Chickering-Ayers has found a home on big-mountain contest podiums in recent years, but he excelled on the variable snow in Kirkwood, linking a technical line in his typical full-throttle assault that fans of big-mountain competitive skiing have come to expect. Without any hesitation, Lars billy-goated through volcanic rock, pioneered a mandatory air into a chute, and laced clean GS-turns through the venue, making exposed and difficult terrain look fun.
“I wasn't really planning to win here,” said Chickering-Ayers. “I just came out to spend time with family and have fun. I have skied these types conditions in competition in the past and knew how to deal with them. The skiing was my favorite part of the day.”
Chickering-Ayers was awarded a score of 75.33 to take the top spot at Kirkwood. The “Flying Frenchman” Julien Lopez and Kiwi FWT rookie Charlie Lyons rounded out the podium in second and third place, respectively.
Tahoe local Jaclyn Paaso won on the women’s ski side with a score of 71.67. Paaso had a difficult first half of the season on the FWT, but skied a fluid line en route to winning the comp. The Squaw Valley female skier known for sending huge cliffs skied a smart comp line. Paaso stomped a cool air off the ridge over exposed rock, cleanly navigated a tight s-turn chute, and skied out of a bottom air on the venue to take the top spot in Kirkwood.
“I have had a number of crashes this season and really needed a win. It feels great to come out on top,” said Paaso. “I took my run down a notch this time because I needed to stay on my feet. Making it to the finish line was the best part for me.”
Paaso’s win made her the first female skier to dethrone Sweden’s Christine Hargin this year. Hargin was perfect so far on the FWT with wins in Revy and Cham (the women didn’t compete in Italy this year), but Hargin took a hard fall during her run in Kirkwood. Pia Nic Gunderson of Norway took second and the third place spot went to American Ashley Maxfield.
Squaw Valley’s Ryland Bell parlayed a wildcard entry into a win in men’s snowboarding. Bell, one of the stars of the Further movies, spun a backside 360 off the ridge and a frontside 360 into a chute during his line. His score of 87.67 was the highest score awarded by the judges to any competitor throughout the day. American Sammy Luebke took second and Swiss rider Emilien Badoux rounded out the men’s snowboard podium.
“This was my first win ever,” said Bell. “My stoke level is really high. I wanted to do tricks, try to flow, and have fun.”
After consecutive second-place finishes on the FWT, French rider Margot Rozies finally won in Kirkwood. Her consistent riding throughout the season meant that Rozies was the overall tour leader going into Kirkwood. After her fast and fluid winning line, Rozies has a firm grasp on the tour title with two stops left. Elodie Mouthon and Shannon Yates finished in second and third, respectively.
Now, the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face heads back to Europe for the last two comps of the year. Fieberbrunn, Austria is on-deck before all attention will focus on Verbier’s famed Bec de Rosses venue for the FWT finale.
Overall Ski Men Standings
1 Tabke, Drew (USA) 6500.00
2 Heitz, Jérémie (SUI) 6200.00
3 Lopez, Julien (FRA) 5820.00
4 Lyons, Charlie (NZL) 4900.00
5 Barkered, Reine (SWE) 4595.00
6 Studer, Fabio (AUT) 4340.00
7 Gauthier, Laurent (CAN) 4180.00
8 Eder, Markus (ITA) 4048.00
9 Lindberg, Wille (SWE) 3900.00
10 White-Allen, Oakley (USA) 3885.00
11 Ducroz, Aurelien (FRA) 3685.00
12 Guri, Kevin (FRA) 3470.00
13 Post, Griffin (USA) 3445.00
14 Chickering-Ayers, Lars (USA) 3395.00
15 Collin, Sean (USA) 3070.00
Overall Ski Women Standings
1 Wallner, Nadine (AUT) 6025.00
2 Gundersen, Pia Nic (NOR) 5980.00
3 Hargin, Christine (SWE) 5975.00
4 Maxfield, Ashley (USA) 4895.00
5 Paaso, Jacklyn (USA) 4630.00
6 Wright, Crystal (USA) 4265.00
7 Slinning, Anne May (NOR) 4200.00
8 Huber, Lorraine (AUT) 3255.00
9 Segal, Natalie (AUS) 2955.00
10 McMillan, Jess (USA) 2260.00
Overall Snowboard Men Standings
1 Backstrom, Ralph (USA) 6325.00
2 Luebke, Sammy (USA) 5980.00
3 Badoux, Emilien (SUI) 5585.00
4 Guillot-Diat, Ludovic (FRA) 5290.00
5 Routens, Aurelien (FRA) 5200.00
6 Charlet, Jonathan (FRA) 4095.00
7 Carlson, Tim (USA) 4060.00
8 Rodosky, John (USA) 3870.00
9 Orley, Flo (AUT) 3730.00
10 Van Helfteren, Irian (NED) 3615.00
11 Rizzuto, Jamie (CAN) 3220.00
12 Rouge, Joel (SUI) 3215.00
13 Annetts, Matt (USA) 2715.00
14 Bell, Ryland (USA) 2500.00
15 De Le Rue, Xavier (FRA) 2130.00
Overall Snowboard Women Standings
1 Rozies, Margot (FRA) 6900.00
2 Mouthon, Elodie (FRA) 5805.00
3 Dewey, Laura (USA) 5415.00
4 Lucas, Casey (USA) 5400.00
5 Yates, Shannan (USA) 4480.00
6 Lazzareschi, Iris (USA) 4205.00
7 Mouthon, Anouck (FRA) 4040.00
8 Bock, Aline (GER) 3435.00Staying at Kirkwood is the way to go, sure beats driving from South Lake Tahoe. Book your next Kirkwood vacation pacakge at: http://mountainreservations.com
- Blog post
- 3 months ago
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Kirkwood Hosts Stop No. 4 Of F Kirkwood Hosts Stop No. 4 Of Freeride World Tour
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
CLICK HERE to watch today’s event live. The action gets underway at 9 a.m. PST as the ski women drop in.
The FWT comes stateside to kickoff the second half of the season
By Greg FitzsimmonsThe fourth stop of the newly unified Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face goes down stateside today at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. We’re halfway through the FWT, with stops in Revelstoke, Courmayeur, and Chamonix in the rearview mirror, and Fieberbrunn and Verbier coming up after the sole comp of the season in the United States.
Today’s action will take place on Kirkwood’s famed Cirque, a permanently closed rock-littered zone that introduces a new type of terrain into the FWT mix this season. The Cirque is almost 1,500 vertical feet of exposed terrain, with tight chutes, big cliffs, scattered trees, and open bowls for arching turns. Unlike Mac Face in Revy and the venues on the Italian and French sides of the Mont Blanc, Kirkwood’s Cirque is a wide, venue with a mix of steep aspects and bench-like sections that will require some navigation from the competitors if they’re going to ski the Cirque fluidly from top to bottom.
Per usual, the athletes are working off of a visual inspection only, and the consensus is divided amongst athletes. Fall-line chargers will be tasked with finding terrain that suits their style, while freestyle jibbers might have an advantage with the abundance of natural features that are primed for a playful approach.
“The Cirque at Kirkwood is a powerful place in the history of freeride, and I take riding it very seriously. It’s a pretty big face, so solid runs definitely have to be high speed and powerful so you don't spend multiple minutes up there,” said current tour leader Drew Tabke. “But there are lots of airs with good takeoffs and steep landings, so there is definitely a place for freestyle as well.”
Tabke’s blend of full-tilt and playful charging has earned him the overall tear leader spot going into the fourth stop of the FWT. With wins in Revelstoke and Chamonix, Tabke’s approach has been rewarded so far on the tour, and rightly so.
Other athletes, like last year’s overall FWT Champion Reine Barkered, aren’t super psyched on the Cirque’s prospects. “I don’t believe [the venue] suits me that well,” said Sweden’s Barkered. “On the top part you can go pretty fast, but in the middle and bottom sections you will have to slow down since there are a lot of airs to flat landings. I like to send my cliffs with speed so it might be better for the more freestyle influenced riding as there are a few transfers and kickers.”
It’s ladies first on the venue today, with the ski women kicking things off. There was a storm last week that dropped a few inches of fresh snow on the venue, but temps have gotten warm the last few days and there’s a spring break vibe in the Sierra Nevadas.
“The venue is in rough shape, but still has a ton of fun potential,” said Jackson Hole’s Crystal Wright, who has had solid showings in Kirkwood in the past. “I am looking at the same line as last year but hoping to ski it better if I can. It is fast and fluid and it makes me happy! [That line] is the only thing that is jumping out at me when I look at the venue.”
With Kirkwood’s Cirque possibly favoring a more playful approach to skiing and riding, there are a few names in the start list to take note of. Last year’s North American-based Freeskiing World Tour Champion Josh Diaek is a longtime Kirkwood local, and Diaek has won the last two comps on his home turf. Look for Diaek to blast a fast, creative line through the Cirque that mixes trickery with fall-line skiing. If big-mountain jibbing is the predicted approach for Kirkwood, Euros Fabio Studer and Markus Eder and Americans Johnny Collinson and Colter Hinchliffe are names to watch, too. But, don’t sleep on Tabke, Barkered, Oakley White-Allen, and Jérémie Heitz—who is sitting in second place overall behind Tabke—to put on full-throttle show.
On the women’s ski side, Sweden’s Christine Hargin is riding a lot of momentum into today’s comp after sweeping the first two stops of the FWT in Revy and Cham. Jess McMillan and Crystal Wright, both from Jackson Hole, have a lot of experience on the Cirque and are due for strong showings.Save Big on Kirkwood Mountain Resort discount lift tickets through Liftopia.com
The men’s snowboard field should be interesting to watch as Squaw Valley’s Ralph Backstrom will don the yellow bib, which denotes the overall tour leader. Another Squaw rider, Ryland Bell, who has been sending it on Jeremy Jones’s Further project, will slide into the FWT start gate for the first time this season. Frenchmen Jonathan Charlet got his 2013 season going in the right direction with a win in Chamonix, and Sammy Luebke always brings a fresh approach to riding; both will be throwing down in Kirkwood.
Tahoe locals Casey Lucas (from Kirkwood) and Iris Lazzareschi (from Squaw) will be looking to represent in front of their hometown fans as they take on overall tour leader Margot Rozies, Snowbird’s Laura Dewey, and the rest of the snowboard women field.
Some competitors are in good shape going into the Kirkwood stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face. Tabke and Hargin sit atop the men’s and women’s ski fields thanks to two wins by each athlete so far this year. Ralph Backstrom has ridden consistently en route to being the tour leader of the snowboard men at the halfway point of the FTW, and French rider Margot Rozies is on top of snowboard women after her win in front of her home crowd in Chamonix.
Other competitors are feeling the pressure, however. There are no guaranteed spots for the final in Verbier, and everyone is vying for a bib to compete on the renowned Bec de Roses venue in Switzerland. So, look for a high level of skiing and riding today in Kirkwood, and at the subsequent stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria in early March, as competitors are working to solidify invites to Verbier.
CLICK HERE to watch today’s event live. The action gets underway at 9 a.m. PST as the ski women drop in. - Blog post
- 3 months ago
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Eye Catchers: 10 Noteworthy Sk Eye Catchers: 10 Noteworthy Ski Products From SIA 2013
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
The SIA Snow Show rolled through Denver last weekend like a carnival—it popped up quickly, took over for a few days, and disappeared overnight. There was some serious shoptalk and geeking-out that went down during the four-day ski and snowboard trade show. We were on the floor throughout, scouring the booths, talking with brands, and checking out the gear that’s on-tap for next season. There’s a lot for skiers to get excited about next year, from bindings and backpacks to skis and jackets. Here are ten pieces of gear that we were introduced to at SIA and think you need to know about.
Kastle FX Skin
Kastle has come up with the answer for the age-old problem of getting shit stuck to the glue of your climbing skins: make a skin without using glue. Like an octopus, the FX Skin uses thousands of tiny suction cups to stick to the ski, which means dirt, water, and dog hair are no longer a worry when slapping your skins on for the climb. For now, the FX Skin is only available cut to fit the Kastle FX line of skis, which are worth checking out, too.
Völkl One & Two
The One (blue) and Two (red) skis by Völkl are the perfect ski for jibbers looking “to take it the backcountry.” With “early” taper in the tip and tail and full rocker, this line will be the go-to quiver for guys looking to spin and stomp, get pitted and arc pow turns—like Dash and Dylan. A multi-layered wood core promises a poppy feel, the vertical sidewalls mean bomber quality, and the playful tail will allow for skiers to get creative in deep snow.
K2 Shax
We’re always psyched when we can consolidate gear and cut down on the equipment we have to schlep in packs during backcountry missions. So, people were talking at SIA when K2 unfurled their new “shax”—a combination of an ice ax and rescue shovel. This thing has many functions: rescue shovel, hoe, deadman anchor, flat surface for cooking, and, now, a removable handle with an interchangeable ice axe head. It all packs down into the size and weight of a normal shovel. The Shax is the go-to tool for booting up the couloir, building booters, and rescue situations.
Rossignol Soul 7
The hype surrounding the Soul 7 (and Soul Series) is loud right now, and rightly so. The Soul 7 is 106mm underfoot with “Powder Turn Rocker” and boasts a new ultra‐lightweight core and new Air Tip technology that has reduced the ski weight by 20%. “At 106 underfoot, the Soul 7 is the new do‐it‐all, go‐to ski,” said Rossi pro Matty Richard. This ski is the bridge between backcountry, freeride, and freestyle; it’s super light for going uphill and spinning of features, but doesn’t compromise an ounce of performance when you’re clicked in. This one’s a blaster.
Dalbello Krypton Lupo (Sean Pettit Pro Model) Boot
Dalbello’s KR2 Series is building on the momentum it’s seen over the last few years, and unveiling a new pro model called the Lupo S.P. that looks and feels burly. Sean Pettit’s 98mm last pro model boot is geared for big mountain charging, and keeps the hiking and skinning in mind, too. With an ultra-burly cuff, high-traction mid sole rubber, and replaceable toe and heel, this 130 flex, three-buckle boot is legit.
