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Kiwi Fruit Dominate NZ Freeskiing Open Big Mountain

J Dogg — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:28:50 -0400

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New Zealanders Alastair Eason and Janina Kuzma made good on their home turf, taking out the men’s and women’s Big Mountain titles of the Volkl NZ Freeski Open by the Royal NZ Air Force today at Treble Cone.

Eason, who breezed through qualifying round in first place at The Remarkables yesterday, secured his victory today by edging out freestyle skier Dane Tudor (USA/Aust) and third-place finisher Luke Potts (UK).

Full Results >>>

Eason’s gutsy line choice brought a roar of applause from the crowd as he put down the smoothest run of the day, highlighted by a series of stomped landings off 15-metre cliffs inTreble Cone’s Mototapu Chutes.

“I’m really happy to have finally nailed it,” said Eason. “I’ve placed second once, and third twice over the past few years, so I’m stoked!’

Kuzma’s run, in which she scored 80 out of a possible100 points, featured spectacular cliff drops that most of the other women weren’t attempting. Fifteen year-old Mikayla Austin skied beyond her years into second place, and Lorraine Huber (Aust) took out third.

“So stoked to win again," Kuzma said. "In the morning the snow was super firm, but the sun was shining and the weather was fantastic.”

The Big Mountain competition brought together some of the world’s top competitors, including Canadian IFSA World Tour Champion Brett Crabtree and former world champion and Wanaka local Geoff Small, who bowed out during qualifying after falling during his run in difficult conditions at The Remarkables on Tuesday.

Head competition judge and current president of the International Freeski Association, Jim Jack, made the trip to the South Island of New Zealand to be a part of one of the sport’s leading events.

“I have a huge amount of respect for the competitors,” said Jack. “They shied away from nothing, kept their composure and showed fantastic technical skiing. I’d sure hate to be one of the girls on the tour right now, competing against the female athletes you have coming out of NZ.”

The Volkl NZ Freeski Open was organised and hosted by Snow Sports New Zealand and the Freeski Association New Zealand, with support from the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Event footage from the Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Mountain competitions will be screened at the final event party on Friday, 29 August at Mint Bar in Wanaka.

To visit the event promotion and full results, go to www.freeskiopennz.com.

Orage Masters Wrap Up

J Dogg — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:27:24 -0400

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From the weeks leading up to the event, to the hype surrounding the 5th anniversary of the Orage Masters and its move to Whistler; there remains only one thing left to say...

Congratulations to the K2 Spread Eagles... They came, they saw, they kicked some ass... and broke beer mugs over their heads along the way. Doglotion.com was too busy burning our faces skiing slackcountry slush to cover the event in detail, but here's the word on the street from Orage, and some vids from our other fine furry web mag friends.

Not only did K2 come equipped with props, they were by far the most theatrical team in the event. Which, combined with their course dominance and inspiration from fearless team captain Mike Powell, the Spread Eagles were lead to victory and have officially given the hells angels something to fear. The 5th installment of the Orage Masters not only lived up to its namesake, the Anti Comp found a way to surpass our wildest expectations providing rare springtime sun and warm conditions at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.

For the hundreds of fans who peppered the tree line boundary of the course, the 8 competing teams better known as the one and only K2 Spread Eagles, 4 Frnt Tibetan Monks, Armada Star Wars crew, Salomon Super Heroes, Volkl David Hasslehoff look-alikes, Surface Outsiders, Dynastar Vikings and the Rossi Pirates all came dressed to impress and were ready tear a strip off the custom built Masters course.

With the traditional sound of the blow horn teams Salomon and Dynastar kicked off the event with high flying choreographed acrobatics in hopes of impressing their fellow competitors and guest judges, JF Cusson, Myles Ricketts, Mike Atkinson and Joe Schuster enough to be granted permission to move onto the next round. With only 15 minutes between each set of two teams, 4 preliminary round robin heats were packed with action on the course built by none other than TJ Schiller himself. When the smoke had cleared it was K2, 4 Frnt, Dynastar and Armada who would move into the semi final round.

From there Dynastar and K2 rose above the rest and would ultimately set the stage for a battle between the biker gang and the weapon clad viking village pillagers. But in the end, no team could top the antics of the K2 Spread Eagles who not only dominated the event but somehow found time to slam beers, break mugs over their helmets and scream death metal lyrics during their runs.

When it was all said and done the Orage Masters provided debauchery, reckless acts of costume clad skiing, a fantastic free lunch, countless beers from Kokanee, a live web cast on ns.com and 8 hours of on hill partying... just the way we like it... just the way every event should be.

For those of you who did not witness the Masters in person or on the countless number of websites who covered the event check out some of the top notch coverage compliments of our friends at...

Newschoolers event coverage>>>

Big Lines video>>>

Crabtree on Podium at Snowbird Freeskiing Competition

J Dogg — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:55:53 -0400

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Whistler shredder and Doglotion favourite Brett Crabtree has earned another podium for the season. Not on top like Crested Butte, but hey, he had to give someone else a chance. Here's what went down at Snowbird...

After an extraordinarily exciting day of skiing, Jaclyn Passo of Squaw Valley, CA, wins the women’s title and Dylan Crossman takes first in the stacked international men’s division, as the 11th Annual Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals concluded today on North Baldy at Snowbird Ski Resort, Utah.

The women’s field represented one of the deepest talent pools in Subaru U.S. Freeskiing National’s 11-year history. Sitting in seventh place going into the super final rounds this afternoon, Jaclyn Passo of Squaw Valley, California, had nearly four points to make up in order to reach the podium. Judges rewarded Passo for sending it off the same big double-stager that many of the men looked to as an exit out of the amphitheatre, catapulting her into first place with a total score of 104.44. Crystal Wright of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, moved from fifth to finish second overall with 103.13 points, and last year’s winner Jess McMillan of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, rounded out the podium with 115.13 points.

“I got so close to a win at Squaw after leading the first day, but I went for too big off a jump on day two,” said women’s winner Jaclyn Passo. “At Crested Butte, the same scenario unfolded, so it’s pretty sweet to finally see this come together. I wasn’t planning on going to Alyeska, Alaska, for the tour finals, but now I may have to.” said Passo.

The men’s super final rounds were simply incredible today as less than 12 points separated all 18 competitors who advanced. Current Freeskiing World Tour points leader Brett Crabtree of Whistler, B.C., tightened the grip on his points lead, pioneering a new line and dropping a cliff which no other competitor attempted, placing third overall with 115.13 points. With less than a point separating Kevin O’Meara of Squaw Valley, California, from first position, the title seemed like it could be his for the taking. O’Meara’s smooth spread eagle off Blonde Rock and technical double drop near the finish appeared to be enough to take the lead, but there was still one man left at the start line. Although he was on alpine gear, the five-time telemark champion of the Crested Butte Extremes, Dylan Crossman, had an incredible and hesitation-free super final run, which earned him the second highest scoring run of the competition. Combined with the highest scoring run of the day, which also went to Crossman earlier today, Crossman solidified his victory with123.28 total points. Kevin O’Meara finished second with119.50 points.