Smith Inspired Designs Helmet and Goggles
The new Smith I/D Project has created a series integrated—as always with Smith—goggles and helmets based on colors and graphics that the athletes are clamoring for and inspired by. The end products are sweet. Sage’s Chakana I/O goggle and Vantage helmet boast a matte purple look and incorporates Incan mythology that Sage believes in and Bobby Brown’s Digital I/O goggle and Maze helmet are inspired by the London tube map when he was in the UK at the Olympics.
Patagonia PowSlayer and Untracked
The Patagonia PowSlayer kit has garnered a devout following in its first year on the market for its lightweight and durable design and freeride fit. The second iteration of PowSlayer is only getting better! With an articulated fit made for charging skiers, thoughtful design that allows for backpack straps, high-back bib with belt loops for après, and sick colors, the PowSlayer is a must-have kit. And, the Untracked pant and jacket blends a hardshell’s waterproofness with the breathability of a softshell. Look for awesome color combos like Yvonn’s favorite, army green with purple.
Mammut Pro Protection Airbag Backpack
Mammut has recently acquired Snowpulse which means that the airbag in all Mammut snow packs will be geared 100 percent toward snowsports. The new Pro Protection Airbag pack is the perfect example of an avalanche airbag pack that is designed for the serious skier. 35 liters of volume means there’s a ton of room for overnight hut trips, the back entry makes it easy to get into the pack’s main compartment, and the shape of the Snowpulse airbag aims at helping combat trauma in an avalanche in addition to helping flotation. Mammut is also working on a canister rental program with retailers to make sure that when you travel to BC or Europe from North America you don’t have to stress about your canister.
BCA Tracker3 Beacon and BC Link Walkie
The Tracker has been a go-to beacon for backcountry skiers for a long time because of the ease of use, and now the Tracker 3 comes in a smaller package. The T3 still boasts the industry’s fastest and most precise pinpointing with an instantaneous display, but it’s now 20% smaller and lighter than the Tracker2 and has three antennas. The BC Link walkie means that backcountry travel and communication aren’t mutually exclusive. Going one-at-a-time doesn’t have to compromise communication anymore. The real-time communication system is easy to use with gloves on and designed to be worn with all backpacks.
Dynafit Beast Binding
If you’ve been on a month-long hut trip or haven’t paid your internet bill for awhile, you might not know that Dynafit is unfurling The Beast. The 16 DIN binder has created a frenzy among charging backcountry skiers and for good reason. The Dynafit Beast 16 DIN binding is serious. The frameless touring binding is looking to change the entire binding category, blurring the once definitive line between an alpine binding and a touring setup.
A Few Other Products to Note:
Tyrolia, Elan, and Fischer will be producing a 16 DIN alpine binding called the Adrenaline that looks to be a solid competitor to the Jester, Driver, and others on the market. It’s lighweight design, low profile tow piece, and tight mounting pattern make it a binding to check out if you’re looking for a bomber alpine binder.
Line will be unveiling the Sick Day Series of skis that athletes like Colter Hinchliffe, Andrew Whiteford, and Max Hammer had a major role in the development of the three-ski line—with widths of 125mm, 110mm, and 95mm underfoot. Line’s Sick Day Series are surfy, stable, and fun.
Chris Davenport recently joined forces with Scarpa to create the Freedom SL Freeride Boot. It’s lightweight (3 pounds, 15 ounces per boot), durable (Pebax and carbon-fiber construction), strong (120 flex), and comes stock with an Intuition FR Speed liner. - Blog post
- 3 months ago
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Pillow Talk With Coltson VB Pillow Talk With Coltson VB
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Colston VB on his way up in Revelstoke to film "Pillow Talk."
This January in Revelstoke, while 60-plus competitors on the newly-formed Freeride World Tour were waiting for a weather window to compete in the season’s first comp, a couple of buddies from Rossaland, British Columbia, set out on a three-day mission on Roger’s Pass. The goal: find a few pillow zones that BC is known for, detonate said pillow zones, and capture the riding on film.
The two-man team consisted of 21-year-old Revy-based skier Colston VB, who we highlighted last spring as one of the 10 Skiers On the Rise, and cinematographer David Peacock, who is a partner in the up-and-coming BC-based production outfit named Absolute Zero. Together, the duo created one of the sickest mini-edits to drop in awhile. Colston’s smeary style and Peacock’s fresh approach to filming combined in the making of “Pillow Talk.”
“We went to three different zones on three different days,” says Colston VB. “I’ve been out here in Revy for almost a month and I haven’t gone to the same spot more than a few times. There’s just so much to explore. One of the main zones that we filmed in is actually really easy to get to. It’s only a short skin off the highway on Roger’s Pass.”
The pillows that Colston’s boosting has skiers and riders frothing, and the visually compelling backdrops has filmmakers and photogs flipping out. That crazy looking, vertically striated peak in the background is Mount Ross, and it’s pillow heaven. “It’s such a cool mountain,” says Colston, “But honestly, there are so many like it around Revelstoke. That’s how it is out here — a lot of these mountains mimic what you’ll see in the Swiss Alps.”
From a filmmaker’s perspective, the terrain around Roger’s Pass was the perfect canvas to create on. “Each of the three zones we visited provided amazing potential for shooting,” says David Peacock. “Being able to get into the Ross Peak zone was a pretty awesome time. Having the sun pop as we were making our way up the steep skin track made us a little giddy, and when we emerged into the zone we couldn't wait to pull the trigger. Backlit spines and twinkling snow is what we dream about!”
Colston VB dreaming in a bed of pillows. - Blog post
- 4 months ago
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Tabke, Charlet, Hargin, Dewey Tabke, Charlet, Hargin, Dewey Win FWT Stop No. 3 In Chamonix
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
The venue for the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face in Chamonix, France.
The third stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face took place in Chamonix, France last weekend. The field of men made the short trip to the French side of the Mont Blanc after the second stop in Courmayeur, Italy, and the female competitors met for the second time this season after competing on “Mac Daddy” in Revelstoke, Canada.
Drew Tabke airs into his line. Photo by D. Daher.
The North Face of the Aiguille Pourrie served as the venue for the comp. From the start gate at 2,400-meters, athletes had a handful of options to lace together a line that fit their style of skiing. A lot of the ski men opted for the ridge run skier’s right out of the start gate. With a big natural air on the ridge and playful hips or techy chutes lower down, the skier’s right side of the venue saw a lot of traffic. Directly falline of the start gate was an exposed and high-consequence zone of pepper, tight skiing, and the biggest air on the venue—that Canadian Laurent Gauthier dropped, found a perfect tranny, put the 50-plus footer to the bolts, and earned a top-ten spot for his efforts. And, if competitor’s ventured a little skier’s left and then fallline from the start gate they got to boost a large entry-air cornice and then have their choice of hips, chutes, and side-airs to play with.
Men's ski podium: 1. Drew Tabke (USA) 91.67 2. Fabio Studer (AUT) 87.00 3. Willie Lindberg (SWE) 84.33. Photo by Jeremy Bernard.
In the end, the winning line was hidden in left side over the venue, and it took Drew Tabke to find it and stomp it. Tabke, now the overall tour leader halfway through the season, linked a creative line from the top entry air via the cornice, finding a lofty natural hip that sent him about 60 feet into a chute, and then capping the run off with a sleepy three on the bottom portion of the venue. Tabke’s creativity and blend of big-mountain charging and trickery was rewarded by the judges with a score of 91.67, the highest score dolled out to any competitor on the day.
In second place, Austrian Fabio Studer opted for the ridge on the skier’s right ridge. Studer put on a clinic stomping a hand-drag 360 off of the large natural air on the ridge then unleashing a cork 720 into an exposed section, and drawing aggressive fallline turns through the gnar. And, in third place, Sweden’s Willie Lindberg took the right-hand approach. Lindberg’s high-speed, full-throttle line included a large air into the lower chute, and then finding a keyhole exit into the Cham chunder fields.
Men’s Snowboard podium: (Top 10) 1. Jonathan Charlet (FRA) 90.33 2. Ralph Backstrom (USA) 88.00 3. Sammy Luebke (USA) 76.33. Photo by Jeremy Bernard. 
Jonathan Charlet. Photo by Phillip Field. 
Ralph Backstrom in Chamonix. Photo by D. Daher.
On the men’s snowboard side, French rider and 2012 FWT Overall Snowboard Champ Jonathan Charlet took the win in front of his home country’s fans. Charlet blasted two features up top, found pow on a ramp rider’s right, and exited off the ramp with a big air on the bottom. TGR’s own Ralph Backstrom came in second place, landing on the podium again after winning the Revy comp, and earning the overall leader position going into the fourth stop of the season. And, Sammy Luebke snagged the third spot on the podium for men’s snowboard.
Women’s Ski podium: 1. Christine Hargin (SWE) 80.00 2. Nadine Wallner (AUT) 72.33 3. Pia Nic Gunderson (NOR) 70.67. Photo by Jeremy Bernard.
Overall 2012 Champion Christine Hargin, of Ramundberget, Sweden, is putting together a serious bid for a repeat as World Champ after winning in the ski women’s comp in Cham. Hargin’s score of an even 80 was almost eight points higher than runner-up Nadine Wallner, of Austria, who scored a 72.33 to take second. Hargin’s back-to-back wins in Revy and Chamonix were done in similar fashion: strong, fast, athletic, and aggressive. Norway’s Pia Nic Gunderson came in third.
Women’s Snowboard podium: 1. Laura Dewey (USA) 70.00 2. Margot Rozies (FRA) 69.00 3. Aline Bock (GER) 57.33. Photo by Jeremy Bernard.
And, Snowbird’s Laura Dewey battled through a string of bad luck traveling—Dewey arrived in Chamonix less than 24 hours before dropping in to compete on borrowed gear because of lost luggage—to earn the victory in women’s snowboard. French rider Margot Rozies took second, the same result she had in Revy. Rozies’s consistent presence on the podium so far means she’s the current tour leader after two stops. And, in third place was German rider Aline Bock.
After two big-mountain comps on the Italian and French sides of the Month Blanc that were as good as it gets, the FWT says “au revoir” to the Alps. The next stop will be stateside at Kirkwood Mountain Resort and is scheduled to go down February 27 in Kirkwood’s famed Cirque. Drew Tabke and Christine Hargin, Ralph Backstrom and Margot Rozies will be bedecked in the yellow bibs that denote the current overall tour leaders when the action gets going again in Kirkwood.
Stay tuned for more FWT coverage.
Men’s Ski Results (Top 10)
1. Drew Tabke (USA) 91.67
2. Fabio Studer (AUT) 87.00
3. Willie Lindberg (SWE) 84.33
4. Reine Barkered (SWE) 83.33
5. Julien Lopez (FRA) 82.67
6. Oakley White-Allen (USA) 81.00
7. Jérémie Heitz (SUI) 73.00
8. Charlie Lyons (NZL) 72.67
9. Laurent Gauthier (CAN) 71.33
10. Samuel Anthamatten (SUI) 69.67
Men’s Snowboard Results (Top 10)
1. Jonathan Charlet (FRA) 90.33
2. Ralph Backstrom (USA) 88.00
3. Sammy Luebke (USA) 76.33
4. Irian Van Helfteren (NED) 71.67
5. Flo Orley (AUT) 69.67
6. Emilien Badoux (SUI) 67.33
7. Ludovic Guillot-Diat (FRA) 66.33)
8. Tim Carlson (USA) 61.33
9. Jamie Rizzuto (CAN) 60.33
10. Xavier de Le Rue (FRA) 42.67
Women’s Ski Results (Top 10)
1. Christine Hargin (SWE) 80.00
2. Nadine Wallner (AUT) 72.33
3. Pia Nic Gunderson (NOR) 70.67
4. Lorraine Huber (AUT) 69.33
5. Crystal Wright (USA) 64.00
6. Anne May Slinning (NOR) 61.33
7. Ashley Maxfield (USA) 55.00
8. Jess McMillan (USA) 40.00
9. Natalie Segal (AUS) 23.67
10. Jacklyn Paason (USA) 16.67
Women’s Snowboard Results (Top 7)
1. Laura Dewey (USA) 70.00
2. Margot Rozies (FRA) 69.00
3. Aline Bock (GER) 57.33
4. Casey Lucas (USA) 55.67
5. Elodie Mouthon (FRA) 53.67
6. Anouck Mouthon (FRA) 52.00
7. Iris Lazzareschi (SAU) 38.00 - Blog post
- 4 months ago
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Freeride World Tour Heads To C Freeride World Tour Heads To Chamonix For Stop No. 3
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:The Swatch Freeride World Tour By The North Face venue in Chamonix, France.
The third stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face will go down on Saturday, January 26, in Chamonix, France. And, as has been the fortunate circumstance of the newly unified FWT so far this season, Chamonix’s conditions and terrain are primed for a great show.
The Alps will have hosted the second and third stops of the Freeride World Tour, with stops on the Italian and French sides of the Mont Blanc in Courmayeur and Chamonix. Prior to settling down in the French hub of freeriding, the second stop of the FWT went down last week on the rocky and steep venue in Courmayeur. The male field of ski and snowboard competitors battled it out during the event in Italy.
A recap video of FWT stop No. 2 in Courmayeur, Italy.
Courmayeur recap:
With deep pow underfoot, blue skies over head, the south side of the Mont Blanc as the backdrop, and Courmayeur’s gnarly 1,200-foot Tête d’Arp as the venue, the male competitors—33 skiers and 15 riders—laid it down. The Tête d’Arp terrain offered something for every approach to competitive big-mountain skiing and riding. With a technical, rocky top section out of the start gate, a playful mini-golf zone down the ridge, and steep chutes to air into and link up, the venue allowed for full-tilt chargers and park-inspired jibbers to do their thing.
In the end, Italian big-mountain-jibber Markus Eder posted the highest score of the day in front of his home crowd. Eder opted for the playful mini-golf zone off the ridge and laced high-speed turns before lofting a huge, sleepy, left-side three in an exposed section. Eder managed to throw a backie and make some switch pow turns, too. His blend of big-mountain blasting up high and playful tricks on the lower portion earned him a score of 89.67 and the top spot with the men.
“I’m stoked with my line,” said Eder. “I hoped to be on the podium but to win is really fantastic.”
Swiss skier Jérémie Heitz has gotten comfortable on the podium this season, with consecutive second place finishes at the first two stops of the FWT. The consistent skiing from Heitz means he’ll be donning the yellow jersey in Chamonix, which denotes the overall tour leader. Heitz is quickly making a name for himself for his charging, fall-line approach and patented high-speed doubles. So far, Heitz’s insanely fast runs have left spectators spinning and has forced judges to go back to a replay because both of his technical runs have taken place in a flash.
Sweden’s Reine Barkered, last year’s overall FWT Champion, rounded out the skiing podium in Italy. Other highlights included Julien Lopez’s all-or-nothing approach. Lopez was the last skier to drop into Tête d’Arp, and rather than playing it safe and keeping his line to his feet, the “Flying Frenchman” pointed ’em. Unfortunately, Lopez lost control and took about 10 high-speed tomahawks down about 300-vertical-feet of the venue; fortunately, Lopez didn’t bang himself up and walked away to collect his “yard-saled” gear. (Check out the footage of Lopez’s crash; it’s full-on!)
On the snowboard side, Frenchman Aurélien Routens snagged his first FWT win ever. Routens nuked through the venue with a fast, clean run that included a few exposed airs at the top steep section. Routens capped off the winning run with a sick straight line at the bottom, earning a score of 83.67.
“It’s very emotional for me to win here,” said Routens. “It’s the first time I take the first step of the podium at a FWT stop. I was just riding as I am used to ride in my hometown La Grave. It’s a nice surprise and I am super happy.”
Jackson Hole’s John Rodosky’s creative line garnered him a second place finish with a score of 78.67. Rodosky found a handful of cool natural terrain features to throw his freestyle tricks. Swiss Emilien rounded out the Snowboard podium.
The Swatch Freeride World Tour By The North Face Stop No. 3 preview video.
Chamonix preview:
Now, after the short commute through the Mont Blanc Tunnel—or the ski to Chamonix via the world-renowned Vallée Blanche that a few athletes opted for to get from Courmayeur, Italy to downtown Chamonix, France—the field of male skiers and riders have met up with the female competitors for this weekend’s comp in Cham.
The third event will go down on Saturday, January 26 and there will be a live feed of the contest on TetonGravity.com. Due to snow conditions, the FWT had to change the venue to La Flégère at the top of the Index lift. And, the venue looks sweet.
On the men’s skiing side, you always have to tune in to watch Tabke, Chamonix local and past champ Aurélien Ducroz, Sweden’s Reine Barkered, and New Zealand’s Sam Smoothy. But, a few other names to take note of are current obviously overall FWT leader Jérémie Heitz, American skier Lars Chickering-Ayers, Zermat-based mountain guide/pro skier Sam Anthamatten, and Utah’s Oakley White Allen; all four bring a similar fall-line strategy to the Chamonix venue that could easily be rewarded by the judges—if they stay upright.
Jackson Hole’s longtime competitive skier Jess McMillan has made the trip to Cham to compete against reigning FWT overall champion Christine Hargin, and the rest of the women’s field. (I’d bet the house on McMillan, she’s talented, strong, and a seasoned competitive skier.)
You’d be a fool to overlook Chamonix local Xavier de Le Rue and Squaw’s Ralph Backstrom during the Men’s Snowboard contest. Both have had a lot of success in Chamonix and could be interchangeable atop the podium if they stand their lines up. Lastly, Margot Rozies and Elodie Mouthon—the two women from France that finished second and third, respectively, in Revy—are ready to represent their country in Cham when Saturday’s event gets going.
CLICK HERE to watch the event live on Saturday Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. CET (that's 1 a.m. MST).
And, check out the #FWT13 hashtag on Twitter for updates. - Blog post
- 4 months ago
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Freeride World Tour Goes Off I Freeride World Tour Goes Off In Revelstoke
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Ski and snowboard athletes put on a show on Mackenzine Face at Revelstoke Mountain Resort during stop No. 1 of the Freeride World Tour. Photo by B. Long.Words by Greg Fitzsimmons
The first stop of the newly structured Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face went down last Friday in a serious way. After waiting four days on a weather hold because of slow-moving storm that dropped 3 feet of snow on Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s 1,600-foot “Mac Daddy” face, 60-plus athletes from all over the world competed in men’s and women’s skiing and snowboarding.
With it all said and done, TGR’s Ralph Backstrom made a statement in men’s snowboarding, perennial podium-finisher Drew Tabke posted the day’s highest score en route to winning the men’s skiing title, Sweden’s Christine Hargin built on the momentum from last year’s overall FWT title with a win in women’s skiing, and Snowbird-based ripper Shannon Yates took home the hardware in women’s snowboarding.
It was clear from the first few men’s snowboarders to drop in on “Mac Daddy” that the conditions were no joke. Rider-triggered sluff exposed pepper on the skier’s right and skier’s left sides of the venue. But, creative competitors were able to find blower snow in zones unaffected by the slide activity.
Ralph Backstrom rages down "Mac Daddy" face on his way to win the first stop of the Freeride World Tour. Photo by B. Long.
Backstrom’s line perfectly exemplifies the creative approach to riding that had fans of “The Dream Factory” lauding his TGR segment and talking about his aggressive, full-on style. Being the penultimate snowboarder to drop in, Backstrom was able to observe a bit of the action before sliding into the start gate. Backstrom opted for a line on the skier’s left portion of the venue, and laced a high-speed triple drop before arching fast pow-turns through the trees on the bottom half of “Mac Daddy.” From the airs to the carefully dissected tree-line, Backstrom’s line was fluid, fast, and looked fun.
“I was a little nervous we wouldn’t have good light conditions after the past few days but was so excited to have bluebird skies,” explained Ralph Backstrom. “The super steep pitch of ‘Mac Daddy’ makes it difficult not to go over the handle bars when landing jumps. I really like the big features that exist on this terrain.”
Backstrom’s line earned him a score of 89.33, 10 points higher than runner-up Ludovic Guillot-Diat. La Grave’s Aurelien Routens rounded out the podium.
The field of men’s skiers dropped in next and the level of skiing on display in British Columbia was full-on. A lot of the chatter leading up to the comp centered around the “two dramatically different options” for line choices with the skier’s left lines described as “playful and flowy” and the skier’s right being “more gnarly and exposed, it’s traditional big-mountain skiing,” said longtime competitor Griffin Post prior to the event. No one took into account the direct fall-line approach that eventually earned Drew Tabke a mind-blowing score of 91 and a spot atop the podium.
The entire field of men’s skiers headed either right—runner-up Jeremie Heitz blasted through huge double at mock-speed in the exposed skier’s right zone—or left—third place finisher Julien Lopez skied a clean and controlled version of the triple that Backstrom rode on the skier’s left side of “Mac Daddy.” However, Tabke prospected an untouched line close to the gut of the venue, en route to posting the day’s highest score.
“When you look at the full image of ‘Mac Daddy’ face you see that if you go left your options for features ends pretty early and if you go right you have to traverse out,” says Tabke. “So, skiing the middle caught my eye. The line where I went was the most pure fall-line approach to the venue that still holds pow [and doesn’t slide].”
Along with the pow that Tabke was able to track up, his winning line included four distinct airs. “That exit air was the missing piece to my line,” says Tabke. “Once I found that air I moved uphill to connect the rest of the line. You can’t hit the first feature I hit and still get far left or far right. I think that top air is the best feature on the venue, but no one can hit it if you’re heading to the left or right. So, by choosing to do the last section I was able to get the top feature, too.”
Johnny Collinson spins a 360 at Revelstoke. Photo by J.ANTONIUK.
Aside from the top three men (Tabke, Heitz, and Lopex, respectively), Johnny Collinson’s line had everyone buzzing—in Revy and online. Collinson found a massive air on the skier’s right side of “Mac Daddy” and spun a sleepy three off of the downward takeoff. Despite augering in the landing, Collinson’s blend of big-mountain and freestyle skiing warrants mention.
On the women’s side, the female skiers and riders inherited a beat-up, sluffed-out, and debris-riddled venue after the men hammered “Mac Daddy.” The scores on the women’s side reflected the difficult conditions, with four of the 10 female skiers earning 40+ points. Defending FWT Champion, Christine Hargin, of Sweden, earned the win with a 65, followed by Norwegian Nadine Wallner and Aussie Nat Segal, respectively.
Shannon Yates stomped two airs and stayed on her feet to win the women’s snowboarding title, with French riders Margot Rozies in second and Elodie Mouthon in third.
Now, athletes are headed to the Alps for the second and third stops of the Freeride World Tour, with stops on the Italian and French sides of the Mont Blanc in Courmayeur and Chamonix. Italy’s Courmayeur hosts the second comp of the year on January 19th. CLICK HERE for the complete FWT schedule, and check back with TGR throughout the season for full coverage of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face.
Men's ski podium. Photo by R. SIHLIS.
Men's Ski Results
1. Drew Tabke, 91.00
2. Jeremie Heitz, 79.67
3. Julien Lopez, 73.00
4. Laurent Gauthier, 72.00
5. Charlie Lyons, 70.33
6. Griffin Post, 68.33
7. Sam Smoothy, 66.33
8. Nicolas Salencon, 62.33
9. Markus Eder, 59.00
10. Wille Lindberg, 56.33
Men's snowboard podium. Photo by R. SIHLIS.
Men's Snowboard Results
1. Ralph Backstrom, 89.33
2. Ludovic Guillot-Diat, 79.33
3. Aurelien Routens, 74.33
4. Tim Carlson, 70.33
5. Emilien Badoux, 63.67
6. Matt Annetts, 59.00
7. Joel Rouge, 54.67
8. John Rodosky, 53.67
9. Irian Van Helfteren, 44.67
10. Sammy Luebke, 41.67
Women's ski podium. Photo by B. Long.
Women's Ski Results
1. Christine Hargin, 65.00
2. Nadine Wallner, 58.00
3. Natalie Segal, 53.33
4. Pia Nic Gundersen, 40.33
5. Ashley Maxfield, 12.00
Women's snowboard podium. Photo by R. SIHLIS.
Women's Snowboard Results
1. Shannan Yates, 63.33
2. Margot Rozies, 58.00
3. Elodie Mouthon, 54.67
4. Casey Lucas, 50.33
5. Iris Lazzereschi, 43.00
6. Aline Bock, 40.67
7. Laura Dewey, 35.67
8. Anouck Mouthon, 33.33 - Blog post
- 4 months ago
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Swatch Freeride World Tour Ram Swatch Freeride World Tour Ramps Up In Revelstoke
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
The snow has been stacking up in Revelstoke. On Jan. 11, the first stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face is scheduled to pop off. Photo: D.CARLIER.
The Swatch Freeride World Tour Is Ready to Go
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by the North Face, and the action will go down on Mackenzie Peak at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Dubbed “Mac Daddy,” the face is a perfect venue for the best in the world. And, this year we actually get to see the best from all over. For years the North American-based Freeskiing World Tour and European-centric Freeride World Tour have run mutually exclusive contests during the winter, each crowning their own “World Champion” at the end of the season. This year, however, the tours have come together to create a unified world tour, aimed at pitting the best against each other and determining an indisputable World Champion in men’s and women’s big-mountain skiing and snowboarding.
The six-stop tour has handpicked venues throughout the world for big-mountain freeriding. In addition to this week’s Revelstoke comp, the FWT will stop on the Italian and French sides of the Mont Blanc in Courmayeur and Chamonix, in California’s Sierra Nevada at Kirkwood’s cliff-strewn Cirque, in the Tyrol Range where Fieberbrunn Pillerseetal exemplifies Austria’s terrain, and culminating in Switzerland at the infamous Bec de Rosses venue for the Swatch Xtreme Verbier.
Around 60 competitive big-mountain freeriders from all over the world have been posted up in Revy for about a week waiting for a weather window to run the contest. Just as the competitors started arriving, so did the snow. Upwards of three feet of snow has blanketed Revelstoke and set the “Mac Daddy” face up with insane conditions for Friday’s comp.
Among the competitors are TGR’s Griffin Post, Colter Hinchliffe and Ralph Backstrom.
Mackenzie Peak, the FWT venue, is just outside of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort Boundary. Photo via FWT.
“It has been snowing ever since we got here,” says Hinchliffe, who has been diligently icing and resting a banged up leg in the hopes of being able to compete. “Friday is supposed to be full-on bluebird, primo conditions. The fact that we’re waiting for the conditions to be right is going to make for a good show; it should be really sick.”
Post agrees: “It’s snowed probably two to three feet on the venue. If the snow locks up it should be all-time conditions.”
Relying strictly on a visual inspection — rather than being allowed to get into the venue to size-up airs, probe landings, and see first-hand what the conditions are like — athletes are constantly mulling over photographs of the “Mac Daddy” face to get familiar with the terrain and choose a line or determine a direction to head out of the start gate.
“There are two dramatically different options,” says Post. “Skier’s left is far more playful and flowy; whereas the skier’s right is more gnarly and exposed, it’s traditional big-mountain skiing. I’m pretty sure I’m headed skier’s left to get into some doubles and ski the less-exposed zone. I think the skier’s right is going to sluff super hard and with all of the new snow it is not the day I would want to ski it.”
“At this point I am doubtful rather than hopeful for Friday,” says Hinchliffe, “If I am feeling good Friday, though, I am looking at the skier’s right side of the venue, it’s exposed getting in but then there are a couple of nice features on the right side and that direction leaves a couple of options down low — a little roller or a third and fourth cliff. As far as the top, I’m looking to rip the face on the top and maybe find something to jump off.”
A skier gets deep in the fresh snow at Revelstoke. Photo: B. Long
With the merger of the North American and European tours, there are a lot of new names for fans US-based fans of big-mountain competitive skiing and snowboarding.