“I knew I had to pull out all the stops, there was nothing to lose in the super finals, so I just went for it,” said the 2008 Subaru US Freeskiing Nationals men’s champion Dylan Crossman.

As always, spectators enjoyed watching freeskiing’s elite battle it out for the Tobias Lee Memorial Sickbird buckle award. The Sickbird award is presented to the competitor with the most spirited competition run, often involving super-human talent and agility. This week’s Sickbird buckle was awarded to Jaclyn Passo, whose aggressive super final run earned this huge honor, which has rarely been won by a female competitor.

The North Face Young Gun Award returns in 2008, honoring outstanding new talent in competitive freeskiing. Points accumulated throughout the season will crown one deserving under-21-year-old a full sponsorship from The North Face and the honor of becoming the next Young Gun winner. This stop’s winner was 18-year-old Brayden Brassey of Park City, Utah, who finished 5th overall.

The Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series and Freeskiing World Tour wraps up at The Subaru Freeskiing World Championships at Alyeska, AK, April 9-13, 2008. Past tour stops include the Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open, the Subaru Squaw Valley U.S.A Freeskiing Open, the Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open, the Subaru US Extreme Freeskiing Championships at Crested Butte, CO.

MSI presented a live webcast of the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals from Snowbird, both Friday and Saturday. Be sure to visit the newly redesigned and recently launched www.usfreeskiing.com, which features state of the art video and photo player technology. The daily uploads of video, photos, news and results of each day’s competition action will be available after each day concludes.

View FINAL RESULTS>>>

For more information log onto www.usfreeskiing.com

Squaw Valley US Freeskiing Open Results

J Dogg — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:50:18 -0500

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Competitive big mountain freeskiers pushed the limits Friday at the Subaru Squaw Valley USA Freeskiing Open while crowds of sun-drenched spectators indulged in the top-shelf performance. Athletes took turns negotiating The Headwall’s ominous vertical playground of wind-buffed stashes, cliffs, and chimney-wide chutes for what became a tit-for-tat showdown that lasted through the entire day’s final rounds.

Elyse Saugstad of Alyeska, Alaska, won the women’s title with a total of 97.51 points, with Squaw Valley’s Allie Donovan taking second with 92.26 points, and Crested Butte, Colorado’s Tanya Christensen claiming third place with 89.14 points.

The men’s competition was an explosive line-up of powerhouse skiing, unexpected backflips, and plenty of crowd-pleasing air time as skiers sent themselves into flight over 80-foot rock faces.

Kirkwood, California’s Craig Garbiel claimed victory, sticking several extremely technical line choices and blowing the judges away with a series of perfectly executed multi-hit cliff drops, garnering 115.01 points. On his heels were Mt. Bachelor, Oregon’s Jesse Bryan with 110.76 points and Bryce Newcomb of Sun Valley, ID, who put in a hard-charging performance to earn third place, with 110.63 total points.

“Squaw Valley is always a great stop on the tour, the new talent just pours out of the woodwork here,” said Dak Williams, event MC and MSI’s Director of Winter Sports Group. “Today was an exceptional event, with everyone pushing each other to the max.”

The women’s Finals round started the day on a high note, as Squaw Valley’s big mountain female legend Jamie Burge unleashed her toolbox of skills, airplane-turning down the upper section, and sweeping into the corner pocket of JT’s face before perfectly negotiating a dodgy double-cliff drop line. Her impressive performance failed to intimidate her competitors, as one after another, the women ripped arcs down The Headwall’s face and cleared gaping elevator drops.

“It was pretty unnerving standing up at the top and seeing just how much everyone was going for it,” said event champion Saugstad, “As it came down to it, I just took a deep breath and did what I knew I was capable of. I wanted to ski an aggressive line, but to also ski smart. It worked out to stick to my game plan.”

Griffin Post, winner of last week’s Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open, laid it all on the line with unique, technical line choices and soaring airs in finals to win the coveted Tobias Lee Memorial Sick Bird Award.

“After I ran into some trouble with my first run, I had nothing to lose going into today,” explained Post. “Sitting in 13th spot, I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to climb back up the ladder, so I just put it all on the line.”

MSI will be post comprehensive same-day video coverage of the final rounds on the newly redesigned and recently launched www.usfreeskiing.com, which features state of the art video and photo player technology. The daily uploads of video, photos, news and results of each day’s competition action will be available after each day concludes.

STAY TUNED AS THE SUBARU U.S. FREESKIING SERIES TRAVELS TO CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO, NEXT WEEK FOR THE LONGEST RUNNING EXTREME FREESKIING CONTEST IN THE SPORT’S HISTORY.

DON’T MISS LIVE SAME-DAY COVERAGE OF THE FINAL ROUNDS ON WWW.USFREESKIING.COM

Nissan Outdoor Games - Chamonix

J Dogg — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:42:05 -0500

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Zooming in on a fantastic week and the first results…Packed with amazing shots, the first edition of the Nissan Outdoor Games by Columbia lived up to its billing. Impressive para-gliding acrobatics, ice-climbing, free-skiing and snowboarding, climbing and BASE-jumping high in the mountains accompanied the entertainment in the town centre.

Nissan Sports Adventure team riders Aurelien Ducrox (FRA), Geraldine Fasnacht (SUI) and Eric Themel (AUT) formed part of Team Focus. Cameraman Daniel Lafarge captured the truly amazing action sequences over the 5 day contest, whilst Geraldine narrated the film, who, after sustaining an injury at the Nissan Russian Adventure was unable to participate in the Snowboarding and BASE jumping for the team. Aurelien definitely had the standout skiing part of the contest when he dropped 3 cliffs in succession getting inverted on each one!

Geraldine commented: “It was such a pleasure to be part of the Nissan Outdoor games by Columbia in Chamonix. Because of my knee injury I thought that I was not able to participate but my team mates were great and changed a part of the scenario so that I could be included in the film and for sure this made it a great week for me. We has so much fun and it’s just beautiful to hang out in the mountains all together. Thanks to all of them… and for sure to Nissan and Columbia to make this perfect event happen. Hope next year we gonna have weather like this one…”

Prior to the films screening and award presentation, in the foothills of Mont-Blanc, a unique display of acrobatic para-gliding and wing-suiting amazed the crowd gathered on the platform at the Aiguille de Midi. The aerial performances of the invited professional athletes were coordinated by local guide Jerome Ruby, a Base-jump specialist. The Air-Show, never before performed at this altitude, amazed the open-mouthed spectators.