“The talent in men’s skiing is so deep,” says Post. “Pretty much every skier out there I’m excited to watch. There are younger guys who are super hungry and older, seasoned guys who are a little smarter. A few guys in particular are Sam Smoothy and Markus Eder, I always like watching Tabke, of course. It’s such a stacked field, it’s crazy how many really good skiers there are up here, and it’s anybody’s game.”
Hinchliffe shared his thoughts on the competition field.
“I am pretty stoked to see what Johnny Collinson is going to do out there," Hinchliffe said. "He seems to be feeling good right now, and he’s definitely not suffering from a leg injury. He’s been out there doing threes off of everything he can find. We’re on a similar wavelength. The standard Tabke show should be cool to watch, too. I’d like to see O’Meara kill it, I’m sure he will. I’m excited to see who pops up and who shines.”
Stay tuned for a recap of the comp.
Click Here To Watch A Live Stream Of The Event
Official Start List:Snowboard Men Last Name First Name Nationality Hometown Carlson Tim USA Stevens Pass Rodosky John USA Jackson Hole Badoux Emilien SUI Valais Alpes Van Helfteren Irian Holl Luebke Sammy USA Squaw Valley Rizzuto Jamie CAN Fernie Guillot-Diat Ludovic FRA Villard-de-Lans Annetts Matt USA Jackson Hole Charlet Jonathan FRA Chamonix Routens Aurelien FRA La Grave Rouge Joel SUI Alpes Vaudoises Backstrom Ralph USA Squaw Valley Orley Flo AUT Hochfugen Snowboard Women Last Name First Name Nationality Hometown Mouthon Anouck FRA La Clusaz Lucas Casey USA Kirkwood Yates Shannan USA Snowbird Mouthon Elodie FRA La Clusaz Rozies Margot FRA Pyrenees Bock Aline GER Innsbruck, Arlberg Lazzereschi Iris USA Squaw Valley Dewey Laura USA Snowbird Ski Men Last Name First Name Nationality Hometown Slemett Leo FRA Chamonix Mont-Blanc Lyons Charlie NZL Mt. Olympus Kappler Ryan CAN Revelstoke Coirier Adrien FRA Les Arcs Heitz Jeremie SUI Les Manecottes Gauthier Laurent CAN Whistler/Blackcomb Hinchliffe Colter USA Aspen, CO Salencon Nicolas ARG Bariloche Guri Kevin FRA Les Menuires Lindberg Willie SWE Rikgransen Post Griffin USA Jackson Hole Ducroz Aurelien FRA Chamonix Chickering-Ayers Silas USA Mad River Glen, VT Eder Markus ITA Klausberg Smoothy Sam NZL Treble Cone Lopez Julien FRA Tarentaise Tabke Drew USA Crystal Mountain Barkered Reine SWE Are, Sweden Hausl Stefan AUT Arlberg Michaud Seb FRA La Clusaz Collinson John USA Alta / Snow Bird Fornell Dani AND Ordino-Arcalis, Vallnord Nelson Luke CAN Fernie Ogilvie Benjamin CAN Fernie Haunholder Matthias AUT Fieberbrunn Daiek Josh USA Kirkwood Bijasson Mathieu FRA La Clusaz Collin Sean USA Squaw Valley O’Meara Kevin USA Squaw Valley Ski Women Last Name First Name Nationality Hometown Gundersen Pia Nic NOR Anstadblaheia Segal Natalie AUS Jackson Hole Slinning Anne May NOR Aalesund Wright Crystal USA Jackson Hole Walkner Eva AUT Dachstein Lercher Sonja CAN Blackcomb Paaso Jackie USA Squaw Valley Maxfield Ashley USA Jay Peak / Peak Hargin Christine SWE Ramundberget Wallner Nadine AUT Arlberg - Blog post
- 4 months ago
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The Pay Off - Sierra Storm Cha The Pay Off - Sierra Storm Chasing
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
The promise of precipitation was too much to ignore. A series of late November storms were lining up on the Pacific and barreling towards the Sierra Nevada. A lot of dialogue was swirling around about the systems, though, with everyone wondering, speculating, and predicting a full gamut of outcomes. Ranging from torrential rains up to 10,000 feet that could force the Tahoe communities to start from scratch, to rain at lake level foreshadowing copious amounts of blower above 7,000 feet. It seemed like every pow-starved skier and rider in Northern California fit one of two molds: Negative naysayer or eternal optimist.
For us, it was a worthwhile gamble on the last weekend of November. We knew full well that the potential rain would be a huge drag, forcing our crew to baton down the hatches of our West Shore cabin, watch football and drink whiskey in close quarters to pass the time, and ruminate and brood over what could have been. The other option that proved to be the impetus for us loading in the truck, weathering the pissing rain en route to Tahoe, and risking cabin fever can be summed up by one stat that had our heads spinning: The series of storms — if things lined up and it all came to a cold fruition — could drop as much as 100 inches on the Sierras.
It seemed like a no-brainer; we opted to head to Tahoe.
Friday afternoon was shit. Unrelenting rain followed us from Santa Cruz to Sacramento, but we held onto hope as we started climbing in elevation toward Donner Summit. If the temps started to drop as we climbed, the rain would turn to pow. But, as we crested Donner Pass, at 7,056 feet, the Truckee River raged with runoff and the thermometer on my dashboard read 36 degrees. That night was spent sipping on whiskey and hoping it was pounding up high.
Those predicting rain and a wet weekend nailed it for Saturday. We woke up early to check the snow reports, and drove to the base of Squaw hoping to see something different than what we read online. But, soaking wet tram operators greeted us in front of the closed tram doors. “Not today, guys,” they said beneath dripping hoods. “It’s snowing hard on top but the winds are too strong.”
So, biscuits and gravy in Rosie’s dining room — a Tahoe City institution — were followed immediately by IPAs at Rosie’s bar, which lead to pulling slots and playing cards at the Crystal Bay Casino. The precipitation didn’t stop, but neither did the winds. Kirkwood was spinning its chairs while getting buried by wet snow, but the chairlift-halting winds had most of Tahoe’s mountains in a holding pattern.
Finally, late Sunday morning the rain at lake level turned to heavy wet flakes that accumulated quickly. As the winds started pulling back in the late afternoon we pulled ourselves away from the slot machines and headed up to see what was happening at Mount Rose — the semi-secret hidden gem on the eastside of Lake Tahoe. With a base elevation of 8,260 feet, Rose offered a solid option to rectify the weekend and sample the snow. Skin tracks winding up to the Mount Rose backcountry were promising, 40-plus inches of fresh were sitting untracked on the mountain after two days of weather closure, and we decided to sit around one last night to see if Monday was a-go.
“That shift in weather on Sunday morning was very much expected,” said OpenSnow.com's Joel Gratz. “That was the cold front from the final storm that came through. That whole weekend event wasn’t one storm, but was a series of a few storms that drew a lot of moisture off the Pacific, which also drew a lot of warm air. That final storm was strong enough on Sunday morning to pull in colder air from the north. It just took a stronger storm, a stronger piece of energy, to drag that colder air down.”
As Mount Shasta was getting buried beneath 18 feet of snow, our guys called in sick to work on Monday. It proved to be a solid decision.
From Squaw to Mount Rose, the lift lines were sparse on Monday morning. Most of the pow-hungry masses were either at work or just over the weekend’s waiting game. But, Monday proved to be an all-time, early-winter day for the patient few whose priorities are straight.
Storm totals of 42 inches on the upper mountain at Squaw and 45 mid-winter inches blanketed Mount Rose, and bluebird skies sat over all of Lake Tahoe. The waiting game proved to be a war of attrition, but Monday’s conditions rewarded the patient.
What’s this mean looking forward and for everyone in Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho?
“There’s a difference between an individual storm and a general weather pattern. What happened last weekend in Tahoe was a series of individual storms, but what were tracking now is an overall change in the weather pattern,” Gratz said. “The storm pattern is going to shift to a different orientation which should hopefully bring in colder air for more areas and give some new areas a better chance to see snow. That’s not a guarantee that we’ll see big snowstorms, but at least it sets us up for the PNW, the northern Rockies, and down into Utah and Colorado to have better chances of consistent storms over the next few weeks. That’s the key: consistent cold storms. Some might be big and some might be small, but at least we’ll have [storms] every couple of days, which is the most important part when considering good powder skiing.”
So, here’s to hoping that all of our communal patience pays off this winter just like it did for us in Tahoe last weekend, because my body can’t handle much more waiting-game whiskey and my wallet definitely cannot take one more hand of “maybe-tomorrow-will-be-blower” blackjack.
It was a bluebird pow day at Mt. Rose on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012.
Is that a Soul Pole?
Cutting a rug at Mt. Rose.
Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffttt.
Vapor trails.
What it's all about. 
Pretty much crushing it at Squaw Valley early December 2012.
This is what winter looks like.
Straighten up and fly right. 
Time to track the living shit out of this. 
And now we can all breathe a sigh of relief, winter is here.
Don't Miss Out On Another Storm, Stay Up To Date On Snowfall In The TGR SnowLab - Blog post
- 5 months ago
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#instahashtagmagramstormski201 #instahashtagmagramstormski2012 Headed Right For Us!
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Many are saying Tahoe and the rest of the West is about to get pummeled with snow. Naysayers predict rain. #whatever #itson #7feetbitches !!
Social media platforms, blogs, and websites are a-buzz, and the chatter in dive bars from Tahoe City to Santa Cruz has been incessant about the series of storms barreling down on the Sierra Nevada. While professional meteorologists—and a few amateur radar watchers—were talking about this four-storm system weeks ago, the general public has just recently become privy to the news: Tahoe is about to get buried!
Over beers in Northern California’s dives and on headlines throughout the area, naysayers and sandbaggers are predicting rain. But those that know know that the first storm of the season—being dubbed “JW” by Kirkwood’s marketing guru Coop Cooper—signifies the actual beginning of winter in Tahoe.
“Everyone in Tahoe keeps saying ‘wet’ because the newspapers keep writing that,” says Bryan Allegretto, the mastermind behind Tahoe’s preeminent weather website TahoeWeatherDiscussion.com — which will soon be joining forces with OpenSnow to create the dream resource for skiers and riders by skiers and riders. “That’s why I keep saying on my site, ‘don’t give in to this media trap.’ Some of the best and most fun days of riding in Tahoe are when the snow level is at like 7,500 feet. Most of these ski resorts — like Squaw who has a ton of lifts up high — have chairlifts that start at like 8,200 feet and go up from there. Everyone looks out their window downtown at lake level, around 6,000 feet, and sees rain and says, ‘It’s wet, I’m not going skiing.’ Meanwhile, up top some of us are skiing powder all by ourselves.”A series of four consecutive storms over a five to six day window are forecasted for the Tahoe region. The first system rolled through yesterday dropping anywhere from 6 to 8 inches. The next storm moves in Thursday night and will settle over Tahoe into Friday night. And, the biggest storm rolls in Saturday and into Sunday, with the possibility of precipitation lingering into Monday.
“I’ve been telling people that we’re looking at a 7,000-foot snow level through Friday with a couple feet of snow and more on Saturday,” says Allegretto. “You have anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 feet of vertical on these mountains that is going to get 3 to 7 feet of snow!”The good news for pow-starved skiers not located in the Sierra Nevada or Pacific Northwest — which looks to be getting hammered, too—is that these strong storms will be traveling east toward the Tetons and Rockies.
“The strongest piece of the main west-coast storm will head east on Sunday night and Monday,” writes the prescient weather resource OpenSnow, “and should bring decent snow to many Colorado mountains, primarily from Aspen north to I-70 and the Wyoming border.”
So, be patient and brace yourself for the unavoidable onslaught of blower Instagram pics and ubiquitous hashtags from Tahoe and the PNW that will be clogging your feeds this weekend. This beast of a storm is headed your way soon enough.
Check back early next week for a recap from Tahoe. Until then, be safe, think cold, positive thoughts, and share your early season storm photos with us on Twitter and Instagram (@TetonGravity) by using the hashtag: #StormWatch. We’re eager to see those pow pics. - Blog post
- 6 months ago
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Powder Powwow - #TheMeeting8 R Powder Powwow - #TheMeeting8 Rolls Through Aspen
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
The scene inside the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colo., for The Meeting 8. Photo by Jeremy Swanson.Football is cool and all, but ski and snowboard film premieres are the way we, the collective we, bridge the gap between summer and blower pow days — a time otherwise known as fall. Aspen hosts the pinnacle ski and snowboard film fete to coincide with the yellow spruce leaves and first dustings of snow. The Meeting takes place every September and offers up a serious dose of on-screen pow slaying. While the requisite flat-hatted “bros” and “bras” roll out of the sticks to pack the iconic Wheeler Opera House for screenings of the most anticipated flicks of the season and to revel at industry parties, The Meeting is also an annual gathering of the tribes that signifies our countdown to winter has begun.
This year marked the eighth consecutive year that the biggest athletes, brands, and filmmakers from the ski and snowboard industries have converged on Aspen. The Aspen/Snowmass team rolled out the proverbial red carpet for attendees of #TheMeeting8.
As always, the NEPSA Awards served as the weekend’s curtain raiser, and the local amateur filmmakers kicked the weekend off with a bang. Howie Kuhn and Kendall Reiley won the NEPSA’s top honor and took home $2,000 for their hilarious short film titled “Erste Stuhl: 2012.” Geof Stump won second for his quirky film "Before Aspen." Derrin Carelli’s “Circle of Corduroy,” which documents what it’s like to be a snowcat driver on Aspen, won third and the crowd favorite, based on a text in vote.
The big-time operations — like Level 1 Productions, Poor Boyz Productions, Match Stick Productions, and Teton Gravity Research — followed over the course of the weekend. A lot of park rats bedecked in tall-tees turned out to watch Level 1’s film “Sunny,” which boasted spot-on and polished editing, as always. PBP’s roster of skiers produced banger segment after banger segment in “WE: A Collection of Individuals.” “Super Heroes of Stoke” fits in the MSP mold and is another testament that, yes, Japan is a sick place to ski.
Jeremy Jones introduces Further. Photo by Jeremy Swanson.But, without a doubt, “Jeremy Jones’ Further” stole the show. The second installation of the Jeremy Jones/TGR trilogy beckoned a motley mix of viewers. From salty telemarkers to jibbing snowboarders and from bell-to-bell shredders to weekend warriors, everyone turned out to see what Jeremy Jones put together.
And, “Further” did not disappoint. “I got the chance to watch 'Jeremy Jones’ Further,’” says TGR skier Todd Ligare, “and found a lot of inspiration in the film.”
TGR's Colter Hinchcliffe, Todd Jones, Todd Ligare and Griffin Post introduce The Dream Factory. Photo by Jeremy Swanson.
Then, to cap it off, TGR screened “The Dream Factory” to a raucous crowd on Saturday night. The pow-starved skiers and riders packed the Wheeler Opera House, hollering throughout the film for Aspen local Colter Hinchliffe who has his first-ever segment in a TGR film. Although Colter’s segment is small, his line in Haines, Alaska, is big. So huge, it’s one of the most memorable moments in the film. It seemed like that segment helped the whole town send it deep in to the night.
Come Sunday, the skiing and snowboarding tribes dispersed in different directions, heads aching from a weekend of raging and stuffed to the gills, content from consuming an abundance of ski content, and psyched for #TheMeeting9 next year when the tribes will gather again for the annual powder powwow. - Blog post
- 7 months ago
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Noteworthy: 10 Skiers On The R Noteworthy: 10 Skiers On The Rise
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Had this story been written a year ago you might have seen names like Nick Goepper, Carston Oliver, Eliel Hindert, Aidan Sheahan, Logan Pehota, Leo Ahrens, and Johnny Collinson on the list. All of these guys were known at their home mountains for being full-tilt skiers, but burst onto the scene over the last 12 months with insane contest results, video segments, and photo spreads.
If I were a betting man, the following 10 skiers are the ones that I would put money on. With solid on-snow techniques and even better on-shoulder heads, odds are we’ll be talking about this crew in the near future. So, rather than making you wait, we decided to tell you about them now. Here are 10 relatively unknown shredders — six guys, four girls, in no particular order — to take note of.
Mat Jackson slashes a powder turn in the Tahoe backcountry. Photo by Josh Anderson. The Guys:
1. Mat Jackson
Home Mountain: Squaw Valley
Age: 25
Sponsors: Völkl, Marker, The North Face, Smith Optics and Helmets
Twitter: @mat1TJackson
This Squaw Valley local originally reigns from Crystal Mountain, Washington. As a grom, Jackson banged plastic with the local racing program and tried to keep up with the Backstrom clan — Ingrid, Arne, and Ralph — that were a few years older than he.
At 25, Mat Jackson is older than most of the names that follow, but his consistent skiing and patience with the industry are two attributes that are starting to pay off.
“We love Mat,” says Völkl/Marker Team Manager Chris Adams . “You’ve got to wait your turn and Mat’s waited for his opportunities while skiing great all of the time. His skiing is fairly technical, big-mountain while still having the backcountry jib thing happening.”
“I definitely think that there’s a process to the ski industry that you have to embrace and be a part of,” says Mat Jackson. “I always wanted my skiing to speak for itself, for my skiing to be the vessel that took me places. My patience has paid off a ton, because I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities come along and it’s awesome to be a part of that. I went to Japan in January filming with TwoPlank Productions. We had 10 days of perfect snow. The movie will drop this coming fall.”
Colston VB spins off a cliff in British Columbia. Photo by Dave Heath.
2. Colston VB
Home Mountain: Red Mountain Resort and Whistler Blackcomb
Age: 20
Sponsors: Salomon
When the “godfather of freeskiing” vouches for someone we need to listen, and Mike Douglas only had good things to say about Colston VB.
“Colston’s a good skier and a good kid,” says Douglas. “He’s super keen and has a good attitude. I think that if he keeps on skiing and pounding he’s going to do well… He’s a confident skier and Colston is always skiing with a smile on his face — which is the best part.”
Having grown up skiing Red Mountain in British Columbia, Colston VB is now residing in Whistler. Whether he’s sled skiing in the Whistler backcountry, working in front of a camera lens, or freeskiing with his crew, Colston’s style and creativity are undeniable.
“This season I got to really push myself and ski the biggest high-alpine lines, hit the biggest drops, and do the biggest tricks I ever have,” says Colston. “Filming video is a high priority for me right now, because I like how you have to keep it together and be on-point the entire time, not just for one frame.”Gerorge Rodney's 2011-'12 season edit.
3. George Rodney
Home Mountain: Aspen and Alta/Snowbird
Age: 19
Sponsors: Völkl, Marker, Dalbello, Smith, Obermeyer
George Rodney found a home on the podium this year during the Junior Freeskiing Tour en route to winning the overall tour championship. Finishing on the podium at three of the four stops this season, Rodney will immediately be a contender on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour as he transitions from the junior circuit to the main event this summer in South America.
“George took that super solid fundamental background with racing and translated it to big-mountain terrain,” says Völkl’s Chris Adams. “He’s a big kid, he skis on the Gotama 198 — which is a big, big stick — and he charges big-mountain stuff.”
Headed to Salt Lake City to pursue an engineering degree at “the U,” a change of venue isn’t new to Rodney. “If the ski industry could have the equivalent of an ‘army brat,’ George would be one,” says Adams. “His mom has worked in the ski industry forever and George has learned first-hand how it all works by watching his mom.”
“My mom is an awesome person to help out with everything — from my skiing to school,” says Rodney. “I grew up ski racing in Aspen, and then moved down to Summit County and competed there. After finding out about the Winter Sports School in Park City I transferred there for my junior and senior years. My mom got a job at Obermeyer, so I moved back to Aspen with her after graduating and now I’m headed to Utah.”
Jake Teuton's 2011-'12 season edit.
4. Jake Teuton
Home Mountain: Revelstoke
Age: 16
Sponsors: Fortitude Skis, Strafe Outerwear, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Marker Bindings, Smith Optics, and Planks Clothing
Twitter: @jrteuton
Revelstoke Mountain Resort Pro team rider Jake Teuton makes the most of the incredible surroundings he gets to call home; spinning hot laps on the mountain, building backcountry booters to session with friends, and using his local knowledge to snag some of the most eye-popping photos that have come out of Revy in the last season.
The young gun put together an insane season of skiing, mixing burly lines and massive natural airs with crazy tricks off of man-made features (Teuton added a few dub tricks to his arsenal this year).
“The highlight from last season would probably be sending the 60-footer, skiing deep powder, or spring park laps with friends,” says Teuton. “I definitely want to do a few competitions next year, but I’m mainly going to focus on filming and travelling as much as I can. Hopefully, I’ll get to see more of BC, ski more places, and get into the backcountry more.”
5. Grant Howard
Home Mountain: Alta/Snowbird
Age: 15
Sponsors: Salomon, Gordini, Lightpole Clothing
In 2011, Grant Howard absolutely dominated the 12–14 age group of the Junior Freeskiing World Tour with a couple of first place finishes and the overall title. In 2012, the 15-year-old bumped up to compete in the 15–18 age class, and Howard didn’t miss a beat. Skiing against guys a few years older than he, Howard finished as the overall runner-up (behind George Rodney).
“This kid lives and breathes skiing,” says Rob Greener, Head Coach of the AltaBird Freeride team. “[Grant’s] father, Sam Howard, was named top 100 skiers by Powder Magazine 10 years ago; so skiing is in his DNA.”
“Grant is a natural athlete, and his approach to the mountain is very creative,” continues Greener. “Overall, Grant at age 15 is one of the most talented athletes I have worked with in Little Cottonwood Canyon.”
What’s on-tap for next year? Aside from getting a driver’s license, Grant Howard has his sights set on the overall Junior Freeskiing Tour Championship.
Matt Evans stands on the Junior Freeskiing World Tour podium. Photo by Billy Swan / JFT.
6. Matt Evans
Home Mountain: Crested Butte
Age: 16
Sponsors: Smith Optics and Helmets, Tecnica/Blizzard, Colorado Freeskier, and Trew Outerwear
Matt Evans has been riding the tails of his older brother Randy's and the rest of the core CB local crew’s skis for years, and everyone in Crested Butte knows about the young grom that charges. Recently, however, people outside of Crested Butte started to notice.
“This season was super awesome,” says the 16-year-old Evans. “I got sponsored by Blizzard/Tecnica, and my best result was 3rd. I am hoping to go to South America this summer, and next year I am going to compete in every Junior Freeskiing Tour competition.”
“Matt's name started to come up a lot this [season]. Ben Wheeler was the first to tell me about how this kid impressed everyone so much at the Squaw stop of the Junior Freeskiing Tour,” remembers Tecnica/Blizzard Team Manager Frank Shine. “The buzz wasn't just about Matt’s skiing, though. I kept hearing about his attitude, big smile, and good-times approach. At Snowbird he brought it all: high speed turns, spins off cliffs, and backflips. Then, he dove face-first into a pile of snow in the finish corral of the venue to get a laugh from his friends."Tatum Monod's double backflip video.
The Girls:
1. Tatum Monod
Home Mountain: “Banff will always be my home, but right now I'm based out of Whistler.”
Age: 20
Sponsors: Monod Sports, Rossignol, Orage, Soul Poles, Smith, Icebreaker, and The Soze Group
Twitter: @TatumMonod
“Like a lot of athletes her age, what stands out most about Tatum right now is her drive and genuine enthusiasm for skiing, and that's always nice to see!” says ski legend JP Auclair. “On top of that she has a good attitude and a great smile. If she stays hungry and humble, we're going to hear lots more about Tatum in the years to come.”
The first time I saw Tatum Monod ski was in 2011 at Revelstoke for the Canadian Freeskiing Championships. The event was Tatum’s first ever big-mountain competition. Her line choice, aggressive approach, and rock-solid bellied her inexperience, and stood out to everyone watching. The Subaru Freeskiing World Tour judges noticed, too, because Tatum finished on the podium.
This season ended up being another huge one for the 20-year-old from Banff. Among other things, Tatum stomped a double backflip that had lots of people talking and asking, “Who is that?”
“I'm stoked to say that last season was my best season yet,” says Monod. “My highlights were my first ever first descent in Bella Coola, shooting with Robin O'Neil and an amazing group of women in Revelstoke, and, to top it all off, an unforgettable trip to Retallack with Orage where I threw my first ever double backflip.”
Emilia Wint slides a rail while competing in the Dew Tour.
2. Emilia Wint
Home Mountain: Breckenridge
Age: 17
Sponsors: Breckenridge, Volkl, Marker, US Freeskiing
It was a busy season for Emilia Wint, who skis at Breckenridge when she’s not traveling to compete in Slopestyle events.
“When I’m in Breck I ski with a team called Hawks Freeride, run by Chris Hawks (1999 X Games Champion). I also ski with Anna Segal and Kerrie Herman a lot,” says Emilia Wint.
Wint seems destined to follow in the footsteps of the company she keeps at Breckenridge: The Breckenridge shredder logged some serious time atop the Slopestyle podiums in 2012. Third overall on the Dew Tour, Champion at the Aspen Open, third at the US Freeskiing Grand Prix in Mammoth, and second at WSI in Whistler. The highlight, however, of Wint’s incredible season was when she was named to the US Freeskiing Team.
“She’s hardly under the radar because she had a bit of a breakout season, but 17-year-old park ripper Emila Wint is definitely one to watch,” says Chris Adams from Volkl and Marker. “She skis with a style that not a lot of women park skiers have. We think she’ll take women’s park skiing to a whole new level.”
With a high school graduation ceremony coming up soon and the Olympics on the horizon, Emilia Wint’s future is bright.
3. Perry Martin
Home Mountain: Alta/Snowbird
Age: 18
Sponsors: Blizzard/Tecnica
Twitter: @Pearemartin
Alta and Snowbird seem to have been a factory that specializes in churning out cool, smart, ripping female skiers recently. Rachael Burks and Angel Collinson are two examples, and on their coattails is 18-year-old Perry Martin.
“Perry is an incredible athlete; she is a powerful, fast, and graceful skier,” says AltaBird FreeRide Head Coach Rob Greener. “Her technique has allowed her to dominate the IFSA Junior Freeskiing Series.”
Perry did absolutely dominate the tour, too, winning two stops on the tour and taking third on the other two while amassing a 100+ gap between the runner-up.
“Perry is really a smart young women, who is sensible and pragmatic. Her hard work both on and off the hill is what sets her apart from her peers,” says Tecnica/Blizzard Team Manager Frank Shine. “What I love about Perry's skiing is that she’s aggressive and drives straight down the fall line. When you see Perry ski, she is not going to waste any time showing why she is the JFT overall champion. The girls on the Freeskiing World Tour better be ready for a new batch of ladies to arrive and shake things up on the big kid tour—Perry is going be knocking on that door first.”
Yuki Tsubota slides a rail. Photo by Nadia Samer. 4. Yuki Tsubota
Home Mountain: Whistler
Age: 18
Sponsors: 4Frnt, The North Face, Skull Candy, Giro, Zett, TMC Freeriderz Pro Shop
Twitter: @yuki_tsubota
“Yuki’s getting better all the time, and she’s a cool girl,” says Mike Douglas about the 18-year-old Whistler native Yuki Tsubtoa. “I’ve been watching her for a long time and she’s been working her way up through the freestyle program at Blackcomb. She has a good chance of making it to the Olympics and she’s super fun to watch.”
With three consecutive slopestyle wins on The Canadian Shield Tour, Tsubota dominated the pro women’s field and earned the overall title. Then, a third place finish (behind Anna Segal and Emilia Wint who finished in first and second, respectively) at WSI/AFP World Championships during the TELUS Ski & Snowboard Festival in her hometown of Whistler, BC thrust Yuki into the big-time.