At 3,842 metres, on the terrace of the Aiguille du Midi, two hundred people waited with baited breath for this unprecedented display. Dave Barlia, the American BASE-jumper got the show started. Dropped from a helicopter 1000 m further up, he swept over the heads of the crowd before plunging into the Chamonix valley. The para-gliders followed just behind, stringing together the latest spectacular tricks (SAT dynamics, infinity tumbling). For thirty minutes, the three helicopters dropped the worlds’ best pilots, one after the other: Antoine Montant (Fra), Hernan Pitocco (Arg), Raoul Rodriguez (ESP), Alexandre Aimard (Fra), Mathias Roten (Sui), etc.

Among the BASE-jumpers invited, the Frenchman Jean-Noel Itzstein, Slovenian Robert Pecnik, South-african Julian Boulle and Yves Burry from Switzerland honoured the Games with their presence. These five strange flying objects, equipped with their wing-suits, flew in formation over the contours of the Aiguille du Midi, executing an incredible show passing just metres over the heads of the crowd at speeds of 170km per hour!

It was sundown that everyone had been waiting for, with the screening of the films and photos. A massive crowd assembled gasping, cheering and applauding the work of all the athletes present. After an exhausting week of filming around Mont-Blanc, the representatives of the seven competing teams were shaking with nerves in anticipation as to whom the jury, made up of specialists from the sports and audiovisual worlds would pick.

As the big moment came, it was the CEO of Nissan France, Pascal Schmitt, who had the honour of announcing the winning team for this first winter edition of the games. The “Aiguille d’or” trophy and 10,000 euros prize money for best film went to the members of the RIDE THE PLANETS team, who were stoked to say the least. Tero Repo (FIN), from team Radical Films, took the prize for best photographer.

The Nissan Sports Adventure team depart Chamonix on the 24th February for the Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro. A unique one week mobile event, including three contest days, where Nissan 4x4’s such as the Pathfinder, X-Trail, Patrol and Navara will be taking the riders to some of the greatest mountain faces of the Alps. The eight highest ranked male riders of the Freeride World Tour and five world class wild cards of each discipline will battle for the 80'000 USD prize purse.

Checkout the “Team Focus” film featuring the Nissan Sports Adventure team, a behind the scenes footage from the Nissan Outdoor Games, new athlete profiles and how to’s all recently uploaded on to www.nissan-sportsadventure.com.

Redbull Playstreets hits One Big Park

J Dogg — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:36:04 -0500

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On February 16th, 2008 the world's best new-schoolers will once again gather for the Red Bull Playstreets in Bad Gastein to fire the starting gun for One Big Park.

When the first edition of Red Bull Playstreets hit the small spa-town of Bad Gastein in 2007, the air was burning as international top riders wowed more than 5.500 spectators with spectacular rooftop slides, road gap jumps and stylish tricks.

This year, the Austrian region of SalzburgerLand once again offers the ideal backdrop for the second edition of the freeskiing event, which not only promises to be even more spectacular than last year, but also coincides with the launch of the youth brand "One Big Park".

The well-tried rules behind the Red Bull Playstreets remain the same: world-class riders shredding right through the town center of Bad Gastein on a breakneck obstacle course and pulling their most outrageous tricks. However, this year organizers have designed an even more challenging setup and shaped additional obstacles. The 2008 route will start with the huge One Big Park Corner, pushing athletes to their limits in the first few minutes.

"It was really tough last year," says German participant Sven Kueenle. "I have heard a few rumors about this year's course and I am really looking forward to it."

The list of riders willing to take on this challenge reads like a "who's who" of the X-Games. Besides defending champion Charles Gagnier (CAN), Newschool skiing legend JP Auclair (CAN), X-Games winner Simon Dumont (USA) and 15-year-old Frenchman Thomas Krief, who was a surprise third place in 2007, will battle against some formidable opposition.

Also lined up among the 13 invited riders are Austrian athletes Tobi Tritscher and wildcard winner Patrick Hollaus, who will prove their skills to impress the expert panel judging their runs on creativity, acrobatics and style.

While Friday, February 15 will give the athletes one last chance to practice their skills on the obstacles, the event will start off on February 16 with a tough qualification round at 16.00. The final begins at 20.00 and at 21.30 the big winners can be found celebrating at the fabulous post-event party.

One Big Park's communication team will be providing you with text and photography live and direct from the event. All other information on Red Bull Playstreets will be posted on www.onebigpark.at.

Participating athletes:

1. Charles Gagnier (CAN)
2. Sven Kueenle (GER)
3. Julien Regnier (FRA)
4. Jossi Wells (NZ)
5. Jacob Wester (SE)
6. JP Auclair (CAN)
7. Tim Rider (CH)
8. Simon Dumont (USA)
9. Richard Permin (FR)
10. Russ Henshaw (AUS)
11. Oscar Scherlin (SE)
12. Paddy Graham (UK)
13. Patrick Hollaus (AT)
14. Tobias Tritscher (AT)
15. Sean Pettit (CAN)
16. Kalle Leinonen (FIN)
17. Oskari Raitanen (FIN)
18. Coby West? (USA)

One Big Park is the new youth tourism initiative of the SalzburgerLand Tourimus GmbH presenting young guests countless opportunities for adrenaline-fueled freesports, customized package offers and exciting events like the Red Bull Playstreets.

Check out the interactive platform www.onebigpark.at for more information and news!

Windstedt Wins Nissan Russian Adventure

J Dogg — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:21:10 -0500

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While President Vladimir Putin was skiing on the opposite mountain,the elite of the sport of freeride skiing and snowboarding put on a great show at the second contest of the Freeride World Tour, Nissan Russian Adventure, today in Krasnaya Polyana / Sochi, the Russian host resort of the Winter Olympics 2014.

The 43 participating riders proved their skill in a steep and committing first face in exceptionally beautiful scenery, and further freestyling the second section with front-, backflips and other creative riding.