“When we first were introduced to Yuki we thought her jumping was what stood out from everyone,” says Toben Sutherland, Head Coach of the Canadian Slopestyle Team. “But, at WSI this year one of the rail features was pretty burly, a lot of the guys were even talking about how gnarly it was. Yuki had no problem going 450-on which was pretty impressive for anyone to do, let alone a young girl from Whistler that no one had heard of yet.”
“I think in one word what sticks out about Yuki’s skiing is her determination. She skis pretty hard and if she takes a hit she won’t back down. The Olympic Games are 20 months out and it’s definitely not too late for Yuki. Hopefully, we can roll into the games with her and hopefully she’ll be in the finals and on the podium in Russia.” - Blog post
- 1 year ago
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Ski Gangs Of Aspen Ski Gangs Of Aspen
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
This 8mm footage shows the Aspen scene in the 1970s.
Drugs ran rampant and territorial rumbles were commonplace — Aspen in the 1970s was a gangland. It was a tableau of the Wild West where an eight ball of cocaine could be bought from your server at a handful of popular restaurants and a few local crews were in charge.
Just like today, there were two sides to the atmosphere in Aspen. Shrouded in opulence, the wealthy sipped wine in penthouse apartments and lived lavishly in their ski-in, ski-out condominiums. Meanwhile, at the ground floor (and even in underground locales), the original ski bum generation was migrating to Aspen in droves. In search of parties and powder, kindred spirits quickly started grouping together. They’d look for untouched lines in the spruce groves on Ajax in the morning and rage in the subterranean bars late at night.
Brought together by an affinity for powder, a desire to ski with the best in town, and never-ending nights of debauchery, ski gangs formed in Aspen during the 1970s.
THE PREDECESSORS
Two different cliques paved the way for the post-war, post-college (or flunked out) ski bums. It all started with a duo of brothers from Southern California and a lone guy from Colorado’s front range. Jack and Don Crawford and Gene Reardon were at the epicenter of Aspen’s skiing and partying scenes in the late 1960s. In direct contrast to the ski bums that would soon follow these three guys up into the Rockies, the Crawfords and Reardon had endless bankrolls and they generously used their wealth to throw some of the best parties Aspen has ever seen.The Crawfords quite literally struck it rich in the ’60s, finding oil along the coast of Huntington Beach and parlaying the crude into a multi-million dollar business. At the same time, Gene Reardon (known as “Chief” because of the long headdress he would sport late at night) was a Denver-based attorney. The “Chief” amassed a fortune as a trial attorney while garnering an appreciation for life’s finer things: powder days, long nights, Danish supermodels, and vintage wines.
Long before rocking a “one-z” on the mountain was cool or the closing party at Aspen Highlands was canonized as one of the biggest on-snow shindigs in Colorado, the Crawfords and “Chief” Reardon were throwing raucous parties where people would dress up or dress down (clothing was optional), and get after “it.”
With deep pockets and a pension for partying, Jack Crawford and Gene Reardon were the original godfathers of Aspen’s ski gangs. Groups of hangers-on and friends rode their coattails, and their entourages became the first ski gangs in Aspen.
THE RISE OF THE SKI BUMAn article in the January 1963 issue of Time magazine said, “For boys, Aspen has some reputation as the place where the girls are. ‘The basic thing here is the lack of supervision,’ says Student Steve Barinka of San Diego Junior College.’” A good ratio of girls to guys in a mountain town — which is still an enigma — combined with the epic nightlife made infamous by the likes of the brothers Crawford and “Chief” Reardon, plus the end to the Vietnam War and world-class skiing, brought about the influx of ski bums in the late ’60s and early ’70s to Aspen.
Mark Hesselschwerdt, a founder of The Bell Mountain Buckaroos gang, fit the mold. Recently flunked out of college, Hesselschwerdt and his brother were en route to Aspen from Bozeman, Montana, in the fall of 1971. “We stopped at the Rossignol factory on the way down, and picked up a few pairs of Rossi Strata 207s. Those were the skis to have. Their sidecut radius must have been about 35 meters,” remembers Hesselschwerdt.
The brothers arrived in Aspen to find hundreds of kids their age in similar situations. “The war was over and town was full of kids,” says Hesselschwerdt. “Dozens of bars were just going off every night [in 1971]. Kids were roaming the streets.”
Foreshadowing scenes in Aspen Extreme, most Midwest skiers ended up in Aspen with the idea of becoming a ski instructor. Mark Hesselschwerdt showed up to the first day of the hiring clinic in 1971, shouldering his Stratas, along with nearly forty other aspiring instructors. By lunchtime of day one, the inaugural members of The Bell Mountain Buckaroos had made their introductions and found a bond in an underlying agreement: They were in Aspen to ski, not to teach. “To be in your boots and 30 feet away from 30 miles per hour was too much for all of us to handle.”
The ski gangs were raging in Aspen long before rocking a "one-z" was retro and cool or the closing party at Aspen Highlands was the biggest party on snow.THE GOOD & THE BAD
Bell Mountain on Ajax, a steep pyramid-pitch that plunges skiers toward downtown Aspen, became the playground for the six core members of the Buckaroos. It can be skied from first chair until close because of its varied aspects and, more importantly, Bell Mountain is visible from the seven of Aspen’s eight chairlifts. Bell Mountain was the stage for the hot-dogging, mogul-loving Buckaroos to perform. Everyone in Aspen grew to recognize the gang. They were a fun-loving crew, always announcing each other’s descents down Bell Mountain like a play-by-play announcer for a football game and serenading good-looking girls in the gondola.They developed an encrypted language to keep things within their group, intended to keep visitors glued to the trail maps while the Bell Mountain guys would fly past barking out directions to each other where they thought good snow would be (without any tourists chopping it up). Tourists would hear “Bucker’s Delight,” “Tubes,” and “Face to Face to Face” as the Buckaroos would do royal christies past them, headed toward secret powder stashes on Bell Mountain. It kept the tourists in certain spots, away from the Buckaroos’ goods.
The Buckaroos stuck on-piste, everything in-bounds was their terrain. The ski mountain employed most of the gang and they couldn’t risk getting their passes clipped for skiing out of bounds. Besides, they knew the mountain better than anyone and would be skiing soft snow days after a storm. The hot dog revolution was everywhere in the ski world and the Buckaroos were the guys pushing the limits in Aspen.
“I remember watching a K2 Demo film with John Clendenin in it. The way Clendenin was skiing, and the mescaline I was tripping on while watching the movie, blew my mind,” says Hesselschwerdt. “A light went off that night in my head. I thought, ‘Here I am teaching skiing in Aspen and I don’t even know how to ski.’” From then on, Hesselschwerdt was possessed. He devoured books about the French Technique of skiing, “lateral projection” and “independent leg action” became conversation topics over a beer. Hesselschwerdt began competing in all disciplines of skiing. He skied gates, performed ski ballet routines, and he did well. “I won the town downhill series only because I was a good freeskier,” says Hesselschwerdt. “And I made it to the second round of the Pro/Am ski ballet contest in Sun Valley on my 207s.”
With Hesselschwerdt leading the way, the Buckaroos made a name for themselves as a talented and welcoming gang of guys; especially with the girls on the mountain. They would corral a girl into the gondola and serenade her as the bucket climbed up Ajax. “The acoustics in those old gondolas was like a shower,” says Hesselschwerdt.
More often than not, the singing would work. A lot of girls took the walk of shame from the underground bunkhouse at the Jerome Hotel (“where the help slept”) and later from the Buckaroo house at the base of the Smuggler mineshaft.
“Our second year in Aspen four of us guys lived together. Most mornings one of us would be in bed with a new girlfriend, one would be cooking breakfast, and two of us would be rolling joints,” says Hesselschwerdt.
As the Buckaroos grew and further wove themselves into the Aspen tapestry, trends started to shift and the disco era took a strong hold over Aspen’s nightlife. People started sporting lycra and sequins, and the Buckaroos didn’t get it. So, they went underground. Hesselschwerdt, Ron “Cheeks” Chauner, and a handful of original Buckaroos got proactive and opened their own nightclub under the Hotel Jerome. They called it the “Rocking Horse,” spent a ton of money on a huge sound system, and played the good stuff—rock’n’roll. “We hated disco,” says Hesselschwerdt. “If you go to a good wedding nowadays, the DJ is playing the stuff that we were playing at the Rocking Horse 30 years ago, like Motown, The Eagles, and the Stones.” Other gangs were welcome to the Rocking Horse, everything was mostly in good fun, but the Buckaroos ran the show.
If the Bell Mountain Buckaroos were The Rolling Stones and Motown, The Dogs were The Clash or Sex Pistols. Like punk rock, The Dogs were, and still are, a big middle finger to Aspen’s establishment. As hardcore as it gets, The Dogs came together as an antithesis to the Buckaroos. “Ski” and “ballet” were two terms never to be uttered in the same breath, or by the same person, The Dogs thought. And, “singing in the gondola, come one, who sings in the gondi?” asks Mikey Wechsler, one of The Dogs. “We’re just all about the vertical.”
Initially, under the leadership of longtime Aspen locals and skiers like Dan Harris the Acme All-Stars were the original rivals of the Buckaroos. Over the years, Acme morphed into The Dogs of Bell who continued the rivalry. At the front of the dog pack were, and are, guys like James Bond (no joke), Dan Harris, Jim Byrnes, and Mikey Wechsler—guys that pride themselves on never missing a day on the mountain.
They have been doing things their way since the ’70s, quiet and committed. “You’re doing a story on the ski gangs of Aspen?” asked James Bond, one of the leaders of The Dogs, when I approached him about learning about his gang. “Call the Buckaroos, they love the attention. We don’t do any of this for the notoriety; we do it for the fun of it. All these young guys want everything to be filmed and put up on Facebook. We filmed some shit, but it was just for us.”
In direct contrast to the welcoming Buckaroos, The Dogs have always been private. “We just don’t want strangers in our gondi,” says Wechsler. “We’re the first up on the mountain and the last down.” (But an Aspen Mountain ski patroller, who described himself as “unattached” to any gang, had to clarify; saying, “You’re the second crew up and the second to last crew down every day…”).
The Dogs rip around Aspen Mountain, barking while skiing. “I don’t think some of our guys have even skied Highlands,” says Wechsler. “The beauty of Ajax is that you can knock off vertical so f-ing easy.” They would bomb down bump runs through The Dumps, poach backcountry lines off of Richmond Ridge, keep secret stashes a secret, and knife through the glades on Bell Mountain.
THE UNDERGROUND
While the likes of Jimmy Huega and Billy Kidd, Scott Brooksbank and Wayne Wong were doing crazy things and pushing the limits for everyone to see on the covers of magazines and in the videos, Aspen’s ski gangs were a poignant example of the infantry of skiing. They were on the front lines, living their passions day in and day out on the mountain, and rubbing pennies together to make it work.To this day their legacies live on. Newschoolers in bright colors, baggy pants, and fat skis defer to the original ski “gang-bangers” of Aspen when it comes to matters concerning Aspen Mountain.
The Buckaroos are as cordial as ever. “Anyone is welcome to ski with us,” says Mark Hesselschwerdt. The caveat: “As long as you can keep up.”And for all of the barking The Dogs still do, they’ve lost a bit of their bite. “We all just have a good time,” muses Mikey Wechsler. “We’re birds of a feather. Everybody loves skiing, most of us love the green, and everyone knows where to go on Ajax.”
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 398
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FOR SALE: Colorado’s Largest C FOR SALE: Colorado’s Largest Cat-Skiing Operation
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
There’s a place in Southwest Colorado that promises no lift lines, if a storm rolls through you are 100% guaranteed fresh tracks all day, and there are endless options of terrain—old growth trees, high-alpine bowls, north-facing couloirs prime for mid-winter skiing and south-facing chutes that are perfect for harvesting spring-time corn. This place exists and it could be yours.
San Juan Ski Company, the Durango-based cat-skiing operation, has been accessing some of Colorado’s most mind-blowing backcountry skiing for more than 15 years. Nestled between the famous triumvirate in Southwest Colorado of Telluride, Silverton, and Wolf Creek, the skiing in Durango sometimes gets lost in the shadow of Telluride’s Palmyra Peak, Silverton’s untapped backcountry, and Wolf Creek’s annual snowfall. Don’t be fooled, though; San Juan Ski Company boasts goods that rival all three spots in the Southwest Colorado triangle.
The San Juan Range offers limitless fresh turns every season.The one-of-a-kind experience that guests get at San Juan Ski Company is one of the operation’s calling cards. After a safety briefing at the base of Durango Mountain Resort, guests and guides jump on DMR’s six-pack chairlift (the only time you’ll ride a lift all day). After sliding off the chair you’re greeted by 10 idling snowmobiles or a pimped-out 4x4 15-person van with mat tracks. While juicing the throttle of the sleds en route to the snowcat is a killer way to soak in the stunning vistas, the mat track-clad van signifies a powder day. Both options are pretty sweet compared to the normal cat-skiing experience where you step out of a gondola or slide off of a chairlift directly to the snowcat.
The enormity of San Juan Ski Company’s terrain really comes into focus after you spend 20 minutes sledding into the backcountry. 36,000 acres of skiable zones is a lot to digest because it’s the largest cat-skiing operation in the state. Their permitted snow-cat skiing and snowboarding terrain encompasses more acreage than all of Colorado ski resorts combined! The process of getting to the snowcat is cool on its own, but the real fun starts once you’re onboard the snowcat, sampling the San Juan snow, and teeing-up the terrain.
The morning commute includes a ride in the 4x4 van to the snowcat.Sounds cool, right? Now, let’s talk business. This operation is for sale, and for a measly $375,000 you can own it. Just imagine a private backcountry ski area larger than Aspen, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Keystone, Steamboat, Telluride, Vail, and Winter Park combined.
Bob Rule, SJSC owner and lead guide, found his way to Durango in 1979 in search of soft snow. In 1997, Bob created the San Juan Ski Company to write off his powder-skiing addiction, and, since then, he has been involved with all aspects of the cat-skiing operation. But, after 15 years, Rule’s ready for something new and has decided to put his prized cat-skiing operation up for sale.