From Mammoth, California to the West Caucasus in Russia in less than a week. And once again the world’s best freeride skiers and snowboarders experienced great powder for a part of the contest run that was held from the top ridge of the Krasnaya Polyana resort. The wide ridge with three different starting gates gave the riders the opportunity to choose many varied lines on the 350 vertical metre run. The top section was the extreme part with very steep, serious riding, narrow couloirs and big cliff drops. A lot of sluff was coming down making the route finding even more difficult but absolutely stunning to watch for the spectators. The second section of the run was more of freestyle in skied out terrain, where consistency and creativity awarded.
Henrik Windstedt from Sweden skied the most radical line, starting with around 55 degrees steep solid turns to then drop a ten metre cliff, stomp the landing into a steep narrow chute, topping it up with an impressive backflip and skiing fluid all the way to the finish line. This run was extremely spectacular and put the Swede on top of the podium. “I had decided to go for this line when I looked at it yesterday, but once up at the starting gate it looked really difficult. I decided to go for it anyway and it was just amazing. It suits me to start on smaller faces than for example the Bec des Rosses in Verbier [Nissan O’Neill Xtreme de Verbier], but I look forward to skiing some bigger faces for the next contests,” said a thrilled Henrik Windstedt, who was second at Nissan Mammoth Challenge last week.
Once again French veteran Seb Michaud impressed the judges and public with a great run, including an amazing "late back flip", flying probably more than 25 meters in length. Seb Michaud, who won the Nissan Mammoth Challenge split a well earned second place with young American skier Drew Tabke.
Snowboarder Flo Orley from Austria chose to start his line at the steepest part of the face, continued fast and fluid into a difficult couloir, and staying original all the way to the finishing line, winning the men’s snowboard discipline. Flo Orley was overjoyed at the prize giving. “I am so happy. From the top of the ridge the couloir looked so steep. It was probably around 55 degrees but the snow was so good. Here the snow sticks to steep faces and I rode it without mistakes. I got so confident after sticking the couloir that I totally relaxed for the next section of the run and really enjoyed it. The venue was short but I think we all agreed on that it was very challenging and really beautiful”. Second placed snowboarder Xavier de le Rue’s run stood out as the fastest most aggressive snowboard run of the day with a big cliff drop that he stomped right at the start in a very difficult area. Further down the French pro snowboarder took huge air but slightly missed the landing, which probably took him down from the top step of the podium. Alaskan skier Elyse Saugstad is used to skiing big, which she confirmed today with a strong, fast and solid line. She started off jumping a cornice and executing a double jump in the middle of the run. “The contest conditions were perfect today, putting a good vibe among the competitors. The other girls were skiing really well, and I aimed to ski fluid and fast. It was a great face to ski on. The bottom half was maybe less extreme but a lot of work, that some might not have taken into enough consideration, which I took advantage of. Very close in points was second placed Marja Persson (Sweden) who did a strong start and consistent skiing all the way. In the women’s snowboard discipline Bibi Pekarek from Austria had the cleanest run with an original, committing entrance, clean jumps and fast riding at the lower part of the run. Although Ruth Leisibach from Switzerland is not riding hundred percent of her capacity, because of a fall earlier this winter, she took second place with a stable run with two nice drops. All the rider’s concerns went to Swiss Geraldine Fastnacht, who hurt her knee landing a jump. Geraldine took first place in Nissan Mammoth Challenge last week. Earlier in the week it snowed heavily in Krasnaya Polyana on a very thin base, meaning high avalanche risk. The organisers of the Freeride World Tour had planned to execute a part of the contest on one of the big, stunning faces of the Caucasus mountain range, with a heli lift from Krasnaya Polyana. For safety reasons the decision had to be made to hold the contest on a shorter but still challenging face.

Next to come: Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro

The next stop of the Freeride World Tourwill be in the Alpswith the Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro, starting in Chamonix 24 February. The Big Mountain Pro is a unique one week mobile event, including three contest days, taking the riders to some of the greatest mountain faces of the Alps, depending on where snow conditions are the best. The eight highest ranked male riders of the Freeride World Tourand five world class wild cards of each discipline will battle for the 80'000 USD prize purse.

Colby West Wins US Freeskiing Open Big Air

J Dogg — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:41:10 -0500

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American Colby West threw down the biggest air of the night with a Switch 1080 Stomp, clinching the championship title for Big Air.

X-Games Medalist Jossi Wells, of New Zealand, cheered his friend on from the second spot on the podium, pulling a flawless mute grab in his final run. Michael Clark placed third, Russ Henshaw, yesterday's slopestyle medalist, nails fourth.

New snow was falling throughout the night, making the jump slow and the air smaller, really bringing out the champions.

Big names Peter Olenick, Sammy Carlson, and Andreas Hatveit fell in the final eight, eliminating their chances to move on to the finals.

"It was really fun being in the air and twisting like that," West said after his first run. The crowd "felt the earth shake," according to announcer Luke Van Valin.

Other notable tricks throughout the night included a nearly perfect Switch 1080 from Charles Gagnier's little bro, Vincent, and a Kangaroo Flip in the second run from Bobby Brown, with a less than perfect landing.

As snowfall became one problem, fences turned into another. Thomas Doplads skied under the fence after an off landing, staying safe. On his second run in the final eight, Doplads ran into the fence again, taking a moment to get up. That second fall eliminated him from competition.

The U.S. Freeskiing Open continues tomorrow with Men's and Women's Superpipe in the morning. Check www.usfreeskiingopen.com for live streaming as well as up-to-the-minute results.

See the RESULTS>>>

Rhalves Wins X Games Gold

J Dogg — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:34:48 -0500

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Thirty-four-year-old Daron Rahlves, arguably the most accomplished speed skier in American history, began competing in the Skier X event last year. In fact, his run in today’s Skier X Men’s Final marked only his second ESPN Winter X Games appearance – but he surged to the lead early in the final heat and never looked back.
“I just wanted it,” Rahlves said afterwards. “Wanted it really bad.” Rahvles, silver medalist Stanley Hayer, and bronze medalist (and Aspen local) Casey Puckett all finished within a second of each other.
Czech racer Tomas Kraus led early, but fell after Rahlves passed him and took the lead – a lead Rahlves would hold all the way to the finish line. “My start was weak, but I capitalized on the few openings that I had,” Rahlves said. “Key thing was to just not think about the other guys, and ski my race. Our heat was stacked, but you can’t really think about the other guys. You just gotta dig deep and put the hammer down.” More videos, results, and photos from the Winter X-Games 12 at www.expn.go.com

Freeride World Tour Stop #1 - Mammoth

J Dogg — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:37:15 -0500

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After a difficult week with snow, wind, and poor visibility the first contest of the Freeride World Tour, the Nissan Mammoth Challenge, was finally held in California on Friday 25 January. With cloudy skies and light snowfalls, but enough visibility for riders and judges to carry out the contest, many of the biggest names in the world of ski and snowboard impressed the judges and local public with great action on fast, solid lines and huge air.

55 of the world’s best skiers and snowboarders contested in the first ever contest of the Freeride World Tour in Mammoth, California. With the massive snowfalls of the previous days, giving at least two feet (60-80 cm) of fresh snow on the face, the competitors rode fast and convincing and went for huge air with impressive cliff drops, landing in between the pine trees, cheered on by the thrilled local public at the bottom of the face.

The competition was as tough as it gets. The only chance for podium was to perform impeccable runs with no errors and perfectly executed jumps. Each rider carried out two different runs on a double face with two optional starts and many different line options, with interesting terrain and big cliff jumps. The accumulated points from both runs set the final result.

After a face inspection with binoculars at the bottom of the face, all the competing skiers and snowboarders hiked to the top of the mountain. The 16 participating women went down first alternating skiers and snowboarders, followed by 37 male riders. After the first run, the competitors took some time at the bottom of the face to exchange their emotions and feelings. While checking their second line they gave each other advice and helped their fellow riders to choose the best options.

The experienced and oldest skier on the World Tour, 34 year old Seb Michaud from France, was not sure what line to ski while checking the face through his binoculars, but apparently his long experience rewarded him as he finally had two awesome runs and ended up winning. Again this showman proved to the crowds that a good show is just as important as the choice of line, throwing off a backflip right before the finishing line. For his second run he chose an original line taking a double cliff in very steep terrain.

The Swedish wild card Henrik Windstedt impressed the judges and took second place. The Swede might not be as well known in the Freeride circles as winner Seb Michaud and third placed fellow countryman Aurélien Ducroz, but the former freestyler has a quiet reputation of being one of the world’s most all round skiers, which he definitely proved to his more well established freeride mates with fast, unexpected and nerve biting runs. Aurélien Ducroz, a solid, well known freerider, took a well earned third place ending one of his runs with a frontflip right before the finishing line to the public’s delight. The five American participating skiers put on a great show, riding very fast and dropping huge cliffs.

In the women skiers’ category the line up proved to be the best out there with a level that has improved rapidly over the last years. American Jesse Mc Millan draw a straight line from the top to the bottom, never hesitating and offering the fastest run of the day in the female group putting her on the top step of the podium. She was followed in the ranking by Caroline Meynet from France with a powerful but more classic style than third placed Marja Persson (SWE), who once again proved that she probably is the most explosive female rider at present, but had a small fall and lost some points which put her on third place.

On the snowboard side, local rider Steve Klassen had a huge fan club in the cheering public and was applauded during his entire run. He finally finished at 4^th place in a close competition just behind three re-known European snowboarders. Cyril Neri from Switzerland, who is ranked number 1 on the world ranking list, finished at third place with an impressive backflip starting his run.

His fellow countryman Alex Coudray took most points with the two most original lines of the day winning the men’s snowboard class and 10 000 USD richer in prize money. Flo Orley from Austria took second place thanks to a super fast and steady second run.

Famous snowboarder Géraldine Fasnacht from Switzerland landed her first jump in such deep powder that she had to crawl out of her hole. Besides that, the choice of her lines, her fluidity and solid runs brought her to the 1^st place, just ahead of local snowboarder Tiffany Noel on 2^nd place. French snowboarder, Bérangère Moroc, coming straight from the qualifying contest Nissan Mammoth Quest a week before, managed to take 3^rd place.

Legendary skier and mega star Glen Plake has been present in Mammoth since the qualifying contest, Nissan Mammoth Quest, last week, and was judging the skiers during the Nissan Mammoth Challenge. His fellow judge Dino Raffaud (FRA), co-organiser of the Nissan Freeride de Tignes, commented the high level of the contest: “The level on this first event of the Freeride World Tour is simply huge, it promises an incredible season in terms of suspense and show. What we saw today is a real pulse test of the high level freeride in competition, a tasty mix of pleasure and commitment…”

See the Final Mens Rankings HERE.

See the Final Womens Rankings HERE.

Next stop – Sochi / Krasnaya Polyana in Russia

The second event of the Freeride World Tour will take place in less than a week’s time on the other side of the planet, in Russia. The contest, with 44 participating riders, will take place in Krasnaya Polyana / Sochi, the host resort of the Winter Olympics 2014. Famous for its legendary heliskiing the contest will consist of two runs where the second one will be heli-lifted to one of the west Caucasus magnificent mountain ranges with the top half of the field (22 riders in total). The first possible contest day is the 31^st of January.

Big Mountain Finals at NZ Free Ski Open

J Dogg — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:28:55 -0400

Rating

Sam Smoothy (NZE) was last night crowned king of the mountain, taking out top place in the Icebreaker Big Mountain heli-accessed finals as part of the Volkl New Zealand Free Ski Open in front of over 450 spectators at the public judging session in downtown Wanaka.

In an impressive field of international extreme skiers, Smoothy impressed his peers in the rider-judged event with an exposed line down the steep slopes of the Lake Hope region of The Remarkables. Conditions were outstanding with a bluebird day, gentle breeze and spectacular scenery overlooking Lake Wakatipu. The snow was varied, adding to the challenges of the day but Smoothy was the stand-out skier of the day, skiing by far the most technical line in an area not tackled by other competitors earning first prize of $1,000. Alistair Eason (NZE) took second just fractionally ahead of 16-year-old Fraser MacDougall (NZE) who skied beyond his years into third place.

The women’s Big Mountain title was a more closely fought affair with Australian Janina Kuzma just beating Jacobina Home (SCO) into first place by less than a point.

“All competitors skied strongly considering the varied conditions,” said head judge, Dion Newport, who oversaw the rider judging process. “They all appreciated the rider judging which helped give the less experienced riders a better understanding of what they need to do to improve their standing in future competitions.”

The finals took place over two runs each with a vertical drop of approximately 1,000 feet. The first run was over steep but rolling terrain with competitors able to inspect the course. The second was more intimidating with options for couloirs and cliff drops as well as steep open faces. Competitors could only sight their line from the helicopter before dropping in, adding to the technical challenge.

Snow sports enthusiasts filled BaseCamp Wanaka to capacity to watch the extreme skiing action on a giant screen suspended from the climbing wall and judge their favourite riders Kuzma also took out the People’s Choice Award while Smoothy missed out to local rider Frazer MacDougall. For further information, visit www.freeskier.co.nz

Volkl NZ Free Ski Open Finale

J Dogg — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:32:44 -0400

Rating

The final day of the Volkl New Zealand Free Ski Open featured the Red Bull Slopestyle on a day that ranged from blizzards to bluebird, highlighting the level of the riders who threw down amazing tricks in less than perfect conditions.

An international field of 35 men and 11 women took on the massive Snow Park NZ slopestyle course providing a spectacular display of big airs and technical rail riding with a final that drew shouts of appreciation from crowd, riders and judges alike.

Adam Delorme (USA) stole the show with huge double front flips with a switch 1080 over the massive 60ft kicker combined with good clean rails. Colby West (USA) took second place spinning all his rails switch followed by a switch 720 to a switch 1080 on the kickers. Jossi Wells was the highest place New Zealander in third spinning 900 to 1080 on the kicker. On the bottom rail he attempted a misty flip (front flip with a 180 spin) not quite pulling it off but when he tried it again after the competition he landed it perfectly which was the first time this extremely difficult and highly technical trick had been seen in competition.