Guests preparing to descend untouched powder.“I’m ready for a change,” says Rule. “I’ve been in this area for almost 33 years and it is time to hang ’em up.”
Rule has been an invaluable part of the SJSC setup since its inception, both on the skiing and operational side. He’s been pioneering skiable zones, establishing zig-zagging routes between the old-growth trees that a snowcat can navigate, and serving as the face of the operation, albeit a bit reluctantly.
While Rule and his family are looking to move on, his staff is willing (and hoping) to stick around. And, their years of experience and local knowledge combine with an insane inventory of gear and equipment to make for a turnkey operation.
“There are a lot of characters that work here,” says Bob’s wife and co-owner Carrie Rule while laughing. “We consider them to be assets and they’re included in the sale of the CAT-skiing operation.”
One of the snowcat drivers feeling small amongst the San Juans.“There might be some snow-cat operations that have as much fun as us,” says guide Kevin Devine, who has been exploring the zones around Durango for 20 years and guiding for SJSC since day one. “But, I guarantee that there aren’t any [operations] that have more fun than we do.”
In addition to a motley mix of longtime locals with an intimate knowledge of the terrain and San Juan snowpack, the SJSC permit is included in the sale. Valid until 2020, the permit encompasses almost 36,000 acres of National Forest and has 750 “priority user days” on it. (Which means 750 guests per year are allowed to ski with SJSC).
San Juan Ski Company boasts some of the best terrain in Southwest Colorado.What else is included in the $375,000 price tag for San Juan Ski Company? Among other things, you’ll get:
•Permitted area is around 36,000 acres. Permit is issued through 2020. Permit is for snowcat skiing, sightseeing trips, and overnight trips.
•4 snowcats (2 passenger cats, 1 work cat, one winch cat).
•1 2009 4X4 15-person van with mat tracks.
•10 snowmobiles.
•24 plus BCA beacons, shovels and shovel packs.
•16 Motorola 2-way radios.
•1 Type II explosive magazine.
•1 Avalauncher
Part of the San Juan Ski Company fleet.“This job requires a unique skill set to thrive,” says Bob Rule. “The right person that takes over has to be mechanically inclined because every now and then you’ll have to fix shit, they have to be knowledgeable of snow safety, they have to be a skier, and they need to have people skills for guiding and communicating with the public. Plus, one of my big concerns is that you never want to make final decisions based on money. Quality and safety have to be the top priority with the person that takes this over. You can’t make final decisions based on P&Ls with this type of business.”
There’s no question that this would be a dream undertaking for most of us, and the beauty is that there’s solid potential to turn a profit. Fill the 750 priority user days on the permit, tap into Telluride demographic with—for the most part—a disposable income, and beckon the big mountain clientele headed to Silverton for a stop-over day of cat-skiing and it seems like you have a solid recipe for success.
The company's included winch cat.What’s next for Bob Rule after running SJSC for 15 years? “The plan is to move the family up to Montana,” says Rule. “I’m going to ski for fun, explore new and different mountain ranges, and travel to Canada and Idaho to see what’s up there. It’s time to move on to something else.”
Do you think you fit the bill and could own Colorado’s largest cat-skiing outfit? For more information about purchasing SJSC, CLICK HERE or email powder@sanjuanski.com. (Serious inquiries only, please.)
All of this could be yours.
Colorado's backcountry snowpack is always suspect. Buy your avalanche gear online and save big at Backcountry.com - Blog post
- 1 year ago
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Made to Order: Wagner Custom S Made to Order: Wagner Custom Skis
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
From the cold, dark, kelpy waters north of San Francisco down to the warm point breaks surrounding San Diego, salty surfboard shapers have been shaving fiberglass blanks into customized boards tailored to the local breaks and each customer’s style for decades. To have a Pearson Arrow under your arm in Santa Cruz, a Channel Islands board in Santa Barbara, a Hobie in the San Onofre lineup or to wax up a KG in the Windansea parking lot means a lot — it means your board was made specifically for your style and your local spot.
The shaping bay is a special place in the surfshops that are sprinkled along California’s coastline. Blanks are crammed into the corner waiting to be shaped into a board, fiberglass shavings cake the old posters, photos, and tattered covers of surf magazines on the wall, and the shaper is always telling stories of the old days when crowds were nonexistent and swells consistent. I missed this scene after moving to Colorado from California. The ski world felt a bit remiss without the custom shaper.
The Wagner Custom Ski shop in Placerville, Colorado, is solar powered. Photo by Brett Schreckengost.Enter Wagner Custom, the Telluride-based company that makes skis specifically for each customer, based on their “Skier DNA.” From the second I pulled up to the trailer park in Placerville, Colorado, 10 miles outside of Telluride, and stepped into the solar-powered “factory,” the Wagner operation was reminiscent of the Santa Cruz shaping bays that I longed for.
In the front of the factory, a showroom displays gorgeous designs — powder skis with 1980s-style neon graphics, an artsy topsheet featuring a painting of Bob Dylan, wood veneer all-mountain carvers that your dad would freak about — and back in the factory, one-by-one the Wagner crew designs and presses pairs of skis with a thoughtful and meticulous approach.
Peter Wagner unpeels a new ski. Photo by William Woody.
“We’re a little different from surfboard shapers because we developed a scientific process for fitting people based on algorithms, data, analysis, and tests,” says Pete Wagner, founder of Wagner Custom Skis and Snowboards, who parlayed a previous life designing custom golf clubs in California into his current life in the San Juan Mountains. “It is a science because we collect real data and our design system is calibrated with the information we collect, just like the software I developed for swing analysis in the golf industry.”
Overseas, mega-brand ski factories produce upwards of 240,000 alpine setups annually. In Telluride, Wagner handcrafts around 900 custom ski designs a year; on a busy day, four or five skis will be completed. There’s a large discrepancy between the big guys and the small guys, but Wagner has carved a niche in the ski industry.
“It was intimidating to start a ski company in 2006. With my engineering, programming, and composites sports equipment design expertise, I saw an opportunity to create something new in the ski industry: A scientific method for determining and creating people’s perfect skis. I saw that the ‘canonized brands’ were pushing ski equipment into a commodity market. I thought that we could offer a clearly differentiated type of product and buying experience that makes a lot more sense. The ski industry is tough. The way we’ve found success is through working very hard to make every customer stoked.”
Herb Manning detonates a pillow. Photo by Brett Schreckengost.Unlike most ski-buying experiences that originate with a ski wall, the custom design process begins by answering a series of questions geared toward establishing the customer’s “Skier DNA.” Likes, dislikes, preferences, style, and terrain all factor into a person’s on-snow double helix. From concept to completion, the custom ski process takes about 3 weeks.
One of my biggest questions (or worries) boiled down to warranty. Can a small, boutique operation that crafts a ski on-demand have the backing that the big ski brands offer?
“Our official warranty states two years on materials and manufacturing,” answered Wagner. “We’ll re-design your skis or give you your money back if customers are unhappy, because we guarantee you’ll love your custom setup.”
Everything about Wagner’s business is personal and hands-on. Every time a pair of skis literally comes hot off the press, Wagner sends an email with a photo of the recently finished sticks to the customer that says, “Your skis were born today.” And, Pete Wagner carries the office phone in his jeans pocket throughout the day, answering calls himself, chatting with customers on a first-name basis, and receiving snow reports from people in Utah, California, and Vermont that are shredding on Wagners.
“Our stuff isn’t cheap, mainly because it can’t be with of all of the people that personally touch each pair of skis we make and the materials that we use.” says Wagner. “Sometimes I worry that some of the people on our skis are living off of Ramen, but there’s value in getting a dialed-in product that is a perfect fit and lasts.”
The pricepoint for a pair of personal skis is fairly expensive, but you get what you pay for. Just ask the recently crowned Champion of the Snowbird stop on the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour, Silas Chickering-Ayers, who has earned a Sickbird belt buckle and place atop the podium on Wagners.
Silas Chickering-Ayers with a pair of Wagner Custom Skis. For more, check out Wagner Custom Skis Website.
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- 1 year ago
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Monarch Mountain Might Be The Monarch Mountain Might Be The Coolest Colorado Resort
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Unless it’s closing day at Aspen Highlands, a “Blizzard of Ahhs” commemoration shred session at Squaw Valley or the Gelande Quaffing Championships at Jackson Hole, you might get scoffed at sliding up to the chairlift any other day rocking Rossi Roc 550s. However, there’s a ski area that is an exception to the rule: Monarch Mountain. Schussing around in jeans with gators on straight 210s is cool in Monarch the way duct tape is sweet in Crested Butte. Waterlogged river rats that make a living on the world-class rivers atop the Continental Divide and no frills locals that have been skiing the same spot for decades make up the majority of lift lines at Monarch Mountain. And, for all of the old-school gear Monarch’s locals sport on-snow, the terrain they get to ski on a daily basis is top-notch. Monarch Mountain is Colorado’s best hidden gem.
Located about 20 miles outside of Salida, Colorado, in the Sawatch Range, Monarch Mountain has been spinning its chairlifts since 1939, and, the straight skis that some of the denim-clad locals are on date back to years gone by. Atmosphere is one thing Monarch does as well as any mountain in Colorado. The vibe at the base of the mountain feels like skiing did in the good old days, and everyone is always smiling.
“You go to a lot of places and people vibe you super hard,” said Aspen-based pro skier Pat Sewell, recent winner of the coveted Captain’s Cup from Powder Week at Jackson Hole. “No one’s counting vert, no one cares what run you just skied or how rad you skied it. Everyone at Monarch is just throwing high-fives and that’s way cooler. It’s just all about having a good time.”
Pat Sewell having a good time at Monarch Mountain.
The frontside skiing that Monarch’s cheap lift ticket (adults ski for $57) accesses is legit by itself. Steep glades fall from the ridgeline with tons of rocks to drop off along the way. A short five- to 15-minute bootpack gets skiers on top of terrain stashes that promise pow turns.
“You’ll find untouched snow a week after storms in the hike-to zones,” Monarch Snowcat Tours guide Chad Hixon said. “The steep lines in Mirkwood Bowl and the trees off Elation Ridge are as good as it gets.”
Along with the frontside shredding, Monarch Mountain boasts the best season pass in the world. It is not outlandish to call their “One Planet One Pass” the best deal on the planet. For just $439, Monarch Mountain’s season pass holders can ski all over the world. The pass spans two continents, four countries and six states in the US. Telluride, Taos, Grand Targhee and Revelstoke are just a few mountains that jumped on-board with Monarch in North America, and areas in Germany and Austria are also included.
No Name Bowl. The mountain’s real claim to fame, though, is the insanely good skiing that the Monarch Snowcat Tours gets guests to. The fat, rockered setups that had heads turning at the base of the mountain are the tools of choice on the backside. A zone called “No Name” looks like a mini-Jackson Hole and has endless possibilities to ski tight lines ending in mandatory airs that have never been skied before. Bang out a first descent in No Name and you get the honor of naming the line. (Be sure to get the backstory on the rocky and technical line dubbed “A.G.H.”) The guides at Monarch Snowcat Tours are always exploring, expanding, and opening new areas. And, after knocking off first descents and 12-plus snowcat laps, guests earn get a complimentary beer at end of the day.
So, it’s no wonder that Tecnica Blizzard decided on Monarch Mountain as the spot to host the winners of their “Need to Get Out” contest with Teton Gravity Research. To win the ultimate cat-skiing experience at Monarch Mountain, plus a pair of next year’s Blizzard skis and Tecnica boots, contestants had to make a convincing pitch on why they needed to be rescued from their cubicle. In the end, Rochester, New York-based high school guidance counselor Andy Fleming was chosen as the winner of the contest.
“[Winning this contest] will be a concrete example of awesome people getting after it in the great outdoors,” wrote Andy Fleming in his 200-word contest entry. “I will be able to share with my students that actually winning the lottery is truly sharing amazing experiences with friends and family. Cat skiing will lead to powder lines. Not illegal powder lines. The powder lines that nature has given us. Powder skiing is the best natural high.”
Fleming hit the jackpot by winning the TGR and Tec/Blizz contest. “That was one of the best ski days I’ve ever had,” said Andy Fleming. “I get to go back to my students in New York with some incredible stories.”
So, if you’re looking for a ski experience that blends a throwback atmosphere with unreal terrain and no pretense, add Monarch Mountain to your ski spot bucket list.
Your cat-skiing ticket gets you a FREE apres beer. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
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Dane Tudor And Rachael Burks C Dane Tudor And Rachael Burks Crowned Red Bull Cold Rush Champions
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Silverton, Colo. — Last night the Red Bull Cold Rush athletes crammed into the Grand Imperial Hotel’s 130-year-old saloon to celebrate the end of another crazy comp in the San Juans and to anoint the winners of this year’s men’s and women’s Red Bull Cold Rush.
The voting begins at Red Bull Cold Rush. Photo by Ian Fohrman.
The way in which the Cold Rush champs are determined is just one of the many aspects of the event that makes it so unique. Rather than a panel of judges dug in to a bunker at the base of the venue scoring each competitor’s run — as is the case in the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour and Swatch Freeride World Tour — the judging for Cold Rush falls squarely on the athletes’ shoulders. Without a point system that rewards line choice, style or fluidity, the judging at Red Bull Cold Rush took place Wednesday night in a screening room in the catacombs of the Grand Imperial Hotel and deciding on an overall champion is based on the competitors’ overall impression.
The athletes cheer on their fellow competitors. Photo by Christian Pondella.
As you can imagine, the scene in the screening beneath the hotel was rowdy. Two-time Cold Rush Champion Sean Pettit was bedecked in bathrobe, Dash Longe was cracking jokes and most everyone had a red keg cup in-hand. On the athletes’ laps sat a clipboard with a roster of the competitors. And the athletes started hooting and cheering as soon as the edits started rolling on the big-screen.
By the time the footage wrapped up, it was clear that deciding on a winner was going to be a difficult task.