Camilla Stoddart photo.

The USA also took first and second place in the women’s event with Keri Marie Herman earning first place doing big 360s over both the giant kickers with a difficult true tip grap (grabbing very tip of ski) and confidently sliding the rails. Yesterday’s halfpipe champion, Angeli Van Laanen came in second with a huge 360 into a huge 540 on the kickers combined with technical rails.

The Volkl New Zealand Free Ski Open closes with the Icebreaker Big Mountain Heli-Accessed Finals public viewing in downtown Wanaka tonight where final results for the extreme skiing element of the event will be announced, together with a People’s Choice award. For further information, visit www.freeskier.co.nz

Competition Season at Snow Park NZ

J Dogg — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:09:23 -0400

Rating

Snow Park NZ is gearing up to host the first event of the season inviting all ski and snowboard freestylers to participate in the Electric Quarterpipe Battle on Saturday 14 July.

The free-to-enter jam style competition is a relaxed, fun event for all ages and skill levels. Riders will be judged on style and amplitude and will be vying for a $2,000 cash prize pool and $6,000 of Electric, DC and Snow Park NZ products.

Snow Park’s world-class terrain park will test the riders’ early season ability and performances, guaranteed to entertain the crowds. Some of the country’s best freestylers have already confirmed their entry, including snowboarders Abby Lockhart, Will Jackways, Louis Prucker and Jake Koia as well as freeskiers Amy and Lyndon Sheehan, and are sure to pull off huge air and tricks from the start.

Snow Park is also encouraging participation from younger athletes aged 7 to 12. The Groms have their own competition within all categories, with heaps of prizes up for grabs for this age group.

Sam Lee Snow Park NZ manager said he is keen to be able to stage a competition for all levels. “We want to be able to give all skiers and boarders the opportunity to get involved and have some fun on the quarterpipe, it will build their confidence and help them progress to the next level,” he said.

Following the jam top skiers and snowboarders will go through to the final where they will need to pull off a succession of tricks, selected by the riders. The finalists will be eliminated one by one as the tricks get harder and more creative.

Djs will be spinning the tunes throughout the day to entertain the crowds and a BBQ will be sizzling on the deck of the Woolshed Bar and Restaurant. Prize giving will follow the competition and the after party will get underway in the Woolshed Bar.

Pre-registration starts Saturday, July 7 and also from 9am on the day, the competition is free to enter. The Electric Quarterpipe Battle starts at 11am.

The Electric Quarterpipe Battle is powered by the generous support of Electric Eyewear and DC. For further information, snow reports and web cams, visit www.snowparknz.com

RIP Neal

J Dogg — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:50:12 -0400

Rating

The ski world, no the whole world, has lost another incredible guy. I didn't know him personally, but from all accounts it sounds like Neal Valiton was an incredible skier and person, and will be missed by many. And the news comes just as many Whistlerites dress up in rocker gear to celebrate the life of another ripper Brett Carlson. Here is the news about Neal...

Neal Valiton

April 26, 1988 – April 11, 2007

Mountain Sports International (MSI) is saddened by the news that one of our great competitors, Neal Valiton, passed away recently. Winner of The North Face Young Gun Award at the Subaru US Freeskiing Nationals, Neal skied out of this world on April 11th at the age of 18, just days before his 19th birthday. He died doing what he loved, skiing in Tignes, France.

Neal was Swiss/Argentinean and lived in Verbier, Switzerland, although he spent a good portion of the 2007 winter season in the US competing on the IFSA World Freeskiing Tour. A notoriously polite and reverent individual, when asked who he respects Neal said his family, his friends and the mountain. When asked what he is, he replied, “Un rêveur”, which means “A Dreamer”.

“Neal represented all the things that make not only a great big mountain skier but a great human,” said MSI Events Director and Freeskiing Announcer Dak Williams. “I spoke frequently with Neal throughout the 2007 season and even with his broken English the message of who he was and where his zest for life came from was crystal clear. He was like a little brother who had more talent than he knew what to do with, which was complimented by his humility and respect for the athletes he competed with. People like Neal are the reason I love the sport of Freeskiing and I will certainly take a part of Neal with me. I am honored to have awarded him The North Face Young Gun in Snowbird, UT. He is and always will be a member of the freeskiing family and our thoughts go out to his family and friends. Neal was a champion.”

Check out www.nealvaliton.com and http://nealvaliton.blogspot.com/ for photos, blogs and more information about this amazing young man and ripping freeskier.

Gabriel & Ogden Win At Kirkwood

J Dogg — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 23:44:40 -0400

Rating

The final stop of the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series and second stop on the International Freeskiers Association (IFSA) World Tour finished off today with an extraordinarily exciting day of skiing on the permanently closed “Cirque” at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, CA.

Kirkwood local Craig Garbiel came out on top of the stacked international men’s division and Laura Ogden of Crystal Mtn, WA, took her second straight Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships women’s title. Due to incredibly clear and sunny weather Mountain Sports International (MSI) was able to run a super-final today for the top six women and top 12 men.

Sitting in the top position going into this morning’s first run Laura Ogden was knocked back to second position by Hannah Whitney of Crested Butte, CO, who skied an incredible line which included four big cliff-drops. The remaining top women who advanced to the super-finals were Elyse Saugstad of Squaw Valley, CA, in third, Rachel Burks of Alta, UT, and Jess McMillan tied for fourth. McMillan is the recent winner of the Subaru Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open and the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals. Amber Gale of Snowbird, UT, rounded out the top six.

With Gale, McMillan and Whitney all crashing during the super-finals the door was open for Ogden to walk right through and claim her second consecutive title here in Kirkwood. Elyse Saugstad moved up one position to finish in second and Rachel Burks took the final podium spot finishing third overall.

“It feels awesome to win with such a competitive field,” said overall women’s champion Laura Ogden. “It’s great to come back to the series after taking some time off and to win. I love this venue, it scares me to death. To finish like this feels so good.”

Going into this morning’s first men’s run, Mammoth, California’s Cory Zila sat in first position, but a crash early in his line prevented him from making the super-finals which granted a host of hungry competitors the chance to move up. 2006 World Tour Champion Guerlin Chicherit of France skied an incredible line this morning, posting the top score on the run and launching him from 27th position to seventh going into the super-finals. Another first run standout was the Flyin’ Hawaiian Drew Tabke’s 50 foot backflip which he landed with no problem. A fall later in his run would eventually knock him out of the competition. Kirkwood local Craig Garbiel wowed spectators with a nearly flawless run moving him from eighth to first. Todd Ligare of Snowbird, UT, held onto his second position and Adrien Coirier of France moved up to fourth after Josh Daiek of Kirkwood crashed and was unable to advance.

The men’s super-finals today will once again go down as being one of the best in Freeskiing history. Sitting in fifth and fourth positions respectively, Drew Stoeckline of Alta, UT, and Adrien Coirier skied fast, hesitation-free lines. They remained in their respective positions overall. Christian Boucher of Whistler, BC, had an unbelievable second run, nailing each and every aspect he hit. He remained in third place overall. (Ya little C!!!)

Todd Ligare was sitting in second place going into the super-final, but was knocked back to 10th when he did a somersault upon landing a double-drop. Guerlin Chicherit once again posted the highest score on the final run which was enough to earn him a second place podium position. Leading by over two points Craig Garbiel put on quite a show for his hometown crowd. His run included several 20-feet and beyond cliff-drops which he skied into with no hesitation. The mob went crazy celebrating Garbiel’s obvious victory as he crossed the finish line.

“This is the best thing in the whole world,” said men’s overall champion Craig Garbiel. “Everyone here believes in me. People were telling me I was going to win this last year! I have a load of fourths this year and I thought I was doomed. I’m working with Core Shot Productions on a documentary about this year’s U.S. Freeskiing Series and this has ended like a fairy tale.”

As always, spectators enjoyed watching freeskiing’s elite battle it out for the Tobias Lee Memorial Sickbird buckle award presented by Salomon. The Sickbird award is presented to the competitor with the most spirited competition run, often involving super-human talent and agility. This week’s Sickbird buckle was awarded to Drew Tabke, whose gigantic back-flip will go down as one of the cleanest in competition history.

“This is almost better than the win,” said Sickbird winner Drew Tabke. “The Sickbird is a great award and I am honored to have the chance to wear a buckle.”

The North Face Young Gun Award returns in 2007, honoring outstanding new talent in competitive freeskiing. Points accumulated throughout the season have crowned one lucky under-21-year-old a full sponsorship from The North Face and the honor of becoming the next Young Gun winner. This stop’s winner was 19 year-old Scott McBrayer who finished 12th. The 2007 overall Young Gun winner was 21 year-old Brady Smedsrud of Little Cottonwood, UT.

“I was working toward this all year,” said The North Face Young Gun winner Brady Smedsrud. “I finished top five in a few events this year and I picked up Dynastar and Smith Optics as sponsors but I have been looking for a clothes sponsor for quite a while. I’m excited to be The North Face Young Gun.”

The overall Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series titles were also awarded this evening to Jess McMillan of Jackson Hole, WY, and Adrien Coirier of Les Arcs France. McMillan won both the Subaru Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open and the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals.

“I have finished second so many times,” said overall tour winner Jess McMillan. “The World Tour isn’t over, so I’m going to Tignes and I plan on winning the World Tour too. You haven’t seen the last of me yet.”

Adrien Coirier whose early season goal was to win the IFSA World Tour was knocked out of contention when he crashed at the first World Tour stop in Snowbird, UT. Coirier, did win the Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open, the Subaru Squaw Valley USA Freeskiing Open and also won the Sickbird buckle at Jackson Hole, WY.

“I am so stoked about the season,” said overall tour winner Adrien Coirier. “I skied all my runs exactly like I wanted to, with the exception of Snowbird where I fell. I spent the whole winter here in the U.S. and was blown away by how the freeskiers on the tour took such good care of me. Next year I’m coming back to win the World Tour, I can’t wait.”

New in 2007, MSI is posting same-day video broadcasts on the newly redesigned usfreeskiing.com featuring state of the art video and photo player technology. The daily uploads of video, photos, news and results of each day’s competition action will be available mere hours after each day concludes.

The IFSA World Tour finals are set for April 9-13 in Tignes, France. Previous Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series tour stops include the Subaru Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open at Jackson Hole, WY, the Subaru US Freeskiing Nationals at Snowbird, UT, the Subaru Squaw Valley U.S.A Freeskiing Open, at Squaw Valley U.S.A, CA, and the Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open at Telluride, CO.

View the Final Results from KIRKWOOD.