“Judging your friends is real difficult, it’s the hardest part of this competition,” Sean Pettit said after watching the footage captured from Cineflex cameras mounted to the helicopters. “It’s a tough thing to do, but, as far as I’m concerned, Dane [Tudor] is going to win. He stomped most of everything, had a clean line on the big-mountain day and stomped the sickest slopestyle run.”
Dash Longe fillis in his scorecard. Photo by Mike Arzt.
Pettit’s prediction proved to be spot on, because after tallying the athletes’ votes Dane Tudor was announced as the men’s overall winner of the 2012 Red Bull Cold Rush. On the women’s side, Rachael Burks’ aggressive big-mountain line and stomped backflip off The Castle during slopestyle earned her the women’s overall title.
“I’m just super stoked,” Dane Tudor said after standing atop the podium. “Everyone out here just kills it, so to be on top at Red Bull Cold Rush is just awesome. I’m really hyped as I’m heading up to Alaska this week so carrying this win up there is going to make it a great time.”
“It’s the biggest honor and I’m so stoked that I don’t really have words,” Rachael Burks said while clutching her first-place trophy. “I’ve never been on a number one podium but to be on the podium at Red Bull Cold Rush is the biggest deal in the whole world and I’m just elated.”
The top 3 men and women. Photo by Erik Seo.
Rounding out the overall podium on the men’s side were Pep Fujas and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa in second and third, respectively. And, the overall women’s podium had Jackie Paaso in second and Michelle Parker in third.
The results for the big-mountain day, decided by the athletes, had Dash Longe in first, Dane Tudor in second and Andy Mahre in third for the men; Rachael Burk in first, Lexi Dupont in second and Michelle Parker in third for the women. Dane Tudor won the slopestyle day, followed by Pep Fujas and Wiley Miller; Rachael Burks made it a clean sweep with another first place spot with Jackie Paaso and Anna Segal in second and third.Now that Red Bull Cold Rush is over the 23 athletes are scattering in different directions all over the world. Some are flying directly to other big-mountain comps like the next Freeride World Tour stop in Fieberbrunn, Austria, and Kicking Horse’s Wrangle in the Chute, others are going home to quickly do laundry before heading up to Alaska for film projects, and some are Jonesing to get back to British Columbia to sample Whistler’s most recent storm.
While the athletes completed their portion of the voting for Red Bull Cold Rush on Wednesday night, you can still vote for your favorite competitor. Go online at www.redbullusa.com/coldrush or tune-in March 24 to Red Bull Cold Rush airing nationally on NBC at 1pm EST/10am PST to vote for the athlete who laid down what you think was the sickest lines, threw the most bad-ass tricks, and stomped the biggest landings during the competition. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will win an additional $1,000 thanks to your vote. Voting is open now through March 26 when the winner will be announced on the website. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
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Slopestyle Day Goes Off At Red Slopestyle Day Goes Off At Red Bull Cold Rush
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Renowned for burly big-mountain skiing, Silverton Mountain’s park scene is 99 percent nonexistent. Aside from one day a year, “park” isn’t even in Silverton’s lexicon, but that lone day during the year when the core crew in Silverton talks “park” was Tuesday. On the coattails of the big-mountain day, the Red Bull Cold Rush slopestyle event went down in a big way.
With helicopters flying overhead and a small, but raucous, crowd perched atop a rock outcropping overlooking the slopestyle venue, Day 2 of Cold Rush saw a shrunken field of competitors—a few guys got banged up during the first day and were sidelined due to tweaked knees, necks and psyches—blast the man-made features strewn throughout the slopestyle course.
Competitors get ready Tuesday for Day 2 of Red Bull Cold Rush at Silverton Mountain, Colorado. Photo by Ian Fohrman.
The venue looked like something conjured up by a madman, but, in fact, the person behind this year’s course design is the same guy that laid out last year’s insane slopestyle day of Cold Rush: Pep Fujas.
“I wanted to expand the venue a little bit,” Cold Rush competitor and slopestyle course designer Pep Fujas said. “We tried to make it more athlete friendly, made the jumps bigger and added a rail up top to make the course longer as well.”
Pep Fujas is the first competitor to tackle the Mine Cart rail feature. Photo by Erik Seo.After the crazy session that went down during last year’s Cold Rush slopestyle day athletes were buzzing about what was on tap for this year’s event during the early morning breakfast at Silverton’s iconic Grand Imperial Hotel.
“Did you see the start list yet?” Sage Cattabriga-Alosa asked Dash Longe as he handed over a piece of paper that showed Longe as the first competitor of the day. “You get to be the guinea pig today, Dash.”
“I was pretty shit-scared seeing the venue this morning,” Breckenridge’s Anna Segal said. “I guess the fact that I couldn’t hit any of the features before I actually had to hit them in a comp run was pretty intimidating. This morning is probably the highest level of adrenaline I’ve ever had in my life.”
Andy Mahre spins a 270 off the Mine Cart rail at Red Bull Cold Rush. Photo by Christian Pondella.
Athletes had two line choices in the zone aptly dubbed “Mandatory Air” after dropping in from the top of the course. To the skier’s left: a ridgeline railroad-tie rail feature lead into a cornice gap jump, which funneled into a rampy hip step-down coined “Hipstamatic.”To the skier’s right: a few fall-line turns on chalky snow dropped athletes into a step-up gap jump and then lower into an absolutely massive (80+ feet) step-down called “The Castle.” Obviously, minor variations existed in each line choice, and, with it all said and done, the competitors that approached the course creatively—fluidly linking multiple features between the main lines or bypassing the cornice gap to throw a stylish butter trick off the cornice—are the runs that proved to be memorable.
Wiley Miller butters off the cornice into a 720. Photo by Ian Fohrman.Wiley Miller rolled into the skier’s left line, cleanly hit the rail on the top but opted to ski right past the subsequent cornice gap jump. Instead, Miller unleashed a smooth nose butter 720 off the cornice, showing a creative and stylish approach to the course. Dane Tudor built on his momentum created during the big-mountain day by spinning a 720 over the cornice gap and then banging a right off the tranny to link up with The Castle, where he absolutely crushed a switch 540 off the 80-plus foot kicker.
For the women, Jackie Paaso was the first competitor to boost the cornice gap jump and bypass the Hipstamatic kicker beneath it, to link the cornice gap with The Castle, where she had a-go at a huge front flip. And, just like on the big-mountain day, Rachael Burks showed up to shred. Burks straight-aired the skier’s right step-up and then came into The Castle hot where she lofted a large back flip (crashing on the first attempt but rebating it one her second run when she stomped it).
Rachael Burks lays out a massive backflip. Photo by Christian Pondella.
For every one athlete that put their line to the bolts there seemed to be two that crashed, with the stomp to blowup ratio hovering around 1:2. But, that’s what you get when some of the most committed men and women in skiing are looking to push themselves and give’r.
A few crashes from the day stand out because the skiers were fully committed and looking to throw down. Collin Collins (who uncorked spins off everything in front of him), Leo Ahrens (who was the only competitor to go for a double, but ended up crashing on both attempts) and Anna Segal had solid attempts but couldn’t keep their feet through an entire run. All three, among other competitors, felt the “thwap” of punch-front tomahawks as a direct result of charging skiing.
Sean Pettit sends the biggest switch 540 of the day. Photo by Mike Arzt.
“On my second run I hit the rail a little smoother [than the first run], and I hopped around switch to come in for a big switch 9 off the first jump," Collins said. "Again, I four-pointed and bounced off the hard landing. Then, I went down to The Castle and did a cork 7-tail grab off the feature. I thought I had that, too, but crashed in the deep pow landing. I haven’t hit too many jumps this year, so I guess I’m a little rusty. It was super fun, though.”
“I’ve never crashed so many times in one run,” Segal said with a smile. “If it was any other comp I would probably be really pissed off, but I was laughing so hard the whole time today. It was a really cool experience.”
Collin Collins goes big off the Castle jump at Red Bull Cold Rush. Photo by Erik Seo.
As the slopestyle event wrapped up so did this year’s official Red Bull Cold Rush competition. Unfortunately, the cliff day venue ripped to the ground — an aspect of backcountry skiing that we all have had to get used to this year because of variable snowpacks — and the third day of the comp has been canceled. It is a bummer because the cliff day of last year’s comp sent ripples throughout the entire skiing world and was an apropos wrap up to the event. What’s cool, however, is that instead of competing against each other on Silverton’s insanely sick terrain on Wednesday, the Cold Rush athletes will be ripping around the mountain together. Picture this: a hand-picked crew of the best skiers in the world, heli access to top-notch terrain, Cineflex cameras filming the shredding on a freeride day devoted solely to skiing with you friends, sans agenda. It sounds pretty legit, right?
Check back for a final recap from Silverton, Colorado in which we’ll divulge the overall peer-selected winners of Cold Rush, recount the freeride day and highlight some of the standout edits created over the last few days.
Pep Fujas busts a laid out backflip off the hip. Photo by Christian Pondella. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
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Red Bull Cold Rush Kicks Off W Red Bull Cold Rush Kicks Off With Big-Mountain Day
- From: gregfitzsimmons
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Description:
Red Bull Cold Rush is stateside in Silverton for the second year in a row, and the small mining town has once again morphed into the epicenter of the freeskiing world. The hype surrounding the comp has been off the charts leading up to the 6th annual event as a star-studded lineup of 23 of the world’s best all-around skiers (18 men and 5 women) shuttled into Silverton to tee-off on the Alaskan-esque terrain found at Silverton Mountain.
Competitors scope their lines Monday at Red Bull Cold Rush at Silverton Mountain, Colorado. Photo by Ian Fohrman.
The goal for Red Bull Cold Rush is simple: crown the best all-around skier in the world. With days devoted to big-mountain, slopestyle and cliffs, the invite-only roster of athletes has free rein to throw down on Silverton’s steep, rock-littered terrain. Boasting a lineup that includes athletes like two-time Red Bull Cold Rush Champion Sean Pettit, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Dane Tudor, Dash Long, Pep Fujas, Kye Peterson, Wiley Miller, Michelle Parker and Rachael Burks, the three-day comp promises to go off.
And, the first day of the event didn’t disappoint. It was spring break in northern San Juan Mountains, Silverton-style, with bluebird skies and warm weather serving as the backdrop for the Big-Mountain day. The towering peaks looker’s left of last year’s big-mountain day, above the valley where Shaun White created his own personal superpipe, played host to the day’s venue.
The Red Bull Cold Rush big mountain venue at Silverton Mountain. Photo by Mike Arzt.
An 8-foot crown and large deposit of avalanche debris in the looker’s left portion of the venue greeted the athletes as they slid up to inspect the venue early on Monday morning. Despite the Silverton staff peppering the venue with explosives in the days leading up to the comp, a remote slide was created when a cornice dropped from the top of a couloir while Silverton’s staff was blasting a different aspect of Silverton’s terrain. The debris cut the venue in half and illustrated the possible dangers of the zone.
There was some trepidation among the athletes about the unstable conditions early in the morning, but after a lot of talk Pep Fujas, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and Dave Treadway headed up in the helicopter for a first-hand inspection of the venue and conditions — visually and physically.
“When we first saw the crown I was like, ‘get me out of here,’ because I thought it was a natural,” winner of last year’s big-mountain day Dave Treadway said. “But we heard it was remotely triggered and we did a run to feel the snow and felt solid about the venue after checking it out.”“There was an initial scare rolling up and seeing all the slide paths and avy debris everywhere,” echoed Dash Longe. “But once we got to kind of relax and look at all of the options we decided it looks pretty good.”
Collin Collins throws a Rodeo 540. Photo by Mike Arzt.
As helicopters with Cineflex cameras circled the venue, the 23 athletes got heli-bumps from the base to the top of the mountain. With two prominent couloirs—Grande to the looker’s right and Pequeño 1 to the looker’s left—flanking the venue, steep and rocky terrain made for a lot of options for the athletes. One-by-one, the skiers dropped into the venue and threw down lines that had their friends and fellow competitors hooting and hollering at the bottom of the run-out.
In the end, highlights from day one included a super technical line by Andy Mahre. After nuking through the Pequeño 1 chute, Mahre navigated a super exposed section of rock and mandatory airs, snaking through the peppery terrain and drawing a creative line in a portion of the venue that no other athletes ventured into.
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa attacks the Red Bull Cold Rush course. Photo by Mike Arzt.
“I skied that zone a few years ago with Warren Miller, but I took it a little differently exploded at the bottom,” Mahre said. “I definitely wanted to try to rebate it, but the snowpack is different than it was four years ago so I changed it up a bit. It was cool to have a little redemption, though.”
Dane Tudor, 16-year-old Logan Pehota, and Sage Cattabriga-Alosa also turned heads with full-tilt skiing and boosting airs. Tudor was the first to lace a line through the a zone called Hour Glass which culminated in a mandatory 25-footer into a chute coined “The Broom Closet.” Pemberton’s young-gun Pehota showed a style and confidence that belies his age as he found a spine that no one else skied before boosting a couple of airs en route to “The Broom Closet” exit air. And, in his typical style, Sage arched a playful and stylish line through Pequeño 1 that included double drops and straight lines.
“I was hoping to ski fast, hit some airs and make it fluid,“ Sage said.
Dave Treadway airs over the Broom Closet rock chute. Photo by Christian Pondella.
On the women’s side Rachael Burks, Lexi Dupont and Jackie Paason shredded aesthetic and aggressive big-mountain lines. Burks raced through Grande and found a cool exit air. On her first go Burks crashed in the transition but she stomped her second line cleanly. Lexi Dupont slashed high-speed turns through Pequeño 1. And, true to form, Paaso went big as she setup an air out of the Grande chute and without any hesitation straight lined into the 25-plus-foot cliff drop. Unfortunately, Paaso crashed both times, but her charging skiing had the crowd at bottom going nuts.
“I really wish I landed that air,” Paaso said. “I knew right away that I wanted to ski that cliff.”
With the slopestyle day on tap athletes are frothing at the man-made jumps carved into the zone called “Mandatory Air.” There’s talk of doubles and some athletes have joked about triples possibly being thrown. So, stay tuned for a recap of today’s slopetyle action.
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- 1 year ago
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