Photos, videos & more at www.usfreeskiing.com

Silver King Freeride – More Than Just Skiing

J Dogg — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:00:14 -0400

Rating

The infamous Silver King Freeride at Crystal Mountain, Washington. Always an epic event. Here's the real dirt from our man on the scene Reed Purvis. The story you are about to read is true, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent. No wait, nobody is that innocent, here's the story...

~~~~

Its thursday afternoon, the 1st round of qualifier for the 5th annual Silver King Freeride at Crystal Mountain Washington was held today, and the snow is falling heavily as the waitress cruises by with another pitcher. It's taken us a few beers to finally look outside and notice that the snow is not really accumulating.

The pre-qualifier qualifier held earlier today on Snorting Elk proceeded in a smooth and timely manner and was a fun practice day since no one was cut from the field. The real qualifiers on Friday were held once again on Snorting Elk due to the gnarly conditions of the schedule venue, Bear Pits. The conditions were icy mixed with some powder in places to soften things up at times - but not enough to prevent some noteworthy crashes. One competitor slid all the way down through the tight trees narrowly missing a few of them. Sonja Lercher, who would have taken the women's field if not for her scary crash over jagged rocks and ice, definitely had the gnarliest crash. She would have had the line of the day in the women's division if not for a pepper rock catching the tail of her ski and sending her over the rocks headfirst on her back. Luckily she was fine after just having recovered from a broken back.

Zach Barret making sure his bindings don't pre-release

The ice wasn't much of a deterrent, as competitors hit numerous straightlines through the schrubbery and rocks, not to mention the 2 huge backflips. J.D. Thompson managed to throw one of the most impressive backflips I have ever seen off the second part of a double stager. Using a small rock and icy lump about a foot or two wide to cleanly launch over 40 feet of low-angle pointy rock outcroppings, ice, and 20 feet of landing, J.D. barely missed the stomp as some ice chunks grabbed his ski. Also of note was Jake Rothfels's laid out backlip to faceplant on hardpack off a pre-built ramp above a cliff. At least he had perfect form for the photo (below). The day was a huge success overall with consistent judging, partly sunny skies, and everyone eagerly anticipating the finals on the King on Saturday.

Jake Rothfels going big.

JD Thompson backflip.

Of course the rain came and while all of us Pacific North-Westerners were stoked on the slushy spring conditions, others from foreign lands such as Utah and California didn't know what to make of it. For anyone who doesn't know the King, its a pretty sick venue with plenty of exposure, mini-couloirs, and very large cliff bands that follow a rocky ridge line down about 1500 ft - packed with plenty of features on both the ridge itself and on either side.

Starting off the day were the junior men, many of whom could have easily competed in the mens field. In fact, the Sick Bird award went to a junior competitor who turned an unassuming cliff-outcropping into a launch pad by hitting it with tons of speed and landing a huge laid out backflip. Then it was the women and the snowboard men with Laura Ogden and Ben Crocker emerging victorious for their respective fields. Of note but most likely unnoticed by the judges was Amy McDermid's pole difficulties mid-run. Apparently her hand slid halfway down the shaft of her pole due to a loose handle. She struggled with it while continuing her run but her fluidity suffered as a result. A stronger grip and forearm torque can be potential solutions for preventing this from happening in the future.

The men's field went down smoothly with 25 competitors in the finals. Everyone was soaked from the 'precipitation' but the snow was good slushy fun and could have been ice if not for the warm and rainy conditions. Exposed lines were skied, cliffs were hucked, but all in all everyone skied smart - knowing the snow was too firm to throw down off the 40-90 ft airs at the bottom of the venue. John Sterling of Crystal Mountain found a hidden, scary looking double drop in the midst of a low-angle wall of cliffs near the bottom of the venue. Nobody else touched it with a ten foot pole, helping him secure second place.

Taking top spot in the men's field was the infamous Whistler ripper Alex Blais who skied a fast, aggressive line and got the high score of the day, kiiiiiiiiiiiillllling it as he would say. Athan Merrick followed closely behind Sterling to round out the top three spots.

All in all there were 5 different fields: junior men, junior women, snowboarders, and men's ski, and with $15,000 in prize money the winners were all pretty stoked.

Our previous experience with the comp turned out to be a small preview to the wildness of the some of the local Crystal crowd - at least on this special occasion. The final competition day happened to coincide with the annual Dirt Bag Ball at the Bullwheel on Crystal Mountain. The costumes were pretty out of hand and the creativity factor was pretty high, yet had more to do with body parts, latex, and sexuality than anything - like any weird dress-up party of course.

Who invited the Canadians?

Alex Blais represented the Canadians well by managing to get kicked out of the party 3 times that night - we'd expect nothing less from him. Little C being as short as he is was getting hugs from as many girls as possible as his head is at the same level as..., well you get the idea

However, the real party was just beginning as Justin Cider and I discovered when we accidentally stumbled into the wrong hotel room, which turned out to be den of the cougar of all cougars. CIDER passed up the opportunity for his soft-core debut as he bolted out the door of the cougar den. When a fifty something lady hand feeds you some type of appetizer, a strange shirtless dude with a gut is just loitering around, and who knows what is going on in the bedroom - your feet instinctively carry you to the nearest exit. Apparently at Crystal anything is possible. The epic terrain was just the beginning.

For upcoming video footage of the event check out the Crystal website (www.crystalmt.com) and the event site (www.mountainchallenge.org). Big shout-out to John Barci for setting up and organizing such a cool event, and for Crystal Mountain playing host to it.

RESULTS FINAL STANDINGS

Men
1. Alex Blais, Whistler-Blackcomb
2. John Sterling, Crystal Mountain
3. Athan Merrick, Whistler-Blackcomb
4. Nick Frey, Squaw Valley
5. Jordan Cropper, Whistler-Blackcomb
6. Mike Vaughan, Alpine Meadows
7. Sam Wright, Whistler-Blackcomb
8. Chris Tatsuno, Sun Valley
9. Jeff Bergerson, Alpental
10. Logan Shaetzel-Hill, Big Sky
11. Zack Barrett, Mt. Baker
12. Reed Purvis, Alpental
13. Elliot Marsh, Crystal Mountain
14. Wayne Grevey, Crystal Mountain
15. William Hansen, Crystal Mountian
16. Buck Zastoway, Snowbird
17. Dustin Briedwell, Portland
18. Lance Petkovits, Crystal Mountain
19. Pete Durr, Mt. Baker
20. Rob Nachtwey, Squaw Valley
21. Larry Segal, Squaw Valley
22. Chase Scarff, Auburn
23. John Nahomey, Squaw Valley
24. Alex McDonald, Seattle
25. Jeremy Martinson, Crystal Mountain
26. Jack Parker, Seattle
27. Dave Whilan, Whistler-Blackcomb
27. J.D. Thompson, Alpental
29. Andy Devore, Hot Dog Mountain, Lk Geneva, WI
30. Rylan Cordova, Squaw Valley
31. Ben Paciotti, Crystal Mountain
32. Justin Dietz, Crystal Mountain
33. Ross Fairbrother, Crystal Mountain
34. Jake Rothfels, Snowbir
35. Stephen Pearson, Crystal Mountain-DNF
35. Ryan Kluh, Snowbird-DNF
35. Christian Boocher, Whistler-Blackcomb-DNF

Women
1. Laura Ogden, Crystal Mountain
2. Erica Laidlaw, Snowbird
3. Robin McElroy, Squaw Valley
4. Amy McDermid, Whistler-Blackcomb
5. Nancy Elrod, Squaw Valley
6. Jodi Grimm, Alpental
7. Jenny Dallas, Seattle
8. Brianne Taylor, Whistler-Blackcomb
9. Sonja Lercher, Whistler-Blackcomb
10. Marijka Stephens, Mt. Baker

Junior Boys
1.Kyle Bakken, Crystal Mountain
2. Michael Mandahl, Snowbird
3. Payton Covlin, Crystal Mountain
4. Ezra Stemple, Sugar Bowl, CA
4. Tyler Ceccanti, Crystal Mountain
6. Matthew Stern, Sugar Bowl, CA
7. Max Winetraub, Sugar Bowl, CA
8. Christian Mandahl, Snowbird
9. Dylan Owen, Snowbird
10. Alex Anderson, Snowbird
11. Matt Fry, Crystal Mountain
12. Neil Crowson, Snowbird
13. Adam Sandoval, Snowbird
14. Chase Eldredge, Snowbird

Junior Girls
1. Rebecca Lefanowiz, Sugar Bowl, CA
2. Ariana Stutano, Whistler-Blackcomb
3. Erin Kerr, Whistler-Blackcomb
4. Brittani Ballantyne, Kirkwood
5. Kim Johnson, Snowbird

Snowboarders
1. Ben Crocker, Lake Tahoe
2. Pete Bennett, Kirkwood
2. Adam DeVorgas, Kirkwood
4. Dave Watson, Snowmass
5. Bob Coffey, Crystal Mountain
6. Christiaan Bourdrez, Crystal Mountain
6. Patrick Hennessey, Crystal Mountain
8. Will Brommeisier, Kirkwood
9. Matt Fulop, Mt. Hood Meadows

Event organizer John Barci and staff, in fine form.